Tag Archives: Georgia Vernacular Architecture

Requiem for a Country Store: Henry Land’s Grocery

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A partially collapsed building with exposed interior and debris scattered outside, surrounded by yellow caution tape.

I went to Fitzgerald a couple of weekends ago for a birthday party and a memorial service, the kinds of gatherings that pull us back to our hometowns. While I was there, Lands Crossing was on my mind. The old store there had recently been struck by a vehicle and badly damaged, and I had a sinking feeling it wouldn’t be around much longer. In a light rain, I rode with my father out to that familiar landmark, about ten minutes from my childhood home, and carefully made a bunch of photographs. This week, I received a message that it had been demolished. In my line of work, I see these kinds of outcomes all over the state, but when a place is personal, it hits different. Henry Land’s Grocery wasn’t just a store; it was a storehouse of memories for people from all over the area, a place that quietly held pieces of many lives. It meant something not only to those who lived nearby, but also to the many who passed it over the years and folded it into their own stories. There were some painful memories, too, of families who had lost loved ones in a tragic highway accident years earlier, and those sorrows lingered there as well. Yet, for the most part, it stood as a symbol of the good neighbors who supported it and of the everyday kindness that made it the heart of a community. I’m grateful to have been able to document it over the years. Even though the building had changed a bit, it was still important to people in this neck of the woods.

Central Hallway Cottage, Circa 1880, Morgan County

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A white single-story house with a front porch and a brick chimney, surrounded by green bushes and grass under a blue sky.

This home stands south of Nolan’s Crossroads, near what was once the close-knit community of Mallory, and aside from a very small cemetery across the highway, it is one of the last tangible reminders of the place. It seems to have begun as a modest central-hallway dwelling that was gradually expanded over time. A resource survey from 1990 dates it to around 1880. Now largely forgotten, Mallory was once a lively village with a post office, churches, schools, and a busy grist mill.

Richter Cottage, Circa 1830, Madison

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Historic Richter Cottage, a one-story white wooden house with a brick chimney, surrounded by a picket fence and located in a lush green landscape.

According to the Morgan County Landmarks Society, this humble vernacular home is thought to have originated, circa 1830, as the office of a tannery. It was purchased in 1851 by watchmaker and silversmith Charles William Richter, Sr., (1807-1884) and eventually expanded to its present appearance, a double-pen central hallway form with an incorporated rear shed room. Richter and his wife, Ann Eliza Potts (1808-1863), both natives of the West Indian island of St. Croix, raised eight children in the house. After Ann’s death in 1863, Charles moved in with his son Martin Luther Richter (1847-1924), a prosperous jeweler and photographer who owned the residence on South Main Street now known as the Dovecote House. Arthur Potter Richter and his family, along with his brother John (1848-1907), lived in the Richter Cottage until at least 1870. Numerous owners and tenants followed before the property was slated for demolition in the 1960s. In 1976, Dr. Josephine Hart Brandon and Carroll Hart, sisters with deep roots in historic Madison, led an effort to restore the Richter Cottage. It was restored in the 1990s as a representative example of 19th century tradesman housing, and is now owned by the Morgan County Landmarks Society.

Solomon Hall House, Tattnall County

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An old, dilapidated wooden house with a rusty metal roof, surrounded by tall grass and trees.

I was recently invited by Laura Potts-Wirth to photograph an old sharecropper’s house on her property near Glennville.

An abandoned wooden house with a red metal roof, showing signs of decay and overgrowth, surrounded by tall grass and trees in the background.

Though there are no plans to restore the house, it is an important example of vernacular architecture and I’m honored to have been given access.

An abandoned, dilapidated wooden house with a rusted metal roof, showing signs of wear and neglect, surrounded by overgrown grass and trees.

It is a simple gabled-ell cottage, likely built between the 1910s-1930s.

Abandoned wooden house wall with a dirty window frame, showing cobwebs and peeling paint.

The owner was Solomon R. Hall, Sr., (1902-1988). He and his wife Mollie Bee E. Hall (1905-1970) raised thirteen children and three grandchildren here, while sharecropping on the Old Anderson Place, to which this property was once attached. Records indicate that ownership passed back and forth between Mr. Hall and the Andersons over the years.

An old blue cabinet with a wooden door, standing next to a rustic table in an abandoned building, with overgrown grass visible outside.

Solomon Hall was also a turpentine laborer and would have known the woods and fields around his home as well as anyone else.

Interior view of a weathered wooden door frame with a partially open door and a wooden wall, showcasing rustic materials and textures.

Just across US 301 from the property there was once a community of African-Americans known as Hall Town. The only remaining public landmark of the community is the Old Hall Town Cemetery, which I also documented.

