
This is a two-story version of the central hallway house type and a good example.
This is a two-story version of the central hallway house type and a good example.
North Main Street passes through the historic commercial center of Wadley. According to Ken Krakow’s Georgia Place Names, it was first known as Bethany, then Shake Rag. Incorporated as a town in 1876, Wadley was named for William Morrill Wadley (1813-1882), a New Hampshire native who came to Georgia as a young man. He worked as a blacksmith during the construction of Fort Pulaski under the command of Robert E. Lee and was appointed superintendent of the public works on Cockspur Island. He was later involved in significant building and engineering works and briefly served, unofficially, as supervisor of Confederate railroads. From 1886 until his death, he served as president of the Central of Georgia Railway.
Stations of this type were the standard for national retailers of gasoline in the years before World War II and were easily recognizable by travelers. I presume this one in Wadley, which I photographed a few years ago, is still standing.
This appears to have originally been a central hallway or two-pen house that was later re-oriented as a hall-and-parlor type.
I photographed this historic African-American church in late 2012. It’s a great example of a common style that is usually found modified today.