Category Archives: –DOUGHERTY COUNTY GA–

Queen Anne House, 1890, Albany

Wight-Davis House, 1884, Albany

This eclectic Queen Anne house is one of the largest residential structures in downtown Albany, situated on a massive lot. Its scale is quite impressive. From Trulia: This house boasts a rich history with Nelson Tift, founder of Albany, as the original landowner. The original home had 5 stories, the top two destroyed in a fire in 1956. The third floor is currently being used as attic space. The original woodwork, mantles, banisters and moldings, were hand carved. The five fireplace mantels are made of cherry or mahogany wood. The 12 ft. mantel in the front center office was purchased at the Chicago’s World Fair in 1885. This office and the stairwell both feature original Tiffany glass stained windows. This property is also home to last known artesian well in the South Georgia. The stone wall surrounding the property was constructed with local limestone. In addition to serving as a private home to Confederate Col. Edwin Wight and Dr. W.L. Davis, it served as a funeral home for 35 years.

Rock fences surrounding the property add another dimension to its character.

Queen Anne House, 1914, Albany

This brick Queen Anne house would be a great restoration project. It has a non-historical addition at the rear.

Wilson House, Albany

This has served as the headquarters of the Albany Symphony Association and a sign on the porch indicates it may now have a connection to the First United Methodist Church. I will update when I learn more.

Gable Front Cottage, Albany

This house has Greek Revival influences; a survey dates it to 1934 but I believe it’s much earlier than that.

Apartment Building, 1920, Albany

One resource dates this structure to 1894 while another dates it to 1920. The architecture, to me, indicates the 1920 date is more likely.

Old St. Teresa’s Catholic Church, 1860, Albany

St. Teresa’s was built between 1859-1860 on land donated by Nelson Tift. Work on the the small Gothic Revival chapel was halted by the Civil War, but the unfinished interior served as a makeshift hospital for injured soldiers. Work on the church resumed after the war and the structure was formally dedicated in 1882. St. Teresa’s holds the distinction of being the oldest Catholic church in Georgia that still holds services. Though the congregation has moved into a more modern facility, a Mass is still held here each Wednesday.

National Register of Historic Places

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1896, Albany

According to their website: St. Paul’s became an organized parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia in 1851. In 1855, the first Episcopal Bishop of Georgia consecrated the first location of St. Paul’s. In 1896, the current location of St. Paul’s was dedicated and included a cornerstone from the 1855 building. The present St. Paul’s could be described as resembling the typical English country church.St. Paul’s is known as the mother church of the western part of the Diocese of Georgia.

Albany District Pecan Growers Exchange, 1922

Widespread pecan cultivation began in southwestern Georgia in the 1880s and by the 1920s, with the spread of the boll weevil, supplanted cotton for a time as the leading crop of the region. Albany served as the de facto center of this agricultural shift, and by 1913 the Albany District Pecan Growers Exchange was formed as a cooperative to promote and distribute the crop, especially the desirable Schley paper-shells. The Exchange thrived until the 1940s, when disease slowed the progress of the industry. The headquarters/office building of the Exchange is the only remaining structure of the complex, which included two other warehouse and grading buildings.

National Register of Historic Places

Carnegie Library, 1906, Albany

The historic Carnegie Library served as Albany’s main library from 1906-1966. The fine Neoclassical structure, located adjacent to the Municipal Auditorium, has been home to the Albany Area Arts Council since 1992.

National Register of Historic Places