Category Archives: Ludowici GA

Mary McQueen House, Ludowici

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Mary McQueen was the daughter of Allen Johnston. A railroad station first designated as “Four and a Half” was established near Johnston’s plantation. The small community which grew up around it came to be known as Johnston Station, the forerunner of modern Ludowici. Mrs. McQueen was perhaps the greatest benefactor and patron of the arts in Ludowici’s early days, most notably donating the land in front of this house for the construction of the Ludowici Well Pavilion. Today, the pavilion is the emblem of Ludowici and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. More information about the history of the area can be found here.

Vickers-Howard House, Ludowici

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I believe this Plantation Plain-style home was built circa 1870, when Long County was still a part of Liberty County. The identification is preliminary and based on local suggestions.

Pamela T. Jordan suggests: it may have been once owned by the Vickers family. Marion and Margaret Howard had it moved to this spot. Margaret’s brother, Homer Breckinridge owned the house next to it and Hollis and Nancy Brady lived on the other side. When the Vickers family owned it it was on the dirt road running parallel to Highway 99. It was moved when I was about in the 6th grade. Margaret was the daughter of longtime Ludowici merchants Rufus & Ernestine Smiley. It was possibly owned by the Chapmans before the Vickers.

Update: This house was demolished in 2017.

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Gabled-Ell Cottage, Ludowici

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This is one of just a few surviving houses in Ludowici featuring Ludowici Tile roofs.

Franklinia Restaurant, Circa 1945, Ludowici

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A postcard dating to 1945 would suggest this local landmark was likely built around the end of World War II. At that time, the catch phrase for the business was “Court of the Lost Flower”, for the mysterious Franklinia tree (Franklinia alatamaha) first collected by John Bartram near Fort Barrington along the Altamaha River in 1765 and named for Benjamin Franklin. Though the species survives in cultivation, it was thought to be extinct in the wild by the early 1800s. The motel is still standing to the left of this structure, but is now used as apartments.

In its heyday, it was a busy roadside stopover on U. S. Highway 84. The Ludowici Tile used as awning on the restaurant today was not present in the structure’s early days. The motel did boast a Ludowici tile roof, which has since been replaced. The property was owned at one time by Mr. & Mrs. Hugh Gordon.

Altamaha Lodge, Ludowici

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This historic Masonic Lodge (#227, Free & Accepted Masons) was razed in January 2017.

Truck Farmer, Ludowici

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Though they can still be found in most communities, truck farmers who sell produce door-to-door are much less common than they once were. Most grow small plots of vegetables for family use and sell the extra. This farmer from Wayne County was selling mustard greens in Ludowici and began the day with a truckload. When I photographed him, he was nearly sold out. He noted that he doesn’t use chemicals and composts with manure.

Johnston House, Ludowici

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This is said to have been the home of Allen Johnston, who settled the area of  present-day Ludowici around 1850. The community was known as Johnston Station until 1905. If Johnston did live here, the house has been changed greatly.

The house has been locally dated to circa 1858. I’m unsure of the validity of that date but don’t completely discount it. It’s also possible that a smaller house dating to that time is hidden within this structure, with a later expansion resulting in its present appearance. It’s believed the Ludowici Tile roof was added circa 1905, and perhaps that’s when it was expanded to its present appearance. Bessie O’Neal, a granddaughter of Allen Johnston, was the last immediate family member to live here.

 

Hillbilly Bait & Tackle, Ludowici

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Tom McCoy writes: This looks like the service station Ivy Horton ran when I lived in Ludowici as a kid. My dad fired the boiler at the sawmill and we lived in company housing there that was known as the “White Line” because the small houses were in a line and all white. We’re talking about 60 years ago now but I do remember that Jake Godfrey was mayor then and if memory serves me correctly, the sawmill was owned by the Shepard family. It’s now home to the Ludowici Trading Company and has been painted orange.

Roger Houston and others have noted that this is best remembered today as Zip’s (Billings) Service Station & Bait and Tackle.

Folk Victorian Cottage, Ludowici

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Ludowici was founded as a railroad stop (known as Four and a Half) in the 1840s; by 1850 it was known as Johnston Station, after landowner and businessman Allen Johnston. German entrepreneur William Ludowici built the “Dixie” plant of his Ludowici Celadon Company in Johnston Station in 1903, and in 1905 the town was renamed in his honor. Ludowici roofing tile is still manufactured and considered one of the finest such materials available, though it hasn’t originated in Long County in over a century. Just a handful of Ludowici tile roofs survive in the town so linked to their history, but several are well-maintained by owners. This home on Lincoln Street, architecturally one of the most interesting surviving, is in critical condition.

Update: As of 2015, this house has been demolished.