I have been unable to locate any history related to Saint Paul AME Church but it dates to at least the 1920s, when Lou Ellen Seabrooks (1841-1921) and Henry Seabrooks (1885-1928) were buried in the small adjacent cemetery. Records indicate that at the time of the Seabrooks’s burials, the cemetery was known as the Morton or Martin graveyard. Since there were once many plantations in this area, between Clinton and Wayside, perhaps that was a reference to an early landowner and, possibly, an earlier slave cemetery.
Ruby Ware Graham (1906-1966) was a prominent member of Saint Paul. She served as a teacher at Macon’s Green Street Elementary School for over 40 years and was very active in professional associations throughout this time. She was also a member of the local Phyllis Wheatley Literary Society.
The Cabaniss-Hanberry House, located in the vicinity of Bradley, is one of the most iconic works of domestic architecture in Georgia. The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, who stabilized and restored the exterior in 1999, describes it as “…a vernacular example of Jeffersonian Classicism…and possibly the only remaining house of its form in Georgia...”
The builder of the house, George Cabaniss, Sr., (1744-1815), was the Virginia-born son of Mathieu Etienne Cabanis (1710-1789). His grandfather, Henri Hubert Cabanis (1655-1720), was a French Huguenot who fled to Virginia in the late 1600s.
After service in the Revolutionary War, George married Palatea Harrison (1758-1822), in 1781. In the 1790s, he was one of several Cabaniss siblings who “…began a succession of migrations with parts of their families, first to North Carolina and then to Georgia. Some of the family eventually moved on to Alabama.” He first came to Greene County before eventually settling in Jones County.
He built this house circa 1805, undoubtedly with the labor of enslaved men, and sold it to his son Harrison Cabaniss (1782-1819) in 1811, after building another home near present-day Round Oak. After Harrison’s death, his widow, Sarah “Sally” Kirk Cabaniss (1798-1848) remained on the property until her death. She left 1215 acres and 29 slaves to her grandchildren. The house was occupied by descendants of its builder until the late 1950s or early 1960s.
Some notable descendants of George Cabaniss, Sr., include Dr. Palacia “Pallie” Wilson Stewart (1805-1866), one of the first licensed women physicians in Georgia, and Henry Harrison Cabaniss (1848-1934), an early owner of the Atlanta Journal and vice-president of the Cotton States and International Exposition.
A 1988 survey of historic resources in Jones County documented this structure as part of the Lamar Farm, which at the time included a farmhouse and three outbuildings. The survey also noted the Bateman Company had owned the property since circa 1953 and been involved in the peach business.
Though no determination was made in 1988 as to the function of this structure, its location along the rail line, the shed doors, and the loading platform suggest a freight warehouse. This may have been a modification for the Bateman peach business or may have been an original use. The lack of windows in the structure also indicates a warehouse usage.
It’s not a stretch to call houses of this type landmarks today. Utilitarian dwellings were common throughout rural Georgia from its founding well into the middle of the 20th century. Many began life as tenant housing and were later rental properties. This evolution often led to expansions and modifications, as a matter of practicality.
This example is to me a good illustration of the difficulty I often face in identifying specific types, without benefit of a floor plan. This appears to have started as a single-pen cottage. At some point a shed room was added to the back and a wing was added to the left side. However, if it was originally two rooms deep, it could be called a Georgian cottage. That doesn’t seem likely, but since these structures were ultimately an expression of their builder’s skill and preferences, one cannot be sure without further investigation. They are all worthy of documentation.
The History of Twiggs County, Georgia by J. Lanette O’Neal Faulk and Billy Walker Jones (Major General John Twiggs Chapter, D.A.R., Jeffersonville, 1960) notes: “This house was built by Dr. Beniah Carswell at Jeffersonville, Georgia about 1850. The original structure had five rooms and a hall downstairs with two rooms and a hall upstairs. The house was later owned by Nelson Carswell, a grandson of Dr. Carswell. In 1948 Mr. and Mrs. James Edward Beck bought the house from Nelson Carswell which they later remodeled, the timbers used in the renovation having come from Todd Hall”, later known as the Wall Place in Wilkinson County.”
A 2006 historic resources survey conducted by the state of Georgia adds that the house was remodeled circa 1948. Renovations included the replacement of the south end chimney, addition of new piers and asbestos siding, and the addition of a one-story wing on the north side of the house.
Dr. Beniah S. Carswell (1830-1895) was a native of Telfair County, the son of Alexander Carswell and Elizabeth W. Ashley Carswell. He served in Co. A, 22nd Batallion State Guard Cavalry during the Civil War. His first wife and the mother of his children was Caroline Julia Matilda “Carrie” Sears. He later married Mattie R. Harrell (1851-1914).
Note: This replaces and expands a post originally published on 31 March 2018.
This marble-front bank is one of the finest commercial buildings in Jeffersonville. While many are aware of the failure of banks during the Great Depression, there was also a wave of bank failures during the 1900s and 1910s. I’m unsure of the original name of this one, but it’s best known locally as the “Corner Bank”. I believe it now houses an antiques store.
These storefronts were already in ruins when I photographed them in 2013. One of the last businesses located here was Robinson’s Fried Chicken, as the sign indicated. W. F. Maxwell recently wrote that at this location: “…was once a Sinclair gas station, a bus stop for Greyhound, a small restaurant and purveyor of ice cream, candies, etc. It was owned by my maternal Grandaddy, J. L. Griffin whose wife, Mattie, was the restaurateur...” He went on to say that they were torn down some time after 2016.
Note: This replaces and updates a post originally published on 16 August 2013.
This mural by Chris Johnson honors Eastman’s most famous business, Stuckey’s, which in its heyday had 115 roadside locations, employed around a thousand people, and sold $5 million worth of candy every year. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the founder’s granddaughter, Stephanie Stuckey, this legendary family business is still going strong.
It’s located across from the historic Southern Railway depot.
The timber boom that led to the settlement of Eastman was facilitated in large part by the opening of the Macon & Brunswick Railroad through the area in 1869. The East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad followed, before its absorption by the Southern Railway in 1894. This Victorian depot was built by the Southern Railway circa 1906* and remains one of Eastman’s most important public landmarks.
The depot, while not fully restored, is in good condition.
*- Sources vary as to date of construction. Some state it was built in 1906 and others say 1908.
These saddlebag cottages are great examples of this widespread vernacular house type and are largely unmodified, with the exception of the partial wraparound porch on the example above. They are located on adjacent lots.
Cottage No. 2
Most saddlebags I’ve documented have two doors on the front, but each of these examples feature a central doorway. My best guess as to a date of construction would be 1900-1920.
