Macon was going through a bit of an architectural renaissance in the first decade of the 20th century and Neoclassical Revival mansions were being built throughout the city’s historic neighborhoods at a brisk pace. One of the finest was this yellow brick beauty, with a bowed portico, built for George Turpin. Later owners were Walter Grace and J. Freeman Hart, Jr. It was during the Hart’s ownership that the organization meeting of the Middle Georgia Historical Society was held in the home in 1964.
Macon Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
J. Neel Reid was perhaps the busiest architect in the state when W. J. & O. J. Massee commissioned a large residential building in Macon. The resulting apartment tower, completed in 1924, quickly became a source of pride for the city.
In Reid’s papers, the Massee Apartments, as they’re known today, were referred to as the W. J. & O. J. Massee Apartment Hotel. The Georgian Revival landmark was one of the tallest buildings in Macon at the time of its construction, and remains a fashionable residential address in the College Street neighborhood.
Macon Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This house, built circa 1845, has evolved over the years. Looking it the central section of the house, it appears to have originated as an Italianate or Greek Revival townhouse. It’s decidedly Second Empire in its present form [or, at least, Second Empire adjacent], and that style wasn’t in vogue in America until around 1860. My guess is that the mansard roof was added sometime after the Civil War and the brick veneer came even later. I haven’t been able to find the house in any of my books on Macon architecture, but I’m still looking.
Macon Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This fine home is a good illustration of the transition from the Greek Revival to the Italianate style that became fashionable in the 1840s. This was accomplished by the addition of features such as overhanging eaves and buttresses or brackets. A recent survey dates the house to circa 1841, while the Middle Georgia Historical Society [MGHS] dates it to 1869. I believe this was when the Italianate features were added. The Neoclassical-inspired porch posts were likely added around the turn-of-the-century, reflecting the popularity of that style at the time. The MGHS states that it is, architecturally, one of the most important houses in the High Street area.
The first known owner was Virgil Powers, superintendent of the Southwestern Railroad, surveyor for the Macon-to-Savannah rail line in 1834, a city alderman, member of the Board of Education, and the board of the Orphanage of Bibb County. Considering Powers’s early presence in Macon, its not a stretch to imagine that he built the house as a Greek Revival, around the 1841 date, and altered it to the Italianate appearance in 1869.
Macon Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Of the myriad early-20th-century architectural revivals, Tudor and English Vernacular are among my favorites for their functionality and simple design. This example displays a hallmark of the Tudor Revival, the timbered gable.
Macon Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Rose Hill was the third cemetery established in Macon, after Fort Hill and the Old City Cemetery. Simri Rose (1799-1869), a Macon pioneer who helped in the planning of the city, was given a burial site of his choosing in return for designing the new cemetery. It was named in his honor. [NOTE: The images that accompany the text are randomly chosen.I plan on a much more extensive documentation of the cemetery this fall and will update here at that time.]
I don’t have an identification for this memorial, but it’s one of my all-time favorites. Cynthia Jennings notes that it’s a Masonic tribute.
Rural, or garden, cemeteries in urban centers were growing in popularity in the mid-19th century and Rose Hill may be one of the first of its kind in the Southeast. In describing the cemetery’s location to the city council, Simri Rose, who had a horticultural and aesthetic background, wrote, in part: …situated about a half mile above the city on the banks of the Ocmulgee River, mostly on elevated ground, the highest point being 142 feet above its bed. Its entrance is through a lofty arched gate, constructed after the Doric order of architecture. The area of ground comprised within the enclosure is about 50 acres. Another spot could scarcely be found in any section of our country so much diversified, and comprising so many distinct objects and combinations going to form a perfect picture of rural beauty.
Martha M. Kirby (1856-1862)
Rose continues: Many who have visited the cemeteries of the North, and even the far famed Mount Auburn, think it far inferior in natural beauty and location to Rose Hill. A prominent feature in its scenery is the Ocmulgee River, along which it extends nearly half of a mile. The banks are from thirty to sixty feet high, and generally rocky and precipitous, and form an impenetrable barrier to its approaches. The higher parts of the ground are nearly level, and laid out as places of interment; other places have been selected by many in the wildest parts almost overhanging the deep valleys. From the river deep and narrow dells penetrate the ground from fifty to two hundred yards, one of them divides it entirely near its center, through which a rivulet murmurs over a steep and rocky bed to the river. This is supplied by four springs, one at the head, outside the ground and three within it. The water of one is reputed to be the coolest and purest in this vicinity. It is most beautifully located, and is the most attractive spot for visitors...
