Category Archives: –IRWIN COUNTY GA–

New Book on Irwinville Farms by Joy Wilson McDaniel

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Unless you’re from Irwin or a nearby county, you probably know very little about the Irwinville Farms Project. It was one of numerous resettlement communities overseen during the Great Depression by the Farm Security Administration (FSA) and the Resettlement Administration (RA). As today, there was much debate over the role of the government in dispensing what many considered welfare, but the FSA and RA were much more than that. They brought modern agricultural practices and equipment where there had been none, and they brought vaccines and health awareness in much the same way. In the process, they fostered a strong value system and sense of community that remains among descendants and survivors of the project.

Irwinville Farms: The Making of a Community is one of the best local histories I’ve seen in a long time, and not just because I’ve always been fascinated with the area, but because it goes beyond local folklore and hearsay to provide detailed statistics about all the farm families involved with the projects. Joy and  her son Gary McDaniel went to the Library of Congress while she was compiling the primary documentation for the book and sifted through and photographed three boxes full of original material related to Irwinville Farms.

The book also tells the story of the Jefferson Davis Historic Site, another project of the federal government during the Great Depression, and of the legendary Irwinville Farmers basketball team of the 1940s. Photos from the Library of Congress, as well as other rarely seen images, are well distributed throughout the book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the history of Irwin County, agriculture, or the Great Depression. It is very well done and quite enjoyable.

Irwinville Farms: The Making of  a Community is currently available for $30 plus $5 for shipping. To make a purchase, contact Joy at 770-345-2562 or by e-mail at joy_mcdaniel@comcast.net.

Son of sharecropper who will be resettled on the Irwinville Farms Project, Georgia. Photo by Arthur Rothstein, August 1935, Courtesy Library of Congress. This is Joy Wilson McDaniel’s brother, Bill Wilson.

 

James & Josephine Royal House, Irwin County

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Donna Griffin writes: This house belonged to my Papa and Granny (James and Josephine Royal). They raised their 9 children here. Mama (Dorothy Grimsley) inherited this homeplace (28 acres + the 1 acre adjoining with the brick home & tobacco barn). The precinct house sits on this property. After mama’s death in 2001, daddy (Pat Grimsley) called himself caretaker of the land. Daddy passed away last year – October 2011. My brother, sister and I inherited the property and homes equally and my husband and I were privileged to purchase this property in June 2012. Thank you for appreciating and posting this home. I have my most fondest memories of childhood here – spending so much time on the front porch, which was screened in and only on the front of the house then… papa’s pipe, granny’s watermelon, Lawrence Welk and Little House on the Prairie… pickin’ peas, digging potatoes – climbing that cedar tree and day dreaming on the lower limb – entertained for hours. As the oldest of 17 1st cousins I was the first grandchild to experience this wonderful place – but everyone after me, loved it too. It had a heartbeat and it loved us.

The house is located in Frank, a small farm community outside Ocilla. As far as I can tell it never even had a post office, but in the early 20th century it had a school, as well as a church which remains today. A voting precinct has also been located here for many years. I wish I knew more of the history. The house I’m featuring in these images has the most extreme pyramidal roof of any in the area, although it’s been updated with vinyl siding and modern shingles. It was the home of James and Josephine Royal . Thanks to Tonya Brown Grimsley for the initial identification.

 

Heritage Chickens, Lax

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Welsummer Rooster. Best known as the Kellogg’s Cereal Rooster, the Welsummer originated in Welsum, Holland.

In recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in backyard poultry. Driven largely by the organic and whole foods movements, “free-range” poultry and eggs are in greater demand than ever. Since most individuals don’t have the vast acreage required for true free-range habitats, the next best thing is “limited range” or fenced habitat. This is far superior to chickens kept in factory-like “coops”. These photographs were made in Lax, Georgia, at the home of my friend Jerry Youghn. While Jerry’s brood is a bit larger than most, it’s well-maintained. He enjoys experimenting with many different varieties, and raises pheasants, peafowl, ducks and other poultry from time to time.

Cuckoo Marans Rooster

Marans originate in France; the cuckoo or barred variety is but one of nine.

White Cochin Bantam Pair

Cochins originate in China and are considered excellent setters.

