Tag Archives: Georgia Vernacular Architecture

General Store, Oglethorpe

3 Replies

I made this photo a few years ago. I think it was near the old New York Store just outside Oglethorpe. I’m identifying it as a general store, thought it looks like it may have been something else more recently. Some of my Brown relatives in Macon County (maiden name in this case) once owned a store in the country, according my father and aunt, and I’ve been looking through a lot of photographs trying to find out if it’s still standing. I have no idea of the name, or even a precise location. Places like this were once landmarks in the areas they served, so no matter how simple they are I try to document them when I see them.

Shotgun Store, Oglethorpe

1 Reply

The first time I photographed this building, about 15 years ago, it was painted yellow and known as the Court House Deli. It’s located across the street from the Macon County Courthouse. It’s now known as the Bowlegged Grill and was still open the last time I was in the area. I believe it was a originally a store or office and is typical of the shotgun form buildings that were once common as commercial and office spaces.

Tenant Farmhouse, Coffee County

Leave a reply

I photographed this house in 2013, somewhere between Lax and Douglas. It’s an old single-pen tenant house that had a room added on at some point. The shake roof, peeking out beneath the tin, was what caught my attention. I’d be surprised if it’s still standing, but these places often surprise me.

Folk Victorian Cottage, Ambrose

2 Replies

I photographed this house in 2009 and it was in bad condition then, as the photograph indicates. It was a winged gable cottage with Victorian details on the front porch, likely built between the 1890s-1920. The only view I was able to get was from the side, unfortunately. I suspect it is long gone by now.

Mora, Georgia

Leave a reply

Mora has always been an out-of-the way place, but was once a busy farming community. It had a post office from 1910-1917 but I can’t locate an origin for the name, which is pronounced “more-A” (think Moray Eel). Judging by road names and comments about Vickers Store, the Nugent and Vickers family were early settlers in the area, and the old Vickers store is visible in the foreground. The white building in the distance was also a store with a built-in residence. I used to have more information about it, but have misplaced it in my archives. This photo dates to circa 2009-2010. Satellite views online show many more vehicles parked around the Vickers Store today. I haven’t been through the area in many years.

Gabled-Ell Farmhouse, Coffee County

3 Replies

I photographed this old farmhouse on Herschel Vickers Road in 2009 and again in 2011. It looked about the same both times, but I imagine it’s gone today. Places like this have been sentinels in my dirt road travels for nearly a quarter century but are becoming rarer today. Most are just victims of time and the weather.

I-House, Toombs County

1 Reply

This appears to be an early I-House (also known as Plantation Plain, though for lack of a better identification this house is more I-house than Plantation Plain) but the chimney is obviously not original. The small second floor windows along the front facade are not unique, but I’ve only seen a few similar examples.

The height of the house suggests it may have originated as a central hallway cottage with a small second story added later. The shed rooms at the back are also an addition. I hope to learn more.

Piney Green Baptist Church & Cemetery, Toombs County

1 Reply

I don’t have a history for Piney Green Baptist Church, but it’s a relatively old congregation. There are some noteworthy vernacular memorials in the adjacent cemetery.

There are a couple of wooden grave markers, of a style broadly referred to as “head-and-shoulders”. There are two lying on the ground in front of this example.

The wooden marker has been painted.

Della McLeod (12 July 1917-20 April1930) – Daughter of Mr. & Mrs. C. H. McLeod

There are also the usual concrete memorials, with stenciled and handwritten text.

Annie B. Simpkins (5 November 1909-2 May 1910)

This marker is a good example of the handwritten variety, and has a shape and form imagined by its maker. I don’t think a form was used.

As this side view illustrates, a wedge of concrete was placed at the front for support; this is an unusual modification.

Alvira or Elvira? Dixon (8 October 1935-November 194?)

The crack in this handwritten memorial is indicative of just how vulnerable these vernacular objects are.

This grave is adorned with a pot, which had some connection to the decedent. This remains a common practice in many African-American cemeteries.

Jordan Stream Missionary Baptist Church, Toombs County

Leave a reply

Jordan Stream (sometimes spelled Jordon) is an historic African-American congregation near Lyons, best known for its connection to Charles Hicks, a former slave who served his owner during the Civil War before being conscripted into service with the United States Colored Troops. More about him in the next post.

Mr. Hicks was instrumental in establishing the first school for Black children in Toombs County at the original Jordan Stream Baptist Church, which was a wooden two-steeple church. I’m not sure when the present structure was built, but since the school was only established in the early 1930s, it’s likely that this building dates to the 1940s or 1950s. The church was affiliated with the Missionary Baptists at some point. It is no longer active, but the descendants of Mr. Hicks do their best to maintain the building and the adjacent cemetery. They are attempting to have it listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Central Hallway Cottage, Alston

1 Reply

This central hallway cottage, located on the edge of town in Alston, may have been a tenant property. There’s an historic farm nearby. The house probably dates to circa 1900-1910. Note the preacher’s room on the front porch. It has begun to pull away from the rest of the house.