The Jacob Eberhart log cabin was saved and relocated to downtown Colbert, where it was reconstructed in its original form. It’s a good representation of a typical working class antebellum dwelling of this area of Georgia.
This landmark farmhouse and barn were recently exposed after a clear-cut on the old River Road. My father brought them to my attention after traveling to Eastman to a baseball game recently. I later realized it was the Bowen-Studstill House, which I had admired throughout my life traveling to Dodge County with my great-grandmother and grandmother.
It’s a typical unadorned example of one of the most common forms of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but a very nice home for its time.
I’ve observed over the years that when properties are cleared, remaining abandoned structures are often quickly demolished to make way for changing land uses. I’m unsure what the future holds for this place but I hope it will be saved.
The log barn appears to be a corn crib or other storage structure. It is already collapsing but I’m honored to be able to document it.
This extraordinary log dwelling was the home of pioneer settler Littleberry “Berry” Columbus Thompson. It was moved here from rural Montgomery County.
There was some confusion as to which Berry Thompson, but Bill Outlaw clarifies: The home of Berry C. Thompson (1822-1901) and his first spouse, Mary Mosey (1821-1863), my ancestors. This would date the house to the late antebellum era and make it one of the oldest surviving in Montgomery County, albeit restored at a new location.
Montgomery County Historic Village, Brewton-Parker College
Brewton-Parker College maintains a nice collection of historic structures* illustrative of pioneer life in rural Georgia from the late 18th century to the late 19th century. These are publicly accessible and there is no cost to visit. The most important of these is the Cooper-Conner House, built with slave labor for Revolutionary War veteran Richard Cooper (1758-1836) in the Dead River community [about nine miles from its present location]. Thomas Benton Conner bought the house from George Cooper in 1838. It was moved to this site in an effort to preserve it. [Some sources date this to 1779].
*-Most online references locate this on David-Eliza Fountain Circle, which is the front campus, but the Historic Village is actually located on Lakeshore Drive.
Montgomery County Historic Village, Brewton-Parker College
This hand-hewn cabin was built by Avery Vann, Jr., (1770-1845). Vann, a Scottish trader who married a Cherokee woman, was the brother of Cherokee Chief James Vann and his prominence in the area led to its designation as Vann’s Valley.
For many years, the structure was hidden within the walls of the old Webster-Green Hotel in downtown Cave Spring. When the hotel faced eminent demolition in 2009, the Cave Spring Historical Society led the effort to save the cabin and their work revealed this important aspect of Georgia history. After extensive research and careful restoration, the cabin was opened to the public in 2016. It is believed to be the second oldest extant Native American two-story residential structure.
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
Anne Chamlee made this photograph just south of Oconee in March 1991. She shares my fascination with old log structures.
This log farmhouse includes an attached kitchen, with siding likely added later. Window placement on the house suggests a remodel at some point.
This barn was recently exposed after some trees were cut. Susan Sheppard Brown notes that it was built by her grandfather, Bill Sheppard, circa 1960, from pine saplings he cut on the property.
I spoke with the lady who lives next door to this old tenant house and she stated that her husband grew up here. It is a log house and the siding was added later.