I first photographed this historic church in early 2009. History regarding the congregation or structure is hard to come by, but Methodist archives indicate the present structure was built before 1863. This suggests that it was built before the Civil War, as little construction was going on at that time.
A scene in the 2009 movie Get Low (which starred Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray) was filmed in the historic church cemetery.
This location has been featured in several Hollywood movies, including Sweet Home Alabama. It was about the only place to get a good home-cooked meal in Crawfordville for nearly sixty years, and Mrs. Annie Lou Bonner was a well-loved local fixture throughout her long life. It closed in1997, but has since been reopened with another name.
Crawfordville Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Used as a location for the Civil War epic Glory, this pristine beach at the south end of Jekyll Island has come to be known as Glory Beach in the years since.
It’s an important nesting habitat for sea turtles, and one of the least crowded beaches on Jekyll Island [most of the time].
The south end of the beach is the extreme southern end of the island and offers unspoiled views of Cumberland Island [seen in the distance, below].
This wonderful building is best known locally as the Dawson Pharmacy building. According to Bob & Cherry Howell, it’s been owned for many years by the Scott family and before that was owned by the Horsleys. John Clark (host of GNN’s Georgia Focus and a Dawson native) relates that this was recently used as a set location in the Disney movie The Odd Life of Timothy Green. I’ll be talking with John on the upcoming Halloween edition of Georgia Focus and will keep you posted as to airtimes.
Dawson Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Designed in 1908 by Savannah City Hall architect Hyman Wallace Witcover, this iconic and unique Georgia courthouse was recently restored. It is among the best examples of the so-called Jeffersonian style in the state, and the only courthouse of this form. A newer, more modern courthouse was constructed across the street to accommodate Effingham County’s population boom. [Thanks to Tracy for allowing access to the courtroom].
A portrait of John Adam Treutlen (1733-1782) by George Mandus hangs behind the judge’s bench. Treutlen, the son of an indentured servant who went on to become the wealthiest plantation owner in present-day Effingham County, was early associated with the Ebenezer community as a student of John Martin Boltzius. He was the first governor of Georgia elected after the state adopted its 1777 constitution. He was brutally murdered by Tories, or perhaps a jilted lover, at the end of the Revolutionary War, near Orangeburg, South Carolina. His final resting place is unknown at this time. The portrait is on loan from the Georgia Capitol Museum.
Effingham County should be commended for their excellent restoration of this unique historic courthouse.
National Register of Historic Places
Built in the 1940s, this was originally known as Van Gundy’s Motor Court (sometimes called the Pink Motel). It was owned and operated by Violet Van Gundy and her brother Jack. Mrs. Van Gundy, who died in 2010, played “Baby Violet” on some of the Our Gang (Little Rascals) shows. According to comments, their mother Virginia, also lived with them and there was another sibling, Mildred. The pool which everyone so fondly recalls has been filled in, but otherwise the property remains largely unchanged.
Carlton McDonald writes: I lived seven years with Vi and Jack, managed the motel. We would go out to eat just about every night as Vi loved to eat. Vi was the most tantalizing person I’ve ever known, her smile would light up any room. She was a very Christian lady, always helping someone-I was very fortunate to have known her.
Tim Cooper: I often went swimming there and got to know Vi and her brother well.. Very nice people. She told me about living in Hollywood and how it wasn’t the same now as it was back then.. it was peaceful there and I always enjoyed the music.
Steve: Swam there often in the summer and often would cover the office checking in guests so they could go out and eat! They always were “snappy” dressers and always happy.
Kimberley Stewart: As a teenager, I would also watch over the office while they ate, ran errands, in return they let me use the pool. broke my heart when pool was filled in. Great memories.
Sharlene: We lived there in 1981 for a week while our pipes were being fixed. They were both very nice people. I was a waitress in my early 20’s and late teens, they always came into the Golden Coral, sat at the same place. Always smiling and friendly. I loved to chat with them. The motel is now apartments. Great memories.
In 2019, there were plans to demolish the property to make way for apartments but that plan fell through when citizens opposed the zoning request.
In 2019, the Pink Motel was transformed into the Kentucky Star Motel and used as a set location for the film, The Tiger Rising. It was released to generally lackluster reviews and earnings in 2022. The production was also plagued with charges of crew not being paid during or after filming.
Tifton Residential Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
According to Dawn Daley, via present pastor Vernon Edenfield, this is the oldest church in Screven County, and thought to be the second oldest Baptist church in Georgia. Robert Peavy writes: Oliver native Miss Pauline Smith (1885-1963) indicated in her three-page historical sketch of the town of Oliver that the present building was erected about 1912 (when the old Methodist Church was built and when the town was incorporated—the School House, now gone, had been built in 1910). An old photograph of the short-lived Lutheran Church shows rather dimly, in the distance with the cemetery separating them, a not-overly fancy church with a neo-classical porch roof supported by four square columns, which would have replaced the original log building of the Little Ogeechee Baptist Congregation; thus, the present structure is at least the third building for this congregation, which dates to 1790. Robin Robbins also notes that the church was used as a set location for the 1974 movie, Buster and Billie.
Gravestone Art at Little Ogeechee Baptist Church Cemetery
Little Ogeechee, like many old cemeteries, is a beautiful showplace for the stonemason’s art. I’ve chosen a few of my favorite decorative headstones to share.
Stephen T. Newton (29 May 1829-6 December 1882)
Naomi Morton (1806-16 October 1887)
Bernard Horton Huggins (25 August 1906-26 March 1908)
Daughter of W.V. & L. O. Lanier (14 March 1917-2 February 1918)
Florie A. Brewer (12 August 1845-17 September 1891)
Oscar W. Brewer (17 October 1872-8 March 1889)
Levina Morton (20 May 1825-16 June 1899)
Martha A. Dugger (14 June 1829-13 February 1897)
Miriam Lee (22 February 1908-22 November 1910)
Smitty’s Grocery has been an Effingham County landmark since the 1960s, but the structure was originally one of two wings of the late-19th-century Richard Cuyler house. In 1947 both wings were relocated to nearby sites for use as rental properties. Smitty and Patrice Johnson began operating the store in the 1960s. The store has been a set location in several Hollywood productions, including: Now and Then (1995); Wild America (1997); and Claudine’s Return (1997).
Barry Turner writes: “I grew up in the two-story store to the left. Before my time, it even housed a movie theater (part of the screen was still visible upstairs). As a child, I was exploring on the roof and found a World War II era air-raid siren still bolted to the roof–but it wasn’t still functional. An episode of the TV show Route 66 was filmed in Nevils, and they used our store, among other locations. I remember playing with Darby Hinton, a child actor who later was Daniel Boone’s son on that TV show. The “Main Street” was dirt for part of my childhood, but the paving crew (when it was finally paved) provided eager customers for me as I sold boiled peanuts to them.“