Category Archives: –BUTTS COUNTY GA–

Victory Tabernacle, Flovilla

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Victory Tabernacle takes up pretty much all of the historic center of Flovilla and their adaptive re-use of the commercial block and adjacent storefronts probably saved these places. Storefront churches are often some of the only tenants in the abandoned downtowns I’ve been documenting for years. As with businesses, I don’t endorse churches, but that doesn’t limit me from being glad they’ve kept these old buildings alive.

One of the storefronts is one of my favorites in all of Georgia. A sign on the transom reads “Gospel Singing” and that’s flanked on either side by neon versions of the words Victory Jubilee. It’s a perfect scene. When I was making these photographs, mid-day on a Friday in October 2017, the church was meeting and I could hear gospel music coming from inside, just as the sign promised. It almost felt like a movie, surreal.

Update: Kimberly Rooker recently contacted me and shared a bit of the history of this property. She wrote, in part: “My family owned and operated the General Merchandise store on that property that you photographed in Flovilla. It is still standing as of today….but the Victory Tab[ernacle] has vacated it…sadly. My great great grandfather was JT Edwards from a pioneer family of the Jasper and Butts Co. areas. I showed my daughter the store last year…..just as my dad showed me the store front in 1989. There is a ton of history on the Edwards family in Flovilla/Indian Springs that was passed down to me orally when I was a child by my grandmother...”

Historic Storefront, Flovilla

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Besides the commercial block that is home to Victory Tabernacle, this is the only commercial building standing in “downtown” Flovilla and may have been attached to a larger structure or row at one time. It small size makes me think it was an office or bank but it serves as the backdrop for an outdoor stage for the Victory Tabernacle now, I think.

Eclectic Storefronts, Flovilla

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While re-editing my Butts County photographs, I stumbled across these two curious buildings. I believe they were located just outside Flovilla. Both are eclectic, with Victorian and vernacular elements. This looks like the common shotgun-type store dominant in early 20th century Georgia, but has an attached wing at the right. Such additions are uncommon with the shotgun form, so I presume it was added to this building for storage. I believe this was part of the late John Haney’s Fort Indian Springs Antique & Flea Market, so it may be something that he saved and fixed up.

The example above features hints of Victorian ornamentation but the stone columns take center stage. The concrete porch floor and layout of the facade are indicative of a commercial origin. A wing at the left would suggest an attached residence, or a later expansion for full-fledged residential use. I hope someone knows their stories.

Queen Anne Cottage, Jackson

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Jackson is a small town almost midway between Macon and Atlanta and like any small town has some wonderful old historic homes near its courthouse square. Numerous examples of various architectural styles give a lot of character to the area but there is no National Register historic district. Considering the quality of the homes, such as this simple Queen Anne cottage, I’m a bit surprised that there hasn’t been a local effort to seek more recognition for this neighborhood.

Beautiful Butts

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I like to think this water tower, and its slogan “Welcome to Beautiful Butts County”, [with Beautiful Butts in a noticeably larger font], is a cheeky response to Don Earnhart’s doomed appeal to give the county a more forward-facing name. In 2003, Earnhart, owner of local radio station WJGA, used his daily call-in show to suggest what proved unthinkable to most.

At the time, he told the Associated Press: “We catch so much flak, and it’s holding us back. You hear the name Butts County, Ga., and it conjures up an image of a doublewide with a car up on blocks in the front yard. Let’s say I’m a manufacturer trying to get my shareholders to invest in a plant. And the plant’s in someplace called Podunk, Mississippi. You see what I’m saying?” The story got lots of national attention but ultimately, nothing happened, other than a renewed sense of pride in the name.

And though community sentiment was overwhelmingly against the change, it should be pointed out that the name wasn’t even used on the county’s courthouse, nor the high school, which is named for the county seat of Jackson. Not a single business in the county used Butts in its name, either.

As to the source of the name, it was Captain Samuel Butts, a Virginia native who died in the Battle of Calabee (Alabama) during the Creek Indian War of 1811-1815. It was created from Henry and Monroe County in 1825. Scores of locations were honoring “Indian Wars” heroes at this time, so that probably explains “Why Butts?”

Ultimately, Butts is Beautiful, and a bit of a rural refuge wedged between Macon and Atlanta. I’m glad they have fun with the name.

Big Chief, Indian Springs

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This is a convenience store in Indian Springs, and the name is typical of tourist-driven locales with a history of Indian presence. For better or worse, Native American icons and symbols have been appropriated by myriad enterprises since the earliest days of European settlement in North America. They are also a prominent source for place names.

Iron Springs Clubhouse, 1949, Butts County

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This served for many years as the gathering place for the people of the Iron Springs community. It opened in July 1949 with a watermelon social. It hosted many local organizations, such as garden clubs and the Home Demonstration Club, as well as social functions of all kinds. It was used until at least the early 1970s.

The area is rich in history, as a historical marker placed by the Georgia Historical Commission in 1957 notes: On the night of Nov. 17, 1864, the Right Wing (15th and 17th Corps) of General Sherman’s army, which had marched south from Atlanta on Nov 15th on its destructive March to the sea, reached Jackson and camped in and around the town, Hq. Right Wing. Maj. Gen. O.O. Howard, USA, and the headquarters of both corps were established in Jackson. Elements of the 17th Corps (Blair) moved forward to iron springs and camped here on the road to Planter’s Factory (Ocmulgee Mills) at Seven Islands (5 miles SE), the point which had been selected for the passage of the Right Wing, camped near Worthville (7 miles NW). That night the 29th Missouri Mounted Infantry seized the ferry at Seven Islands and secured both banks of the river for the passage. Next morning, the 1st Missouri Engineers passed through Iron Springs with the pontoons and, by 1:00 P.M., two bridges were ready and crossing operations had begun. Late that night, the 17th Corps having cleared Iron Springs, the Artillery Brigade arrived and went into camp. Although both bridges were in use day and night, heavy rains had made the roads so difficult that the passage was not completed until the afternoon of the 20th.

Folk Victorian Farmhouse, Butts County

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