So far, I’ve been unable to locate any information on this school, but the International Style architecture suggests it likely dates to the 1950s. It may have been used until the 1970s-1990s.
This bell near the front entrance to the school is probably a relic of an earlier school, perhaps the Lumber City High School. It’s not identified as such, though one would presume it to be related.
The marker beneath the bell was placed in 1921, perhaps at a slightly different location originally, by the Oconee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It reads: This street was the old River Road blazed by Gen. David Blackshear, 1812. Six miles beyond in the forks of Oconee and Ocmulgee River was the second fort built in Telfair County by Gen. David Blackshear for defense in War [of] 1812.
The school has two wings radiating from the front entrance, which housed classrooms, I presume.
As seen here, Hurricane Helene left her calling card on the campus, A separate building, to the left, may have also housed classrooms.
The International Style is characterized by minimalism and is focused on functional and utilitarian design. The lack of design may be its most notable feature, and its simple form was very popular with Georgia schools from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. The most interesting element to the Lumber City Elementary school is the covered breezeway at the front entrance.
As with most of these mid-century Georgia schools, there is very little interest or hope for their preservation. While these structures appear to be in salvageable condition, it’s unlikely they will ever be reused. I believe the Lumber City Elementary school was used for adult education courses as late as the early 2010s, but has been abandoned since then.
There was another school on the other side of the road. Was the old high school. I have a couple of pictures of it. It was torn down when they consolidated the school systems in the 1960s.
After it was a Lumber City Elementary school in the late year 90s the city of lumber city turn it into Lumber City Head Start I graduated from this school of head start in 2002 they shut it down in 2008 or 2009 due to budget cuts.
There was a whole other two story school on the other side of the road. Was torn down in the early 70s. It was the old high school…started as k-12 but they built the school across the street for the elementary/middle grades and had the high school there until 63 when they closed the door and sent everyone to different districts such as McRae, Wheeler, and Jeff Davis.
It actually closed ots doors 1989. And was a pretty starting in the late 90s. Closed its doors officially in 2010.
Not pretty. Start operating prek in the late 90s.
I am trying to get this school on a registry for Georgia. The location itself is historic. It used to have a 2 story high school. A community project.
Glad you’ve documented this, Brian! There were countless one-story brick school buildings like this in the 1950s. Reminds me of the school I went to in Hanahan, LA in third and fourth grade.
This is really sad. I know many find mid-20th Century institutional architecture unlovable, and much of it was genuinely bad, but this place has its charms and was no doubt an important place for the community and its members for a generation or two. It looks like it could be saved.
I went to Pre-K here. It is in a tiny town and the school got shut down from budget cuts between 2008-2016. Not sure when, but my old teacher blamed it on the Obama administration’s budget cuts so that’s how I know the time frame.
Prek closed its doors in 2010. Elementary closed 1989. Long before Obama.
No Obama. Before Obama.