Category Archives: –TWIGGS COUNTY GA–

Dr. Beniah S. Carswell House, Circa 1850, Jeffersonville

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The History of Twiggs County, Georgia by J. Lanette O’Neal Faulk and Billy Walker Jones (Major General John Twiggs Chapter, D.A.R., Jeffersonville, 1960) notes: “This house was built by Dr. Beniah Carswell at Jeffersonville, Georgia about 1850. The original structure had five rooms and a hall downstairs with two rooms and a hall upstairs. The house was later owned by Nelson Carswell, a grandson of Dr. Carswell. In 1948 Mr. and Mrs. James Edward Beck bought the house from Nelson Carswell which they later remodeled, the timbers used in the renovation having come from Todd Hall”, later known as the Wall Place in Wilkinson County.”

A 2006 historic resources survey conducted by the state of Georgia adds that the house was remodeled circa 1948. Renovations included the replacement of the south end chimney, addition of new piers and asbestos siding, and the addition of a one-story wing on the north side of the house.

Dr. Beniah S. Carswell (1830-1895) was a native of Telfair County, the son of Alexander Carswell and Elizabeth W. Ashley Carswell. He served in Co. A, 22nd Batallion State Guard Cavalry during the Civil War. His first wife and the mother of his children was Caroline Julia Matilda “Carrie” Sears. He later married Mattie R. Harrell (1851-1914).

Note: This replaces and expands a post originally published on 31 March 2018.

Marble-Front Bank, 1905, Jeffersonville

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This marble-front bank is one of the finest commercial buildings in Jeffersonville. While many are aware of the failure of banks during the Great Depression, there was also a wave of bank failures during the 1900s and 1910s. I’m unsure of the original name of this one, but it’s best known locally as the “Corner Bank”. I believe it now houses an antiques store.

Historic Storefronts, Jeffersonville

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These storefronts were already in ruins when I photographed them in 2013. One of the last businesses located here was Robinson’s Fried Chicken, as the sign indicated. W. F. Maxwell recently wrote that at this location: “…was once a Sinclair gas station, a bus stop for Greyhound, a small restaurant and purveyor of ice cream, candies, etc. It was owned by my maternal Grandaddy, J. L. Griffin whose wife, Mattie, was the restaurateur...” He went on to say that they were torn down some time after 2016.

Note: This replaces and updates a post originally published on 16 August 2013.

Fear on the Farm: Pennywise in Twiggs County

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A lot of people claim to have coulrophobia, which is just a fancy word for a fear of clowns. I’ve even found myself a little unnerved by them. And what makes people so afraid of these supposedly innocent entertainers? Many would blame Pennywise, the ancient embodiment of evil who assumes the form of a menacing clown in Stephen King’s horror masterpiece, It. I remember kids being afraid of Santa Claus and even a few who hated clowns when I was growing up, but before the first movie version of It, I never recall a widespread phenomenon of clown phobia. Fast forward to today and Pennywise costumes are staples of Halloween.

Imagine my surprise when I spotted the diabolical demon standing beside an old tractor outside Jeffersonville. He definitely looks like he’s up to something…

General Store, Twiggs County

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This abandoned general store and filling station is located at the north end of Longstreet Road and is not far from a 1950s schoolhouse that has been tentatively identified as the Mount Olive School. I’m not sure if the name is correct; it may have been South Twiggs. It was definitely an elementary and middle school, though the term “middle school” wasn’t common with rural institutions at the time.

Stores like this hardly ever made their owners rich, but they were often well-loved local gathering places. Anything you didn’t hear about at church, you probably heard here. Most of these stores were built in very simple forms and I think that’s why a lot of them have been forgotten.

I usually identify them as general stores and not grocery stores. The reason I identify them as general stores is because they sold more than groceries. Batteries. Light bulbs. Any number of sundries. But remember, there wasn’t a nearby Walmart or a Dollar General at every crossroads fifty years ago.

