Tag Archives: Georgia Silos & Grain Elevators

Chris Johnson’s Painted Silos Bring Color to Downtown Shellman

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Shellman’s historic downtown got a fresh new look in 2018. The six grain silos that dominate Ward Street were transformed into colorful canvases by artist Chris Johnson between 2016-2018. The illustrations were done first, followed by the Georgia and American flags.

Johnson, a native of Roberta, is the director of the visual arts program at Andrew College. He has gained notoriety for his murals in Georgia and Alabama.

Agribusiness is the heartbeat of Shellman, and the city wanted the silos to represent this fact, along with some local history.

One of the murals honors native son Boudleaux Bryant, who along with his wife Felice was one of the most successful songwriters of his generation.

Barn & Silo, Macon County

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I made this photograph in the Garden Valley area in 2009.

Square Silos, Pike County

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Square silos are fairly uncommon nationwide but especially in the Deep South. They’re usually associated with the Upper Great Plains and Canadian Prairie Provinces; they’re often called grain elevators when built in this fashion. These photographs were made in 2016, so I hope these are still standing. If so, they’re rare resources and I’m glad to share them.

Grain Elevator, Alma

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Wooden grain elevators are rare in Georgia and this one in Alma has always been a favorite. It is now part of a larger structure that includes a church.

Milan Peanut Company

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Silo, Candler County

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An old, rusted white silo surrounded by trees and a clear sky.

As you can tell by things that I photograph, not everything I capture is literally vanishing. It’s still my focus and will remain so to document old farmhouses and barns, small town architectural landmarks, country churches and the like. But since population trends suggest that fewer people are living in rural America and more are being pulled into the cities for work, I think nearly everything that represents our rural heritage is worth recording.

Folk Victorian Farmhouse & Silos, Emmalane

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It’s possible a dairy was located here.

The Peanut Farmer Mural, Colquitt

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Famed mural artist Charlie Johnston created “The Peanut Farmer”, one of the largest murals in the United States. It’s nearly 100 feet tall and covers virtually all 26,700 square feet of the Birdsong Peanut Company’s Colquitt silos. It’s one of numerous excellent murals in this friendly farming town.

 

Register, Georgia

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An old vintage gas pump beside a street in Register, Georgia, with silos and farm buildings in the background under a clear blue sky.

Before it was known as Register, this village in western Bulloch County is said to have been first known as Bengal, in 1855, and at some point, Herschel. I believe Bengal was actually a few miles away, however, as the Bengal post office remained open until 1904, whereas the Herschel post office was only open from 1894-1899. When the Herschel post office closed, it was renamed Register, for its first postmaster, Franklin Pierce Register (1853-1914), who moved to the area in 1894. Originally from White Oak, North Carolina, Register was an entrepreneur. With his nephew, J. L. Johnson, he soon had thriving naval stores and mercantile businesses. Bulloch County was full of virgin pine forests. What wasn’t used for turpentine was cleared for timber, which gave rise to farming and the dominance of agriculture. Saw mills and grist mills boomed. In 1901 a branch of the Central of Georgia Railroad intersected with the local Register & Glennville Railroad, and the town thrived for a time. The Register School opened in 1904 and Register High School in 1917. Before they were built, students took the train to classes in Statesboro.