The Fleming Store is one of two iconic 19th-century general stores located within a few miles of each other in an idyllic rural area of Lamar County. It appears to be an inspired copy of the nearby Goggins General Store & Post Office. Johnstonville was established in 1821 and was the first county seat of Monroe County (this section was later annexed by Lamar County). John [1790-1834] & Celia Perry Fleming [1790-1864] were among its earliest settlers and their descendants built this store.
Rural general stores built of brick are among the rarest historic commercial resources in the state and the Fleming store is a particularly important example. Its front and rear parapetted facades may be a unique feature among surviving structures in Georgia. It is in declining condition and stabilization is needed.
Update: I was in Johnstonville on 17 September 2023, and it appears that some of the bricks at the front of the Fleming store have collapsed. There’s scaffolding in place, so I hope measure to save the building are in place.
Johnstonville-Goggins Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Idk if anyone will see this, but there is a bit of good news regarding this building. It’s currently in the process of being fixed up and saved. I stopped and talked to someone who was there working on it and he said that he was a descendant of the original owner and that he couldn’t stand to see it just sit there and rot anymore, and so they’re fixing it up trying to turn it into some sort of store again. (On street view, you can see the new metal roof they put up around a year ago)
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