This Craftsman-inspired gable front house was located near the Salem/Raleigh community, if my notes serve me correctly. It’s a nice example of the form.
Signs on the window of this two-story turn-of-the-century commercial block suggest this was once the home of Sloane’s Haberdashery but Alice Walker notes: I live in Gay and this building has been empty for a long time. It’s now used as a movie location; Sloane’s Haberdashery was a set from the film Lawless. Most recently, it served as Bryant’s Grocery in the movie Till.
This congregation dates to the 1830 and the present church building, dedicated in 1952, is quite formal in contrast to many of the Primitive Baptist meeting houses. I’m most accustomed to their truly primitive architecture in South Georgia, and while I’ve seen other formal examples, this Colonial Revival version is one of the nicest. Like many Primitive Baptist churches, the architecture is asymmetrical.
Jan Winter writes: From the history brochure I have, it states that Enon Primitive Baptist Church was constituted June 19, 1830 with the original name being Bethlehem. The name was changed to Enon in July 1831. The original Meeting House was at Jones Mill. On November 22, 1834 the church appointed a building committee to build a new meeting house there. My Great Grandfather, Baker Mann, was on the building committee. After over fifty years at Jones Mill, in 1882 the building was sold, property purchased in Gay, and a new meeting house was built on the present site. My Great Great Grandfather, Maltire Thrash was on this building committee. No photos exist; however it was described as a barnlike structure with only wooden shutters to keep out rain and wind. The congregation sat on long wooden benches which had only one rail for a back rest. This building underwent very little change until it was replaced in 1951 by the new meeting house in the photograph above. From everything I’ve read in the brochure, it appears to me that Enon was an Old Line Primitive Baptist Church. There is much more in the brochure, but I will end here. One footnote – Elder Samuel H. Whatley, mentioned in another post by Matt Bell, was pastor at Enon from 1919 – 1923.
Most of us who have grown up swimming in rivers and creeks are familiar with rope swings tied to trees that have a good reach over the waterway, and occasionally, we see impromptu ladders added to make the climb to the top easier. I shot these several years ago near the Meriwether County Landing on the Flint River and I think they had more steps than any I’ve seen.
I really didn’t know what to call them other than “diving trees”. They’re really more for jumping than diving, especially when the rivers are low. I don’t think there’s any consensus as to an official term but they’re a thing down here in southern Georgia and I thought these two were perfect examples.
The Cascade Falls Trail is part of the Pine Mountain Trail, located within the F. D. Roosevelt State Park. Several waterfalls punctuate the trail, and while they may be small compared to better known waterfalls in North Georgia, they nonetheless provide great views. This post focuses on the trail as hiked from the WJSB-TV tower parking lot, just south of Warm Springs. The round trip to Cascade Falls and back is approximately 4.1 miles and will take about 3 hours with stops.
I’ll share the waterfalls first, since they are the main attraction, and then images from the trail.
Waterfalls of the Cascade Falls Trail, FDR State Park
Csonka Falls, F. D. Roosevelt State Park
Csonka Falls will be the first waterfall you reach on the trail.
Big Rock Falls, F. D. Roosevelt State Park
Big Rock Falls will be the next point of interest. It’s a great spot to take a rest.
Slippery Rock Falls, F. D. Roosevelt State Park
The third waterfall is Slippery Rock Falls, and it is my favorite spot on the trail.
Slippery Rock Falls, F. D. Roosevelt State Park
It’s another good rest stop, but the rocks live up to their name and are indeed quite slippery.
Cascade Falls, F. D. Roosevelt State Park
About 2.1 miles from the trailhead, hikers are at last rewarded with the highlight of the trail, Cascade Falls. Like all the waterfalls along the trail, it’s marked with a wooden sign.
Cascade Falls, F. D. Roosevelt State Park
The pool below the falls is a nice place to cool your feet in the summertime, and to take a rest before returning to the trailhead.
Cascade Falls Trail, F. D. Roosevelt State Park
This easternmost section of the Pine Mountain Trail is popular with hikers for its waterfalls, but the landscape of this area is equally interesting. It’s the most mountainous section of Georgia south of Atlanta.
The first part of the hike crosses relatively flat land.
The topography changes as the trail winds it way toward the falls, following Wolfden Creek, also known as Wolfden Branch.
The creek runs mostly parallel to the trail, but it crosses it 13 times.
One of the interesting features of the trail are the large rocks that litter the woods.
They make good seats if you need to take a break from the walk.
You’ll also likely notice many fallen trees. They’re remnants of a 2011 tornado.
Past Slippery Rock Falls, the trail begins it highest rise.
For casual hikers, it can be a bit of a challenge.
Bumblebee Ridge is the highest point before reaching Cascade Falls, and offers nice views (and a bench).
Plants of Cascade Falls Trail, F. D. Roosevelt State Park
Early Spring is a great time to hike the trail, and you’ll encounter a variety of early wildflowers, and a reptile or two. Be careful of Copperheads, though, as this is prime habitat for the poisonous snakes.
Rhododendron canescens, light variety
Native azaleas were just beginning to bloom and were fairly common along the trail. I was here too early to see the Mountain Laurels, which reach the southern end of their range near here.
Viola pedata
Keep an eye out for one of my favorite native plants, the Bird-Foot Violet.
Oxalis
I found this Oxalis blooming in a crevice between two rocks. I believe it’s a Wood Sorrel, but am not positive as to which species.
Magic Hill, located just south of Manchester off Georgia Highway 85, is a well-known area landmark. It was widely promoted as a tourist area in the early 20th century, depicted on numerous postcards. The draw was that cars would “roll uphill” when in reality, it was just a topographical anomaly. These sites exists all over the world and are known as gravity hills. Gravity hills are defined as places where a slight downhill slope appears to be an uphill slope due to the layout of the surrounding land, creating the optical illusion that water flows uphill, or that a car left out of gear will roll uphill.
Benjamin Bulloch House. The photos shared here were made in March 2010.
The first Bullochs came to the area of present-day Greenville, Georgia, from Edgecombe County, North Carolina, in the early 1800s and Cyprian Bulloch remained in the area and was a successful businessman . [This branch of Bullochs were not related to Archibald Bulloch, the first governor of Georgia].
The town of Bullochville was established by Cyprian’s sons, Cyprian Jr. and Benjamin Franklin. It was incorporated on December 20, 1893. Benjamin built this home on a prominent hill overlooking the town. He and Cyprian were large landowners and their other interests included a mill, gin, bank, and coffin factory. It is often stated that the town was renamed Warm Springs by Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1920s, but my friend Joe Kitchens notes: My distant cousin Dr. Nepali Kitchens left a lucrative practice in Columbus and retired to Bullochville where he was elected mayor. His training was in hydrotherapy and he claimed to have been the influence behind changing the name of the village, which preceded FDR’s first visit.
Fast forward to 1990: Judy Foster and Charles & Sylvia Garrett purchased and renovated the Bulloch House and converted into a popular restaurant serving Southern favorites, done right.
As someone who never likes fried green tomatoes, I can attest that I actually loved theirs! And of course, they excelled in fried chicken.
Peter and Sandy Lampert purchased the business in 2011.
Sadly, the Bulloch House was struck by lightning and completely lost to an ensuing fire on 10 June 2015. Luckily, for fans of the restaurant, the Lamperts relocated to an historic commercial space in downtown Warm Springs and were up and running by December 2015.
It’s been quite a year, and I hope it’s been good for everyone. I’m so grateful for all the love, and wish you all the best for 2022. Due to popular demand, I’m sharing our ten most viewed posts during the year, and there were some surprises.
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 