Shorter’s Chapel was established by freedmen in 1868. In 1883, William Eastman, founder and namesake of the town, gave the congregation the land on which the present structure now stands. It is the most historic Black church in Dodge County. The cornerstone states that it was built in 1885 by Rev. R. Ford. I am sure it has been modified somewhat over time, but it seems mostly original in appearance. A 2015 feature on WGXA notes that the steeple is the only part of the original building that survives but also notes that this is the third oldest building in Eastman. Perhaps the steeple was part of an earlier structure built before Eastman gave the land for this church. If anyone knows, please get in touch.
The first time I saw this house there was an old Plymouth parked in the overgrown yard. I was walking around the courthouse in Eastman and noticed the car.
Front elevation, 2020.
It was obvious the house had been abandoned for some time, but it was still in good condition. Not long after I first posted photographs, Nancy Heath reached out to let me know that she had recently inherited the house, and was trying to sell it to someone who would bring it back to life. She invited me to photograph the interior and I had a nice visit with her. My friend David Bray, an interior designer, was also along for the visit.
Parlor, 2020. There are different colored tile fireplaces in each of the main rooms.
It was once known as the DeLacy House, but in recent years served as the law office of Nancy’s stepfather, Eastman attorney Will Burch (1921-2011).
Library, 2020.
Mr. Burch, a native of Eastman, was a naval officer in WWII, survived D-Day, and later served in the Korean War. He studied law at Emory and practiced in Atlanta and Eastman. He maintained his practice in Eastman from 1974 until his retirement.
Medallion, 2020.
Tax records indicate that the house was built in 1885, but that date is incorrect.
Kitchen, 2020.
The present structure, of an eclectic Colonial Revival style, dates to circa 1906, according to Nancy Heath, who extensively researched the house.
Bedroom, 2020.
I’m grateful to Nancy for allowing me to photograph the house and see it before it was sold.
Decorative column detail, 2020.
There are some great details in the house and I’m sure the new owners have made sure they are still an integral part of its charm. They did a wonderful job with the exterior.
Front elevation, 2025.
Note: This replaces and expands a post originally published on 20 December 2015.
5304 1st Avenue, Eastman, 1927. Collection of Brian Brown.
This was the last Eastman home of my great-grandparents, Burt Herman Browning (1892-1951) and Sadie Harrell Browning (1902-1986), before they moved to Fitzgerald. They married in 1920. My great-grandfather was a World War I veteran, a member of the large Browning family around Scotland, and my great-grandmother was one of hundreds of Harrells in Dodge County. My great-grandmother loved this little house and kept this photograph her whole life. Perhaps she had sad memories here, too, because this was where the horrible effects of my great-grandfather’s being gassed and shell-shocked in France during the war were first noticed, and where she lost a baby girl, Mary Elizabeth, to fever in 1926. She’s buried just down the street in Woodlawn Cemetery. All that said, I imagine many happy hours were spent on that front porch. It’s neat to see the swing, because my great-grandmother had a swing on her front porch throughout my life and believed in the healing power of time spent on the porch. It was a place to tell stories, catch up on gossip, and of course, to shell peas. Lots of peas.
The little girl with the Buster Brown haircut sitting barefoot on the front porch and sucking her thumb is my grandmother, Thelma Browning Bussell (1921-2003). She was six years old when the photograph was made. She also had fond memories of the house.
When my family lived here it was a gable front cottage, very typical of the working class of the era. It’s still standing, though you’d hardly recognize it today. It’s located at 5304 1st Avenue and has been expanded and is now sided with brick. Tax records state the house was built in 1939, but that is incorrect. I believe the Dodge County Courthouse burned in 1939, so many houses may have been assigned that date of construction. I imagine it was fairly new when this photograph was made, but it was definitely built before 1939.
Milan is located in Dodge and Telfair Counties, one of many Georgia towns with such a distinction. It was settled in the 1880s due to the arrival of the railroad in the area. It was named for Milan, Italy, and of course, has a Georgia pronunciation. It’s “My-lun”, not “Muh-lan”. Many people have asked me over the years why Georgia has such unusual place names, and it’s not just Georgia. The reason is because common names, especially surnames, were already in use and the post office department wouldn’t allow towns with the same, or even similar, names.
Milan became the focus of unwelcome national attention during the summer of 1919, known as Red Summer. The story is graphic, but as Black history is being officially censored in Georgia and many other states, it should be told. And to be certain, Milan was not alone in regards to such atrocities.
On 24 May 1919, two white men, John Baptiste Dowdy, Sr. (1894-1919) and Levi Evans, attempted to break into the home of a Black woman, Emma McCollers, with the intent of raping her two young daughters. Dowdy’s father, Rev. William Dowdy, was the mayor of Milan. When the family refused to allow them in the house, Dowdy fired his gun.
The girls fled to the nearby home of Emma Tishler and were followed by Dowdy and Evans. During the chaos, Ms. Tishler hid in a well. Berry Washington, a 72-year-old Black sharecropper, heard the commotion and attempted to defend the girls. Dowdy fired at Washington, and after a struggle, Washington killed Dowdy. Washington turned himself soon after the shooting and was transferred to the jail in McRae.
The next day, Deputy Sheriff Dave McRanie handed Washington over to a lynch mob who removed him from the jail and in the early hours of 26 May 1919, hanged him from a post at the site of the shooting and riddled his body with gunshot. His mutilated corpse was left in public view for at least a day, no doubt as an ominous warning to the local Black community.
This photograph dates to 2009 and I’m not sure if the house survives. I never published it, hoping to return later for a better view, but I never made it. It’s a simple hip-roof house with Queen Anne porch posts.
Empire was a sawmill town, which was established circa 1887 and incorporated in 1911. The name was meant to attract newcomers, but never had the desired effect. The Empire post office operated from 1887-1965. It’s a few miles south of Cochran, and part of the community lies in Bleckley County.
The signage on the porch gable displays the years 1883, 1947, and 1985. I believe the school was established in 1883 and closed in 1947. This schoolhouse does not date to 1883 but was probably built circa 1910s-1920s to replace an earlier building. 1985 was perhaps the date the signage was placed, or the year of a reunion.
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.
