Category Archives: –MONROE COUNTY GA–

Mickleberry Merritt House, Circa 1826, Monroe County

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Mickleberry Merritt (1802-1866), the son of Benjamin and Hannah Wade Merritt, was a native of Greene County. He married Jane Brown (1808-1870) in Morgan County in 1824 and they moved to Monroe County and built this home in 1826. Merritt owned numerous slaves and was therefore a prosperous farmer. He was father to at least twelve children.

Notably, the organizational meeting of the Congregational Methodist Church, a conservative splinter from the Methodist Episcopal Church which still exists today, was held in this house in 1852. The founding church, Providence Congregational Methodist Church, was located just north of here at High Falls.


The house has been very nicely maintained and even with modernization, retains its historic appearance.

Tabernacle Methodist Church, 1880s, Brent

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This congregation was organized circa 1840 and their first church was built of logs, a mile-and-a-half from the present location, perhaps part of the Davis Smith (1793-1868) plantation. Records indicate this structure was built circa 1880-1885.

School & Women’s Clubhouse, Circa 1910, Brent

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This was served as the Brent schoolhouse until its closure in 1929. It was later home to the Brent women’s clubhouse and voting precinct. Brent had a post office from 1891-1904. It was named for Kentucky-born merchant Thomas Young Brent, Jr. (1841-1915), who moved to this area after the Civil War and married a widow, Jane Smith Clements (1836-1903).

Historic Storefronts, Culloden

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Culloden, the oldest settlement in this area of Georgia, was once a bustling town, where the railroad brought in supplies from Atlanta and other larger cities, and where the economy was mostly centered around cotton until the 1920s. Agriculture remains a large employer to this day.

It’s similar to myriad other small towns across the state in the fact that after the waning of cotton’s prominence, people left in search of non-agricultural jobs, and the buildings that made up the commercial center were eventually abandoned. Most were general stores or offices.

One thing different about Culloden, though, is the fact that they decided to construct a building in the old style in 2005 that houses the city hall, library and emergency services. It’s a nice nod to local history and incorporates old bricks, perhaps recycled from an earlier structure near this site.

The building on the right was the old Bank of Culloden, erected in 1897.

Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Town Well, Culloden

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The public well was one of the most important gathering places in Georgia’s earliest towns and villages, as access to clean drinking water was a necessity and infrastructure was non-existent when forests were cleared for settlement. Though this well is dated to 1780, the well itself and the well house have obviously been updated over the years. Nonetheless, it’s an important place in the history of Culloden.

Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Place

Filling Station, 1920s, Culloden

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An architectural survey identified this as having been an early filling station and dated it to the 1920s. It was used as a restaurant in the 1980s and now appears to be a private residence. In the 1920s and 1930s, and even as late as the 1950s, filling and service station franchises employed much more creative architecture than they do today. It has been suggested that the half-timbered details of this structure were a nod to the Scottish heritage of Culloden but there is no way to confirm that at this time.

Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Depot, Circa 1904, Culloden

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This was a depot before becoming a store and filling station. Considering its approximate date of construction, it was likely built by the Macon & Birmingham Railroad or, perhaps, the Southern Railway. I have a couple of books on the Southern Railway, however, and can find no references to a depot at Culloden.

Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Culloden Primitive Baptist Church, Circa 1909

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Culloden Primitive Baptist Church was constituted on 10 April 1909 and this structure is contemporary to that date. The two-steeple style is mostly associated with African-American churches today but at one time was a widely used form.

Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Blalock-Elliot House, Circa 1909, Culloden

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This beautifully maintained house, a transitional Victorian, is a standout in the exceptional residential area of Culloden. I have also seen reference to a construction date of 1904, so I’m not sure which is correct.

Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Fuller House, Circa 1914, Culloden

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Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places