This grand old Victorian home, designed by the prominent Macon architect Peter E. Dennis [later of the firm Dennis & Dennis], is in the process of being restored. When I photographed it, I was under the impression that it was abandoned but have since confirmed that it’s being renovated and lived in again. It was also the site, in December 1937, of the suspicious death of 27-year-old Azzie Martin, a black woman who had been hired to cook for a party, and has been the source of many local legends. It should come as no surprise that the perpetrators of this crime were never brought to justice.

David Baldwin writes: The house was built in 1897 by John West Evans (1844-1904) according the the Ashburn Advance newspaper. Mr. Evans was associated with the Betts Saw Mill [John Samuel Betts (1848-1918)] in Dempsey, near Eastman, and he came over with the crowd in late October 1888 after the Georgia Florida and Southern Railroad line connected north of Ashburn, completing the line from Macon to Palatka, Florida. He was from Hawkinsville originally. He had attended the [Mt. Zion] Academy as a boy in Sparta, Georgia. His teacher was Mr. [William J.] Northen, who later became Governor of Georgia and who signed the charter establishing Ashburn as a city. Mr. Northen also served as President of the Georgia Baptist Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention and would stay in the homes, like this one, as he traveled the state doing his duty. Mr Evans was the first Postmaster in Ashburn. He served in the Georgia Militia during the War Between the States. He died early. Mr. Evans and Mr. Betts married the Bohannon sisters of Dodge County...[John Evans married Ella Bohannon (1852-1910) and Mr. Betts married Elmira Josephine Bohannon (1858-1907)]…Hence the county road on the s.w. section was Ashburn was named Josella Road.

This is the only house in Ashburn that is noted for being truly haunted. In 1935, a young lady who ran the local theater was leasing the second floor and decided to have a Christmas party. They hired a young black woman (Aza Martin) to cook the chicken. Supposedly the young lady got drunk and did not have the chicken ready. A young man with a bad temper carried her to the third floor attic and beat her with a wooden chair. Sheriff Story later found the chair with blood on it. At 3 am the boys of the party brought her body down to put it in the trunk of a car. Mrs. Evans, the daughter in law of Mr. John West Evans (deceased), opened her downstairs door and saw them bringing the body down the stairs. They took the body to a negro named James Worthy, a coal suite operator. He placed the near dead girl in the loft in his house. He was arrested in the following weeks but then let go. She continued to be reported missing. Finally, in March her body was found in Little River by some black loggers. Her mother identified her by the shape of her teeth and her dress. An inquest was held by main men of the town who determined the death was by unknown origin. The young man that committed the crime was reported to have attempted suicide between December and March, but survived. He went on the live as a Christian but no doubt he had to live with this crime all his life. The boys there that night committed to forever hold a secret as to what happened and as far as this writer knows they have. The murdered lady is said to haunt the house by those that have lived there. Milton Cravey was one.

Barbara Clements, a former owner, relates more: The Evans house was purchased in 1976 by Wesley and Barbara Clements, they began renovation of this home and lived in it with there three small children until 1982. The Aplplewhites purchased it in 1983 and did very little renovation to the home, other than when it caught fire. The Clement’s searched South Georgia to find windows to replace the broken ones; it took over a year to find enough windows. The Clements painted the house a light grey which was a Victorian color and they also had the original tin roof cleaned and painted. An antique dealer and her husband purchased it in the 1990s and began a massive renovation to the home. They also purchased the home across the street and began renovation of it, but never completed it either. They placed the massive brick fence around the property. The story is that the Evans family had taken a holiday and left there teenage son at home. He had a party there and during the party a young black female servant was killed. The boys at the party took the lifeless body to Hat Creek and threw it in, placing her purse and a rock on top to keep her from surfacing. In the spring her body did surface. The house was always referred to as the haunted house. During the first two years of the Clements’ renovation there were many stories in the Wiregrass Farmer, a local weekly newspaper.

Thanks to Wayne Blue, who obtained this circa 1900-1910 photograph from a grandson of John L. Evans, we now have an idea of what this Ashburn landmark looked like in its early days.

John and Lynette Robison are the present owners and are doing a great job of restoring it. I was so glad to hear this, as it’s one of the most beautiful and important houses in Turner County. John writes regarding the “haunted” status of the house: After living in the house for almost a year I can say that the only thing that is in the house are the squirrels that get in on the third floor from time to time other then that there are no ghosts!