James Earl Carter, Jr. (1 October 1924-29 December 2024)
As I read reports of President Carter’s transition into hospice care, I recalled my personal encounters with him with great fondness, and was not surprised to read so many tributes to him from all walks of life and political persuasions.
When I first began seriously pursuing photography, I entered and won a contest sponsored by the National Park Service, focused on photographs of the president’s boyhood home in Archery. The prize was a book signed by Mr. Carter. I felt I had come full circle as I had first visited the property during its dedication in November 2000. It was a wet and miserable day, but an overflow crowd gathered under a huge tent, eagerly listening to Mr. Carter’s reminisces about his life there. Since then, I’ve felt a fondness for the place that many others who have visited feel.
I was also privileged to visit Maranatha Baptist Church, like countless thousands of others over the years, and hear one of Mr. Carter’s Sunday School lessons. It was a moving experience, which I will always count among the greatest days of my life. There’s no way you could attend one of those special Sunday services and not understand what a good man he was. No one, certainly not Jimmy Carter, thought he was a saint, but his good works elevated him to a place few of us are able to reach. For his inspiration, I will be forever grateful.
This superb Greek Revival cottage was built by James Peter Guerry (1803-1878) between 1836-1840, and is one of the oldest documented houses in Americus. Guerry was born in South Carolina and with two of his brothers came to Americus in the 1830s. They were among the earliest settlers of the city. Guerry served as a state representative and judge. After his sons returned to Americus after their service in the Civil War, Guerry turned the house over to one of them, John C. Guerry, and retired to his plantation near Plains. John C. Guerry sold the house to Beverly C. Mitchell (1818-1889) in 1878 and the Mitchell family remained there until the 1940s.
This historic cemetery near the lost plantation village of Heardmont is best known as the final resting place of Stephen Heard (1741-1815), who served briefly as governor of Georgia, from 1780-1781. It’s also referred to as the Stephen Heard Cemetery, Heardmont Cemetery (historic), and God’s Acre Cemetery. The earliest identified burial dates to 1800. It has been maintained by the Daughters of the American Revolution, though I’m not sure if that arrangement is still in place. It’s very well maintained. A granite marker near the entrance states: John W. McCalla, husband of Mary Allen McCalla, daughter of Singleton W. Allen*, deeded ten acres more or less, to the order of the “Daughters of the American Revolution” on November 24, 1903. The northeast corner, known as Heardmont Cemetery and church lot, to be reserved for burying purposes of the family members and relatives of Singleton W. Allen. *-Singleton Walthall Allen, Sr. (1793-1853), married Jane Lanier Heard, daughter of Stephen Heard.
He and his family came to Georgia in 1759, and in 1766 was the beneficiary of a 150-acre land grant for service rendered during the French and Indian War. Tensions remained high among the British settlers and the Creek and Cherokee peoples, and after both tribes signed the Treaty of Augusta in 1773, land north of the Little River was opened to settlement. To help protect new settlers from Native American incursions, Heard and his brother Barnard constructed Fort Heard, at present-day Washington, in 1774. Around the same time, Stephen and Barnard, along with their father, established another fort, known as Heard’s Fort, seven miles north of Fort Heard near Fishing Creek.
The Heards were patriots (Whigs) and were part of a larger group of rebels that included Nancy Hart, Elijah Clarke, and John Dooly. Far from being embraced by their fellow settlers, these colonists were the target of British sympathizers, known as Tories. As the British occupied Georgia, the Tories committed widespread acts of violence, culminating for Stephen Heard in the loss of his wife, Jane Germany, and their adopted daughter. The Tories invaded the Heard property and forced the women outside and into the snow. They later died of exposure.
His resolve greater than ever, Stephen Heard participated in the Battle of Kettle Creek on 14 February 1779. The battle was a major setback for the British in northeast Georgia, as only 270 of a force of 600 survived, but Tories continued to create chaos in the area. During one such campaign, Heard was captured and taken as a prisoner to Fort Cornwallis in Augusta. Legend holds that he was saved by one of his slaves, Mammy Kate.