Hall and Parlor Farmhouse, Twiggs County

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This house probably dates to the early 1900s. It’s a common form, of which many were modified with screened-in porches, like this example. This is part of an old farm, I think, in the southern part of Twiggs County. It may have originally been a tenant house, but as it appears was a long-term residence.

Greek Revival Farmhouse, Circa 1855, Twiggs County

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Ten years ago, this amazing house was hidden by saplings and one would have imagined its future to be uncertain. Luckily, someone has cleaned up the place and obviously appreciates its historical importance.

To me, it’s of a type house that I associate with the decade or so before the Civil War. In floor plan, it’s what is now called Georgian Cottage, but the Georgian Cottage is really just a “toned-down” evolution of the Greek Revival to me, and this house is certainly more Greek Revival than Georgian Cottage. In comparison to the Georgian Cottage I shared in the previous post, you’ll notice that this house is set on piers, has a much lower hipped roof, a wider layout, and not only a transom, but full-length sidelights, as well. The windows are six-over-six and there is a porch with square Doric columns.

As to farm house, it was certainly that. Considering the date, it was probably the center of a working plantation that was transformed into a tenant farm after the Civil War. And enslaved people would have surely been a part of the operation. Google Earth views from 2009 and 2013 show several outbuildings that have since been removed, likely due to poor condition.

It may have been associated with the Walker descendants or other area pioneers like the Griffins, Walkers, or Jordans. That’s just a guess and probably not even a good one. I’m just grateful someone cared enough to save it.

*- The 1855 date comes from real estate listings, and while such listings are often wildly inaccurate, I tend to think this one is correct.

Historic Storefronts, Danville

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These abandoned and endangered storefronts, and the old Dane’s Hardware across the railroad tracks, are all that remain of the commercial center of Danville. Danville was settled around 1892 and named for Daniel Greenwood Hughes (1828-1906). Hughes was the father of U. S. Congressman Dudley Mays Hughes, namesake of the town of Dudley in nearby Laurens County. The Hughes family were prominent in agricultural and varied business endeavors throughout the region.

Daniel G. Hughes’s obituary [abridged], from the 26 November 1906 edition of the Atlanta Constitution: [he] was born in Twiggs county April 5, 1828. He attended a private school in that county and attended his junior year in Franklin College, now the state university at Athens. Leaving college, he was married to Miss Mary H., daughter of Alsa Moore, of Athens, sister of Dr. Richard Moore and sister-in-law of Congressman Charles Bartlett. He settled in Twiggs county. He lived there until 1889, when he moved to Macon, which has since been his home. Mr. Hughes’ wife died in 1880, and he married Anna N., daughter of Samuel Dalzell, of Indianapolis…Mr. Hughes served two years in the Civil War, in which he was an efficient officer. After the war he returned to Twiggs county, where he owned large lands and other interests, and lived there until he moved to this county. He has always been actively employed in business, but although born and reared on the farm and living on it the greater part of his life, Mr. Hughes has always been an active politician. He was always a staunch Democrat and was elected to represent his county in the general assembly in 1885 and 1886 and so efficiently did he serve his constituents that they wished him to serve a second term, but he declined reelection. Mr. Hughes ran for congress in the fifth congressional district against James H. Blount, and the race was a very close one. He was a director of the Macon, Dublin and Savannah Railway. He was a member of the Elks and Royal Arch Masons and a member of the Baptist church.

Folk Victorian House, 1890, Danville

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This is an example of a house which is somewhere between a Victorian and a Folk Victorian and hard to “identify” in that context. While it features two Victorian gables, the overall feel of the house is more vernacular, hence my identification as a Folk Victorian.

Stevens Gun Shop, Danville

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This was home to the Stevens Gun Shop and has been a Danville landmark for many years. I believe it was originally a grocery store. Its owner was M. H. Stevens, Jr. (1921-2006), a World War II Air Force veteran, and former postmaster and mail carrier.