This was served as the Brent schoolhouse until its closure in 1929. It was later home to the Brent women’s clubhouse and voting precinct. Brent had a post office from 1891-1904. It was named for Kentucky-born merchant Thomas Young Brent, Jr. (1841-1915), who moved to this area after the Civil War and married a widow, Jane Smith Clements (1836-1903).
Culloden, the oldest settlement in this area of Georgia, was once a bustling town, where the railroad brought in supplies from Atlanta and other larger cities, and where the economy was mostly centered around cotton until the 1920s. Agriculture remains a large employer to this day.
It’s similar to myriad other small towns across the state in the fact that after the waning of cotton’s prominence, people left in search of non-agricultural jobs, and the buildings that made up the commercial center were eventually abandoned. Most were general stores or offices.
One thing different about Culloden, though, is the fact that they decided to construct a building in the old style in 2005 that houses the city hall, library and emergency services. It’s a nice nod to local history and incorporates old bricks, perhaps recycled from an earlier structure near this site.
The building on the right was the old Bank of Culloden, erected in 1897.
Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
The public well was one of the most important gathering places in Georgia’s earliest towns and villages, as access to clean drinking water was a necessity and infrastructure was non-existent when forests were cleared for settlement. Though this well is dated to 1780, the well itself and the well house have obviously been updated over the years. Nonetheless, it’s an important place in the history of Culloden.
Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Place
An architectural survey identified this as having been an early filling station and dated it to the 1920s. It was used as a restaurant in the 1980s and now appears to be a private residence. In the 1920s and 1930s, and even as late as the 1950s, filling and service station franchises employed much more creative architecture than they do today. It has been suggested that the half-timbered details of this structure were a nod to the Scottish heritage of Culloden but there is no way to confirm that at this time.
Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This was a depot before becoming a store and filling station. Considering its approximate date of construction, it was likely built by the Macon & Birmingham Railroad or, perhaps, the Southern Railway. I have a couple of books on the Southern Railway, however, and can find no references to a depot at Culloden.
Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Culloden Primitive Baptist Church was constituted on 10 April 1909 and this structure is contemporary to that date. The two-steeple style is mostly associated with African-American churches today but at one time was a widely used form.
Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This beautifully maintained house, a transitional Victorian, is a standout in the exceptional residential area of Culloden. I have also seen reference to a construction date of 1904, so I’m not sure which is correct.
Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This historic African-American congregation is located west of Forsyth in the Collier community. I haven’t been able to track down any history, but the cemetery has some wonderful vernacular headstones by the prolific but little-known sculptor Eldren Bailey (1903-1987). A few of Mr. Bailey’s sculptures are in museums, but many are long lost. His cemetery memorials represent the breadth of his work and they are quite fragile. Collectively, from the coast to the mountains, they are an important resource which should be better known.
Memorials by Eldren Bailey in Wrights Grove Cemetery
These historic memorials are in varying states of condition and are presented in no particular order.
Banks Funeral Home handled the arrangements for Mr. Brown. This memorial features a flower in the tympanum.
Banks Funeral Home also handled Mrs. Brown’s funeral. Her memorial features a garland of flowers, still in good condition.
Earlie Jones’s memorial was handled by Haugabrooks Funeral Home and the memorial also features a garland of flowers.
Mr. Fambro’s arrangements were handled by Walker’s Funeral Home. The memorial features a garland, placed slightly differently than the others.
Seller’s Funeral Home was in charge of the arrangements for Jessie Lee and Jerry Lee Benjamin.
From what I’ve located via online sources, including the National Register of Historic Places, I believe this was the home of William Frederick Johnston (1857-1925), son of pioneer settler John Banks Johnston (1804-1880). It’s a fascinating example of the evolutionary process of a rural house. It originated as a log house and was later improved and expanded into a gabled-ell. If the house were built when William was about 20 years old, it would date to circa 1877, but I believe the size of the log boards may indicate an earlier construction, perhaps prior to the Civil War, by John Johnston. Either way, it’s a very important surviving vernacular house.
John Johnston of South Carolina was the original settler of this area, in 1821. Johnstonville was the first seat of government of Monroe County, which at the time of settlement extended from Houston County in the south to Fayette County in the north and included all the land in that context between the Flint and Ocmulgee Rivers.
The National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Johnstonville-Goggins Historic District notes: It is thought that the very earliest settlers of Johnstonville came to the areas of Land Lots 254 and 255. This area was near the Towaliga River and possibly an old Indian settlement. Most of the early settlers had large acreage and some of them had slave labor in the early 1800s. The village was growing into a bustling community around a crossroads area. The crossroads as on a leg of the Old Alabama Road Trail and the Pony Express delivered mail to Johnstonville, Goggins, and other communities in the district.
Johnstonville-Goggins Historic District, National Register of Historic Places