Category Archives: Herndon GA

Herndon, Georgia

Math Johnson General Merchandise

Jones Lindgren writes: This store was Math Johnson General Merchandise, operated by Math (Matthew) Johnson and his wife Sarah. This was never the post office. There is a block building on the opposite side of the road that was the last post office, prior to that (late 60’s) it was located in a small wooden structure which was next door to the General store. This wooden post office burned and it moved across the road. The last post mistress was Sally Fanny Becton.

There was another store directly across from Johnson’s store which was run by the Stovers.

There was railroad station located here until the early 1960’s. The railroad sold it to a local farmer who moved it to his farm to use as a barn.

Other than the generous history that Mr. Lindgren has shared with Vanishing Georgia, history relating to Herndon has been difficult to locate and what I have found has been difficult to confirm. Volume III of Georgia: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form, published in 1906 describes Herndon as a village of Jenkins County…located on the Central of Georgia Railroad about ten miles west of Millen, and in 1900 reported a population of 200. It has a money order post office, an express office, stores with good local trade and does some shipping.

A post office operated at Herndon from 1858-1971.

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Herndon Mercantile Company, Store #1, Circa 1890s, Jenkins County

This extraordinary general store/warehouse is located near the railroad tracks in Herndon and suggests the nearly forgotten settlement was a much busier place at one time. It’s a massive structure and retains its wooden window shutters. Jones Lindgren writes: This store was The Herndon Mercantile Company, Store #1 owned by Robert C. Jones, a local farmer. He also owned stores at nearby Birdsville Plantation and next to the Ogeechee River. The store was probably built in the late 19th century and it operated until some time around WWII. It is still owned by descendants of Robert C. Jones.

Gabled-Ell Tenant Farmhouse, Herndon

Our friend Jones Lindgren notes: This house is located on The Herndon Farm in Jenkins County and was occupied by workers on the farm. There were several similar houses in the immediate vicinity comprising “the Quarters”. Seeing them today and imagining the hard lives of the families who lived there is very sobering. While there was a genuine layer of benevolence, and a strong sense of community between the workers and the owner, it is stark reminder of the injustice of those times and attitudes.

Herndon Farm, Jenkins County

Jones Lindgren writes: The Herndon Farm was owned by Robert C. Jones and now by his descendants. The name “Herndon Farm” was geographic, not related to the ownership. I believe the name Herndon was originally assigned to the community by the Central of Georgia Railway. The mainline from Savannah to Atlanta passed through Herndon. To my knowledge there has never been a family named Herndon who lived here. The town had a railroad station with four trains a day, a post office, a Methodist Church (Almira) which burned in the 1940’s/50’s, a gin, and several homes. Today, there is no remaining commercial activity in Herndon, just a general community designation with many farms.