Bethel Christian Church, Circa 1925, Eastman

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Bethel Christian Church in Eastman was a Disciples of Christ congregation. I believe the church was built circa 1925. Tax records date it to 1940, but since the Dodge County Courthouse burned in 1939, 1940 is just a referential date, and not the correct date for construction. Thanks to Sue Williamson for sharing the following history, which I have abridged. I believe it was written for one of the last church Homecoming events and am unsure as to its author, though it was likely Willie Jane Simmons (1928-2020).

During the early 1900s, a small band of Christian believers joined in faith and organized the Bethel Christian Church in the Shiloh community…The membership was made up of the Summer Family, Jim Thomas Family, Sherman Price Family, and the Heath Family. They were a small group meeting in an old house, but they kept the faith.

A few years later, Mr. Jay Williamson erected a church building here in Eastman for the group and the membership began to grow. Elder Jim Thomas kept records of all church activities. The other ministers were Rev. Yapp and Deacon Sherman Price. Later, Elder Jim Thomas was ordained as minister and he served several years. Mrs. Martha Thomas was designated “Mother” of the church. Other ministers were Rev. Still and Rev. Coney. They also served several years.

During the early 1930s there was a great drop in membership due to members moving to other states, but Rev. Thomas kept the doors of Bethel open...

During the 1950s, the church began to grow. Members from the Christian Hope Christian Church in the northern section of the community connected with Bethel after their church burned down. Brother Elijah Goolsby, Brother Elo Whiting, Deacon Frank King, Brother Mathis Power, Brother Flanles King, Brother Seabon King, and Brother Charles Simmons and others joined here at Bethel. Brother Ed Simmons’s family connected after returning from West Palm Beach, Florida. Elder Simmons walked many Sundays to help Elder Thomas to conduct service…

Elder Ed Simmons worked with the State and National convention. He was able to get representatives to come and conduct meetings with us…Elder Simmons was always concerned with our basic mission, known today as Disciples’ Mission which included Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving, among others…

In 1990 we observed a special Homecoming. We celebrated and paid tribute to the “Mother of the Church”, Mother Rosebud Simmons, who was 93 years old. We enjoyed the churches who celebrated this occasion with us…

From reading the history, other pastors were Rev. D. T. Williams, Rev. R. H. Mitchell, Rev. L. C. Hunter, and Rev. Al Whiting. The church was still active as late as 2011, but the congregation disbanded some time after that.

Beulah Lodge #37, 1958, Eastman

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Beulah Lodge #37, Prince Hall Masons, is typical of Black Masonic lodges found throughout Georgia and is still active. It is also home to the Rose of Beulah Chapter #251, Order of the Eastern Star. According to tax records, it was built in 1958. Historically, the Prince Hall Masons and the Order of the Eastern Star have been anchors of Black communities, and are often found in central locations in their neighborhoods. Beulah is no exception, with both Shorter’s Chapel and Bethel Christian Church in view of the property.

Shorter’s Chapel AME Church, 1885, Eastman

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Shorter’s Chapel was established by freedmen in 1868. In 1883, William Eastman, founder and namesake of the town, gave the congregation the land on which the present structure now stands. It is the most historic Black church in Dodge County. The cornerstone states that it was built in 1885 by Rev. R. Ford. I am sure it has been modified somewhat over time, but it seems mostly original in appearance. A 2015 feature on WGXA notes that the steeple is the only part of the original building that survives but also notes that this is the third oldest building in Eastman. Perhaps the steeple was part of an earlier structure built before Eastman gave the land for this church. If anyone knows, please get in touch.

DeLacy House, Circa 1906, Eastman

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View of house, with Plymouth, 2015.

The first time I saw this house there was an old Plymouth parked in the overgrown yard. I was walking around the courthouse in Eastman and noticed the car.

Front elevation, 2020.

It was obvious the house had been abandoned for some time, but it was still in good condition. Not long after I first posted photographs, Nancy Heath reached out to let me know that she had recently inherited the house, and was trying to sell it to someone who would bring it back to life. She invited me to photograph the interior and I had a nice visit with her. My friend David Bray, an interior designer, was also along for the visit.

Parlor, 2020. There are different colored tile fireplaces in each of the main rooms.

It was once known as the DeLacy House, but in recent years served as the law office of Nancy’s stepfather, Eastman attorney Will Burch (1921-2011).

Library, 2020.

Mr. Burch, a native of Eastman, was a naval officer in WWII, survived D-Day, and later served in the Korean War. He studied law at Emory and practiced in Atlanta and Eastman. He maintained his practice in Eastman from 1974 until his retirement.

Medallion, 2020.

Tax records indicate that the house was built in 1885, but that date is incorrect.

Kitchen, 2020.

The present structure, of an eclectic Colonial Revival style, dates to circa 1906, according to Nancy Heath, who extensively researched the house.

Bedroom, 2020.

I’m grateful to Nancy for allowing me to photograph the house and see it before it was sold.

Decorative column detail, 2020.

There are some great details in the house and I’m sure the new owners have made sure they are still an integral part of its charm. They did a wonderful job with the exterior.

Front elevation, 2025.

Note: This replaces and expands a post originally published on 20 December 2015.

Family History: The House on 1st Avenue in Eastman

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5304 1st Avenue, Eastman, 1927. Collection of Brian Brown.

