This is a textbook Folk Victorian cottage, a style found throughout Georgia. It’s basically a Georgian Cottage made Victorian by the addition of the Queen Anne porch posts.
Folk Victorian Cottage, Circa 1894, Sasser
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Tag Archives: Georgia Folk Victorian Architecture
Oakville, Georgia
Oakville, like many places I photograph, has been forgotten by nearly everyone. It was likely named for a plantation of farm, since there was never a post office or railroad station named Oakville in Terrell or Randolph County. The only thing I could find, besides plenty of kudzu, was this abandoned farmhouse.
Historic Farmstead, Broxton
I made these photographs in 2018, under the blazing sun and unforgiving midday light of August, somewhere on the outskirts of Broxton. I didn’t like the way they turned out so they were forgotten. This happens all the time. I planned to return to the location but never made it back and imagine the structures are all gone now. I’m glad I got them. They were elements of a larger historic farm.
The Queen Anne Folk Victorian farmhouse was my favorite structure on the property. Nature was decidedly reclaiming the place.
Folk Victorian Cottage, Ambrose
I photographed this house in 2009 and it was in bad condition then, as the photograph indicates. It was a winged gable cottage with Victorian details on the front porch, likely built between the 1890s-1920. The only view I was able to get was from the side, unfortunately. I suspect it is long gone by now.
Peterson Farm, 1876, Montgomery County
This Folk Victorian cottage is the center of an amazing historic farmstead. A breezeway connects a kitchen behind the house. Tom Peterson writes: This house was built by William James Peterson in 1876…William James and his wife, Catherine Joanna Calhoun Peterson, had 12 children, all born in this house. It is currently owned by Hugh Peterson and has been the site of the annual Peterson Family reunion since 1922.
The property is one of the most intact I’ve stumbled upon, and its numerous outbuildings are perfectly maintained.
There are at least four log barns on the property.
While log barns and homes are still built today, it’s highly unusual to find this many older examples.
Folk Victorian Cottage, Circa 1904, Thomasville
This small winged-gable cottage is a representative property of the Dewey City Historic District, an historic Black neighborhood in Thomasville. The enclosure of the porch somewhat obscures it strong Queen Anne/Folk Victorian influence. Dewey City, named for Admiral George Dewey, was officially platted in 1904, and the district includes the other planned neighborhoods of Pine Summit (1911), Homestead Park (1911), and Douglass Heights (1947). The area is characterized by several vernacular house types, including bungalows, shotgun houses, pyramidal cottages, American Small Houses, and gable front cottages. This exceptional gabled-wing cottage, with Folk Victorian influences, is one of the most architecturally interesting.
The land that came to be known as Dewey City was initially purchased by Charles Bluett Quinn to provide housing for Thomasville’s emerging Black middle class families. The land was considered undesirable because of the sickness and disease associated with the temporary Civil War prison camp that was located on the edge of the neighborhood, It was also a low-lying area, with the numerous branches of Oquina Creek often causing flooding. The National Register of Historic Places notes that property owners who were compassionate to ex-slaves began selling and financing parcels to African-Americans as early as the 1890s.
Dewey City Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Folk Victorian House, Circa 1880, Elberton
This two-story gabled-ell Folk Victorian home is set back from the street on a spacious shaded lot. According to a 1975 Georgia Historic Resources survey, a parallel one-story gabled addition was added to the rear of the house circa 1890 and a similar addition on the right rear was added in 1910.
Elberton Residential Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Kelly House, Circa 1885, Monticello
Built as a gabled-ell cottage between 1883 and 1888, this house was greatly enlarged and remodeled to its present appearance in the 1920’s for Mrs. E. C. Kelly, Sr. It’s located near the other Kelly House, also a local landmark, and the old Monticello High School. I think Mrs. Kelly was going for a Neoclassical-inspired Colonial Revival look. The 6 over 6 dormer windows are an unusual feature, as is the extra-wide transom.
Eclectic Storefronts, Flovilla
While re-editing my Butts County photographs, I stumbled across these two curious buildings. I believe they were located just outside Flovilla. Both are eclectic, with Victorian and vernacular elements. This looks like the common shotgun-type store dominant in early 20th century Georgia, but has an attached wing at the right. Such additions are uncommon with the shotgun form, so I presume it was added to this building for storage. I believe this was part of the late John Haney’s Fort Indian Springs Antique & Flea Market, so it may be something that he saved and fixed up.
The example above features hints of Victorian ornamentation but the stone columns take center stage. The concrete porch floor and layout of the facade are indicative of a commercial origin. A wing at the left would suggest an attached residence, or a later expansion for full-fledged residential use. I hope someone knows their stories.
Queen Anne Cottage, Omaha
Though not a typical Queen Anne Cottage, this charming house was obviously inspired by the style. The decorative porch posts are very intricate. Some would argue that this is strictly Folk Victorian considering that other than the porch posts, it’s a relatively plain house, but I think they’re such a prominent feature that it deserves designation as a Queen Anne.
