This superb Craftsman cottage is made even more interesting with its Ludowici Tile roof and shingle siding. It’s a two-story version of the more common single-story bungalow that is synonymous with the Craftsman style. There are some great homes in Barnesville’s historic residential area but I haven’t had much luck identifying any of them. Nonetheless, if you ever need a break from the traffic on I-75, this small town best known for its history of buggy manufacturing is definitely worth a drive-through or walk-around.
Thomaston Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This grand Shingle Style Victorian is one of the highlights of the historic residential section of Barnesville and an exemplar of the form. The style is relatively uncommon in Georgia and is usually found in larger urban settings. Often called cottages, most houses of this type were built between 1876-1910. If you’ve visited Jekyll Island, you have likely seen a few in the National Historic Landmark District, owned as vacation homes by some of America’s wealthiest families of the time.
Thomaston Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
The name of this Victorian home, Morocco Swing, is a bit of a mystery to me, but the best kind of mystery. The house doesn’t appear to have any Moroccan elements, but apparently it has meaning. It’s a nice example of a plain style Victorian, and it dates to circa 1863. This means construction of the house was taking place during the Civil War, which was a difficult time for such an endeavor.
Thomaston Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Neighborhoods of nearly identical shotgun houses were once common sights in Georgia towns and cities where a textile or cotton mill was present. The utilitarian housing was provided as a benefit of employment. Most have vanished in the past thirty years.
This appears to be one of the most endangered commercial blocks in downtown Barnesville. It’s a typical commercial Victorian. Most historic buildings in Barnesville are in good condition.
Barnesville Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Barnesville was among the earliest towns in Georgia with a railroad presence, beginning with the Macon and Monroe Railroad [later the Macon and Western, one of Georgia’s three oldest railroads] in 1841. It thrived as an important transportation crossroads before the growth of Atlanta and a depot was built in Barnesville by 1852. The Central of Georgia later acquired the Macon and Western line and in 1912, the old depot was razed and this one built on the site. It opened sometime in 1913.
On 11 August 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt stopped here on his way to dedicate the Lamar Electric Cooperative in front of 50,000 people at the nearby Gordon Military College stadium. The Rural Electrification Administration was one of FDR’s most progressive programs and literally brought rural America out of the dark ages. It’s believed that this was the only such cooperative he dedicated personally.
The depot served until 1971, when the passenger train the Nancy Hanks made her last stop here. When the Southern Railway, successor to the Central of Georgia, planned to raze the depot in 1973, locals successfully lobbied to save it.
This Carpenter Gothic homestead is one of the oldest houses in Barnesville and has recently been restored by Claudia and Dennis Gallion. John William Means (1812-1896) was a member of the family for whom the nearby village of Meansville was named.
Thomaston Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
