The downstairs portion of Ray City Lodge No. 553, Free & Accepted Masons, has served as the Ray City Drugstore and the Victory Soda Shop. It’s the only remaining commercial brick structure in Ray City.
Pueblo Revival architecture was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. There are at least three houses of this style in Nashville, including one right next door to this one.
This house is well-maintained and a perfect exemplar of the style.
Nashville United Methodist Church is one of Berrien County’s most historic congregations. Founded in 1858, the church likely first met in members’ homes. There isn’t much information about the first church building, but in 1871, Benjamin Sorsby sold the congregation land for a church and parsonage for $13. The facility was located across the street from the present education building. In 1898, it was destroyed when a tree fell on it and construction on the present sanctuary began. It was completed in 1900.
Designed by the W. Chamberlain Company of Knoxville, Tennessee, the Berrien County Courthouse was built for $17,000. It replaced a two-story log structure of 1858 which was also located on this site. The old courthouse was moved across the street and used as a hotel for a time but it is no longer standing.
National Register of Historic Places
East Marion Avenue
The historic commercial storefronts that surround the Berrien County courthouse are the heart of Nashville. They’ve been undergoing restorations in recent years.
North Davis Street
Harvey’s Supermarket, Nashville’s most famous export, maintains a presence downtown with their support center. The old headquarters south of town is something else now.
North Davis Street
Most of the structures are typical of early-20th-century commercial design.
West Washington Avenue
The standout, however, is the McLamb & Company building (1907).
South Jefferson Street
Another notable storefront is the marble jewelry store.
This is one Nashville’s best-loved landmarks, though it’s been years since it saw service as a grocery store.
Built by Dr. L. A. Carter, this is one of the anchors of a proposed historic district in Nashville that will include both residential and commercial structures.
Created and named for Nashville’s first woman mayor, the late Connie Tate Perry, Connie’s Children’s Park is located beside the old courthouse. I can’t emphasize enough how wonderful this fountain is as a piece of accessible public art. There’s really nothing to compare in South Georgia.
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 