A survey notes: The house was designed by the owner, J.J. Cater*, with assistance from a local carpenter. Cater left the house to his son Lawton when he moved to Florida in 1928. Lawton Cater lived in the house until his death in 1977. The house remains in the family. In 1975 NBC used the house in a TV movie called Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys.
John James Cater (1854-1933) operated a general store in Forsyth for 40 years before moving to Coral Gables, Florida, where he operated a successful furniture store, and had a second location in Miami.
This is one of the most interesting houses in Forsyth. Like many larger houses in towns throughout the state, it has evolved over time. It was built by A. H. Bramblett as an eclectic Carpenter Italianate. Stella Hill Purce* bought it in 1913 and in 1924 expanded it to its present Italian Renaissance appearance. Significantly, he transformed the front porch into an arcade and added a second two-story ell at the front of the house.
*-I’m still trying to confirm this name. A 1990 Georgia Historic Resources Survey actually identifies owner as Stell Hill Purse. I think this was a transcription error.
This house was built for J. M. Ponder and his wife, Ella Ensign Porter. They later gave the house to their daughter Abbie, who was married to Sam Rutherford, a three-time mayor of Forsyth and member of the U. S. House of Representatives.
I hope everyone is enjoying the updates from Forsyth. It really doesn’t get its due as far as architecture goes, and I hope this will encourage some of you to ramble around and see for yourself.
I often see vintage automobiles when I’m in Musella. This one brought back a lot of memories. For those who don’t recognize it, or even know what a station wagon is, it’s a circa 1967 Ford County Squire, which was the top of the line of Ford station wagons and perhaps the most popular American automobile of its type. It was an evolution of the woody wagons of the 1930s and 1940s. Eventually, mini-vans replaced station wagons.
When I was growing up my grandmother always had one at the farm. My grandfather had all the usual trucks necessary for farming operations and my grandmother always had a station wagon, until she got older. I remember the last one was red and wood grain and it always seemed so big to my younger self.
A lot of people pass by places like this and don’t realize their significance. Country stores were necessary not only for household needs but as community centers in rural locations. One might wonder today how these places ever survived, so far out in the country, but they often thrived.
This old general store is located west of Roberta. It’s still serving the community, albeit in a different way, as the Greenway Farms Market store.
Wright Avenue, the heart of downtown Roberta. The Benjamin Hawkins monument is in the foreground. The two-story building at left was the Crawford County Bank and the Bank of Roberta from 1900-1928 and the post office from 1929-1962.
When the Atlanta & Florida Railway bypassed Knoxville in 1888, opting to build a depot about a mile away, the settlement of Roberta began. It was originally known as New Knoxville, after the county seat. When Hiram David McCrary (1847-1912) and James Mathews gave the right of way for the railroad, McCrary, who was also an active entrepreneur, was allowed to choose a name for it. He chose Roberta, in honor of his daughter*. *-Mattie Roberta McCrary Champion (1881-1977)
General Store, circa 1890s. In 1922, it became the R. E. Bankston Store.
The old Bankston Store is a great example of restoration. It’s located adjacent to the bank/post office building.
Roberta Drugs (I found the photo). This is the oldest operating business in Roberta.
The corner entrance was a popular commercial style in the early 20th century.
East Agency Street, named for the Creek Agency headquartered here in the days of Benjamin Hawkins.
I made these photos a few years ago, so some of these business have been repainted. For a small town, Roberta does a good job of maintaining its historic commercial structures and still uses them all, as best I can see. I don’t encounter that in many places.
West Agency Street
Roberta Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Allen Chapel A. M. E. Church, near Fort Valley, was established in 1894. A church was dedicated in September of that year by Rev. D. J. Lawrence. That structure was destroyed by fire on 17 March 1915 and replaced with the present structure in August 1915 by Rev. T. A. White. The cornerstone was laid by Bishop Joseph Simeon Flipper (1859-1944). Bishop Flipper was the brother of Henry Ossian Flipper, the first Black graduate of West Point. C. C. Hampton, Charles Hall, W. M. Smith, George Hampton, and J. L. Smith. The cornerstone also notes that it was “presented by” Hon. J. H. Allen; presumably he was the namesake because he donated the land.
Thanks to Christy Atkins for pointing me to this information. I’ve been looking for more history of this church since 2008.
