This is located on Iowa River Road, which is one of the most unusual names for any road I know of in South Georgia. I have no idea why it’s called that, but it’s a really nice drive. Since it doesn’t have a chimney, I can’t be sure that it was a house.
Situated in a grove of old Georgia pines, Campground is the oldest congregation in Bacon County and one of the earliest Methodist churches in the interior of South Georgia. Legend maintains that Bishop Asbury, “Prophet of the Long Road”, hitched his horse here around 1800. A granite marker placed in 1942 is the source of this information. That’s likely the date the present church was constructed. L. E. Pierce was the pastor at the time.
This restaurant is a longtime landmark on U. S. Highway 1.
Ralph Deen wrote: Thanks a bunch for including this pic of The “New” Alma Hotel. My father, Braswell Deen, Sr., built this and operated it very successfully until WWII broke out and gas-rationing was the order of the day…virtually eliminating “traveling salesmen”.
Like many Masonic lodges in Georgia, the Bacon Lodge has been home to other businesses during its history.
“IF THE COLONEL HAD OUR RECIPE, HE WOULD BE A GENERAL!”
The sign was altered by 2013 and I believe the name of the business has also changed.
The was a general store for many years, owned by the Carter family; when I photographed it, it had recently served as the Restoration Temple House of Prayer. Amy H. Carter wrote in 2011 that the store burned in late 2010.
James and Barbara Spires and family graciously open their beautiful farm each year to showcase those curious hybrid creations we call mules at the famous Mule Roundup in Guysie. A nice history of the festival can be found here. [There’s also a Mule Day, in Calvary, Georgia, and another in Wilkes County].
The photos in this post were made at the 16th Annual Roundup in 2010.
Hands down this is one of the best festivals in South Georgia, with mule competitions, old-fashioned cane grinding, cloggers, and gospel and country singers, as well as antique automobiles, and plenty of vendors and fun for the kids.
The best part about it is that it doesn’t feel like a festival; it feels like you were just invited over for a hoe-down on the farm.
Don’t forget to stop by the Guysie General Store and buy a souvenir of your visit. They have great t-shirts.
In case you don’t know, mules are the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.
As a result, mules share similar colors and patterns with horses.
They also liver longer and eat less than horses, in general.
They can live up to 50 years.
Until modern tractors were commonly available, mules were preferred for plowing. They have also been in military use for over a thousand years.
And they’re actually not as stubborn as their reputation would suggest. They’re definitely smarter than donkeys.
The sign is a landmark in its own right.
UPDATE: Sadly, the Mule Roundup has ceased operation.
Upon the formation of Bacon County in 1914, the Rabinowitz Building served as the courthouse until this one was completed in 1919. J. J. Baldwin was the architect and R. W. Wimbish was the builder.
National Register of Historic Places