I really like this structure, which appears to be a residence or cabin in its present incarnation, but may have served another purpose before being expanded for residential use. It’s certainly vernacular but the expansion makes it more eclectic to me. I first published this photograph in 2014 and have never been able to learn anything about it. I can just imagine it having been a barber shop or little country store. I’m probably way off, but it’s fun to guess.
This was photographed in 2014 and I don’t know if it survives. For lack of a better term I’m calling it a tenant duplex, as it appears to have been two separate residences.
I photographed this farmhouse in 2014. I don’t know if it’s still standing. It may be an early prefabricated example, i.e. a kit house.
This historic African-American congregation near Cox was established in the 1890s but that’s all the information I’ve been able to locate so far. I’m guessing there was an earlier Woodland Church, hence the name.
Grace Baptist Church is an important vernacular Gothic Revival church and has been a landmark of Darien’s Gullah-Geechee community since its construction circa 1910-1915. Though segregated, the community was well-established in Darien and several architecturally significant historic churches from the first generations after Emancipation can still be found throughout the historic district, including First African Baptist, St. Cyprian’s, and St. John Baptist. A petition to to save the church can be accessed and signed here. According to Missy Brandt Wilson, notable names associated with the church include the Bleach and Stewart families, who found their way back to relatives in Darien after being sold during the Weeping Time, and W. H. Rogers, the only African-American member of the Georgia General Assembly in 1907.
In recent years, it was home to Emmanuel House of Prayer in Historic Grace, but the congregation has apparently been inactive for a long time. A tree fall impacted the rear section of the building a few years ago and lack of repair has led to encroachment of wildlife and vegetation. The collapsed section of roof is evident and has begun “pushing out” the left side of the cruciform. As a result, the city of Darien has designated the property dangerous and unfit, and will likely condemn it in the near future. Their concern is understandable, but hopefully, they will work with advocates who want to see it saved.
The stained glass windows are thought to have been placed during the 1930s.
They are perhaps the most endearing feature of the design.
Though they look damaged, most are in good condition. The blur effect is from plastic placed on the windows to protect from moisture. Note the collapsing roof at the right in this photo.
I think the loss of this resource would be a tragedy, not just for its aesthetic value but for its historic connections.
Since I don’t know what is being planned, I can only hope that signing a petition will help in a small way. Saving the church should at least be something the city will consider. It’s definitely worth saving.
Vernon Square-Columbus Square Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This gable-front bungalow was built by Theodor “Teddy” Atkinson (1923-2016) in 1947. It’s typical of a style very common locally in the first half of the 20th century. If you like vernacular architecture, Darien has some nice examples in its historic district.
With plantings of emblematic Southern shrubs such as camellia and azalea, cabbage palms and canna lilies, I would say this yard is of a Southern style once nearly ubiquitous but not much encountered anymore. The burning barrel was ever-present in yards of another time, as well, and many still use them. But it made me think of the old days.
This house is very small, about 616 square feet, and I believe it’s a two-room hall and parlor design. It’s not one of the grander historic homes in Clinton, but an interesting survivor of utilitarian design, nonetheless. It’s not a contributing structure to the Old Clinton Historic District, but deserves documentation. It was someone’s home.
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.
The central hallway house may be one of the most common types in rural Georgia. This one, likely dating to the late 19th century, has a nice screened-in front porch.
I photographed this interesting structure in 2018 and it has since been demolished. It has been identified as the company store and office of the Harden Lumber Company, which became the Vaughn Lumber Company in 1947. But Brenda Banks recalls: It was a store owned by a lady we called Mrs. Mitchell. I used to live near the store on Railroad Ave. Later I moved to Brooklyn Ave and patronized the store everyday until I moved to another location across town. It was a store on one side and and Mrs. Mitchell and her sister/daughter lived on the other side of the house. This was back in the 50s and 60s.
I believe it was originally just a commissary and was later expanded to include offices. lt was part of a group of buildings near the railroad tracks related to the lumber business. Some of the lumber sheds remain, as does the more modern office building of the Vaughn Lumber Company, across the road from this building. This is part of a larger neighborhood known as Trippton.