Category Archives: –WAYNE COUNTY GA–

Dennis Perry: ‘The Man No One Believed’

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Dennis and Brenda Perry standing together in a library with bookshelves in the background. The man has short gray hair and glasses, wearing a striped shirt, while the woman has short gray hair, glasses, and is wearing a yellow blouse.
Dennis and Brenda Perry – Wayne County Library, Jesup

On 9 September 2025 I had the opportunity to meet Joshua Sharpe and Dennis Perry in Jesup. Sherna Spearman Lott of the Wayne County Library served as the moderator for a discussion about Sharpe’s new book, The Man No One Believed: The Untold Story of the Georgia Church Murders. Dennis Perry was that man. His long incarceration came with high personal costs. His wife divorced him and he lost both his parents. One bright spot of that time was reconnecting with Brenda, who he’d known years earlier. She believed in his innocence and they married while he was still in prison. Brenda was there, too. You’d never know the ordeal they’d been through. They weren’t bitter or occupied with the past. They were humble and optimistic.

The Man No One Believed begins with the murder of Harold and Thelma Swain at Rising Daughter Baptist Church in Camden County in 1985, and bravely makes its way through predictable roadblocks of institutional racism, corrupt cops, and elected officials. The Georgia Innocence Project reported on one of those roadblocks “...Sheriff William Smith offered $40,000 of seized drug-related civil forfeiture money to a friend and former sheriff’s deputy to solve the murders. Within a week, the deputy had determined that Dennis Perry was the lead suspect, almost entirely due to information generated by a single informant who was seeking a $25,000 reward.” With those forces working against justice, it’s no wonder it was so long coming. To Dennis Perry and, especially, the Swains.

Sherna Spearman Lott, Joshua Sharpe, and Dennis Perry at the Wayne County Library in Jesup, Georgia, holding a book titled 'The Man No One Believed.' They are smiling and appear to be celebrating an event.
(l-r) Sherna Spearman Lott, Joshua Sharpe, Dennis Perry – Wayne County Library, Jesup

In the year 2000, an election year, Perry was convicted of the crime and received a double life sentence. In The Man No One Believed, Joshua Sharpe reveals flaws in the justice system, while tracking down leads that were purposely obfuscated in the initial investigation. He had doors slammed in his face and drew the ire of locals who knew more than they were saying, if they were saying anything at all. A native of Waycross, he knew the area and he knew when he was getting the silent treatment. He focused on a local White supremacist who was said to have bragged about committing the murders. The suspicious death of a key figure in the case drew concerns for Sharpe’s safety from his editors and sources. Jackie Johnson, the same district attorney who refused to prosecute the men who killed Ahmaud Arbery fought to keep Perry in prison and re-open the 35-year-old case. The work of the Georgia Innocence Project and volunteer attorneys from King & Spalding, reported by Sharpe, helped ensure Dennis Perry’s 2020 release.

Joshua Sharpe and Dennis Perry at the Wayne County Library in Jesup, Georgia, smiling and posing for the camera. Sharpe is holding his book, 'The Man No One Believed'. Bookshelves filled with books are in the background, along with colorful decorations on the windows.
Joshua Sharpe (l) and Dennis Perry – Wayne County Library, Jesup

Erik Sparre of Waynesville was arrested without incident and charged with the murders of Harold and Thelma Swain in 2024. Dennis and Brenda Perry have gotten on with their lives and hopefully, justice will be done for the loved ones of Harold and Thelma Swain.

Single-Pen Cottage, Gardi

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This is one of several important vernacular houses in Gardi. This example appears to have originated as a single-pen form, with an added small wing. The wing has the unusual convenience of its own door opening to the porch.

Smith Grove Missionary Baptist Church, Gardi

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I’ve noticed this neat handmade sign many times driving between Jesup and Brunswick over the years, but until recently had never seen the associated church. Thanks to Pastor Evelyn Jackson, the first woman to lead the congregation, for making me aware of this interesting place and for sharing its history.

Pastor Jackson writes: “The Smith Grove Baptist Church was…organized in…1923 and named after its founder, the Rev. Squire Q. Smith and his wife Hattie Smith. He served as Pastor from 1923-1928. He passed away in 1928. The church was originally a wood structure.“

“The [present] church building was constructed by two former Pastors who are now deceased. I became the first female pastor in May of 2003. Renovations have been done in the sanctuary and kitchen area since I became the Pastor. The church membership is small and the members are the descendants of Rev. Squire Q. Smith.”

“Additionally, there is a history of well-known singers who originated with this family. There was first The West Sisters. They were the granddaughters of Rev. Smith. Then The West Singers, which were a combination of the original sisters and nieces. They no longer sing together.”

“The Mighty Fives originated with the sons of the West Sisters. They started as youth singing all over the area. They are now in their fifties and still singing occasionally.”

The church has services on Second Sundays at 11AM.

Nancy Fore Ceramics, Gardi

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This little building was home to a ceramics studio known as the Nancy Fore Ceramics Cottage. Nancy Fore (1911-1994) was the wife of beekeeper Troy Fore, Sr. (1907-1976) who owned the Altamaha Apiaries and the iconic “Fancy Honey” building around the corner.

Fore House, Gardi

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This was the home of the Fore family who owned the beloved “Fancy Honey” building next door.

The core of this house is an outstanding example of what I believe to be a late-19th-century hall-and-parlor cottage. It has been expanded and modified as have other examples of vernacular houses in Gardi, but the original house is a representative example. It also includes a preacher room that appears to have been turned into a sleeping porch at some point.

Shotgun Store, Gardi

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This was a new discovery for me yesterday. It’s obviously a general store, judging by the form, and has long been closed. The middle of the building is sagging so badly that my initial though was that it won’t be around much longer, but it has likely looked like this for a long time. They don’t build them like this anymore.

Central Hallway Cottage, Gardi

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This expanded central hallway cottage features a vernacular Craftsman portico and shed garages on both sides.

Unidentified Building, Wayne County

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I photographed this structure circa 2012 and I believe it was on Georgia Highway 23 near McKinnon. My best guess is that it was either an African-American schoolhouse or a voting precinct.

Paradise Park Fishing Cabin, Wayne County

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I’ve been updating my Wayne County photographs and discovered this 2012 photo of a cabin near the entrance to Paradise Park, on the Altamaha River. It’s probably the oldest structure still standing at the site.

Hay Barn, Wayne County

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This barn is a landmark near the Reedy Creek Restaurant, west of Jesup. I think it has recently been painted red and I’ll try to get an updated photograph.