This house is a bit of a landmark on US 17, north of Brunswick. I notice it every time I drive past it, because it seems so out of place. Its condition is rapidly deteriorating. It appears to have been built in the American Foursquare style, with slight modifications. I’m sure it’s one of the oldest houses on US 17 in Glynn County.
Update: As of late 2019, this house has been demolished.
This sacred ground, Georgia’s first and oldest Catholic cemetery, is a great place for walking around and exploring. A real sense of peace came over me when I was there. Though none of the late-18th-century burials are marked or discernible today, the first burial was recorded here in 1794. Fieldstones mark some graves and those are likely the earliest burials. The headstones are similar to the styles you’d find in Savannah or Charleston, not in the Georgia Piedmont.
One of the more interesting interments is that of Lieutenant John Cratin of the 2nd Maryland Regiment, Revolutionary War. Lieutenant Cratin was among the first Catholic settlers of Georgia. Born in 1752 in Maryland, he died on 8 September 1826 in Locust Grove.
Though a few headstones are damaged, the greatest danger to most is the erosion of the script due to nearly 200 years of exposure to the elements.
If you ever find yourself in the area, take the time to visit Locust Grove. You won’t be disappointed.
A list of interments at Locust Grove, compiled by Drexel Beck, can be viewed here.
The first Catholic congregation in Georgia dates to 1790, when several English families from Maryland established a church at Locust Grove, in present-day Taliaferro County. They first called their colony Mary Land, in honor of their home state, but the name was quickly changed, first to Mount Panoma and finally to Locust Grove, for the large number of locust trees in the area. (All that remains of Locust Grove, about 1.7 miles from Sharon, is the Catholic cemetery). A log church, built there in 1792 to accommodate 50-60 parishioners was the first Catholic church ever built in Georgia. It was christened the Church of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The “Maryland English” at Locust Grove were soon joined and surpassed in number by French Catholics seeking refuge from the revolution and from the slave revolt in Haiti. Their priest, Father Souze, accompanied them. Father Jean le Moyne settled here around 1793-94, though records now indicate that Father Oliver le Mercier was the first priest to officially serve the congregation. Over the next two decades, German and Irish settlers were added to the congregation. Ancestors of Margaret Mitchell and Flannery O’Connor were early members.
While the first Georgia Catholics were not people of great means, they were educated and wanted the same for their children. In 1818 or 1819, they established Locust Grove Academy in the old log church and in 1826 it was chartered by the General Assembly as the first Catholic school in Georgia. A more substantial church structure was built to serve the congregation in 1821. In 1883, the present church was built. By 2001, the church was downgraded to station status by the Atlanta Archdiocese and it was essentially abandoned. An effort is presently being made to restore the structure and ultimately, rebuild the congregation. Presently, a well-attended Christmas Eve Mass is held here.
Source: Jane Abbott, “English Catholics at Locust Grove”, pp 12-15. One Faith…One Family: The Diocese of Savannah 1850-2000
While Sharon’s commercial core may be nearly gone, the bright colors and public art adorning its old storefronts certainly make a nice impression.
Founded as South Liberty Presbyterian in Wilkes County in 1820, this historic congregation first built a log church about four miles from the present location in 1828. This structure was built in 1855 and moved here in 1877.
It’s a simple but beautiful church.
This appears to have originally been a central hallway or two-pen house that was later re-oriented as a hall-and-parlor type.
This congregation was once a centerpiece of the railroad town of Barnett, which thrived in the latter half of the 19th century. The building was in bad repair for many years but was recently renovated.
Lawrence Battle (12 December 1889-12 June 1878), a prominent local landowner, gave the land on which the church was built in 1876. He died soon thereafter.
Among the many fascinating markers in the adjoining cemetery, the marble angel marking the grave of Marye Lulu Battle (1865-12 June 1900), is the most revered.
Notable, as well, is this wooden grave marker at the burial site of Jason Hayes (September 1834-June 1908). On a personal note, I found the graves of several members of the Pate family, which may well turn out to be relatives of mine. One of the names, Maxie Pate, is a name shared by my maternal great-grandfather. I haven’t yet made the connection, but I believe there is one.
