Category Archives: –TATTNALL COUNTY GA–

Smith-Nelson Hotel, 1908, Reidsville

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Zachary (1850-1930) and Mary Jane Nelson Smith (1857-1924) moved from North Carolina to the Shiloh community outside Reidsville in 1893 They first operated a hotel on this location in 1905, but it was lost to fire soon thereafter. They rebuilt the present structure on the same site in 1908. Their in-laws, the Nelson family, moved to Reidsville in 1913 and assumed management of the hotel. It’s known simply as the Nelson Hotel today and most recently served as a bed and breakfast inn. It’s presently for sale.

National Register of Historic Places

Old Altamaha Post Office, Reidsville

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There are several historic outbuildings on the property of the Alexander Hotel. A sign indicates that this is the old post office from the Altamaha community.

Alexander Hotel, 1892, Reidsville

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At his wife’s suggestion, Dr. Orlando L. Alexander (1852-1920) built this Queen Anne-inspired hotel, where the couple kept a residence, as well. Dr. Alexander was a local physician who received his medical schooling at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He served on a statewide medical conference in 1905. The hotel was built by D. J. Nobles, a master carpenter from Hagan, Georgia, who was responsible for as many as 25 structures in the general area; it was the first location in Tattnall County to have electricity and the first to have telephone service.

National Register of Historic Places

Board-and-Batten Shotgun House, Tattnall County

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This is part of a property that features several salvaged historic structures originally located elsewhere in the county.

Gable Front Cottage, Tattnall County

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This was most likely a tenant house. The chimney is in an usual position, near the front gable.

Board-and-Batten Tenant Farmhouse, Tattnall County

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This style house was once common in turpentine camps but was also utilized on large farms. This one seems to have been recently exposed and as is often the case the property is likely to be cleared in the near future.

No one who lived in these types of houses had an easy life, but they were often an improvement over the drafty log housing common with the working class a few decades earlier.

Hall-and-Parlor Tenant Cottage, Tattnall County

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Vernacular Craftsman Cottage, Tattnall County

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From the early 20th century until World War II, the gable front style was among the most popular vernacular forms in rural Georgia. The houses were functional and practical, yet many have been abandoned in recent years. This example shows a Craftsman influence.