Organized in 1882, Bethel was given three acres on this location in 1885 by Josh Merritt and this church was built soon thereafter. A cemetery was begun before construction of the church and Jonathan Merritt was the first burial.
This congregation was organized in 1905 as an African Methodist Episcopal church. The present building was constructed in 1964.
I made these images in 2010 and I suspect these structures are now gone. A user shared this history a few years ago: This building (the one on the left, and pictured in detailed shots below) was known as Connell Brothers Store, Sister Connell’s Store and the Brick Store. It was referred to as the Brick Store because it was the only store building in Reno that was brick. It was operated by Lula Mae (Sister) Connell, who lived in a house behind the store. The store was a general mercantile store and carried just about anything. It was located on the corner of what is known as Pine Hill Road and Reno Road. It was across the road from Reno Baptist Church and 1 block from the Reno School House. Reno Road was the main thoroughfare in Reno until the Pelham & Havana (P&H) Railroad ceased operation and Highway 111 south followed the old railroad bed through Reno. At one time it had a gas pump on the side of the building. This store had beautiful carved counters and a glass curved candy case. The rear part of the store had a second floor. We used to sneak off from school and go to the store to buy a “Full Dinner” candy bar. Of course we were caught when we got back to the schoolhouse. The store closed in the early sixties (or late fifties). The doors were locked and all inventory remained in the building. The lady who inherited the property would not let anyone go into it and it was vandalized several times. It was not kept up and eventually went into disrepair. The front doors and windows eventually fell in. The floor rotted and the roof collapsed, crushing the old counters. At one time you could still see part of the counter with scrollwork on the ends underneath the collapsed roof, but now the counters have rotted and everything crushed. It is a shame that this building was not saved, it had so much history. As I was growing up there were two more general stores in Reno, plus a garage and a barber shop. All is gone now. The wooden building to the right of the brick store has always been vacant since I was growing up. I know that Reno once had a post office and a millinery shop, but I do not know if either was housed in the building. Not shown in the photograph but would be to the right of the wooden building was the P & H railroad warehouse. The P & H quit running in 1915. The building was once used as a seed and feed warehouse, but it is now collapsed. This building was the last remaining P & H train warehouse; it even had a sidetrack in its day. It is a shame that the Grady County Historical Society did not try to save this building before it fell in.
Mary C. Carroll recalls: My Mom played here when she was young. The school was within two city blocks of this building.. Highway 111 has taken the main street now, but this store was part of the original town.
I believe the house is still here, but I’ve been told the old Galaxie 500 is gone. I’ve never been able to identify the house so I just call it the “Galaxie House”.
Update: After 13 years, I was delighted to hear from Alice Shores Dodson about this home: This house was the Tom and Rachel Hammett house. I can see Ms. Rachel driving that car to church at Reno Baptist many years. Mr. Tom drove the school bus for many years taking kids to Cairo after the Reno School closed in 1956. It’s all grown up now but would be a beautiful place if it was cleaned up.
Amazingly, this store is still in business. They’re closed on Sundays, but otherwise, it’s wonderful to see a small business like this still in operation. They’re usually quite busy.
Citizens Oil Co. was formed in 1936 and was a franchise of Moore’s Greyhound brand. The greyhound was later incorporated into the Citizens logo and in 1951 they merged with Speed Oil Company of Atlanta. Dealer stations used that Citizens 77 branding. [The sign was lost during Hurricane Michael in 2018].
I always look for the old Jefferson Island Salt mural when I drive through Whigham. Though it’s somewhat obscured, it’s a nice landmark. One can presume the structure on which it’s located was one a grocery or general store.
Whigham was named for merchant Robert Whigham in 1880 and was incorporated in 1896. The area was originally known as Harrell’s Station.
This Queen Anne-style depot was built before 1895, but I can’t locate an exact date. It’s been a feed store for years, and the owners have done a great job preserving most of the architectural features.
John Hendricks writes: Excellent example of what I call a “Henry Plant” depot: Depots built between 1881-1901 along the Plant System Railroad. Rail baron Henry Plant combined several railroads in South Georgia and Florida under one large rail company, most notably the Savannah Florida and Western and the Brunswick and Albany. Most of the depots on the Plant System are variations of the same blueprint: wood construction in the late Victorian style with gingerbread trim and the Plant System logo, a Maltese Cross, carved in wood and placed at the apex of the cornice. So far, I have located 6 Plant depots that survive: in Georgia, Whigham, Metcalfe, Alapaha, and Meigs (a hybrid of wood and brick), plus Fort White and Callahan, Florida. (I haven’t been to Dupont, Georgia, to see their depot) The Callahan Depot, one of the first Plant System depots built in 1881, is home to the West Nassau Historical Society.
I’m unsure as to the original use of this building, but it may have been a bank.
