This exquisite cottage may have begun as a simpler structure, with the Queen Anne decorative elements being added later, but no matter the history, the effect is one of near perfection. The house is not associated with the famous Margaret Mitchell, who wrote Gone With the Wind. I couldn’t locate anyone with that name in Thomasville. Perhaps she owned and preserved the house at some point during its history. It has had numerous owners over the years.
Dawson Street Residential Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
It isn’t every day a whole little village gets restored, but that’s what concerned citizens did in Metcalfe, and these two shotgun buildings, and another not pictured, have been given a new lease on life. They likely date from 1900-1920. I’m not sure their specific history, but most such structures were used as stores, warehouses, and offices. These are important as survivors of the boom days of Metcalfe, when the railroad made the town hum. They have no doubt witnessed a lot of history in their time.
Metcalfe Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
In December 2008, a large group of concerned citizens attended a rehabilitation meeting initiated by Thomasville Landmarks and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation with the purpose of discussing the future of Metcalfe. One of the first efforts was the restoration of this structure, built in 1916 as the Metcalfe Branch of the Commercial Bank of Thomasville and later known as the Bank of Metcalfe.
Metcalfe Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This little building in the middle of Kite looks like some kind of store, perhaps a repair shop, or even an office. I just liked the wisteria and the exposed boards. It’s looked like this as long as I’ve been driving through Kite.
The UGA Football Barn Sign, as this old store or warehouse building is now known throughout Dawg Nation and beyond, has become a serious landmark, has its own social media presence, and has even been featured on t-shirts. It was already well-known when I first photographed it in 2010, and was a sign for many travelers on the road to Athens that they were getting just a bit closer to the nirvana of a weekend between the hedges. In some of UGA’s leaner years, the sign changed regularly to reflect on recent shortcomings and was a welcome beacon of tough love, when most observers weren’t willing to put it out there. It never disappoints, and the current message is the best. I just know if this old building were to fall down, there would probably still be a UGA Football Barn Sign.
This perfect example of Georgia’s most common house type is like countless others that later added a wing for use as a kitchen or bedroom. I’ve said many times that these houses weren’t fancy, but they were built better than most houses of today.
The photo above, made by Anne Chamlee 32 years ago, was made from the other side of this house, but gives a good idea of the size and design. Anne and I were both sure that the house was long gone, but were delighted to learn from Rachel Boatright that it was still standing and still in her family. I wasn’t able to photograph as much of the house as Anne did, but was so excited to find it, not much worse off than it was in 1992. It really looks about the same, though it’s now surrounded by privet. I’m sure the house means a lot to the family; sometimes, it’s prohibitive to restore these places, but I think there’s always hope.
This is an important vernacular house, but it’s difficult to determine its original layout. It may have originated as a dogtrot, but was later transformed into a central hallway form. The addition of another door at the front changed its layout at some point. Significantly, the detached kitchen remains.
Located on Hog Road, Pleasant Springs Methodist Church was established in 1874 and was last affiliated with the United Methodist Church. A large historic cemetery lies adjacent to the building, which interestingly has burials dating to 1864, ten years before the church is known to have been established. Pleasant Springs is built in the most common style to be found among 19th and early 20th century Georgia churches. It’s so common, in fact, that it can make dating of the structure a bit difficult, but I believe this to be circa 1890-1910. It also features two front doors, one for men and one for women, as was typical of the time.
Nancy Melissa Massey Brantley (7 September 1845-3 December 1879)
I don’t often photograph family cemeteries, as many aren’t publicly accessible, but this one was open and very inviting, with great landscaping, spring blooming bulbs, and obvious good maintenance. There are always stories in these places, and a bit of this one unfolded from the pen of the late Georgia-born writer, Van K. Brock, with whom I coincidentally corresponded many years ago.
The cemetery is identified in different sources as the Joseph D. Brantley Family Cemetery and the Massey-Brantley Cemetery. According to Findagrave, Joseph Daniel “Joe” Brantley, Sr. (13 November 1845-17 November 1900), the namesake, isn’t buried here, but at Mount Gilead Primtive Baptist Cemetery, also in Washington County. He was the grandson of James Brantley, who migrated to Washington County from Tar River, Chatham County, North Carolina. Joe Brantley served as a private in Company A, 28th Georgia Infantry during the Civil War. Nancy Melissa Massey, a Washington County native, was his first wife. They had three daughters and a son.
Almarintha “Marintha” Cowart Brantley (3 March 1859-5 October 1888)
Van K. Brock wrote that “Marintha gave birth to five children while caring for seven stepchildren. One of her children died at birth. She died trying to give birth again.” I’m not sure about the “seven” stepchildren, as Joe and Nancy only had four children, but I may be missing an aspect of that. At any rate, Joe and Marintha’s three children who died at, or near, birth are buried here.
Infant deaths were common at this time in history.
Infant Daughter Brantley (5 October 1888-5 October 1888)
Of the three Brantley infants to die, Victory was the first, and the only one given a name.
Victory Brantley (26 February 1884-29 May 1884)
Joe and Marintha had another daughter and two sons who lived to adulthood. They are buried elsewhere. Not long after Marintha’s death, Joe married his third wife, Beulah Haddock Brantley (17 October 1869-11 September 1901), on 17 February 1889. Beulah bore Joe seven more children, all but one of whom survived to adulthood.
