
This was likely a corn crib, but could have had another use. It’s a great survivor.
This was likely a corn crib, but could have had another use. It’s a great survivor.
This looked like a general store to me, but a lady who lives nearby told me that locals call it the “egg factory”. I presume it was a storage and packing facility.
From what little information I can locate on Miller County’s historic places, I’ve preliminarily identified this as a commissary built circa 1910 by Joe Shingler to serve his timber and turpentine business. This building looks a little later than 1910, but it was possibly “modernized” at some time during its history and served as a general store. It likely originally featured lapboard siding similar to the adjacent barns, which date to the same time.
This commercial block is now home to Miller County Emergency Services. It dates to the early 20th century.
Colquitt Town Square Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This historic service station was home to Mae’s Fast Food when I photographed it.
Colquitt Town Square Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Colquitt is the county seat and only incorporated town completely located in Miller County. The historic courthouse burned in the 1970s and was replaced with a more modern structure, but the early 20th century storefronts remain. They comprise the retail center and only historic district in the county.
Colquitt Town Square Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
The unusual structure advertising Sessions Peanut Company has become a landmark of Colquitt.
Colquitt Town Square Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Many old farmhouses are used for storage and as hay barns, but this one has been outfitted to be a very fine chicken coop. This rooster looks happy about his living quarters.
These austere Victorian memorials stand in stark contrast to the whimsical memorial for Kenn Blankenship, located a few lots away in Primitive Union Cemetery. They’re among the finest of their type in South Georgia. They sit atop pedestals and are life size; with the pedestals, they’re at least 8 feet in height. Mrs. Spooner holds her Bible, and Mr. Spooner wears a Masonic symbol near his waist.
The Spooners were pioneers of the area and, obviously, very prominent citizens. The memorial for their son, Joseph James Spooner, at Olive Grove Cemetery in nearby Seminole County, is also among the finest in the region. [I’ll update with a view of Mr. and Mrs. Spooner in perspective as soon as possible].
I made a special trip to Primitive Union Cemetery in Miller County to see this unusual memorial. It’s an enduring tribute to a man who made a second career paying tribute to Elvis Presley.
Marion Kenneth “Kenn” Blankenship was born in 1940 to a West Virginia coal mining family, and after working for the Ohio State Highway Patrol, he changed careers and began working for Southern Bell. His new occupation brought him South, first to Florida, then to Bainbridge, and finally, Colquitt.
Music was initially a side gig, and in his early days in Southwest Georgia he played lead guitar for a country band known as East River Junction. He married Barbara Jones in 1978 and soon thereafter, he got out of the phone business. He and Barbara opened a restaurant and supper club in Bainbridge. Moving on from the restaurant business after a few successful years, the couple formed their own band and traveled all over the Southeast, working regularly. In the 1990s, Kenn began doing his Elvis tributes and they were wildly popular. He even bought three suits from the company that outfitted Elvis.
Kenn passed away on 8 June 2009, but his love of performing and sharing his talents still brings joy at this unique memorial. The beautifully maintained gravesite invites reflection and will likely inspire people far into the future. In addition to the life-size “Elvis” and the bench featuring laser cut images of Kenn performing, there’s a concrete palm tree, and a guitar shaped stone, presumably the future resting place of Kenn’s fellow guitarist, Denzil Newbern.