Heard was appointed governor by the executive council of the House of Assembly on 24 May 1780 and served just over a year, departing the office on 18 August 1781. Clay Ouzts writes: “During his term, the British, who had overrun most of the state, were in control of its principal cities, and the backcountry was in a state of anarchy. Heard’s Fort functioned temporarily as Georgia’s capitol, but raids by Tories and Indians forced Heard and the council to move about continually to avoid capture by the British.“
Elizabeth Darden Heard (October 1765-5 June 1848)
After the Revolutionary War, Heard was granted nearly 7000 acres. He built Heardmont about 30 miles north of Washington on land which became part of Elbert County in 1790. He married Elizabeth Darden (1765-1848), a great niece of George Washington according to Findagrave, and they had nine children. Heard was an early justice of Elbert County, a delegate at the state constitutional convention of 1795, and a member of the committee that laid out the county seat of Elberton in 1803. He died at Heardmont on 15 November 1815. Heard County is named for him.
Col. Stephen Heard (13 November 1741-15 November 1815) The memorial doesn’t mention his brief service as governor, but notes: He was a soldier and fought with the great Washington for the liberties of his country…
For well over a century a pecan tree planted on this property in 1848 was memorialized as “The Mother of Georgia’s Pecan Industry”.
A house built for Judge William Taylor in 1842 originally stood on this lot. The seed nut for the historic pecan tree was brought from Texas by Mrs. Taylor’s mother. It was given to Judge John T. Clarke in 1863 and burned sometime between 1882-1884. It was rebuilt as one-story cottage by Judge Clarke, who sold it to George McDonald (1855-1923), a former mayor of Cuthbert, in 1889. McDonald added a second floor. One of his descendants, Annette McDonald Suarez, transferred it to Andrew College in 1974 for use as the college president’s home.
Cuthbert Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Ellis Gibbs Arnall (1907-1992) received his law degree from the University of Georgia in 1931 and returned to Newnan to practice law. He married Mildred Delaney Slemons (1908-1980) and built this house in 1935, in the same neighborhood where his parents once lived. He served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1932-1938 and as attorney general from 1939-1943. He was elected governor in 1943 and served four years. His record still stands as one of the most progressive in the state’s modern history.
Platinum Point Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Jimmy Carter has held the distinction of being the longest-lived American president for a few years, but today he reaches a milestone: 99 years. He’s also the first president to have been born in a hospital. Knowing the health struggles he and Rosalynn are facing, I just wanted to wish him a Happy Birthday and personally thank him for his service.
This isn’t actually a barn, but as long as I’ve been familiar with Milledgeville, there’s been a campaign sign for Sheriff Bill Massee on this structure. It’s just east of town and a landmark of sorts on the Sparta Highway. Mr. Massee is now serving his 8th term as Baldwin County sheriff and after reading this article, I think he’s a man of integrity.
This house was built for J. M. Ponder and his wife, Ella Ensign Porter. They later gave the house to their daughter Abbie, who was married to Sam Rutherford, a three-time mayor of Forsyth and member of the U. S. House of Representatives.
I hope everyone is enjoying the updates from Forsyth. It really doesn’t get its due as far as architecture goes, and I hope this will encourage some of you to ramble around and see for yourself.
Rose Hill was the third cemetery established in Macon, after Fort Hill and the Old City Cemetery. Simri Rose (1799-1869), a Macon pioneer who helped in the planning of the city, was given a burial site of his choosing in return for designing the new cemetery. It was named in his honor. [NOTE: The images that accompany the text are randomly chosen.I plan on a much more extensive documentation of the cemetery this fall and will update here at that time.]
I don’t have an identification for this memorial, but it’s one of my all-time favorites. Cynthia Jennings notes that it’s a Masonic tribute.
