Category Archives: Oliver GA

Oliver School, Screven County

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Photo Courtesy John Aubrey Brown

I’m so excited to be able to share this photograph, which was shared by John Brown. He made the shot circa 1995. It’s the old Oliver School and was lost to fire a few years after the photograph was made.

Oliver was one of about 40 white schools in Screven County surveyed by M. L. Duggan for the Georgia Department of Education in 1916. The steeple or bell tower was a design element present only in the larger schools of the county, including Capitola, Douglas Branch, Gilgal, Harmony, Rocky Ford, and Sylvania. At the time of the survey, W. S. Brown was teacher and principal, and Miss Fannie Ryon was his assistant. There were 10 grades and 62 students, with a 32-week school year. The school was valued at $3000 and was noted to be in very good condition.

Ogeechee River at Oliver

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ogeechee river at oliver landing screven county ga photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 2016

Oliver Landing is a great place to access the Ogeechee.

Gablefront House, Oliver

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oliver ga gablefront house photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 2016

Eclectic Gabled-Ell House, Oliver

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oliver ga eclectic house photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 2016

I believe the rear section of this house is a Plantation Plain, to which additions were made over time.

Peoples Bank, Circa 1910, Oliver

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Thanks to John Robert Peavy for the identification.

Little Ogeechee Baptist Church, 1912, Oliver

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historic little ogeechee baptist church oliver ga photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 2016

According to Dawn Daley, via present pastor Vernon Edenfield, this is the oldest church in Screven County, and thought to be the second oldest Baptist church in Georgia. Robert Peavy writes: Oliver native Miss Pauline Smith (1885-1963) indicated in her three-page historical sketch of the town of Oliver that the present building was erected about 1912 (when the old Methodist Church was built and when the town was incorporated—the School House, now gone, had been built in 1910). An old photograph of the short-lived Lutheran Church shows rather dimly, in the distance with the cemetery separating them, a not-overly fancy church with a neo-classical porch roof supported by four square columns, which would have replaced the original log building of the Little Ogeechee Baptist Congregation; thus, the present structure is at least the third building for this congregation, which dates to 1790. Robin Robbins also notes that the church was used as a set location for the 1974 movie, Buster and Billie.

Gravestone Art at Little Ogeechee Baptist Church Cemetery

Little Ogeechee, like many old cemeteries, is a beautiful showplace for the stonemason’s art. I’ve chosen a few of my favorite decorative headstones to share.

little ogeechee baptist church cemetery stephen t newton photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 2016

Stephen T. Newton (29 May 1829-6 December 1882)

little ogeechee baptist church cemetery naomi morton photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 2016

Naomi Morton (1806-16 October 1887)

little ogeechee baptist church cemetery bernard horton photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 2016

Bernard Horton Huggins (25 August 1906-26 March 1908)

little ogeechee baptist church cemetery lanier toddler photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 2016

Daughter of W.V. & L. O. Lanier (14 March 1917-2 February 1918)

little ogeechee baptist church cemetery florie brewer photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 2016

Florie A. Brewer (12 August 1845-17 September 1891)

little ogeechee baptist church cemetery oscar w brewer photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 2016

Oscar W. Brewer (17 October 1872-8 March 1889)

little ogeechee baptist church cemetery miss levina morton photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 2016

Levina Morton (20 May 1825-16 June 1899)

little ogeechee baptist church cemetery martha dugger photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 2016

Martha A. Dugger (14 June 1829-13 February 1897)

little ogeechee baptist church miriam lee photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 2016

Miriam Lee (22 February 1908-22 November 1910)

 

Huggins House, Oliver

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oliver ga huggins house photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 20102010

Thanks to Sharmon Brannen for the identification. Though it’s not all visible to the eye, much restoration work has been done on the house by the new owners. I’m so glad that they’re saving this house. It’s though to date to at least the late 1880s.

oliver ga huggins house photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 20162016

Methodist Church, 1912, Oliver

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historic oliver methodist church photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 2016

Although a Methodist church, this structure features three large stained-glass windows with the Star of David motif, traditionally a symbol of the Jewish faith. According to Bob Peavy, whose father was christened here in 1919, the congregation was established in 1907. Please see his detailed comments about the church history in the comments section. The church has most recently been used as a restaurant, Oliver on 24.

oliver ga methodist church restaurant photograph copyright brian brown vanishing south georgia usa 2016