Simple roost

Constructed with logs and recycled materials

Young Dark Brahma Roosters Eating Watermelon Rinds

Brahmas are often called the “King of All Chickens” for the large size. They are on the watch list of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, but appear to be increasing in number in recent years. Brahmas originate in India and are a close relative to the progenitor of all chickens, the Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus), which are the wild chickens so well-known in Fitzgerald. Ranger Reds are a more recent variety, hybridized from Rhode Island Reds and kept for their meat and egg-laying qualities.

White and Partridge Japanese Silkies

Silkies are a variety kept mostly for show and curiosity. They are actually believed to have originated in China and were first documented in the 13th century.

Welsummers(Brown) & Red Rangers (Cream)

Natural Nest

Silver Pheasant, Standard Dark Cornish & Red Ranger

Chicks in Pen

Red Ranger & Rhode Island Red Hens on Natural Roosting Pole

Rhode Island Reds are large chickens raised primarily for meat. They are the state bird of, you guessed it, Rhode Island. Non-industrial strains are now recovering after years of decline.

 

Holt Elementary School, 1955, Irwin County

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The 15 October 1953 edition of the Ocilla Star described this school, built with Minimum Foundation Program funds, as: Holt Elementary (colored): complete school plant with eight class rooms, one library, lunch assembly, office, clinic, two rest rooms, book storage and heater room.

Lena Bryant-Brown writes: I went to school there and miss those years so much. My older brothers and sister went also. I made it through the fourth grade and then we integrated when I was going into fifth grade.

 

Gourd Tree, Irwin County

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These are generally put up to attract Purple Martins (Progne subis), which are thought to be a mosquito deterrent. Many companies now sell plastic martin gourds, but I prefer the natural versions.

Single-Pen Tenant Farmhouse, Irwin County

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Many people likely pass this house every day and never notice it. I’ve been photographing it for over six years and it never ceases to amaze me.

The wooden shingles have survived against all odds.

Update: As of late summer 2018, this iconic house has collapsed.

Farm Warehouse Ruins, Irwin County

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I’ve been photographing this old warehouse at ABCD Farms for years. I was not surprised to find it in this condition on a recent trip home.

Masonic Lodge, 1885, Irwinville

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From: Willie Mae Smith, The Ocilla Star, 23 August 1973: History tells us that the first and oldest Masonic Lodge in original Irwin County was Irwin Lodge #212, which was granted a dispensation in 1856 and later was granted a charter…this old lodge barely had time to get a good start before the South was faced with what turned out to be almost total devastation…

During and after the Civil War the nearest lodge to Irwinville was the Western Light lodge in Abbeville, which originated from the old Irwinville lodge. Sometime in the 1880s, David Hogan donated an acre of land in Irwinville for the purpose of erecting a Masonic lodge…the new lodge was constituted as Lodge #315, with these members coming from Western Light in Abbeville: Reverend O. D. Mulkey, Z. T. Player, John J. Luke and Lemuel Taylor. The lodge was constituted by John A. Tomberlin on November 28th, 1885…Charter members were: William M. Gibbs, Worshipful Master; Jonathan Smith, Senior Warden; John J. Luke, Junior Warden; John Walker, Senior Deacon; Cornelius Clements, Junior Deacon; David M. Hogan, Treasurer; R. W. Clements, Secretary; and C. A. Johnson, Tyler. Other brethren included: W. J. Clements, Lemuel Taylor, Z. T. Player, and Reverend O. D. Mulkey…

In 1885, Irwin County was not too thickly settled. Plantations were many miles apart and the members of the Masonic Lodge had to travel a good many miles on horseback or by a buggy to come to their meeting. These men were working and making a living for their families and disliked the idea of leaving them alone at night. After due consideration, they decided to hold their monthly meeting each third Saturday morning at 10 o’clock, thus making this a daylight lodge, which it remains today, the only daylight lodge left in the state of Georgia…

Judging from meeting schedules, I don’t believe this is still a “daylight lodge”, but apparently, when Willie Mae Smith wrote this article in 1973, it was.

 

Commissary, Irwin County

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Commissaries could once be found on nearly every large working farm which employed tenant labor but they’re increasingly rare.