Known simply as the “Packinghouse”, the Bulloch Packing Company facility that opened here in 1917 was only in business for three years before a fire took out the boiler room on an upper floor in 1920. It’s considered one of Statesboro’s most ‘haunted’ places, but all of the lore is based on complete fiction. Brooks Simmons, who inherited the Bank of Statesboro from his father, was the president and a chief investor in the business. He lost his investment with the fire but more importantly, during the Crash of 1929, the Bank of Statesboro failed and Simmons lost what remained of his fortune. He committed suicide in 1931, and over time that somehow morphed into the legend that he killed his employees and then himself. But the stories persisted and the structure became a favorite with ghost hunters, urbexers, and squatters alike. In 2015, former Georgia Southern student Scott Taylor bought the packinghouse with the intention of rehabilitating it for use as apartments. It’s actually much more structurally sound than it appears and hopefully, it will soon have a new lease on life.
Category Archives: Statesboro GA
Barney Averitt House, 1890, Statesboro
Built by Barney Averitt using lumber from his sawmill, this home features a variety of pine, oak, and maple floors. The brick was likely added in the early 20th century, when it was remodeled to its present Colonial Revival appearance. It’s now owned by Helen Cannon and home to Georgia’s Bed & Breakfast, a popular Statesboro inn.
Georgian Cottage, 1900, Statesboro
Eclectic Victorian Cottage, 1915, Statesboro
Folk Victorian House, 1920, Statesboro
Booth House, 1908, Statesboro
Simmons-Tucker-Marsh House, 1915, Statesboro
Architecturally, this Spanish Colonial Revival is one of the most impressive houses in Statesboro. As is the case with several structures in the city’s historic districts, there is a bit of conflict regarding the date of construction; the National Register nomination dates it to 1915 while real estate archives put it at 1917. I generally defer to the National Register until I learn otherwise.
Savannah Avenue Historic District, National Register of Historic Places