Neighborhoods of nearly identical shotgun houses were once common sights in Georgia towns and cities where a textile or cotton mill was present. The utilitarian housing was provided as a benefit of employment. Most have vanished in the past thirty years.
The elaborate parapet adds great character to this stunning commercial block, one of the nicest in any small town in Georgia.
Barnesville Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This appears to be one of the most endangered commercial blocks in downtown Barnesville. It’s a typical commercial Victorian. Most historic buildings in Barnesville are in good condition.
Barnesville Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
I believe this was built as a bank and housed numerous other businesses over the years.
Barnesville Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Barnesville was among the earliest towns in Georgia with a railroad presence, beginning with the Macon and Monroe Railroad [later the Macon and Western, one of Georgia’s three oldest railroads] in 1841. It thrived as an important transportation crossroads before the growth of Atlanta and a depot was built in Barnesville by 1852. The Central of Georgia later acquired the Macon and Western line and in 1912, the old depot was razed and this one built on the site. It opened sometime in 1913.
On 11 August 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt stopped here on his way to dedicate the Lamar Electric Cooperative in front of 50,000 people at the nearby Gordon Military College stadium. The Rural Electrification Administration was one of FDR’s most progressive programs and literally brought rural America out of the dark ages. It’s believed that this was the only such cooperative he dedicated personally.
The depot served until 1971, when the passenger train the Nancy Hanks made her last stop here. When the Southern Railway, successor to the Central of Georgia, planned to raze the depot in 1973, locals successfully lobbied to save it.
National Register of Historic Places
Like neighboring Johnstonville, Goggins was one of the early settlements of what was then Monroe County, dating to 1834. It was originally spelled Goggans, for its namesake, South Carolina native John F. Goggans (b. 1802), and was variously referred to as Goggins, Goggans Station, and Goggansville over the years. Somehow, “Goggins” became the default spelling.
The agricultural community thrived and prospered throughout much of the 19th century, with the exception of the Civil War years, and was buttressed by the presence of the Central of Georgia railroad.
The historic store and post office building served the community until its closure in 1958. It retains its structural integrity, but due to the compromised roof will need stabilization to ensure its survival.
Johnstonville-Goggins Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
My identification of this structure as a precinct house is tentative, based on the design of numerous other rural voting precincts I’ve documented. I will update if I learn differently.
Johnstonville-Goggins Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Ethelbert Rumble (1849-1926), who built this grand Victorian home in 1886, owned most of the land and structures around the Goggins community at one time, operating the general store and having a host of agricultural interests. Due to health issues, he and his wife sold their holdings in the area and moved to Los Angeles circa 1920.
Johnstonville-Goggins Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This circa 1834 farmhouse likely originated as a Greek Revival cottage with the mansard roof and gables added later. Walter C. Johnston (1887-1959) was a descendant of the founding family of Johnstonville.
Johnstonville-Goggins Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Reverend S. R. England was the organizing pastor of the Johnstonville Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Early meetings were held in a brush arbor and an old schoolhouse [no longer extant] until the church was constructed. Among the earliest members were Professor George W. Merritt, Mr. & Mrs. E. Rumble, Mrs. R. H. Banks, Mr. & Mrs. Will Banks, and Mr. J. W. Banks.
Johnstonville-Goggins Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 