John H. Churchwell built this Neoclassical Revival house circa 1904-1905. A model was featured at the Louisiana Purchase Exhibit at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1903; Churchwell purchased the columns from the model and had them shipped to Cordele.

Other owners of the house through the years have been the Ryals, Hodges, and Durham families, but it will be forever remembered for its most famous owner, Mac Hyman. The Cordele native was the author of No Time for Sergeants (1954), the bestselling book which spawned Broadway, television and movie versions and launched the career of Andy Griffith. Hyman was working on his second book, Take Now Thy Son at the time of his death in 1963. He was a month shy of his 40th birthday. Take Now Thy Son was published posthumously, in 1965.

Thanks to Ross Hamilton for the identification.

O’Neal School Neighborhood Historic District, National Register of Historic Places