Rural, or garden, cemeteries in urban centers were growing in popularity in the mid-19th century and Rose Hill may be one of the first of its kind in the Southeast. In describing the cemetery’s location to the city council, Simri Rose, who had a horticultural and aesthetic background, wrote, in part: …situated about a half mile above the city on the banks of the Ocmulgee River, mostly on elevated ground, the highest point being 142 feet above its bed. Its entrance is through a lofty arched gate, constructed after the Doric order of architecture. The area of ground comprised within the enclosure is about 50 acres. Another spot could scarcely be found in any section of our country so much diversified, and comprising so many distinct objects and combinations going to form a perfect picture of rural beauty.
Martha M. Kirby (1856-1862)
Rose continues: Many who have visited the cemeteries of the North, and even the far famed Mount Auburn, think it far inferior in natural beauty and location to Rose Hill. A prominent feature in its scenery is the Ocmulgee River, along which it extends nearly half of a mile. The banks are from thirty to sixty feet high, and generally rocky and precipitous, and form an impenetrable barrier to its approaches. The higher parts of the ground are nearly level, and laid out as places of interment; other places have been selected by many in the wildest parts almost overhanging the deep valleys. From the river deep and narrow dells penetrate the ground from fifty to two hundred yards, one of them divides it entirely near its center, through which a rivulet murmurs over a steep and rocky bed to the river. This is supplied by four springs, one at the head, outside the ground and three within it. The water of one is reputed to be the coolest and purest in this vicinity. It is most beautifully located, and is the most attractive spot for visitors...
Col. Robert A. Smith (1824-1862) 44th Regiment of Georgia Volunteers. Fell while leading his command in a charge on the enemy’s works at Ellison’s Mills near Richmond, in the 37th year of his age.
During the Civil War, Macon was second only to Richmond in numbers of wounded soldiers in Confederate hospitals. Many of those men were buried near the places they died and the Macon Ladies Association facilitated their reinterment at Rose Hill in 1866.
Caroline Augusta Scott (1840-1868)
The cemetery has grown over the years, and now records over 14,000 gravesites.
John B. Ross Juhan ( 1867-1875) Little John Juhan wanted to be a fireman and was the adopted mascot of Defiance Station No. 5. They firehouse erected this monument when he died.
Governors of Georgia [including several county namesakes], Confederate Generals, and numerous other politicians and prominent business leaders are buried here. As the final resting place of several members of the Allman Brothers Band, Rose Hill has become a secular shrine, and one of the most visited places in Macon.
Anna Gertrude Powers (1848-1859)
The roads that lead down to the river are quite steep and narrow. It’s best to park near the entrance gate and walk, if you’re able.
This was the home of Thomas E. Watson, before he built Hickory Hill nearby. According to the Historical Marker placed in 2001 by the Georgia Historical Society and the Watson-Brown Foundation: After passing the state Bar in 1876, native Thomas E. Watson returned to Thomson and lived in this house with his family from 1881 to 1900. In his first floor office Watson began his law and writing career and entered politics. He served in the Georgia House (1882), U.S. Congress (1890–92), and the U.S. Senate (1920–22). He was nominated for Vice President on the Populist Party ticket with William Jennings Bryan in 1896. Here Watson authored the two-volume Story of France and a biography of Napoleon. In a career often marked by controversy*, he was best known as the “Father of Rural Free Delivery.”
*-Thomas E. Watson was, as Carol Pierannunzi highlighted: …one of the more perplexing and controversial among Georgia politicians. In his early years he was characterized as a liberal, especially for his time. In later years he emerged as a force for white supremacy and anti-Catholic rhetoric...as [a] vice presidential candidate in 1896, he achieved national recognition for his egalitarian, agrarian agenda…He is remembered for being a voice for Populism and the disenfranchised, and later in life, as a southern demagogue and bigot.
While I am perplexed by Watson, who began his public life in such an enlightened way before turning to the darker impulses of the region, I am pleased that the Watson-Brown Foundation has done much good work for people and historical spaces of all backgrounds. This home, along with Hickory Hill and Brown’s birthplace, are maintained by the foundation and are open for tours by appointment. I was in town on a holiday weekend so didn’t get to take the tour. I hope to on my next visit.
