Category Archives: Quitman GA

Quitman’s Historic Walker Street School Lost to Fire

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One of Quitman’s most beloved historic buildings was lost to fire around 1AM on Friday (20 June 2025). Besides being a storehouse of memories for generations of Quitman residents, the Walker Street School was the work of Valdosta architect Lloyd B. Greer (1885-1952), who trained with the influential firm of Hentz, Reid & Adler before establishing his practice in Valdosta in the early 1910s. The Ludowici Tile roof was an added touch to this particular school, which stands out among other small schools in South Georgia for its inspired design. I am not sure as to the original name; some have suggested Quitman Elementary but I cannot confirm. A friend from Quitman, who informed me of this devastating loss, noted that restoration of the school was in the works and said architects had already drawn up plans. Arson is suspected but has not been determined. The fire is presently under investigation and the Brooks County Fire Department spent hours protecting the surrounding residential neighborhood and containing the blaze, which covered around 20,000 square feet.

The Walker Street School ablaze in the early morning hours of 20 June 2025. Screen capture. Courtesy Brooks County Fire Department. [This attribution is via a television newscast. If it is not correct, please let me know and I will change it].

Quitman Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Beyond the Headlines: The Branch Family of Quitman

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Branch House, with a a display of Hydrangea, circa 1913-1915. Vintage photograph Courtesy Paul Petersen.

Paul Petersen, the great-grandson of Lee and Jamie Snow Branch, recently shared these photos of his family in Quitman. He wrote that they were: “… passed down from my Grandmother (Lalla Branch Kirkpatrick) to my Mom.  They now reside with my sister in North Carolina. In a strange coincidence, my sister was viewing these photos just last week, which she has not done in years.“

Jamie Snow Branch (1875-1937), circa 1913-1915. Vintage photograph Courtesy Paul Petersen.

Lee and Jamie Branch met a tragic end in this house at the hands of Jamie’s brother, Livingston Snow Branch, in 1937, and the case was sensationalized by local and national media. Paul added: “My Mom passed away 5 years ago along with any direct familial memory of events.  She was not yet born when her Grandparents were killed, so she has heard the stories from her Mother.  The article you wrote matches with the description of events passed down from my Grandmother to my Mom.  From our families side we speculate that Livingstone was perhaps bi-polar or schizo affective…“

Lalla Branch Kirkpatrick (1910-1993), circa 1913-1915. Vintage photograph Courtesy Paul Petersen.

Lalla was 27 at the time of this tragedy and long gone from Quitman by then. She married Charles Cochran Kirkpatrick in 1932, and they lived in numerous locations, as her husband was a rising officer in the United States Navy. He was eventually promoted to rear admiral.

Lee Whiting Branch (1871-1937), Lalla Branch, unidentified friend, Jamie Snow Branch, circa 1913-1915. Vintage photograph Courtesy Paul Petersen.

Lalla was undoubtedly devastated by the loss of her parents and I’m sure these photographs were difficult reminders of their lives in Quitman. I’m grateful to Paul for allowing me to share them. They show the family in happy times, as a means of putting a human face on his grandmother and great-grandparents, beyond the headlines.

Graham Chapel C. M. E. Church, Quitman

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I can locate no history of Graham Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, but I’d guess the structure dates to circa 1900-1920. It’s an amazingly pristine example of the most common style for Black congregations of the era, anchored by two asymmetrical, or uneven, towers. The exterior of Graham Chapel is largely original, and even retains the original shake siding on its towers and front gable.

Quitman Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Georgian Cottage, Circa 1900, Quitman

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This house has been expanded over the years and may have originated as a smaller central hallway cottage that now has the overall massing of a Georgian Cottage.


Quitman Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

South Georgia Grocery Company, 1924, Quitman

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This South Georgia Grocery Company was a wholesaler established by Samuel Stevens Rountree (1855-1952) in 1903.

Samuel S. Rountree on his 93rd birthday. Photograph via Atlanta Journal Magazine, 1948

The company eventually had seven locations and Rountree divided into several independent businesses, including Capital City Grocery Company of Tallahassee, Rountree Grocery Company of Americus, and a branch in Waycross. He also owned controlling interest in one of South Georgia’s first grocery chains, Suwannee Stores. Mr. Rountree was one of Quitman’s most successful businessmen and president of the Bank of Quitman from 1917-1945. He was the subject of a 1 August 1948 Atlanta Journal Magazine article which identified him as the nation’s oldest active banker. The article noted that “He always wears a flower and goes to the bank every day”. He had few hobbies, but was a big horse racing fan and in his younger years made the trip to Saratoga and Belmont each year.

Abandoned Storefronts, Quitman

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Many small Georgia towns have areas like this one on South Washington Street that were once vibrant commercial areas, now abandoned to the elements. Most of these buildings are just shells, with the roofs long gone.

One can only imagine what businesses were located here at this point. They’re located on South Washington Street near the railroad tracks. Some may have been businesses related to the railroad, and there was probably a grocery or general store, as well.

Beulah Missionary Baptist Church, 1916, Quitman

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    Beulah Baptist, like Bethel A. M. E. Church, is a Freedmen congregation, established in 1869. The cornerstone for this structure, placed in 1916, identifies it simply as Beulah Baptist Church. I’m not sure when the congregation became affiliated with the Missionary Baptists.

    Hall and Parlor Cottage, Circa 1900, Quitman

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    This was one of the most common house types in working class neighborhoods at the turn of the last century.

    Craftsman Bungalow, Circa 1930, Quitman

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    Real estate records date this house to 1900 but I believe that has been confused with the house next door. It’s located in Quitman’s historic South Washington Street African-American neighborhood and is an important example of the architecture of an emerging middle class at the height of the Jim Crow era.

    Washington Street High School Gymnasium, 1954, Quitman

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    This gymnasium, built as a part of the Washington Street High School in 1954 during the era of Equalization Schools, is all that remains of Quitman’s Black high school from the last years of segregation. Washington Street, which also included an elementary school, was open from 1955-1970 and replaced Brooks High School, which was deemed substandard. According to the Georgia High School Football Association, the Washington Street football team held the Georgia Interscholastic Association record for most points scored in a game, defeating Washington High School of Blakely 126-14 on 10 October 1969. After integration, the school became Brooks County Middle School.

    There is now an effort to save the gymnasium. One of its big backers is Brooks County commissioner James Maxwell, a Washington Street alumnus, who over thirty years ago was the first Black man elected to the county commission. Other alumni, including Dr. Rose Marie Horne, the first female physician in Brooks County, are passionate about preserving the gymnasium and assigning it landmark status.