This was the last Eastman home of my great-grandparents, Burt Herman Browning (1892-1951) and Sadie Harrell Browning (1902-1986), before they moved to Fitzgerald. They married in 1920. My great-grandfather was a World War I veteran, a member of the large Browning family around Scotland, and my great-grandmother was one of hundreds of Harrells in Dodge County. My great-grandmother loved this little house and kept this photograph her whole life. Perhaps she had sad memories here, too, because this was where the horrible effects of my great-grandfather’s being gassed and shell-shocked in France during the war were first noticed, and where she lost a baby girl, Mary Elizabeth, to fever in 1926. She’s buried just down the street in Woodlawn Cemetery. All that said, I imagine many happy hours were spent on that front porch. It’s neat to see the swing, because my great-grandmother had a swing on her front porch throughout my life and believed in the healing power of time spent on the porch. It was a place to tell stories, catch up on gossip, and of course, to shell peas. Lots of peas.

The little girl with the Buster Brown haircut sitting barefoot on the front porch and sucking her thumb is my grandmother, Thelma Browning Bussell (1921-2003). She was six years old when the photograph was made. She also had fond memories of the house.

When my family lived here it was a gable front cottage, very typical of the working class of the era. It’s still standing, though you’d hardly recognize it today. It’s located at 5304 1st Avenue and has been expanded and is now sided with brick. Tax records state the house was built in 1939, but that is incorrect. I believe the Dodge County Courthouse burned in 1939, so many houses may have been assigned that date of construction. I imagine it was fairly new when this photograph was made, but it was definitely built before 1939.

General Store, Telfair County

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I’ve had this photograph for a few years and don’t recall exactly where in Telfair County it was made. This excellent vernacular building is sided with what we used to call red tile, or brick tile, which was sometimes used for tobacco barns. The doors have been replaced, but everything else looks original. The two windows on the front are an indication it was a store or commissary, perhaps a farm office. I tend to think it was a store. If anyone recognizes it, please get in touch.

Alexander & Sylvia Smith House, 1905, McRae

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This textbook example of the Neoclassical Revival is one of the highlights of the McRae residential historic district, which is located just south of downtown. Houses of this type were built mostly between the 1890s-1920s, and can be found in nearly any good-sized town in Georgia. Before the collapse of many banks and the arrival of the boll weevil, such grand residences were emblems of wealth and prosperity. Many were built by bankers and planters.

I find it unfortunate that McRae doesn’t have an officially designated historic district, as there are many nice homes of varying architectural styles here. The district is definitely worthy of National Register status. There is a walking tour map, but every time I’ve tried to access it online, my antivirus program marks it as dangerous.

Malcolm Smith identifies it as the Alexander and Sylvia Smith residence and notes that the family owned the home until 2024.

Dr. Leroy Dorminy House, Ocilla

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This Tudor Revival landmark was the home of Dr. Arthur Leroy Dorminy (1923-2016) and is still owned by his family. Dr. Dorminy was a beloved veterinarian with many clients in the Ocilla area throughout his long career. My parents have fond memories of him from the time he took care of our German Shepherd, Lucky, in the 1970s. My mother still remembers what a kind man he was.

In addition to his practice, he founded the Christian Veterinary Mission (CVM) in 1976. The CVM provides care to communities generally not well-served by the veterinary profession, and trains and assists veterinarians in underdeveloped nations all over the world. The Dorminy House, which serves the CVM at the University of Georgia, is dedicated to Dr. Dorminy, himself a 1950 graduate of the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine.

Ocilla Community House, 1939

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The Ocilla Community House was built between 1938-1939 as a project of the City of Ocilla and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a New Deal agency. A. S. Harris served as chairman of the building committee with A. T. Fuller, A. G. Shivers, and W. A. Tankersley, Jr. Claude McNeil was mayor of Ocilla at the time. Herman Hall, W. B. Hawes, Otto Griner, W. H. Simms, and T. A. Crouch served on the city council. The architect, Lauren Parrott (1901-1973), also designed another New Deal project, the Ocilla High School. Parrott built several public buildings and homes in the area.

The Community House has hosted numerous social gatherings, meetings, and school dances, as well as other events, in its 86 year history, and continues to serve its original purpose.

Note: This replaces a post which originally appeared on 28 January 2009.

Lumber City Elementary School, Circa 1950s

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So far, I’ve been unable to locate any information on this school, but the International Style architecture suggests it likely dates to the 1950s. It may have been used until the 1970s-1990s.

This bell near the front entrance to the school is probably a relic of an earlier school, perhaps the Lumber City High School. It’s not identified as such, though one would presume it to be related.

The marker beneath the bell was placed in 1921, perhaps at a slightly different location originally, by the Oconee Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It reads: This street was the old River Road blazed by Gen. David Blackshear, 1812. Six miles beyond in the forks of Oconee and Ocmulgee River was the second fort built in Telfair County by Gen. David Blackshear for defense in War [of] 1812.

The school has two wings radiating from the front entrance, which housed classrooms, I presume.

As seen here, Hurricane Helene left her calling card on the campus, A separate building, to the left, may have also housed classrooms.

The International Style is characterized by minimalism and is focused on functional and utilitarian design. The lack of design may be its most notable feature, and its simple form was very popular with Georgia schools from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. The most interesting element to the Lumber City Elementary school is the covered breezeway at the front entrance.

As with most of these mid-century Georgia schools, there is very little interest or hope for their preservation. While these structures appear to be in salvageable condition, it’s unlikely they will ever be reused. I believe the Lumber City Elementary school was used for adult education courses as late as the early 2010s, but has been abandoned since then.