The Hutchings-Carr House was among the early substantial homes built by the settlers of Clinton, designated the Jones County seat in 1808, and incorporated in 1809. The Hutchings family were among the most prolific settlers of the pioneer community and builder Roger Hutchings served as tax collector, sheriff, and state representative for Jones County. His son Charles was a leading merchant in Clinton and later owned the house. The Federal-influenced Plantation Plain structure retains many original interior features, including carved sunburst friezes on the mantels. The house was expanded in the mid-19th century and the windows widened and lengthened. The front porch was added at this time.
Old Clinton Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This landmark, visible on Georgia Highway 22 between Gray and Haddock, is an amazing survivor from a time when the roofs of rural barns were used to advertise myriad businesses and attractions. The “See Rock City” barns have become icons, but many other businesses were promoted in this way. This example advertises Knoxville-based Sterchi* Brothers Furniture Company [It Costs Less at Sterchi’s], which was the largest furniture store chain in the nation in the early 20th century, with over 650 stores in the Southeast. There are only a few of these Sterchi barns documented, to my knowledge, and most are in Tennessee. It is believed that most are at least 80 years old. [Several commenters have suggested to me that the roof was painted over at times, most recently with a Georgia Bulldog; I applaud the owners for saving this historic sign and am amazed that the paint (lead, no doubt) has survived all these years].
Anne Chamlee documented this house to the very end. The photo above was made in 1997, after the house burned; the photo below was made in April 1991, when someone was still living there.
I’m honored to be able to share this photograph by Anne Chamlee; it will be one of several I plan on publishing here and on Vanishing Georgia. Earlier this year, Anne reached out to let me know that she appreciated the work I was doing documenting Georgia’s rural architecture and that she had some photographs of her own that I might enjoy seeing. After several back-and-forth emails and some phone conversations, I’m so glad we were able to make a connection. She’s just as intrigued by the architecture of rural Georgia as I am and by the late 1980s was wandering around the backroads of Middle Georgia, photographing the endangered examples that sparked her interest. She’s also a delightful conversationalist, which is a bit of vanishing thing itself these days.
A Sooner by birth, Anne came South with her family just as the Dust Bowl was coming to an end. They wound up in Florida and she eventually met and married a man with roots in Hancock County, Tilmon Chamlee. Tilmon was a rising architect who had a very successful career in the commercial sector. After many years in Florida and then Macon, Anne and Tilmon eventually settled at Lake Sinclair in Baldwin County, where he continued his practice and indulged in his love for flying. He was also a commercial and instrument-rated pilot. Tilmon passed away in 2015 but Anne remains active in the community. After talking with her on the phone a few times, I still cannot believe she’s 85.
Regarding the structure: This was the school and lodge associated with Jordan Chapel AME Church. It was located near Haddock and is no longer extant. The photo dates to July 1988.
Known at its organization as Round Oak Methodist, and now called Sunshine Methodist or Sunshine II, the church seen here was organized sometime after the burning of a more primitive log structure known as Sunshine Church, which was a Baptist congregation.
That church was the site of the Battle of Sunshine Church (30-31 July 1864), one of the few Confederate victories in the Atlanta campaign. Stoneman’s raiders, attempting to meet up with Sherman’s forces, encountered three brigades commanded by Clinton native General Alfred Iverson. A decisive Confederate victory forced Stoneman’s surrender. Four months later, Sherman’s troops burned the old church as they passed through the area en route to Savannah.
Founded as Sylvania in 1807, Round Oak is one of the oldest settlements in Jones County. The name was changed to honor an ancient oak known as a gathering place for Native Americans. A depot was built in 1885 and brought a thriving economy which persisted until the early 1920s. The Big O Ranch, home of Otis Redding‘s widow Zelma, is located on Otis Redding Road just outside town, though it is not open to the public.
