Merry Christmas from Vanishing Georgia
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Category Archives: –LONG COUNTY GA–
Godfrey House, Circa 1870, Ludowici
I am unsure of the early history of this house, built circa 1870, but it is best remembered today as the home of the late Jake Godfrey, who served for a time as the mayor of Ludowici. It predates the establishment of the town by at least 30 years and was built when the community was known as Johnston Station.
Ludowici Club House, Circa 1904
The Ludowici Roof Tile Company opened a factory in Johnston Station, Georgia in 1904. This large structure was its de facto community center and also provided lodging for traveling executives, salesmen and contractors.
The tiny settlement of Johnston Station was renamed in honor of William Ludowici, who donated most of the money required to build a schoolhouse in the overnight boomtown . The economic impact of the factory was massive and during its ten years in operation, it provided over 2 million square feet of roofing materials for government buildings in the Panama Canal Zone. After Ludowici Roof Tile left town in 1914, the Club House was generally used as residential housing.
John A. Brown, who made this photograph circa 1965 and graciously shared it with me, recalls that his Brown grandparents lived here during World War I, when it was owned by a Lang (Laing?) family. He also remembers a spring-fed pool on the property. His grandfather and a partner were in a cross-tie business known as Kendricks & Brown who had a government contract during World War I. I believe it was used as a boarding house but it may have also been rented to single families. I’m not sure when it was torn down, either, but it was likely not too long after this photograph was made.
Auburn, 1899, Long County
Helen Reid Williams Coxon (1899-1989) was a pioneer journalist,editor, and publisher (The Ludowici News). Known statewide as the “Lady from Long”, she served in the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia Senate. She was also the first woman on the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, serving the year it was created (1943). Her home, known as Auburn [aka Williams-Coxon House], was built by Helen’s father, Harry Guston Williams (1864-1937), who came from Warren County, North Carolina, to Georgia, and eventually operated thirteen sawmills. It remains in the family.
2018 South Georgia Snowstorm: Long County
Following is a brief look at some Long County landmarks, with a rare blanket of snow.
Cato House, Ludowici
Johnston House, Ludowici
Mary McQueen House, Ludowici
Old Well Pavilion, Ludowici
Lloyd Chapman House, Ludowici
Single-Pen Tenant House
Hughes House
Jim Parker House, Wefanie
Parker Commissary, Wefanie
Henry Walcott Road
Henry Walcott House
2018 South Georgia Snowstorm
On 3 January 2018, Southeast Georgia, was transformed into a winter wonderland. According to the National Weather Service: “Beginning in the early morning hours of January 3rd, 2018, a rare winter storm affected southeast Georgia and northeast Florida. The storm produced a variety of wintry precipitation, including snow, sleet and freezing rain. Snowfall spread across much of southeast Georgia with snowfall amounts ranging from a trace to 3.5 inches...”
As snow goes, it may not seem like much, but many locales received their first measurable snowfall in nearly 30 years.
Snow plows and sand trucks are rarely seen in these parts.
The snow was nicest in the woods.
Because of the novelty of this kind of weather in our part of the world, people were out enjoying it throughout the day.
Craftsman Cottage, Ludowici
Davis-Chapman House, Ludowici
Thanks to Mike McCall for sharing this photograph. This Plantation Plain house, which was located near the traffic light in Ludowici, has been gone for quite a few years. It is also identified as the Clyde Chapman House.
Smart House, Ludowici
This Folk Victorian cottage is best remembered as the home of Annie Poppell Smart (1885-1972).
Bradwell Smith House, Ludowici
