This is located near a house that was relocated to the property, on the edge of town, so I’m not sure if it’s original to the location, but it appears to be. It’s a great old barn, either way.
Log Barn, Alamo
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Shotgun House & Billboard, Tifton
I’m excited to be able to share this photograph, as it was one of my earliest, and I thought it was long lost. It’s a real favorite of mine.
The house was located in one of Tifton’s older African-American neighborhoods, right on the edge of the northbound lane of I-75. It’s probably gone by now.
Community Baptist Church, Zuta
Zuta takes it name from the Zuta Branch of the Cowpen Swamp, a feature of the Altamaha River floodplain. The swamps and the community are found on both sides of US 341 and defining Zuta proper would be impossible. But it is on the map.
Sibbiah Earl Blair – Revolutionary Soldier?, Brantley County
Cemeteries often hold mysteries, and there’s a good one in the Whitaker Hill-Harrison Cemetery, the final resting place of a woman who is said to have been a veteran of the Revolutionary War, Sibbiah Earl Blair. Sibbiah [also referenced as Sabbiah in some sources] Earl was the daughter of John Earl, who came to Screven County, Georgia, from North Carolina in 1760. She married William Blair (c.1740-c.1780) of Queensborough [now Louisville] at Jerusalem Church at Ebenezer, Effingham County, on 26 October 1771. Blair migrated to the Georgia colony with his father, James Blair, from Northern Ireland, circa 1770, and served with the Liberty Boys of St. George’s Parish [now Burke, Jefferson, and part of Screven County] as a Revolutionary soldier. William and Sibbiah had five children, Jane, William, Henry, Mary, and Martha. William died before the end of the war, whether in service or of other causes is not evident. He is believed to be buried at Whitaker Hill-Harrison Cemetery, but there is no marker, and considering that he died at Queensborough, he may have been moved from that location at some point.
The Whitaker Hill-Harrison Cemetery is located on the historic Post Road at the Brantley-Glynn county line, in an area identified on maps today as Popwellville. This was located in Wayne County until 1920, when Brantley County was created. There are no Whitakers to be found in this cemetery, so I’m presuming Whitaker Hill was an early plantation or place name.
The Blairs’ daughter Jane is the connection to this cemetery and to this section of Georgia, as she married Robert Stafford (1765-1829), also a Revolutionary soldier. Stafford most likely came to this area through land granted him for Revolutionary service. Birth and death dates for Jane Blair Stafford have not been confirmed, but she died after 1838. Other than the marker related to Sibbiah Blair and the Stafford markers, all other known burials date to the 20th and 21st centuries. [Note: The marker for Robert Stafford seems to be missing from the cemetery; there’s a photograph of it on Findagrave, but I couldn’t locate it].
Another mystery remains for me. The grave markers for Sibbiah Earl Blair and Jane Blair Stafford were placed by the Brunswick Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in the early 20th century. For such a memorial, the DAR would have vetted the service records and genealogy. My presumption is that they concluded that Sibbiah Earl Blair assisted in the war effort in Screven County, after William’s death in 1780. Sibbiah must have moved to Wayne County to live with or near her daughter Jane.
Thanks to Cynthia Jennings for sharing some of the background information.
Single-Pen House, Mount Pleasant
Among my earliest photographs for Vanishing Georgia, this depicts a single-pen house with a shed room, located in the historic Mount Pleasant community of southeastern Wayne County. I’m not sure if it’s still standing, or whether it was original to the location.
Information about Mount Pleasant is scarce, but it had a post office from 1855-1948. Along with short-lived sites at Chauncey’s Ferry (1849-1850), Pendarvis’s Store (1849-1858), (Linder’s Bluff (1854-1857), and Bennettsville (1855-1859), it was one of the first communities in Wayne County to have an official post office.
Williamsburg Landing, Wayne County
Near this location on the Sansavilla Bluff* of the lower Altamaha River, circa 1737, it is believed that Coosaponakeesa operated a trading post in proximity to an early frontier garrison of Georgia Rangers known as Fort Mount Venture. Coosaponakeesa, known by her English name, Mary Musgrove (c. 1700-c.1763), was the most important woman in the early history of the colony, her assistance to General Oglethorpe integral to its very existence. Her English and Creek heritage uniquely positioned her for work as a translator and entrepreneur, bridging the gap between the Native American world and European settlers. Andrew K. Frank suggests…As Pocahontas was to the Jamestown colony and Sacagawea was to the Lewis and Clark expedition, so was Musgrove to the burgeoning Georgia colony.
Native American history is an evolving field and new discoveries continue to alter and improve long-held narratives. While they may seem contradictory, I have linked various sources in this post, to show the changing scholarship. I encourage you to visit them for more information.
*-Sansavilla Bluff is a geographical feature which follows the south bank of the Altamaha from the Paradise Fishing Camp through the Sansavilla Wildlife Management Area to Altamaha Regional Park at Everett.
Union Baptist Church, Wayne County
Located between the Altamaha River and Mount Pleasant, Union Baptist Church is among the oldest congregations in Wayne County. The churchyard and cemetery are beautifully maintained.
Shotgun House, Uvalda
My preliminary inclination is to identify this as a shotgun house even though the facade has more of a storefront appearance. The photograph dates to 2013.
Single-Pen Tenant Farmhouse, Montgomery County
This structure is an interesting example of the complications I occasionally encounter with identifications. The sides of the building, unlike the plank front, are board-and-batten, and there’s no sign of a chimney, but I think the sides were updated.
The lack of a chimney initially led me to think this was a barn, but the door placement and original shake roof indicate this was a tenant house, or perhaps a kitchen. It has obviously been purposefully preserved as an important landmark of the historic farm on which it’s located.
Hay & Stock Barn, Montgomery County
Located on an historic farm with several surviving tenant houses, this is an unusual barn. I’m not sure why it has the gate at the front.