The village of Avalon is hard to distinguish from nearby Martin, Georgia, today, but it was once a settlement unto itself. The two communities are less than a mile and a half apart. Richard Dempsey Yow (1844-1899) founded the community in 1880, when a post office named Avalon was opened, though most sources date the founding to 1882. Yow and his brother, Thomas Russell Yow (1855-1922), ran a successful mercantile here. [It may have been in the building pictured here, but I have been unable to confirm at this time.] Cooper and Meier were other merchants associated with this structure. The post office located in this block closed in 1955, long past Avalon’s prime, but this village, named for the island of Arthurian lore, hasn’t completely disappeared.
Such an interesting-looking remnant business block. Makes me wonder what the original businesss district looked like, or if this was the sole commercial block for the village. Was it an incorporated town? Are there any old photos of the place?
In a way, it is a blessing that time has forgotten so many of these fine old small towns – they exist all across our nation, settlements that, while no longer productive, remain alive in history, ready to return to life when folks realize their intrinsic beauty and peacefulness.
What a unique design for a building in a small town like this one. Note the lower roof line on the three-window section at right. Wonder if this was a later addition?
Looks like a sign-pole over the doorway on the left. Also note the second doorway on the two-window section on the right. Wonder if that part included the three-window section to the right of that?
Many small towns harbored some very creative people, and buildings like this one just make one wonder what else may have been nearby when the town was at its apex?