These extraordinary general store and/or commissary structures located north of Blakely are great examples of early 20th century retail architecture in the rural context. [There is a third structure I was unable to photograph due to vegetation]. I wonder if there may have been a named community here at one time, but I can’t locate any mention of it in the limited sources I’ve consulted.
I hope to learn more. Thanks to Stephany Kurth for pointing me in their direction.
This house was likely associated with the row of stores across the road. Though I’m identifying it as a Queen Anne, it’s really more a Folk Victorian interpretation of that style, and once quite common with prosperous farmers in rural Georgia.
This is a common house type, perhaps the most common in rural Georgia. The red clay was really what got my attention, though.
This is one of my favorite styles of tenant housing, and it’s quite rare these days. These small hip roof cottages just have more aesthetic appeal than the average tenant house and should be considered a critically endangered resource.
This is the last of the archival images I’m sharing for now. I was unsure if this was in Damascus, or its neighbor Old Damascus*, so I never got around to publishing it. It’s an edit of a shot I made in 2008. With its extended front gable, it’s a great example of the “gas and grocery” architecture of the 1920s and 1930s.
Terri writes: Was raised in Old Damascus or as we called it Old Town. I can remember buying sodas and candy from Mr Lloyd at his store. He and his wife were very kind people…His house was across from the store. [I locate an Emory Lloyd Lewis, Sr. (1883-1976) at nearby Keaton Cemetery. He is likely the gentleman to whom Terri refers. His son, Emory Lloyd Lewis, Jr. (1926-1998), may have operated the store, as well.]
*- Old Damascus is on the map, but that presence is more a nod to history these days; it’s not incorporated and likely never was. My guess is that it’s the first area of settlement of what eventually became Damascus.
I first photographed this house in 2008, and again in 2012. I’m not sure if it’s still standing.
I’ve talked about the destructive powers of kudzu before and this photograph, dating to 2012 illustrates it well. Kudzu invasions are a very popular subject with Southern photographers, almost obligatory for those who document the backroads. The “Vine that Ate the South” may have taken this old barn down by now.
Though the date of organization is unknown, Damascus Methodist Church was likely established around the turn of the century (1890-1900). The earliest records date to 1906. The first church building was lost to fire in the 1910s and replaced by this classical structure in 1920.
Blakely Court Square Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
A monument to the peanut might seem strange, but not so in Early County, which is one of the leading producers of this valuable crop in the entire state, with over 100 million pounds harvested in 2021. Located on the northeast lawn of the courthouse, it reads: The people of Early County, the largest peanut producing center in the world, have erected this monument in tribute to the peanut, which is so largely responsible for our growth and prosperity. Not only has it contributed to the higher living standards of the people engaged in its producing, manufacturing and marketing, but has also become important to the better health of the people of the world, as it is the source of some of our most nutritious and beneficial foods.
Peanuts remain central to the economy of Southwest Georgia.
Blakely Court Square Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 