This modern commissary was built by Henry Ford in 1941 to provide groceries, fresh meat, vegetables, and general merchandise to the employees of Richmond Hill Plantation. It also served as the market for the local community.
Zion Baptist Church was established in 1899 and was an important part of the African-American community of lower Bryan County for half of the 20th century. It originated as a wood frame prayer house. Prayer houses, [also known as praise houses], which first appeared on plantations, were characteristic landmarks of the Gullah-Geechee communities that dominated the Georgia Coast before the Great Migration. Few have survived.
According to Eugene Harris, who attended this church in his youth, the present structure was built circa 1950. Church members who worked in the cement business chose to rebuild with cinderblock for the longevity the material would provide. By this time, however, the congregation was dwindling. This quaint little building was abandoned in the early 1960s. In 2019, Mr. Harris, who returned to Richmond Hill after service in the Air Force, decided to restore the prayer house, which was overgrown with weeds and brush and in deteriorating condition. He took on the project as a one-man job but soon got assistance from the community, who raised nearly $5000 and contributed countless hours and materials to the effort. It is a living monument to the culture it represents, ultimately a place for prayer and quite reflection. And it’s proof that one man’s vision can save a piece of overlooked history for everyone to appreciate.
This is one of several important vernacular houses in Gardi. This example appears to have originated as a single-pen form, with an added small wing. The wing has the unusual convenience of its own door opening to the porch.
I’ve noticed this neat handmade sign many times driving between Jesup and Brunswick over the years, but until recently had never seen the associated church. Thanks to Pastor Evelyn Jackson, the first woman to lead the congregation, for making me aware of this interesting place and for sharing its history.
Pastor Jackson writes: “The Smith Grove Baptist Church was…organized in…1923 and named after its founder, the Rev. Squire Q. Smith and his wife Hattie Smith. He served as Pastor from 1923-1928. He passed away in 1928. The church was originally a wood structure.“
“The [present] church building was constructed by two former Pastors who are now deceased. I became the first female pastor in May of 2003. Renovations have been done in the sanctuary and kitchen area since I became the Pastor. The church membership is small and the members are the descendants of Rev. Squire Q. Smith.”
“Additionally, there is a history of well-known singers who originated with this family. There was first The West Sisters. They were the granddaughters of Rev. Smith. Then The West Singers, which were a combination of the original sisters and nieces. They no longer sing together.”
“The Mighty Fives originated with the sons of the West Sisters. They started as youth singing all over the area. They are now in their fifties and still singing occasionally.”
The church has services on Second Sundays at 11AM.
This little building was home to a ceramics studio known as the Nancy Fore Ceramics Cottage. Nancy Fore (1911-1994) was the wife of beekeeper Troy Fore, Sr. (1907-1976) who owned the Altamaha Apiaries and the iconic “Fancy Honey” building around the corner.
This was the home of the Fore family who owned the beloved “Fancy Honey” building next door.
The core of this house is an outstanding example of what I believe to be a late-19th-century hall-and-parlor cottage. It has been expanded and modified as have other examples of vernacular houses in Gardi, but the original house is a representative example. It also includes a preacher room that appears to have been turned into a sleeping porch at some point.
This was a new discovery for me yesterday. It’s obviously a general store, judging by the form, and has long been closed. The middle of the building is sagging so badly that my initial though was that it won’t be around much longer, but it has likely looked like this for a long time. They don’t build them like this anymore.
This expanded central hallway cottage features a vernacular Craftsman portico and shed garages on both sides.
I don’t recall the location of this house, but I found it in my Long County folders. I believe it was built in the late 1800s and is a great example of a central hallway cottage, expanded for a growing family.
This little building is definitely a barn today, but the screen door on the front indicates it may indeed have once been a country store. The signs identify it as Blocker’s Grocery. I’m not sure it was originally located in this spot, but it’s a great preservation of a bygone era, either way. I miss those old Sunbeam bread signs.