This was originally the Anderson Oil Company service station. It was also a Standard Oil station. It has been restored and now serves as the McDonough Welcome Center.
McDonough Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Mississippi soaks up all the attention for juke joints, and rightfully so, but they were once common in Georgia, as well. When I was growing up, there were still a few around and I remember that the word juke fascinated me. Some contend the origin of the term is the African word juga, meaning bad or wicked. Others suggest it comes from juice, which referred to early electric guitars and those who played them.
The Famous Get-A-Way in Zebulon is one of the best examples of an authentic old-fashioned juke joint that I’ve come across. It also served as a pool hall and sold gas and perhaps sundries from time to time. I got the impression it meant a lot to this community and luckily, the owners have preserved it as a landmark. My guess is that it dates from the late 1930s to about 1950.
It obviously grew in popularity over the years, as evidenced by the addition of this green cinderblock wing.
It’s one of just a few surviving such places to be found in Georgia to my knowledge.
A blacked-out Coca-Cola sign identifies the place as the “Famous Get-a-way”.
The gas pumps were probably a later innovation of the business but indicate that it was a successful enterprise.
And if there were any question about the reputation of the place, this sign on the porch suggests that the owners didn’t suffer foolishness.
Juke joints were places of revelry and community but they were also usually operated in a very business-like manner.
Saxon is a crossroads settlement located just south of the Broad River. This old store/filling station is about all that remains. I believe it dates to circa 1930.
This is also in the Friendship community, located across the highway from the store in the previous post.
This small store probably sold groceries and gas.
This photograph of Riley Spear’s garage was made circa 1939. Cathy Fussell notes this was a well-known business in Columbus for many years.
2011 Bull Street is a great example of urban renewal. Its origins an be traced to the structure on the lower floor, a mid-century gas station and garage. A few years ago, two floors were added to the otherwise pedestrian structure and from it emerged a new interpretation of Streamline Moderne, a hybrid Art Deco style which is quite rare today. Thanks to John Deaderick for assistance in identification.
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 