–BLECKLEY COUNTY GA– | Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown

Brown Hill Baptist is the oldest African-American congregation in Bleckley County. According to the sign, and other Bleckley County sources, it dates to circa 1795. This is an extremely early date for any congregation in this area and probably needs further documentation. Such an early date would suggest that the congregation was likely established on a plantation by enslaved people. The present structure is of much more recent construction. The church also had a school until 1969. That structure now stands on the grounds of Bleckley County Middle School.

The extensive Meadows & Porter Farm [Joe Walker Meadows and Marion Porter] is one of the most intact historic peach farms in Georgia. It is anchored by the Meadows’s Queen Anne farmhouse (above). Most of the dependencies are still standing and in good condition. For its connection to one of Georgia’s most iconic crops, the farm should be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.