James Thomas Anderson (1866-1949), who constructed this house in 1900, was the wealthiest man in Cobb County at the time and the property is a significant example of early 20th-century revivalist architecture within the Whitlock Avenue Historic District. His son, James Thomas Anderson, Jr., was instrumental in the establishment of Cobb Landmarks and this house served for many years as its headquarters.
Whitlock Avenue Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
The William Root House is a typical I-House form with a shed room at the rear (Plantation Plain), enhanced by a vernacular Greek Revival portico. Built circa 1845, it is one of the oldest houses in Marietta and an inspiring preservation success story. It was facing demolition when it was saved by Cobb Landmarks and now serves as a cultural and historic focal point. It was originally located two blocks east on the northeast corner of Church and Lemon streets and has been relocated twice. In 1893, the house was repositioned on its original lot. In 1989, it was relocated two blocks to its present location and restored. It is now an award-winning house museum, operated by Cobb Landmarks.
William Root (1815-1891), a native of Philadelphia, moved to Marietta in 1839, five years after the city’s founding. He began working as an assistant in William H. Kitchens’s drug store in Augusta in 1836, then relocated to Hamburg, South Carolina, in 1837. After a brief return to Philadelphia in 1838, he came back to Augusta in 1839 and then moved to Marietta to open a new drug and grocery store for Kitchens. On 15 September 1840, he married Hannah Rhemer Simpson (1807-1886).
The business grew quickly and Root became an influential pioneer citizen of Marietta. He helped establish St. James Episcopal Church. In 1844 he purchased the business from Kitchens and built this home about a year later. The Roots had five children (one son died as a toddler), and, according to the 1860 census, four enslaved people in their service. Cobb Landmarks has identified two of the enslaved by name: Lall Burge, who was likely a butler, or house servant, and Elsay Blake, also a domestic laborer.
With Atlanta and environs in the crosshairs of the Union armies, the Root family relocated to Washington, Georgia, in June 1864. They returned to a ruined Marietta on 15 July 1865, but fared better than many others, who lost everything. They were able to reoccupy their house. According to family papers, William Root noted, “Our dwelling, though damaged, was in tolerable condition.”
In 1866 William Root opened a new store on the Marietta Square, and owned the entire block bounded by Church, Ardis, Cherokee, and Lemon streets, the block on which the Root House originally stood. Marietta quickly rebuilt after the war and by the 1870s, Root’s sons joined him in business. He sold it to John R. Winters in 1884 and retired.
National Register of Historic Places
I stayed next door to this neat little cottage on a recent trip. I haven’t been able to track down much history, but it was apparently built by a member of the Glover family, who were among the earliest settlers of Marietta. It appears to have originated as a simple central hallway form and has been expanded, as is common with houses of this type. The narrow door and transom and sidelights are likely original, but the porch, which gives the house a vernacular Greek Revival appearance, may have been a slightly later addition. I will update when I learn more.
Whitlock Avenue Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
I first published this photograph (above) of Monticello’s Jordan-Lanier House in 2015. It was a well-known landmark just off the square downtown, though I never learned much about its history. I was saddened to get a message from my friend Aubrey Newby yesterday, noting that it was lost to fire on 11 May. As you can see from Aubrey’s photograph (below), nothing survived but the chimneys and the columns which defined the house. I don’t know any details about the fire, but wanted to share this news.
Monticello Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Someone from Dodge County recently reached out to me about documenting this historic school, located east of Eastman on Georgia Highway 46, and I was able to get a photograph of the side of the building. They identified it as the old Hendrix High School and stated it closed in 1957 when the Dodge County High School was built. It was possibly a comprehensive school, with all grades. That’s all I know for now. Rural schools were the norm until school consolidation in the 1950s and 1960s and many survive throughout the state.
Lovely Grove Baptist Church is a historic congregation in Dodge County. I haven’t been able to locate a history, but the earliest burial I found in the cemetery was circa 1866.
This church is located near the Brighton community. I haven’t been able to locate any history, but this is obviously a newer structure. The earliest burial I found in the adjacent cemetery was 1908. The Tabor brothers, who died in the tragic Tift County bus crash of 1959, are also interred here.
Near the upper reaches of the Alapaha River, where Tift, Berrien, and Irwin Counties converge, (Ferry Lake Road, Five Bridge Road, and Turner Church Road) Turner Primitive Baptist Church was constituted on 14 June 1890. The present structure was built in 1915 and is lovingly maintained by the congregation. In addition to the vernacular church building, the adjacent cemetery contains quite a few vernacular memorials, some of which I’ve shared here, in no particular order.
Turner Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery
The vernacular memorials at Turner Primitive Baptist church are similar to others throughout the state in that they are highly vulnerable to environmental factors. Because they’re made of cement or concrete, sun, wind, and rain render them less readable over time and therefore, those they memorialize are in danger of being forgotten.
This is perhaps my favorite memorial in the cemetery. The shape is unusual and appears to be upside-down, though this is by design. I’ve seen this pattern before; it was likely set in a mold meant for another use. The name, and part of the birth date, have already become so obscure as to invite confusion.
This stenciled memorial is a common form, and like others, contains misspellings and grammatical issues. This is really what makes these markers interesting and important. Mrs. Rabon, a native of Lowndes County, was the wife of Daniel Jasper Rabon (1866-1939), who came to Georgia from Alabama. She was the daughter of W. A. and Martha Cobb Keel.
Mr. Walker’s memorial is also a typical form, with nice stenciling and a leaf or branch decoration.
Wooden markers were very common in rural cemeteries at one time, as it was often all that families could afford to mark the burial places of their loved ones. Unfortunately, very few can be identified.
There is a small section of these concrete tombs in Turner Primitive Baptist cemetery. Some have been damaged over the years.
This tomb-like memorial has been damaged. James Turner, son of Frank and Anna Turner. He married Anna McClelland in Tattnall County in 1823, and may have come to this area from there. may have come to the area from Tattnall County. At least two of his three sons served in the Civil War. One son, James S. Turner (1829-1904), was a prominent businessman in Jacksonville, who owned the Duval, one of the most prominent hotels in the city at the turn of the 20th century.
Carsia was the daughter of W. W. and Polly Ann Taylor, and died as a toddler.
The Enigma High School Gymnasium in Enigma, Georgia, was constructed in 1952 (according to an AI-generated response), along with a new cafeteria and kindergarten. Although the primary school building at the site—a large brick structure built in 1926—burned down in 1973, the gymnasium and cafeteria were spared. I believe a brick building in front of the gym may have been the cafeteria but haven’t been able to confirm.
This well-maintained Folk Victorian was located near the Rushing Barn and may have been part of the John Rushing farm. The photo is a few years old but the house is still standing, to my knowledge.