Category Archives: –JASPER COUNTY GA–

Monticello United Methodist Church, 1895

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This beautiful church was vacated in 1960, when the congregation constructed a newer facility for their growing membership. It was sold and was later used for a funeral home, the Jasper County Library, and by another non-denominational church . The wing on the right side was a later addition to accommodate offices and a Sunday school. Scott McElheny writes that it was purchased in the early 2000s with hopes of restoration for use as an events center but due to myriad stumbling blocks this never materialized. I have no idea what the plans are for this structure, but it seems a waste to let it just stand empty. Maybe a cultural or arts center would be a good use for the city of Monticello to explore; anything would be better than its present dilemma.

The congregation is one of the oldest in Jasper County. The cemetery dates to 1805 and visitors are welcome to explore the beautiful headstones, statuary, and wrought iron Victorian fencing.

Monticello Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Monticello Presbyterian Church

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This congregation dates to 1829, and the present church building to the turn of the last century. This photo really doesn’t do it justice; it’s one of the largest churches I’ve seen in any small town in Georgia.

Monticello Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Shotgun House, Monticello

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Shotgun houses, once symbolic of poverty, are a fashionable form today and many owners are making concerted efforts to spruce them up with fresh paint and repairs. This one is located beside the old Methodist cemetery in Monticello.

Adgateville Baptist Church, 1915, Jasper County

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The congregation, dating to about 1812, was originally known as Hebron Primitive Baptist Church. It reorganized as Adgateville Baptist in 1915 and built this structure, still in use. It’s all that remains of the late-19th-century village named for H. L. Adgate, a large landowner in the area.

Hillsboro Masonic Lodge, Circa 1910

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I had an interesting conversation with an 85-year-old resident who had returned to Hillsboro after spending much of his career working on fishing boats on the Georgia coast; he noted that this was the Masonic lodge, but throughout its history had also served as a general store, and as the signage indicates, more recently a barbecue restaurant. I would guess it was built in the 1880s or 1890s but I’m not sure.

Hillsboro United Methodist Church, 1913, Jasper County

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This historic congregation dates to 1808.

Ben Hill School, 1915, Hillsboro

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This now serves as the Hillsboro community center. It’s a wonderful preservation of a typical early-20th-centry rural school house.

Benjamin Harvey Hill Monument, 1928, Hillsboro

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Placed by the Sergeant Jasper of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1928, this bronze tablet honors Hillsboro’s favorite son, Benjamin Harvey Hill. It reads: In Honor of Benjamin Harvey Hill – Georgia’s Illustrious Son – Born Near Hillsboro Jasper County September 14, 1823 – Died in Atlanta August 16, 1882 – A Matchless Orator – Renowned Jurist – Courageous Statesman