The saddlebag is a double-pen form which is almost always associated with tenant and sharecropping operations. It uses one chimney to heat both sides of the house.
Each room is a mirror image of the other. This example, like many, features a shed room across the rear of the structure.
This historic Black congregation may have been established in the 1910s, as the earliest identifiable burials in the adjacent cemetery are circa 1919. There are several vernacular headstones present, including the three crosses that follow.
Katie Mumford (birth and death dates unknown)
George Lockett (birth and death dates unknown)
Harrett (sic; Harriet) Lockett (birth and death dates unknown)
This is the second house of this style I’ve come across in my rambles in Dodge County over the years. It is a wonderful vernacular interpretation of the popular Queen Anne style, likely dating to the late 19th or early 20th century. The other, at Suomi, has recently collapsed.
This structure near New Daniels Baptist Church is a bit of a mystery to me. There are remnants of old signs on the front but they are unreadable.
The signs made me think of a store or commissary, but the layout of the structure doesn’t necessarily support that. It has been patched at some point and it’s hard to ascertain whether what looks like a door on the gable end was actually a window. If a door, it would certainly be akin to store/commissary design.
The ruins of another structure across the road definitely have a commercial appearance.
This congregation was established in 1905, and the church was probably built soon thereafter. It’s my guess that New Daniels (also referred to as New Daniel) was an offshoot of the Old Daniel Baptist Church. Relatives of my great-grandmother [Bohannon and Harrell families] were members at Old Daniel, but unfortunately, I can’t find any history of either congregation. I will update if I learn more.
This structure was the original home of the First Presbyterian Church. The congregation was established in 1877 and services were held in the courthouse until the completion of the church building in 1892. The Reverend William McKay served as the first pastor. The town’s’ namesake, William Pitt Eastman was among the first members, along with Miss Carro C. Eastman, Fannie P. Chandler, Lillie E. Chandler, Mary De Groat, Mrs. John Gardiner, Ursula Roberts, Joseph W. Sheldon, Nancy Sheldon, George W. Sheldon, John D. Sheldon, and Mary Russell. William Pitt Eastman and Joseph W. Sheldon were elected Ruling Elders, but Mr. Eastman declined the office.
Phillip Harrell notes that this was also used as the Catholic Church for a time.