Category Archives: –MUSCOGEE COUNTY GA–

Henry Lindsay Woodruff House, 1908, Columbus

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Historic Richardsonian Romanesque-style home featuring a red brick exterior, multiple columns, and distinctive architectural details, located in the High Uptown Historic District.


This Richardsonian Romanesque-inspired home was built for Henry Lindsay Woodruff (1851-1921), next door to his brother Ernest Woodruff’s former home. It is one of two homes in the High Uptown Historic District associated with Mr. Woodruff. Henry was a prominent businessman in his own right, serving as the president and general manager of Empire Mills for thirty-three years. One of his sons, George Cecil “Kid” Woodruff, Sr. (1888-1968), was the coach for the University of Georgia football team from 1923-1927 and was considered instrumental in bringing the program to national prominence.

High Uptown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Ernest Woodruff House, Circa 1888, Columbus

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Front view of a Victorian-style house with green shutters, a white picket fence, and a business advertisement in the yard.

This modest Greek Revival Georgian cottage was the home of Ernest Woodruff (1863-1944) and Emily Winship Woodruff (1867-1939). Woodruff was a highly successful banker and entrepreneur, best known for his takeover of the Coca-Cola Company from Asa Griggs Candler in 1919. His son, Robert W. Woodruff (1889-1985), who was born in this house, would lead the soft drink behemoth for over 30 years (1923-1955), transforming it into the world’s most recognized brand. He was commonly referred to as “Mr. Coca-Cola” in the press.

High Uptown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Garrett-Bullock House, 1881, Columbus

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An Eastlake-influenced Queen Anne home with intricate architectural details, surrounded by greenery in a historic district.

This Eastlake-influenced Queen Anne home was built for Joseph Simpson Garrett (1831-1923), a wholesale liquor and tobacco retailer in Columbus who was the patriarch of a family that has been referred to as the “Whiskey Garretts“. Garrett served the Confederacy, ultimately as the commanding colonel of the Seventh Alabama Calvary. As the threat of prohibition and local option sales of alcohol loomed over his business, Garrett and his sons continued their business in Baltimore, with great success. Col. Garrett remained in Columbus, where he was appointed postmaster circa 1899. He sold the house to banker Osborn C. Bullock (1852-1929) in 1910 and moved onto a plantation outside the city. Bullock’s widow, Minnie Drane Bullock (1857-1937) lived here until her death, and their daughter, Margaret Bryan Bullock Schaefer (1900-1985), was the last family member to reside here.

High Uptown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Schley-Peabody-Warner House, Circa 1840, Columbus

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Greek Revival cottage built circa 1838-1840, showcasing brick exterior, decorative shutters, and a porch surrounded by greenery.

This Greek Revival cottage was built circa 1838-1840 for Philip Thomas Schley (1798-1862) at the site of the present First Presbyterian Church. Schley came to Columbus at the request of his brother, Georgia Governor William Schley, to command the Muscogee Blues, a militia company active in the Indian Wars. Circa 1855-1858, the house was moved and rebuilt at this location.

Front view of the Schley-Peabody-Warner House in Columbus, Ga., with brick exterior, featuring columns, a dark green door, and a small front porch, built around 1838-1840.

The family of Columbus merchant George Henry Peabody (1807-1880) briefly occupied the house during the Civil War. Their son, George Foster Peabody (1852-1938), became a prominent financier and philanthropist. He purchased the Warm Springs property that became famous for its association with Peabody’s friend, future president Franklin Delano Roosevelt and is also the namesake of the Peabody Award.

Front view of Schley-Peabody-Warner House in Columbus, Georgia

Later owners were descendants of James H. Warner (c. 1830-1866), who was the commander and superintendent of the Confederate States Naval Iron Works (aka the Columbus Iron Works).

High Uptown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Alexander-McGehee-Woodall House, Circa 1845, Columbus

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Black and white photograph by Frances Benjamin Johnston of a raised Greek Revival cottage featuring a front porch supported by columns, surrounded by manicured shrubs and trees.
Alexander-McGehee-Woodall House, photographed by Frances Benjamin Johnston, Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South, 1939. Courtesy Library of Congress. Public domain.

