Category Archives: Metter GA

Trapnell-Del Sardo House, 1910, Metter

A charming white house with a welcoming porch, green shutters, and a landscaped front yard featuring bushes and flowers.

This home was built by Preston O. Trapnell (1887-1938).

South Metter Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Jim Dixon House, 1910, Metter

A charming white house with a green roof and porch, featuring a red door and American flags, surrounded by neatly trimmed shrubs and trees.

This home also served as Metter’s first hospital.

South Metter Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Craftsman Bungalow, Circa 1914, Metter

A charming bungalow with white trim and blue shutters, surrounded by greenery and colorful flowers, under a bright, partly cloudy sky.

South Metter Residential Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Guido Gardens, Metter

A tranquil garden featuring a small waterfall cascading into a pond, surrounded by lush greenery and colorful autumn trees.

Guido Gardens is a place of refuge, just a couple of miles off I-16 in Metter, which has always been free and open to the public 24/7, 365 days a year. Walk around these three acres and you’re guaranteed to find a sense of inner peace, no matter your faith or belief system. It’s a testament to the vision of Michael Guido, who was better known as “The Sower” through his syndicated newspaper column and radio and television broadcasts, Seeds from the Sower. His wife, Audrey, was responsible for the design of the gardens. At a time when televangelists were plagued with scandal, Michael Guido was seen as a stabilizing voice. He never asked for money and actually gave his message to any and all who would hear it. Guido’s Sower Ministries is still going strong.

A white stone statue of Jesus Christ with outstretched arms, set in a park-like area with trees and autumn foliage.

Take an hour and walk through the pines and flower beds. Listen to the calming sounds of waterfalls, which seem to be around ever corner.

A modern glass-sided chapel surrounded by greenery and trees, featuring a sloped roof and palm tree in the foreground.

One of the great features of the gardens is the Chapel in the Gardens, a modern prayer chapel built in 1984 in memory of Evelyn Stillwell. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale came to Metter to assist with the dedication.

Interior view of a small chapel featuring wooden pews, a central altar with flowers, and large windows allowing natural light.

As the guest registry in the chapel indicates, people come from all over the country and even the world to this special place of refuge.

Exterior view of a small stone building with an entrance and a sign labeled 'The Carpenter's Shop', surrounded by greenery and an artistic clay pot.

The Carpenter’s Shop and the Empty Tomb (not pictured) are representations of important places in Jesus’ life.

Exterior view of the museum building with a sign that reads 'MUSEUM' and 'GUIDO EVANGELISTIC ASSOCIATION' on the wall, surrounded by neatly trimmed bushes.

A museum is also located on the grounds.

A serene garden scene featuring a small waterfall cascading over rocks into a pond, surrounded by various trees and lush greenery.

Metter High School, 1910

Front view of a high school with tall white columns and a pediment, surrounded by green trees and a blue sky with clouds.

This is now home to the Candler County Historical Society Museum. Charles C. “C.C.” Muse, a native Georgian, was the architect.

A Greek Revival public high school building.

National Register of Historic Places

Metter Bank Company, 1904

A two-story building with a marble facade and red awnings over large windows, featuring a sign that reads 'BB&T'.

The marble-clad Metter Bank Company building is the finest work of commercial architecture remaining in Metter. It is still used as a bank today. David Robinson notes that the section to the left was originally the Kingery 5 & 10 and was annexed by the bank in the 1970s, hence the variation in the marble siding.

Metter Downtown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Broad Street, Metter

A small-town street lined with brick buildings and shops, featuring parked white pickup trucks and a clear blue sky.

The commercial heart of Metter, Broad Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The largest building in this image, on the right, is the Metter Lodge #435, built in 1916. A nice tree-lined park serves as a centerpiece of the area, offering much-needed shade in the summer months.

Metter Downtown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Candler County Courthouse, 1921, Metter

A historic brick courthouse with a dome and clock tower, featuring a front entrance flanked by white columns. An American flag and a state flag are centered in front, surrounded by well-maintained landscaping under a blue sky.

The Candler County Courthouse was built in 1921 at a cost of $125,000. It was the work of architect J. J. Baldwin (1888-1955), who built many Southern courthouses during his prolific career, including those in nearby Claxton and Hinesville.

National Register of Historic Places

 

Parrish-Boldoc House, 1915, Metter

A large white house in Metter, Georgia, with a gabled roof, surrounded by green bushes and colorful flowers, featuring a front porch supported by columns and an American flag on a pole.

Though I’d passed through Metter several times before, I had never really taken the time to explore it’s residential neighborhoods until yesterday. I was very impressed with not only the south side of Broad Street, known for several blocks on Kennedy, Rountree, Lewis, and Leroy Streets as the South Metter Historic District, but with houses on the north side of Broad Street, as well. Metter is a beautiful small town, filled with well-maintained examples of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century architecture.  This charming home might well be my favorite.

South Metter Residential Historic District, National Register of Historic Places