I’ve always liked this home, located across the street from the courthouse in Crawfordville. It’s difficult to classify, at least for me, but those with more knowledge have identified the type as a vernacular interpretation of the Neoclassical Revival style. My best guess for a date would be circa 1890-1910.
Crawfordville Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
The gabled-ell or winged gable form is one of the most common of the vernacular house types of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in rural Georgia. Most of these originated as small central hallway or hall-and-parlor houses and were expanded as a family’s needs required more space.
This photo was made in 2015 and I believe it was on Nolan Store Road. I’m not sure if it was near the Nolan Plantation, though.
This home is the center of an historic Centennial Farm, a designation meaning the property has been actively farmed by one family for at least a century. There were several historic outbuildings present, as well, but I was only able to get a shot of the house, which was later expanded into a winged-gable form.
I’ve also seen this referenced as Crossroads Primitive Baptist Church. The adjacent cemetery is quite large, with many older graves.
St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church was established in the 1890s and built their first home on West Fifth Street. John Caesar is thought to have been the first pastor. Other pastors were F. D. Hightower, J. W. Hall, A. R. Cooper, B. Gay, and J. E. Brown.
The church bought this lot on North Maple Street in 1922 and built the present structure around that time. C. W. Harris was pastor at the time.
Renovations were made in 2002, under the leadership of Reverend Jasper Drew.
This is another example of the popular utilitarian gable front form. It required only basic carpentry skills and as a result, numerous variations were built. This one is adjacent to St. James A.M.E. Church and may have had some connection.
Mt. Pleasant Christian Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1891, but the names of the organizers are unknown with the exception of the first Pastor who was a Reverend Home. Early services were held in an arbor and a simple church building was constructed soon thereafter. In 1910, during the pastorate of J. H. Davis, the present church was erected. It’s one of the oldest African-American congregations in Adel.
This could also be identified as a shotgun house, though it’s slightly larger than most examples of that form.
Oaky Grove Primitive Baptist Church was constituted on 22 February 1890 as a member congregation of the Brushy Creek Association. Elder John Churchwell was the Moderator. Founding members were: David S. Robinson; Nancy F. Robinson; David M. Robinson; Melissa Robinson; Eliza Baker; Martha Baker; Peter C. Lastinger; Joanna Lastinger; Elder Jacob Young; Elder John Churchwell; and Fredonia Churchwell. It was constituted in the Union Association on 9 August 1929.
The church and cemetery property were given to the congregation by David S. Robinson in consideration for the love of the dead and the Church of God, on 26 March 1904. I’m unsure, considering this fact, if the church building dates to circa 1890 or 1904. It’s an unusually decorative example among the Primitive Baptist churches I’ve encountered in South Georgia and a real landmark in this sense. The church yard and cemetery are very well-maintained.
This information was taken from the granite marker [visible at right in above photographs] placed by descendants of David S. & Nancy Robinson in 1974.
This small farmhouse is an exemplar of the central hallway form, including shed rooms at the rear, and has been wonderfully maintained. The decorative porch posts are a notable feature.
