South Metter Residential Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Craftsman Bungalow, Circa 1914, Metter
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Category Archives: –CANDLER COUNTY GA–
Parrish-Tillman House, 1890, Metter
Guido Gardens, Metter
Guido Gardens is a place of refuge, just a couple of miles off I-16 in Metter, which has always been free and open to the public 24/7, 365 days a year. Walk around these three acres and you’re guaranteed to find a sense of inner peace, no matter your faith or belief system. It’s a testament to the vision of Michael Guido, who was better known as “The Sower” through his syndicated newspaper column and radio and television broadcasts, Seeds from the Sower. His wife, Audrey, was responsible for the design of the gardens. At a time when televangelists were plagued with scandal, Michael Guido was seen as a stabilizing voice. He never asked for money and actually gave his message to any and all who would hear it. Guido’s Sower Ministries is still going strong.
Take an hour and walk through the pines and flower beds. Listen to the calming sounds of waterfalls, which seem to be around ever corner.
One of the great features of the gardens is the Chapel in the Gardens, a modern prayer chapel built in 1984 in memory of Evelyn Stillwell. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale came to Metter to assist with the dedication.
As the guest registry in the chapel indicates, people come from all over the country and even the world to this special place of refuge.
The Carpenter’s Shop and the Empty Tomb (not pictured) are representations of important places in Jesus’ life.
A museum is also located on the grounds.
Allen Jones House, 1885, Candler County
This appears to have originally been built as an unusually small Plantation Plain-style farmhouse with the wings likely added as the family grew. The orientation of the house has also been changed, as well, with the entryways now located on what would have originally been the sides.
Across the highway on the farm is this unusual barn, which I initially thought was a smokehouse. But as Edwin King pointed out, smokehouses didn’t have chimneys. I’m not sure if it was originally a smokehouse, with the chimney added later, or if it had some other function. I just can’t place it.
Canoe-Hagan School, 1932, Candler County
Located between Metter and Twin City is a Rosenwald school known as the Canoe-Hagan School. Rosenwald Schools were built through the efforts of Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington and thousands of volunteers all over the South. Their purpose was to provide industrial education to rural blacks at a time when Southern states were barely providing them school buildings, let alone a proper education.
Thanks to James Palmer for pointing out the Rosenwald connection, and for the identification.
Update: Sadly, this landmark burned to the ground on 16 June 2017.
Single-Pen Cottage, Candler County
In this beautiful Southern yard, of the nearly forgotten but not-so-distant past, I always see a happy, well-fed cat. The house seems to be begging to have its picture made. A very authentic place it is. In a different version of this photograph that I posted on my personal Facebook page, I called the image “Southern History” because I think in this yard is as much Southern history as you’ll find in any museum. These are the places from which I learn the most.
An update: On 1 February 2018, Dr. Fay Stapleton Burnett wrote: I came by there today; apparently this house was torn down, as it is no longer there. The area has been graded, so I believe the landscape is gone as well. As a child, the Carroll family lived there. Mr. Carroll ran the small grocery store across the road. Rosemary Church Road was dirt at the time, and we lived in the farmhouse just down from here. Mr. Carroll was a fine gentleman – he always wanted me to “try” a piece of a new candy he had, which of course, was just his way of giving me candy! And, Mrs. Carroll had a little Chihuahua, and she fried chicken for the dog everyday! I always thought that was weird…..our dogs just ate scraps!!
Hall-and-Parlor Tenant Farmhouse, Candler County
This is located near Pulaski. LaDonna McCollum writes: My grams [born in 1935] was named Kathryn Baldwin Mainer. She was one of 7 children who lived there [the house seen here] and she spent her whole life in Candler County moving from picking crops to cleaning homes and then working in nursing homes and private sitting. She raised 13 children alone. When my mom was growing up there were about 10 of them in the house at that time and for most of her life they lived in a block tenant house on Rocker Plantation on Salem Church Rd. Mom and her siblings worked in the ‘bacca there when she was growing up. She doesn’t miss that at all! The tenant is still there, the residents have made some improvements over the past couple years, added plumbing, painted, did a great deal of remodeling. The old Rocker house is gone, well part of it, they used part of it for the house which is there now. My Grams was a great lady, a strong, persevering lady! Gone too soon. She along with many of my family members are buried in St. Matthews Church Cemetery.
Tenant Farmhouse, Candler County
This vernacular tenant house was located near Pulaski. I believe it was two single-pen houses that were attached at some point, but could not get close enough to confirm.
Sanders House, Pulaski
Fay Stapleton Burnett writes: Home of the late Mildred Sanders, a friend of my Mother, Sue Nell Jones Stapleton. I remember visiting this house many times as a child growing up on Rosemary Church Road……
Coleman Barn, Candler County
I first came to know of this iconic barn from another photographer in the area and was absolutely amazed when I was finally able to photograph it a few years ago. It’s a massive structure and its architectural features, such as wooden-shingle dormers and trellis vents and doors, make it among the most interesting I’ve ever encountered in South Georgia.
Last July, Anna Williams shared this history of the barn: My husband (Ben Williams, owner of the Heritage Barber Shop in Metter) is the great-grandson of the man who built the barn. It was the Coleman Farm before the Rushtons purchased it. Jim Coleman was the original owner and he was the one who built it. My husband, his brothers and many cousin’s played there when they were young. That was many years ago; he is now 77. This is better known today as the R. L. Rushton farm.
It’s hard to do justice to this barn in photographs. It’s massive, but beyond that, its architecture and the attention Jim Coleman paid to the details take it a step above most any of its contemporaries in South Georgia. The old cedar tree adds a lot to the landscape. Robin Robbins & Vicky Prince both wrote to inform me that this barn had been used in the opening sequence of the 1974 movie Buster and Billie. The barn appears at 2:20 on the YouTube clip.
