This tenant house, located beside the Burton Brooks Orchard, was likely once part of the I. C. Williams farm.
Tenant Farmhouse, Barney
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Category Archives: Barney GA
Burton Brooks Peach Shed, 1950s, Barney
I. C. Williams, the first commercial peach grower in Brooks County, built this packing shed in the 1950s. Though it’s now owned by Mike and Lynn Abbott and known as Burton Brooks Orchards, the business is stronger than ever. Like Luck & Moody across the road, Burton Brooks sells at least 100 gallons of ice cream a day during the summer.
Luck & Moody Peach Shed, 1960s, Barney
At the encouragement of Brooks County’s first peach grower, I. C. Williams, James E. Moody began growing peaches in the late 1950s. He began packing the fruit in an old cotton gin by the railroad tracks, as a way to streamline his operation and ship his peaches in a timely manner. As his business grew, he built this more modern shed, originally known as the James Moody Peach Shed. It was later known as Joyce & Moody, before becoming Luck & Moody. Mr. Moody’s daughter and granddaughter continue the business today.
In summer, their famous peach ice cream brings in customers from far and wide; they sell 100 gallons or more on a good day.
Luck & Moody Peaches Mural, Barney
This colorful mural by artist Ethan Abbott graces the side of the old Harris Brothers garage and leaves no doubt that you’re in the heart of South Georgia’s peach country. It’s one of the most colorful murals out there and I guarantee it will make you want to stop and buy some peaches or get some peach ice cream.
Harris Brothers Garage, Barney
Harris Brothers Garage is one of the few remaining commercial structures in Barney. Their sign notes that they did electric and acetylene welding.
Barney’s Historic Commercial Block Lost to Demolition
Barney was once a busy trading crossroads, anchored by thriving nearby peach farms. It was large enough to support several general/grocery stores, and for many years these ghosts kept vigil over the commercial center of the old town. (The largest section of the block, on the right, was Blease’s Store). I’ve learned that they have been demolished in recent months, though I’m not exactly sure when, and having photographed them since the early 2000s, I’m not surprised. These are the last photos I made here, in 2016.
Barney Colored Elementary School, 1933
The Morven Rosenwald Alumni Association, with the cooperation of the Georgia Historical Society and the Brooks County Board of Commissioners restored this important resource in 2013. The marker placed at the site reads: Barney Colored Elementary School was part of the Rosenwald school building program that matched funds from philanthropist Julius Rosenwald with community donations to build rural Southern schools during the era of segregation. An example of a “community school plan,” it included large banks of windows, an industrial room, and sliding partition doors to accommodate larger school and community gatherings. This combined a Progressive-era design emphasis on lighting and ventilation with educator Booker T. Washington’s focus on community development and industrial training for rural African Americans. The school operated from 1933 to 1959, serving first through sixth grade students. One of six Rosenwald projects in Brooks County, Barney served as a feeder school to the Morven Rosenwald School. In 2006, the Morven Rosenwald Alumni Association, Inc. acquired the building and preserved it for community use.
Blease’s Store, Barney
Denise Millett writes that the larger store in the image was Blease’s Store; it was owned by her grandparents, James H. & Mary Wright Blease. She fondly remembers “fishing sodas out of the ice box cooler” when she was a small child. I’ve added these to “Lost Structures of South Georgia” as they seem to be beyond repair.
Rountree Grocery, Barney
Rountree Grocery is a rare survivor in Barney, typical of the vernacular commercial architecture once common throughout rural Georgia.
Note: As of 2023, this structure is critically endangered.
Rocky Mt. Zion A. M. E. Church, Barney
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 