Central Hallway Cottage, Euharlee
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Tag Archives: Georgia Vernacular Architecture
Militia District #851 Courthouse, 1890s, Euharlee
Euharlee was a part of Militia District #851, and this historic courthouse was the de facto center of justice in the rural community. It was nicely restored after years of neglect.
Calaboose, 1890s, Euharlee
The calaboose is located adjacent to the district courthouse.
Lowry Farm Dependency, Euharlee
Though identified here as a general store for the purposes of the historical park adjacent to the Euharlee Creek Covered Bridge, this structure was one of the original dependencies of the Lowry Farm, perhaps a smokehouse or storage barn. It dates to the latter half of the 19th century. The window is not original to the structure.
Euharlee Creek Covered Bridge, 1886, Bartow County
This Town Lattice covered bridge, the only one remaining in Bartow County, was built on Euharlee Creek in 1886 by Washington W. King. King was the son of former slave and master architect and bridge builder Horace King.
The historical marker erected in 2000 by the Georgia Historical Society and the Federal Highway Administration notes, in part: In 1886 the county contracted with Washington W. King…and Jonathan H. Burke for the construction of this 138-foot bridge…This bridge replaced several previous structures, the last having been built two years prior.
The bridge remained in use until the completion of a modern bridge circa 1980. Much of the material used to build the massive Plant Bowen nearby was hauled over this historic bridge.
Old Brick Mill, 1830s, Lindale
The Old Brick Mill at Lindale is the only surviving antebellum brick grist mill in Northwest Georgia and one of just a handful of surviving antebellum mills of any construction in Georgia. It was built of bricks made on site by enslaved people. Located on Silver Creek just across the road from the entrance to the Lindale Manufacturing Company, it is a favorite spot for photographers. Though it ceased operation as a grist mill in the late 1890s, it remained an important community landmark, serving as home to a local Garden Club, Boy Scout troop, and Masonic lodge at various times throughout the 20th century. The Lindale paper, The Georgia Free Lance, was also printed here around 1909.
The landmark, believed to have been built for Larkin Barnett in the 1830s, has seen various changes over time, including the loss of the mill race, the original wheel, and steps, but retains much of its structural integrity. Subsequent private owners and operators were William Cabe of Alabama [Silver Creek Mills], Jacob Henry Hoss [millwright], Joseph Fulcher, William Hemphill Jones, and Mary Jane & Sarah Elizabeth Jones. It ceased operation when it was purchased by the Massachusetts Mills. It was restored by the Lindale Garden Club, who won a National Award for Historic Preservation for their efforts, in 1975.
National Register of Historic Places
Cave Entrance, 1930s, Cave Spring
This structure, built of local stone by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s, marks the entrance to the limestone cave which gives the community its name. Two million gallons flow daily from the source, which has been a landmark since long before the establishment of the town in 1832.
In 1931 Dr. J. B. Rolater deeded the cave and 29 adjacent acres to the people of Cave Spring for use as a public park. In the early days local residents were allowed to tour the cave for free, while tourists were charged ten cents.
Rolater Park Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Avery Vann Cabin, 1810, Cave Spring
This hand-hewn cabin was built by Avery Vann, Jr., (1770-1845). Vann, a Scottish trader who married a Cherokee woman, was the brother of Cherokee Chief James Vann and his prominence in the area led to its designation as Vann’s Valley.
For many years, the structure was hidden within the walls of the old Webster-Green Hotel in downtown Cave Spring. When the hotel faced eminent demolition in 2009, the Cave Spring Historical Society led the effort to save the cabin and their work revealed this important aspect of Georgia history. After extensive research and careful restoration, the cabin was opened to the public in 2016. It is believed to be the second oldest extant Native American two-story residential structure.
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
Gable Front House, Liberty County
This is a typical house style of early-20th-century Coastal Georgia. This example is located near Midway.
Braswell Methodist Church, 1926, Paulding County
Braswell Methodist is one of the most fascinating vernacular church buildings in Georgia. Its small utilitarian size as well as its local interpretation of the church form might seem crude to some, but they are proof that most rural Georgians did the best with the materials they had available. It stands not only as a testament to the faith of this small historical congregation but as a work of art in itself.
In the 1880s, Henry Braswell and New Yorker William McCracken opened a timber business, focused on cross ties, in this section of Paulding County, and the nearby town was named for Braswell. It was a thriving village for about thirty years but was in decline by the 1920s. Mr. Braswell died in 1902 but not before donating land on Brushy Mountain for the purpose of building a Methodist Church. That congregation didn’t materialize until the early 1920s and this unique little church was completed around Christmas Day, 1926, with the first services coming early in the New Year of 1927. The church disbanded many years ago and is now owned by the City of Braswell.
Recently, a group of concerned local citizens, including descendants of members, has led an effort to restore the church.