The Chero-Cola mural, as well as the Dutch Boy Paints and store murals have been nicely restored on this commercial block in downtown Hawkinsville. It is presently home to Batts Drug Company.
This I-House (also known as Plantation Plain) is being preserved, but I can’t locate any history other than the approximate date of construction. There two doors on the second floor indicate a porch once ran the length of the front facade and are a highly unusual feature for this form.
This structure was one of several on the property, including a large cistern, made of this unusual multi-colored tile. It is quite unusual and will hopefully be preserved.
This landmark farmhouse and barn were recently exposed after a clear-cut on the old River Road. My father brought them to my attention after traveling to Eastman to a baseball game recently. I later realized it was the Bowen-Studstill House, which I had admired throughout my life traveling to Dodge County with my great-grandmother and grandmother.
It’s a typical unadorned example of one of the most common forms of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but a very nice home for its time.
I’ve observed over the years that when properties are cleared, remaining abandoned structures are often quickly demolished to make way for changing land uses. I’m unsure what the future holds for this place but I hope it will be saved.
The log barn appears to be a corn crib or other storage structure. It is already collapsing but I’m honored to be able to document it.
You’ll have trouble finding Pope City on most maps today and it’s never really been much more than a wide spot in the road. But this populated place in northwestern Wilcox County was significant enough to have a post office from 1910-1918. This structure was likely the voting precinct or “courthouse”.
Pope City Baptist Church was established in 1903. A larger modern sanctuary on the same property has replaced this structure.
Two people reached out to me to say that the old DeBerry Baptist Church was being torn down. The original chapel is around 100 years old.
There is a larger more modern facility on the property and I presumed the demolition would allow for further expansion. However, Rafe Semmes writes that the reason the church is being torn down is that the foundation has suffered extensive rot and the cost of repair was deemed too expensive to be practical.
This was the home of sisters Dorothy Wilcox and Irene Jones. Dorothy was the Church Secretary at Central United Methodist and Irene worked at Sears for many years. Thanks to Jan Stokes for assistance with the identification.
South Main Street-South Lee Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This was the old location of the Meansville Baptist Church. It’s on the edge of town and was apparently last used as a private residence.