I’ve learned that the historic Ezekiel New Congregational Methodist Church, a landmark with locals and a favorite with photographers, has collapsed in recent months. I’ve not been able to find out when, but it’s been at least a couple of months. In October of 2023, per Google Maps, the steeple was leaning backward and it was probably a matter of time before it all fell. (I don’t know if it fell or was bulldozed). The church was established in the 1870s and active until the 1970s. It fell into disrepair after the congregation disbanded and has been in derelict condition for many years. A lightning strike a few years ago did further damage.
Mt. Olive Primitive Baptist Church, near Manor, is the 14th Crawfordite meeting house I have documented in Georgia, the culmination of work that began well over a decade ago.
In that time, I’ve come to consider them an architectural and cultural treasure and admire them as landmarks of vernacular architecture.
As I’ve said before, they inspire even those without religion in their simplicity and practicality, and architecturally, are examples of sound construction and periodic restoration in the traditional sense.
The churches are all isolated but form a collective resource nonetheless.
Some are still in use while others are not, but in one way or another, they are all watched over by the families with connections to the congregations.
The Crawfordites, whom I’ve already discussed at length elsewhere on this website, were/are a subset of the Primitive Baptists who began forming congregations in the 1860s and 1870s, according to historian Dr. John G. Crowley.
As they heal, it’s harder to see the emblematic “whiskers” that led to them being called catfaces, but these scarred pines gave life to a labor-intensive industry that was integral to American shipping and employed thousands in Southern Georgia until the early 1960s.
“Catface” describes the scars on the trees that remained after they were notched for the collection of resin, aka sap. The main reason for the demand for resin was its use for waterproofing ships, hence the term “naval stores”. Turpentine had myriad uses beyond the naval stores industry.
In the 1800s, trees were “boxed”, a process in which the collection receptacle was cut into the tree itself, and eventually killed it after all the resin was extracted.
UGA professor Charles Herty developed the “Herty Method” in 1901, which produced a better product and allowed the trees to live after they were sapped out.
In this process, a section of bark was removed and an angled notch, or streak, was cut into the wood. Below the notch, metal strips were placed to direct the resin into a collection vessel, sometimes a terra cotta “Herty cup” or a tin cup.
When the first notch stopped producing, a new one would be cut directly above it. This process could be repeated several times, and since the streaks, looked like cat whiskers, the remnant scars were known as catfaces.
Trees involved in the naval stores industry can still be found, if you know where to look.
Most of the characteristic scars have “healed” over time, a testament to the ability of the pines to survive, and have left behind interesting variations. As these trees age and die, there won’t be any new catfaces, so if you see one, you’re seeing something special.
Since most turpentine stands are on private property, the red-blazed trail at Laura S. Walker State Park near Waycross, where I photographed these examples, is one of the best places to see these fascinating landmarks.
These two houses stand defiantly at the end of Jane Street, which was cut off years ago when changes were made to US Highway 84, rendering them largely inaccessible and at the least, impractical as residential dwellings. I haven’t been able to locate any history about them, but they are essentially twins. One has an open front porch while the porch on the other has been enclosed. I don’t know if they were built as early apartment housing or if they were owned by one family who just liked the practical design. They’ve looked like this for many years and short of being moved, I doubt they will ever have much appeal commercially. It’s really a shame, though, because I imagine they were well-loved at one time.
Waycross Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This house is one of the nicer examples of the Neoclassical Revival in Waycross. Since this is a relatively early date for the style, I’m wondering if the portico and porches aren’t later additions. Perhaps someone in Waycross will know more. I believe it was empty for a few years but it definitely looks like it’s being cared for today. I was told that the cast iron fence was original to the property and that the owner once owned a house on the adjoining lot, a Victorian that was lost to fire.
Waycross Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Waycross has one of the oldest active YMCAs in Georgia, founded and chartered in 1896. They met in a hotel until constructing this delightful building in 1908. A second YMCA building was completed in collaboration with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1911 at another location for the purpose of housing railroad men. My father recalls staying in that building during his railroad years and notes that it was quite run down by that time. By 1971, all YMCA operations were relocated to a new facility on Plant Avenue. This building, on Pendleton Street, was sold to the city in 1916 and has served as the Waycross City Hall ever since.
A plaque near the front doors notes: The Georgia National Guard for the City of Waycross was housed in the basement of this building prior to World War II. On Sept 16, 1940 the members of Co. F 121st Inf. Regiment passed through these portals for their first day of active duty in World War II thereby becoming the first unit from Waycross to ever serve our nation. Men from this company served with honor and distinction in every major engagement in Europe against Germany. In honor and memory of their devotion to freedom this marker is respectfully dedicated.
Downtown Waycross Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
When built as the Waycross Post Office in 1911, this structure was originally one story with a basement. It is credited to James Knox Taylor, Supervising Architect of the Department of the Treasury, but Taylor himself was not always directly involved in individual designs due to the number of projects the department was involved with at any given time.
A second floor and wings were added to the post office in 1936, under the supervision of G. W. Stone. This expansion was made to accommodate the inclusion of the federal courthouse of the Southern District of Georgia. It was also an officially designated fallout shelter during the Cold War. The facility closed in 1975 when the post office and courthouse, respectively, moved into larger more modern facilities elsewhere in town. It sat empty for a time but has been home to an antiques gallery and other businesses in recent years.
The S. H. Kress Company was a chain of five and dime department stores established in Memphis in 1896. Samuel H. Kress was an avid art collector and aesthete, and many of his stores are considered architectural landmarks as a result of his ongoing interest in the decorative arts and a desire to place buildings of lasting importance in the communities his business served. Most locations featured lunch counters and excluded African-Americans from service, leading to general boycotts and an eventual loss of business by the 1960s. The company survived until 1981, but by that time, many locations had long been shuttered and the real estate sold or rented for use by other businesses. I’m not sure when the Waycross location closed but I imagine no later than the late 1960s or early 1970s. Downtown department stores struggled by that time as shopping centers and malls became preferred locations for shopping.
The Waycross Kress Building now serves as a real estate office.
Downtown Waycross Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Though I cannot confirm at this time, I believe this Art Deco business block was built by Joseph McGraw, an early entrepreneur and business leader in the African-American community of Waycross. It’s located near the corner of Oak Street and Tebeau Street in a neighborhood that was historically the commercial center of the local Black community. Joseph McGraw was the uncle and guardian of Dr. Joseph Alphonso Pierce, Sr., who went on to serve as the president of the Texas State College for Negroes, now known as Texas Southern University.
