Zuta takes it name from the Zuta Branch of the Cowpen Swamp, a feature of the Altamaha River floodplain. The swamps and the community are found on both sides of US 341 and defining Zuta proper would be impossible. But it is on the map.
Among my earliest photographs for Vanishing Georgia, this depicts a single-pen house with a shed room, located in the historic Mount Pleasant community of southeastern Wayne County. I’m not sure if it’s still standing, or whether it was original to the location.
Information about Mount Pleasant is scarce, but it had a post office from 1855-1948. Along with short-lived sites at Chauncey’s Ferry (1849-1850), Pendarvis’s Store (1849-1858), (Linder’s Bluff (1854-1857), and Bennettsville (1855-1859), it was one of the first communities in Wayne County to have an official post office.
Located between the Altamaha River and Mount Pleasant, Union Baptist Church is among the oldest congregations in Wayne County. The churchyard and cemetery are beautifully maintained.
My preliminary inclination is to identify this as a shotgun house even though the facade has more of a storefront appearance. The photograph dates to 2013.
This structure is an interesting example of the complications I occasionally encounter with identifications. The sides of the building, unlike the plank front, are board-and-batten, and there’s no sign of a chimney, but I think the sides were updated.
The lack of a chimney initially led me to think this was a barn, but the door placement and original shake roof indicate this was a tenant house, or perhaps a kitchen. It has obviously been purposefully preserved as an important landmark of the historic farm on which it’s located.
The gabled-ell is among the most common farmhouse types in Georgia; this is a very utilitarian example. Aesthetically, the old car is a great complement to the house.
This is another image from my archives, circa 2013. I believe it was a central hallway house which lost its front porch at some time.
This small house is a nice example of the utilitarian double-pen form. Pen is another word for room. The added space at the back is a common amendment to the form.
If you’ve followed this website over the years, you’re likely familiar with the “gabled-ell” form, so named for its overall “L” shape, and an expansion of the central hallway house type. They are among the most common types of old farmhouses remaining in rural Georgia, though they are often found abandoned. They remain because they were built so well and are a testament to the skills of their builders.
These photos was made in 2013 somewhere near the crossroads settlement of McGregor. I’m unsure if the house is still standing.
This house is as much a landmark as the nearby grocery store in the Five Points community. It’s a good example of the gabled-wing form, which is often an evolution of a central hallway form. In most cases, it’s presumed that these structures incorporate a formerly detached kitchen via an enclosed hallway. They can be found throughout the state.