This raised Greek Revival cottage was built for Robert B. Alexander (1811?-1850) between 1843-1845 and sold a few years later to the McGehee family. Alexander was a native of Putnam County and a lawyer who served as a Superior Court judge of the Chattahoochee Circuit. The house was originally located a block south of its present location, on the site of the first Muscogee County court house, but was moved to save it from demolition. Col. Allen Clements McGehee (1826-1903) purchased the property from interim owner Laurence Rooney in 1872. After his death, his daughter, Virginia Ethel McGehee Woodall (1879-1949) resided in the home for the rest of her life. It is used as an office today.

Front view of a raised Greek Revival cottage, the Alexander-McGehee-Woodall House, featuring white columns, brick exterior, and landscaped steps, now used as an office.

High Uptown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Blackmar-Ellis House, 1884 + 1909, Columbus

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A front view of a grand house illuminated at night, featuring classical columns and a decorative pediment. The structure showcases a blend of Neoclassical Revival and Colonial Revival architectural styles, with elaborate details and a welcoming entrance.

This house was built for John Blackmar (1853-1931) in the Queen Anne style in 1884. It was redesigned in 1909 to its present appearance, a hybrid of two of the most popular styles of the era: Neoclassical Revival and Colonial Revival. The architect for the update was Henrietta Dozier, the first professional female architect in Georgia, and the first formally trained female architect in the South. She added the portico, porte cochere, solarium, and dormers on the roof.

A illuminated historic house showcasing Queen Anne, Neoclassical Revival, and Colonial Revival architectural styles, captured at night.

Susie Blackmar (1895-1981), one of Jack and Susie Wellborn Blackmar’s (1860-1941) five children, was married here to John Tyler “Jack” Ellis (1890-1958) in 1918 and resided here until her death in 1981. In the 1940s, while their son John D. Eisenhower was stationed at Fort Benning, General Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower, the future president and first lady, were guests of Mrs. Ellis. Since Mrs. Ellis’s death, the house has served as a residential care home, funeral home, antiques store, and presently, a pediatrician’s office.

High Uptown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Midland, Georgia

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Midland Lodge No. 144, F. &. A. M.

Midland is an historic community, located northeast of Columbus. Like other rural settlements of Muscogee County, absorbed by the creation of Fort Moore [formerly Fort Benning] and city-county consolidation in 1971, it has often been overlooked. A post office opened in Midland in 1887. The area is growing today, but seems rural in comparison to most of Muscogee County.

The Midland Lodge No. 144, F. & A. M. was established in 1851 and it’s still active. The building dates to sometime around the turn of the century. It’s the only public landmark I could locate here. A sign across the road advertised an all-you-can-eat breakfast being sponsored by the lodge.

Greek Revival Cottage, Muscogee County

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Though I’ve been unable to locate any history related to this charming Greek Revival cottage in rural Muscogee County, I’m confident that it dates to the antebellum period, likely the 1840s or 1850s. It appears to be in largely original condition and is perfectly maintained. I believe it was once the center of a large working farm or plantation, as it still has quite a bit of acreage surrounding it. It’s one of the nicest residential structures in Muscogee County outside Columbus.

Upatoi, Georgia

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This building appears to have been a general store, or perhaps a restaurant, but I’m inclined to think it was a store. There may have been gas pumps out front, as well. When I can’t locate the proper resources, I just have to guess. Nonetheless, it’s one of the few “public” buildings remaining in the historic Upatoi [you-pa-toy] community. Surveys have dated it to 1933.

It’s believed that Upatoi was first settled circa 1790 as a satellite of nearby Cusseta Town, perhaps in some sort of support capacity. The area was dominated by Indigenous peoples at the time. It’s named for nearby Upatoi Creek, which rises in Talbot County and flows southwestward to form the border between Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties before joining the Chattahoochee River at Fort Moore. As to the origin of the name Upatoi, I won’t venture a guess except that it’s indigenous. A post office opened in the rural settlement in 1829 and remained open until 2017. [This building might have even served the purpose at one time.] Upatoi was annexed by the city of Columbus during the consolidation with Muscogee County in 1971.

Queen Anne Cottage, Upatoi

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There are several historic homes in Upatoi. This beautifully maintained Queen Anne is one of my favorites. An historic resources survey dates it to the 1920s but I believe it was more likely built in the 1880s or 1890s. It’s a representative example of the form and though I’m not sure if the dormers are original, they look like they may be. Later Victorians like this were inspirations for the less ornamented New South Cottages that were popular from the 1890s to the 1920s.