An abandoned interior of a room with wooden walls, a partially open door, a window showing greenery outside, and debris scattered on the floor.

The interior rooms are spare, which was characteristic of this type of housing.

Interior of an abandoned room with wooden floors, a round table, and a window showing trees outside. The walls are brown with peeling paint, and there are dust and leaves scattered on the floor.

I think it is hard for most people to imagine a dozen or more people living in such spaces, but it was much more common than one might realize.

An empty, weathered room with blue wooden walls featuring an old rocking chair and a partially open door, showcasing rustic and worn textures.

Gary Mobley, in a March 2020 oral history interview with Laura Potts-Wirth, noted, “Here, Solomon Hall and his wife, Mrs. Bea (sic)…, raised 13 children, and three grandchildren. They did work for part of the harvest. They hunted the land and also got a portion of the hog meat. The small building in the back of their house was either a smokehouse or a summer kitchen. One of the jobs the Sharecroppers had was keeping the farm rows cleared of weeds and clearing volunteer trees for three feet on either side of the fence rows. Up near the pond, there was another sharecropper’s house, where Choice Coley lived...”

An old, weathered wooden shed with missing planks and a rusted metal roof, surrounded by tall grass and trees under a cloudy sky.

Kelly and Fran Folsom spoke very highly of both Solomon Hall and Choice Coley and recalled to Laura Potts-Wirth: “…Mr.Solomon was really responsible for overseeing the farm, especially as Mr. Anderson was getting older, and also when the Dents owned the farm. Solomon Hall really had a lot to do with supervising and managing the farm, overseeing the work being done, and just being a caretaker of the farm.“

An outdoor rustic privy, or outhouse, with a corrugated metal roof, situated among trees and grass, showing signs of weathering and age.

The survival of the outbuildings adds importance to the property as a representative example of its type. Even the old privy, re-sided, is a reminder of the times.

Close-up of a vibrant red flower with long, slender petals and multiple stamens, surrounded by green grass.

Plantings by Mrs. Hall are still blooming, like this hurricane (or spider) lily.

A vibrant field of lush green plants with pink and yellow flowers under a partly cloudy sky.

There are clumps of another old favorite, lantana, in several spots around the house.

A dilapidated wooden house with a rusted metal roof, surrounded by tall grass and trees in a rural landscape.

Beach Hill Missionary Baptist Church, Liberty County

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After the Civil War, the enslaved people of nearby Midway Congregational Church formed their own congregations throughout the county. The African-American community chose names based on the South Carolina locations where they came from, including Dorchester and Beech Hill. At some point, the spelling of Beech Hill was changed to Beach Hill. I haven’t been able to find a date for the organization of this congregation, but it would likely be circa 1865-1870, a common establishment date for the Freedmen churches of the area. In fact, Beach Hill is very close to the historic Freedman Grove community. The present church, originally a wood-framed structure, features the iconic “wedding cake” steeple often found in historic Black churches.

St. James AME Church, Liberty County

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A small, white church building with a red metal roof, surrounded by green grass and trees.

As best I can determine, St. James AME Church is a historic Freedmen’s congregation. While the present-day address is Fleming, it is primarily associated with the nearby Freedman’s Grove community.

Dixon Branch Missionary Baptist Church, Screven County

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A white building labeled 'Dixonbranch' with a porch and surrounding greenery, set against a backdrop of trees and a grassy area with visible grave markers in the distance.

Dixon Branch Missionary Baptist church is a historic Black congregation near Rocky Ford, organized by freedmen on 27 June 1871. The name refers to Dixon Branch, a nearby tributary of the Ogeechee River. There were many plantations in this area, and after emancipation, formerly enslaved people who had once been forced to worship with their enslavers desired their own places of worship. They likely met in a brush arbor for their earliest services but eventually built a formal church (circa 1900), which was a typical white clapboard structure, with a “wedding cake” steeple to the left. That structure was replace by the current building, but I haven’t been able to confirm a date.

A peaceful cemetery scene with several gravestones and flowers, shaded by a large tree, surrounded by green grass and trees in the background.

The small historic cemetery features a variety of memorials, ranging from vernacular to commercial, and many of the early families still have ties to the congregation. The examples presented here are completely random.

A weathered gravestone partially obscured by fallen leaves and surrounding foliage, featuring the engraved name 'F.J. Nelson.'
F. J. Nelson (birth and death dates unknown)

This simple marker memorializes someone who is now lost to history. I am always hopeful that someone will know these forgotten souls.

A weathered gravestone surrounded by tall grass and small plants in a cemetery.
Maud Singleton (21 May 1888-March 1897)

This memorial is of a typical vernacular style, featuring stenciled letters with a floral design. Maud Singleton was the young daughter of M. H. and G. A. Singleton.