Col. Robert A. Smith (1824-1862) 44th Regiment of Georgia Volunteers. Fell while leading his command in a charge on the enemy’s works at Ellison’s Mills near Richmond, in the 37th year of his age.
During the Civil War, Macon was second only to Richmond in numbers of wounded soldiers in Confederate hospitals. Many of those men were buried near the places they died and the Macon Ladies Association facilitated their reinterment at Rose Hill in 1866.
Caroline Augusta Scott (1840-1868)
The cemetery has grown over the years, and now records over 14,000 gravesites.
John B. Ross Juhan ( 1867-1875) Little John Juhan wanted to be a fireman and was the adopted mascot of Defiance Station No. 5. They firehouse erected this monument when he died.
Governors of Georgia [including several county namesakes], Confederate Generals, and numerous other politicians and prominent business leaders are buried here. As the final resting place of several members of the Allman Brothers Band, Rose Hill has become a secular shrine, and one of the most visited places in Macon.
Anna Gertrude Powers (1848-1859)
The roads that lead down to the river are quite steep and narrow. It’s best to park near the entrance gate and walk, if you’re able.
This is a great example of the more subtle Victorian styles popular in the mid-19th century, albeit a later example. Houses of this type tend to be more utilitarian than the higher style Queen Annes.
Macon Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This is the third building in Macon to bear the name Douglass Theatre. All three were owned and operated by Charles Henry Douglass (1870-1940), a son of former slaves and the most prominent and wealthiest Black businessman in early-20th-century Macon.
Charles Henry Douglass [detail], from Cyclopedia of the Colored Race, Vol. 1, 1919. Public domain.
The first Douglass Theatre opened circa 1912. It was replaced by a temporary location at 1223 Broadway in 1917, while plans for the present structure were being finalized. The New Douglass Theatre, adjacent to the Douglass Hotel, opened in 1921. Douglass operated it until his death in 1940 [thoughhe leased it to Ben Stein from 1927-1929]. His widow and sons kept it open until 1973. The venue showed first-run movies and hosted live performances. Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Duke Ellington were among some of the better known early performers.
Restoration of the Douglass was completed circa 1997 and it continues to serve as an important events venue.
Macon Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Sidewalk tiles were once commonly used to advertise businesses, especially during the 1920s and 1930s, and were often seen in Art Deco environments. I photographed this one in downtown Macon in 2009. I have no idea if the sign remains nor have I been able to locate anything about the business.
Neil Joiner shared, from an article by Ed Grisamore, that the business first opened as the Crystal Cafe, in 1892, was later Loh’s, and after that, Jeneane’s Cafe. The building was reportedly the first in Macon to have electric light.
Macon Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Designed by the architectural firm of T. Thomas & Son for Macon entrepreneur William Butler Johnston, this 18,000-square-foot Italian Renaissance Revival mansion was built between 1855-59 by James B. Ayres.
Johnston was involved in every aspect of the construction of his home. Initially, it was to be of wooden construction, but Johnson opted for masonry and brick instead.
“Ruth”, a marble sculpture commissioned in Rome and shipped to Macon, by the expatriate Neoclassical sculptor Randolph Rogers. She has her own room in the house.
The Johnstons were active art collectors and acquired important pieces during their Grand Tour of Europe. The house was well-suited for the display of their impressive collection.
At a time when most of the finest homes in the South were of Greek Revival design, the Johnston House was a standout.
Macon’s grandest residential landmark, it’s also considered one of the finest houses in Georgia, known as the “Palace of the South” upon construction.
It was the most modern house in mid-19th-century Macon.
It featured hot and cold running water, gas lighting, central heat, an in-house kitchen and other innovations far ahead of their time.
The Johnston’s daughter Mary Ellen married William H. Felton (later a judge) in 1888 and they soon moved into the house.
After the deaths of the Feltons, Parks Lee Hay bought the house in 1926.
When Mrs. Hay died in 1962, her heirs established the P. L. Hay Foundation and operated it as a private museum.
The Hay House was transferred to the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation in 1977.
It is operated today as a house museum and event venue.
A tour of the home also includes a glimpse into the living quarters, which are only slightly less formal.
The Georgia Trust has spent decades researching the history and architecture of the house. I’m grateful to Mark McDonald and Ennis Willlis for unfettered access with my camera. All of the staff were very accommodating during my visit.
Note: This post replaces an earlier version, originally published in 2017.
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 