This was once a busy crossroads store. It’s also been known as the Short Run, among other names.
Phillips Grocery, Wheeler County
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Category Archives: –WHEELER COUNTY GA–
Woodland, 1877, Wheeler County
Passing through rural Wheeler County from Lumber City (Telfair) to Alamo, one cannot miss this Eclectic Victorian with Carpenter Gothic details. An exquisite two-story arcade (not visible in this photograph) connects the main section of the house to a rear addition. More than one friend has commented over the years that the sight of the house stopped them in their tracks. It is a standout in South Georgia, out of place in a landscape most characterized by simple vernacular dwellings.
The McArthur family owned portions of the land around the house beginning in 1827. From the shambles of the cotton economy Walter T. McArthur (1837-1894) developed his father’s farmland into a thriving timber plantation and completed Woodland in 1877, the year of his father’s death. A Captain Renwick and Johnus Thormaholon are listed as the architects/builders. Walter was a Confederate veteran and served in the Georgia legislature from 1868-1871. His son Douglas later maintained and managed the property. It was sold in 1917 to Emory Winship (1872-1932). Winship was a career naval officer from a prominent Macon family and primarily used the house as a hunting lodge during his ownership.
The property is currently on the market.
National Register of Historic Places
McArthur House, Circa 1830s, Wheeler County
Situated behind the iconic Woodland plantation house is this amazing survivor, an enclosed dogtrot thought to have been built by the first McArthur family member to settle here; their ownership of the land dates to 1827. It is possibly the oldest house in Wheeler County. After use as a storage shed for many years, it was restored in 1993.
Woodland Dependencies, Wheeler County
This impressive stock barn at Woodland [it may have been used as a dairy] is one of the largest of its type in this section of South Georgia. Several other smaller barns are scattered on the property but many have been lost over the years. The other two structures depicted are the most important surviving dependencies; my identifications are educated guesses and if I’m incorrect, I’ll update.
This was likely a commissary or warehouse.
This may have been the plantation schoolhouse. Its architecture suggests that it is somewhat contemporary to the main house.
Woodland Tenant Houses, Wheeler County
These tenant properties were part of Woodland Plantation. I believe most were demolished by 2020.
They provide an interesting example of the evolution of tenant housing in the early 20th century.
The Folk Victorian/Queen Anne example may have been an overseers house. (Interior view)
It’s a nice vernacular interpretation and features board-and-batten walls.
Davis Chapel Baptist Church, Wheeler County
This church is located just past the Towns community and near the Telfair-Wheeler county line.
Landsburg United Methodist Church, 1902, Wheeler County
In 1884, a small Methodist congregation began meeting near Landsburg in a log structure. They relocated to to this location sometime thereafter and built the present church which is still in use today.
Commissary, Glenwood
Amy Adams confirms that this was a commissary. She notes: There was a store and a blacksmith shop in this building and there also is a small room with a fireplace that was used for a living quarters.
W. R. Browning’s Store, Glenwood
The W. R. Browning property is a great example of a rural general store, and it’s relatively intact compared to most I’ve encountered in my travels. It even retains an outdoor shelter.
The window signage is particularly nice, especially this one, indicating that W. R. Browning was not only a shopkeeper but a lumberman, as well. I’m not a good genealogist, but I think some of the descendants of my great-great grandfather, George Franklin Browning, still live in this area. I hope to learn more about that.
The Stanback window decals are fading away, but they likely date to the 1930s or 1940s. Their survival is extraordinary. Stanback was advertised as a cure “for Headache & Neuralgia”. For those who don’t know, it’s a caffeine-based headache therapy similar to Goody’s & BC powders.
Historic Storefronts, Glenwood
Third Avenue is the main street of historic Glenwood. It’s essentially two streets, running along either side of the the railroad tracks. The commercial area is located on Northeast Third Avenue while Southeast Third Avenue is predominately residential. The two buildings at left in the photo above are both empty shells inside and will be lost if not stabilized. The exteriors are in relatively good shape, though. The structures seen below appear to be in better condition.
Valorie Phillips writes: Going from right to left in the bottom picture (my time as a child in the late 70’s through 80’s) the buildings were Rita Sue Chambers (McRae at the time) beauty shop, second was my daddy’s, Fred Clark, grocery store, Jimmy Sammon’s drug store, Mr. Tipton’s store, the restaurant was owned by different people at different times, the next building was a game room for a little while. The empty lot on the end was a department store until it burned down.Going from right to left in the bottom picture (my time as a child in the late 70’s through 80’s) the buildings were Rita Sue Chambers (McRae at the time) beauty shop, second was my daddy’s, Fred Clark, grocery store, Jimmy Sammon’s drug store, Mr. Tipton’s store, the restaurant was owned by different people at different times, the next building was a game room for a little while. The empty lot on the end was a department store until it burned down.