A Vidalia Onion finial tops off the dome of the new courthouse. The sculpture is the work of local artist Ruth English.
Lyons has a prominent new landmark in the form of a courthouse. The original Toombs County courthouse was built in 1906, destroyed by fire in 1917, and rebuilt in 1919. The third courthouse, which was arguably one of the most unattractive in the state, was built in 1964. Hence, this will be fourth courthouse to serve the county. And I’m sure its design is being welcomed by most. The $35 million facility, soon to be completed, has already transformed the look of Lyons for the better. And of course, there’s a Vidalia Onion on top of the dome.
Among my favorite things to document these days are vernacular headstones. This one, in White Chapel Cemetery, was created to honor Annie Mosely. Her name is spelled Mosly on the marker, but it was likely Mosley. It’s a concrete memorial with handwritten text, and an added decoration. Ms. Mosley was born just after the Civil War and died just before World War II.
I don’t have a history for Piney Green Baptist Church, but it’s a relatively old congregation. There are some noteworthy vernacular memorials in the adjacent cemetery.
There are a couple of wooden grave markers, of a style broadly referred to as “head-and-shoulders”. There are two lying on the ground in front of this example.
The wooden marker has been painted.
Della McLeod (12 July 1917-20 April1930) – Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. C. H. McLeod
There are also the usual concrete memorials, with stenciled and handwritten text.
Annie B. Simpkins (5 November 1909-2 May 1910)
This marker is a good example of the handwritten variety, and has a shape and form imagined by its maker. I don’t think a form was used.
As this side view illustrates, a wedge of concrete was placed at the front for support; this is an unusual modification.
Alvira or Elvira? Dixon (8 October 1935-November 194?)
The crack in this handwritten memorial is indicative of just how vulnerable these vernacular objects are.
This grave is adorned with a pot, which had some connection to the decedent. This remains a common practice in many African-American cemeteries.
Charles Hicks (1838-1941). Photograph via The Hicks Preserve. Public domain. No known restrictions.
Charles Hicks was born enslaved to a large landowner named Page, of Wrightsville, on 7 July 1838, and was first known as Charles Page. Though largely unknown today, he was well-known by veterans of both sides of the Civil War during his lifetime through his involvement in veterans groups. Modern scholarship makes it clear that enslaved men didn’t “volunteer” for service for the Confederacy, though quite a few assisted their enslavers on the battlefield. As a result, it has been suggested that Mr. Hicks “served” the Confederacy. Since he was personally proud of his superlative achievement, I will not malign that fact, but he had no choice. He has often been held up as an example of Black support for the Confederacy, and but I believe the full story should be available.
Charles’s first enslaver was known for his cruelty and his early years were difficult. Page sold Charles to to James Henry Hicks in 1860, at which time he became Charles Hicks. According to Findagrave, Charles went off to war as a servant with his owner’s son, Lt. James H. Hicks Jr., in 1861. Lt. Hicks served with the 14th Georgia, under the command of Robert E. Lee and he and Charles were present at Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, and Cold Harbor. When Lt. Hicks was wounded in 1864, he and Charles returned to Georgia. Soon thereafter, Hicks went back to Virginia, leaving Charles behind.
The details aren’t clear, but Charles left the farm in Johnson County and was intercepted by Union troops and conscripted into the 110th United States Colored Volunteer Infantry. This unit served with Sherman during the occupation of Savannah. Upon his release from service, Hicks, by now a free man, returned to Johnson County and lived for a time near his old master. He moved to a farm near Lyons in the 1890s. He was granted a federal pension in 1912 and traveled the next year to the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg as an honorary member of the United Confederate Veterans. He returned in 1938 for the 75th anniversary. He was also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Union equivalent of the Confederate association, and attended numerous reunions over the years.
He established the first known school for Black children in Toombs County in the early 1930s, donated the land for and was very active in Jordan Stream Baptist Church, where the school was located. According to his obituary, Hicks “was a substantial landowner and operated his farm until after he was a hundred years old when sons gave him such assistance as he needed…”
He was memorialized on the African-American Civil War Memorial in Washington in 1998. I hope this man, who was a shining example of reconciliation and was a living embodiment of the Civil War, is better remembered today. [His family operates an excellent website about his life, but I’m unable to share at the moment because of certificate issues. I’ll update when the certificate is clear; it’s likely a temporary issue.]
This slab at the foot of his grave reads: In Memory of Charles Hicks Who Served in Co. F. 14th GA Inf Reg CSA AND Co C 110th U S Colored Vol Infantry – 1861-1866 – Only Georgia Veteran Known To Be a Member of Both the United Confederate Veterans and Grand Army of the Republic Organizations. It’s probably that there were a few other Black men who “served” both sides, but it’s understood that he was the only one in Georgia.
Jordan Stream (sometimes spelled Jordon) is an historic African-American congregation near Lyons, best known for its connection to Charles Hicks, a former slave who served his owner during the Civil War before being conscripted into service with the United States Colored Troops. More about him in the next post.
Mr. Hicks was instrumental in establishing the first school for Black children in Toombs County at the original Jordan Stream Baptist Church, which was a wooden two-steeple church. I’m not sure when the present structure was built, but since the school was only established in the early 1930s, it’s likely that this building dates to the 1940s or 1950s. The church was affiliated with the Missionary Baptists at some point. It is no longer active, but the descendants of Mr. Hicks do their best to maintain the building and the adjacent cemetery. They are attempting to have it listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This tobacco barn is likely of 1950s or 1960s vintage, when cinderblock was replacing wood as the preferred building material for such structures. I’ve been documenting tobacco barns for over 20 years and they get harder to find with each passing year. This example actually has a new shed roof, and the cows are surely appreciating the shade it provides.
It’s located in the Center community. It’s on the map, but the name is so common that it’s not practical to identify it as such on the internet. However, if you ask anyone in Toombs County where Center is located, they should be able to point you in the right direction.
Tax records date the Alston School to 1900, but the architecture indicates it was built in the the 1920s or thereabouts. It was an elementary school. When it closed in 1961, it was the last rural school in Montgomery County. It was briefly used as a music hall in the early 2000s, but that endeavor was short-lived.
Empty school buildings can be found in communities all over Georgia, and though they were once sources of pride, are now considered liabilities by small governments unable to maintain and properly restore them for other uses. There are success stories, but more often than not, they suffer the fate of the Alston School.
This central hallway cottage, located on the edge of town in Alston, may have been a tenant property. There’s an historic farm nearby. The house probably dates to circa 1900-1910. Note the preacher’s room on the front porch. It has begun to pull away from the rest of the house.
The only indications I have regarding the history of St. Mary Missionary Baptist Church come from the cemetery, as is often the case with rural churches. The earliest decedent in the cemetery, that I can determine from Findagrave, is Willie T. Thomas, who died in 1854. There would have been no independent Black congregations at that time, but St. Mary may have originated as a brush arbor church on a plantation. There are a couple of other 19th century burials with legible memorials, indicating this was a Freedmen’s church, but those dates are exceptions, and most burials dates to 1940 or later.
