Maxeys was first known as Shanty, then as Salmonville. The town as named in honor of Jesse Maxey, who gave land for the Georgia Railroad right-of-way. Though the advent of the railroad in 1839 helped the town thrive, Maxey thought it to be a dangerous innovation and moved his family out to the country. One of Georgia’s first commercial fertilizer plants was built there in 1874 by William B. Brightwell. The town was incorporated in 1907.
The two-story building on the left was the A. J. Gillen Department Store.
Mr Raleigh George had a store in the building attached to the old gillen dept store , as kids I remember when there was still stock on the shelves of the gillen store in the early seventies that had been there 50 years , the building was in pretty bad shape ..the depot had a store operated by Mr Joel Hurt in it as well. Vinson store was still open then too..we used to put pennys on the railroad track and watch the train smash them , I lived on cherry st. in a home my father bought from Charly colclough who also had a store and ran the lil post office in town
Renovation of the two-story former department store is underway! 🙂
Lou is correct. The single story building to the left of the department store was last used as a tire store. It was my father-in laws business, Bucks New & Used Tire. Before that it was a bank and then converted into a gas station. The building was just recently sold to a musician.
I think the two story building was known as the AJ Gillen department store. It’s listed for sale on the Endangered Properties list at https://www.georgiatrust.org/properties-for-sale/endangered-properties-list/
We have friends in Maxeys or Stephens (close by) and used to visit them a lot when I was finishing my doctoral program at UGA. I remember going to their quaint country church with them one time — can’t remember the name, however.