Originally a dry goods store, and bank, this structure has been known for years as the Swampland Opera. In 1975, the late Joe Boone, Jr., started the business as a weekend venue for musicians and each Saturday until 2000, a country, gospel & bluegrass music hoedown was held here.
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 
My Grandma’s sister, Mary Elis was married to Joe Boone. I have early childhood memories of visiting this place and always getting our picture in the paper when we did back in the early 80s. I have the best memories of visiting them.
Barbara English Cornett
My daddy’s bluegrass band from the Atlanta area, Buzzard’s Roost played Swampland a couple of times themselves. My grandparents lived in Toomsboro, and I used to run all over the small town streets. I sure do miss those simpler times…
I sang there with my family, loved being there.
I’m looking to buy some relics from the theater. Who do I talk to?
I am getting old so please pardon my typos
No pardon needed! I make them often 🙂
My Daddy had a show there. In fact he played the first song at Joe Boone’s swamp home where Joe held regular syrup making fro. Sugar canes. That was the beginning of Swampland Opera. And the restaurant in its hayday was fabulous! It had cedar tree trunks as posts and a huge fireplace. It was awesome hen. It was on the radio too. Talk about interesting folks! I am thankful Someone is helping keep this amazing part of history alive. Remember Bud Criswell’band? Daddy was “Superstar Jack Walton”. I even sang on his sow. Jphn Schneider came from Milledgeville and sang on Daddy’s show while they were filming Dukes of Hazard. BTW Joe Boone ran the County paper. He saw to it that a record was made of the music. Daddy sang the Swampland Opera written by a local lady but I don’t remember her name. I wonder if anyone lives in that fabulous swamp home Joe built.
My mom used to drag me there kicking and screaming. Looking back I’d love to be able to go back and hear that good gospel and bluegrass again. I really miss those simpler days.
I used to play piano for the Kingdom Heirs of Augusta ga and this was one of the BEST places to play and minister to ever in Georgia
I, along with my first cousin Brad Craft, used to be hijacked and carried there by our proud grand parents Lewis and Aileen Braddy…from Metter.
Brad and I were more into the rock scene and were in a successful rock band that gigged most every Friday and Saturday nite. We were lucky enough to be pretty good and about freshmen and sophmores in school…We were both long hairs but respectable! Poppy and Mama Braddy
loved for us to go with them so they could show us off to Joe Boone and all the folks there, while we jammed with folks on stage…… We usually had a good time as there was usually a cute girl or two to flirt around with! We would kinda roll our eyes when Tombsboro was mentioned…….to this day I am still in the music business and probably always will be, thanks to my Grand Parents and Parents…. it made our Grand Parents PROUD….so we really didn’t mind it so much….those were the days!
Butch Braddy
drums, vocals
My family and I use to go and sing at the Opera house.. as the “Blackwood Family” we met so many wonderful people there.. We first proformed there with the Kingdom Heirs of Augusta, Ga.. I’ve heard someone has reopened it.. Hoping to verify this so that we cold go back and enjoy some great country and Gospel Music..