St. Mary A. M. E. Church, 1905, Thomaston

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Freedmen established this historic congregation in 1867. James McGill writes in his fascinating book, The First One Hundred Years of Upson County Negro History (2017): By the summer of 1870, Reverend William Harris was sent to St. Mary AME Church in Thomaston, Georgia. Rev. Harris, the third pastor in the history of St. Mary, was born free in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1845 but was kidnapped in 1858 and sold into slavery in Georgia. He escaped to the North two years later and eventually enlisted in the Union Army.

William Harris met Rev. M. Turner, a Presiding Elder of the AME Church, on the corner of Peachtree and Whitehall Streets in Atlanta in 1866…At the Atlanta Georgia District Conference of the AME Church, Rev. Turner licensed [Harris] as an exhorter, and then presented him a preacher’s license at the Wilmington Annual Conference in Wilmington, North Carolina. Rev. Harris received some schooling at what would later become Clarke College. Rev. Harris served Atlanta’s Western Mission for two years before being presented a deacon’s license in 1870 and appointed to St. Mary in Thomaston.

It is safe to assume that Rev. Harris taught school at St. Mary AME Church. St. Mary had a new church building completed that year [1870] which provided ample room for scholars. The school operated in St. Mary at least as late as 1876. Upson County did not open a public school in Thomaston for Negro students until August 1883; St. Mary can confidently claim credit for housing the first successful church school organized for the Negroes in Upson County.

The current church building was constructed in 1905 during the pastorate of Rev. J. H. Adams. Trustees were: H. R. Rogers; Ed Hix; A. G. Cary; George Bell; William Brown; James Brown; James W. Bell; M. Drake, Sr.; and A. Holsey. The church retains its historic appearance, though stucco has been applied to the original brick.

Hannah’s Mill, 1859, Upson County

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This gristmill was built on Ten Mile Creek in 1859 by Dr. J. W. Herring (1823-1911), who named it Rose Hill Mill. Dr. Herring was a physician by trade, but was also a well-known amateur engineer, having built several covered bridges in Upson County and vicinity, including the Auchumpkee Creek Covered Bridge. Notably, Rose Hill Mill was turbine operated, as opposed to the more common water-wheel system.

The mill was purchased in 1887 by Dr. George Whitfield Telford Hannah (1841-1906), a Confederate veteran and leading Thomaston physician. Since then it has been known as Hannah’s Mill. The surrounding community, now absorbed by Thomaston, is also known as Hannah’s Mill.

D. P. Harrell was the next owner, presumably following Dr. Hannah’s death. Since 1932, it has been owned by the Joseph W. McDonald family. The mill closed in the 1970s.

National Register of Historic Places

Folk Victorian Cottage, Bowersville

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This extraordinary vernacular Queen Anne/Folk Victorian cottage is a great example of local craftsmanship being applied to a simple central hallway form. That it has survived so largely intact is a testament to the work, in my opinion. [The photograph dates to 2015 but the house was still standing when I went through Bowersville a couple of years ago].

Bowersville Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Whirligig, Odessadale

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Whirligigs can be very whimsical, but many are utilitarian, like this one I photographed in the Odessadale community several years ago.

Flint River Diving Trees, Meriwether County

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Most of us who have grown up swimming in rivers and creeks are familiar with rope swings tied to trees that have a good reach over the waterway, and occasionally, we see impromptu ladders added to make the climb to the top easier. I shot these several years ago near the Meriwether County Landing on the Flint River and I think they had more steps than any I’ve seen.

I really didn’t know what to call them other than “diving trees”. They’re really more for jumping than diving, especially when the rivers are low. I don’t think there’s any consensus as to an official term but they’re a thing down here in southern Georgia and I thought these two were perfect examples.

Wilkins House, 1860s, Athens

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Alfred Dearing began construction on this house around 1860, and after work was interrupted by the Civil War, completed it in the late 1860s or early 1870s. It was sold in 1878 and after passing through several owners, became the home of leading Athens banker John Julian Wilkins in 1905. The Classical Revival landmark is among the grandest homes on South Milledge Avenue.

National Register of Historic Places

Thomas Puryear Mims’s “Morning, Noon, and Evening of Life”, 1950s, Athens

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Central Panel

This bas-relief triptych is located on the Athens-Clarke County Information Technology office at 596 Prince Avenue. It’s titled Morning, Noon, and Evening of Life and was created by Nashville sculptor Thomas Puryear Mims. There were at least three of these works, including the Athens example: one was located in Jackson, Mississippi, and has since been removed, and another is still extant, in Chattanooga. They were commissioned by Interstate Life and Accident Company in the 1950s, so my presumption is that this building was originally home to a branch of Interstate Life and Accident Company.

Left Panel

This sort of work was commonly found on structures built a bit earlier, during the New Deal, and later was common on Medical Arts buildings and doctor’s offices.

Right Panel

This is an important Mid-Century sculpture and should be preserved.

Georgia Theatre, Athens

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My daytime shot doesn’t really do this Athens icon justice, but when I was hanging out with my favorite local photographer at the Globe the night before, it never crossed my mind. [I’ll see if I can find some other, older shots]. But I digress.

Located on North Lumpkin Street in the heart of downtown, the Georgia Theatre has been, along with the 40 Watt Club, one of the centers of the thriving Athens music scene for many years. “Athens music scene” means different things to different people, but the Georgia Theatre has covered all the bases, hosting local favorites, as well as nationally known acts of all genres.

Opened in the late 1930s* the Georgia Theatre has had a varied history, both as a movie and live music venue. Various owners and even name changes have been a part of the chronology. After being gutted by fire on 19 June 2009, it was rebuilt using the original walls and remains a beloved landmark.

*- A comment by Joe Vogel on Cinema Treasures incorporates an interesting primary source: An article in the October 13, 1936 issue of Film Daily listed 22 theaters either recently opened or under construction in Georgia, and the Georgia Theatre at Athens was among them. It was opened by Lucas & Jenkins, who already had the Palace Theatre in Athens. The article didn’t specify which houses had already opened, so the Georgia might not have opened until early 1937.

Best Biskits by a Dam Site, Hartwell

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This place had some of the best homemade biscuits I’ve eaten anywhere. I was here in 2017 and think it may still be open but under another name. I just hope it’s still as good as it was when I visited.

The building is located near Hartwell Dam, hence the unusual name.