I haven’t been able to locate much information about John Gay, but I believe he served in the Confederate army. Also, I’m unable to validate an exact date of construction. The National Register nomination form lists both 1840 and 1850 but the house is such a great example of a late Federal style that I believe it’s likely a good bit earlier.
Newborn Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Established in 1820, Newborn United Methodist is the oldest church in Newton County. This is the third church to have been built on this site. When Newborn was known as Sandtown, pioneer members of the Methodist Episcopal congregation built a log cabin church here. It was replaced by a more permanent structure in 1847, and the present church was built in 1902 and dedicated in 1903.
Newborn Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Childs General Store was one of the first retail establishments built in Newborn before the railroad came through the town in 1893 and was restored after a fire in the 1990s. Now known as the Zeigler-Childs Building and home to the Newborn Town Hall and Library, it remains a symbol of the community.
Newborn Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This early commercial block has housed a grocery store and, on the far right, the present-day post office.
Newborn Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
To my understanding, this is the only wood-framed building to have survived a large fire in Newborn’s commercial district in 1925.
Newborn Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Built with concrete poured on site, the Newborn Fertilizer warehouse is quite popular with photographers. The red clay visible in the walls is dominant in this area, which remains largely agricultural despite its proximity to the Atlanta metro area.
Newborn Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Built as a cotton warehouse along the Central of Georgia Railroad tracks, this structure later housed J. W. Pitts’s general merchandise store. Pitts also sold agricultural products, from feed and seed to fertilizer.
Newborn Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 