A cemetery with several tombstones visible in a grassy area. In the foreground, a tall gravestone for R. Rease, born August 15, 1847, and died June 22, 1917, is prominently displayed next to a smaller stone marker.
R. Rease (15 March 1842-22 August 1907)

This commercial monument contains the sentiment: “A kind wife mourns in thee, a husband lost. The poor, a friend who felt, what friendship cost.”

Close-up of a gravestone with inscriptions indicating the date of birth and death, surrounded by grass and various flowers in the background.
Johnson Bradley (8 February 1868-9 March 1925)

Mr. Bradley, a Prince Hall Mason, was born in South Carolina to Joe and Nancy Bradley. His wife’s name was Lydia. His memorial contains the sentiment “There is rest in heaven”.

A gravestone for Deacon Arthur Oldredge, featuring an engraved image of a robed figure and inscriptions with his name, birth and death dates, and a biblical quote.
Deacon Arthur Oldredge Burke (27 December 1889-22 July 1964)

Deacon Burke was obviously an important member of Dixon Branch Missionary Baptist Church. His memorial may be the nicest in the cemetery. It features a Sacred Heart of Jesus relief, which is most often associated with the Catholic faith, though it has been adopted by Christians of all affiliations.

Gravestones of Rev. James and Ruby Cail in a cemetery, decorated with flowers and a small American flag between them.
Rev. James Cail (7 October 1931-30 November 2017) and Ruby Cail (28 July 1933-3 December 2015)

Rev. James and Ruby Cail led Dixon Branch Missionary Baptist Church for many years. A rosary adorns Mrs. Cail’s memorial.

A small building with a white exterior and a sloped roof, featuring a covered porch and double doors at the front. The sign above the entrance reads 'DIXONBRANCH'. Surrounding the building is a green lawn and some shrubs, with a reserved parking sign on the right.

Lost Landmark: Frawley’s Store Inspired Photographers and Served Generations of Fishermen

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Ruins of a historic store in Scarboro, Georgia.

Dee Dailey, whose family has deep connections to the history of Scarboro, recently contacted me with the sad news that the iconic Frawley’s Store building had collapsed. She noted that the area experienced a thunderstorm with strong winds the week before.

Ruins of Frawley's Store in Scarboro, Georgia.

From any angle, it’s obvious that the store is beyond repair. It’s an unfortunate, but not completely surprising fate, considering how long it has been abandoned. It is believed that the store was built by G. E. Burns in the early 1900s, though it is most associated with Mr. Hazel Frawley, a beloved local legend. Frawley’s was a favorite bait and snack stop for fishermen putting in at Scarboro Landing for generations, and according to Betty Jean Kirkland, hosted musicians and dances in later years.

A view of Scarboro Landing Bait and Tackle, after collapsing.

I feel lucky to have documented the landmark on many visits to Scarboro over the years.

Gable Front Cottage, Burroughs

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A small white house with blue trim and a falling roof, surrounded by lush greenery, in Burroughs, Georgia.

Burroughs was a community of formerly enslaved people in southwestern Chatham County who, in the 1870’s and 1880’s, were given the opportunity to buy the land they were living on from their former enslavers. Today, St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church and New Ogeechee Missionary Baptist Church are the tangible links to that past. Simple vernacular housing, such as the example pictured here, were once common in the community, but are rapidly vanishing.

Lax Holiness Baptist Church, Coffee County

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Lax Holiness Church in Irwin County, Georgia, featuring two wreaths on the double doors and surrounded by greenery and shrubs.

Lax Holiness Baptist Church, as it is known today, dates to the mid-1890s, contemporary to the establishment of Lax and the growth of the Holiness Baptist movement. (It is located in Coffee County, about 500 yards from the Irwin County line). The cemetery suggests the congregation is older, however. It was in use as early as the 1840s and saw a slow but steady number of burials in the decades between the 1840s and 1890s. Most of these early burials were connected to the Harper family, and the earliest burial I could identify was Leonard Harper (1788-1845). He and his wife, Susanna Brothers Harper (1792-1870), were pioneers of the area and their nine children were central to its growth. Leonard, a native of Liberty County, married Susanna, from South Carolina, in 1804, and they established their family in McIntosh County before relocating to the area of present-day Lax in the 1820s. Unless the cemetery began as a plantation or family cemetery, it was likely associated with a church, and that church eventually became Lax Holiness.

Interior view of Lax Holiness Church, featuring wooden pews and a wooden cross on the wall above the altar.

The Holiness Baptists of Georgia were formed by two congregations who were removed from the Little River Baptist Association in Wilcox County over doctrinal divisions.