This house is as much a landmark as the nearby grocery store in the Five Points community. It’s a good example of the gabled-wing form, which is often an evolution of a central hallway form. In most cases, it’s presumed that these structures incorporate a formerly detached kitchen via an enclosed hallway. They can be found throughout the state.
There has been a grocery/general store, and at times a restaurant, at the intersection of Georgia Highway 86 and Griffin Ferry Road for many years. The “fifth point” at five points is a dirt road, Findley Cemetery Road. There are countless communities in the state designated by geographical identifiers and though most are only known locally, they’re important landmarks.
I photographed this circa 1930s-1940s service station, which is located near the post office in Lyons, in 2011. I believe the property has been cleaned up a bit since then and the station has been renovated, or at least repainted.
When most people think of cabbage in Georgia, they probably think of Cabbage Patch dolls. But cabbage is actually a big crop in the state. According to the most recent statistics from Georgia Grown, 30,000 acres under production yielded over 61 million pounds in 2021. This field, near the Altamaha River, was about to be harvested when I drove by.
This vernacular cottage is one of the most unique I’ve ever photographed and is well-maintained. I believe it was originally a residence but is likely now used as a cabin. This photograph dates to 2014.
The late Paul Anderson (1932-1994) was known as “The World’s Strongest Man” and beginning in 1961 channeled his fame into helping troubled youth get their lives on track. Truett Cathy, of Chic-Fil-A fame, was his first major patron in this work. After first operating the Paul Anderson Youth Home out of the Mimosa Motel in Vidalia, Anderson purchased this property in 1962, which now includes modern dormitories and other structures.
A marker placed at the site in 1995 notes: Paul Anderson was born October 17, 1932 in Toccoa and attended Furman University where he began lifting weights. In 1955 he traveled as a goodwill ambassador from the United States to the Soviet Union and there his lifting surpassed many world records. Later that year he won the World Championships. He brought home the gold medal from the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. To date, he was the last American to win a gold medal in the super heavyweight division. On June 12, 1957, he lifted a total of 6,270 pound in a backlit, which was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the greatest weight lifted by a human being. Paul Anderson married Glenda Garland in 1959 and the Andersons established the Paul Anderson Youth Home in 1961. The Youth Home is a Christian rehabilitation facility for young people between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one who otherwise might be confined to penal institutions. Paul Anderson became a professional to raise funds through demonstrations and speaking engagements to support the Youth Home. Over 2,000 young men benefited from the home and the unselfish devotion of Georgia’s beloved Paul Anderson before his death August 15, 1994.
This central hallway form exhibits the common additions made to these types of houses as families grew and the need for more space arose.
This nicely proportioned vernacular Greek Revival structure appears to be a church, based on the floor plan, but I can’t find any history or information regarding it in any available sources. I will update if I learn more.
The Lyons Woman’s Club was organized in 1928 and like other woman’s clubs throughout the state was involved in community improvements, from parks and beautification to literacy and leash laws. After meeting for several years at City Hall, the club was given a city lot by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and commissioned architect William Walter Simmons to design a permanent meeting place. The clubhouse was completed in 1932 and immediately became a center of social activity in Lyons. When the Woman’s Club disbanded in 1945, it became home to the Lyons Garden Club, which still maintains it today.
National Register of Historic Places
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 