Tag Archives: Lost Structures & Landmarks of Georgia

Farm Warehouse, New Era

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I made this photograph in 2008 and rediscovered it when I began re-editing my Sumter County images. The historic, largely forgotten New Era community holds a special place for me as a photographer of rural subjects. Its owners have allowed it to stand, long after it was abandoned, and in doing so they preserved a living museum of a certain place and time. They appreciated what it represented. Letting it go back to the elements is just part of that process.

This was a huge building, almost certainly serving an agricultural purpose. The front section at right was probably an office, while the remainder was a gin and/or warehouse. As best I can tell, the structure has since collapsed or was razed.

Sumter County’s Historic Teel Plantation House Dismantled

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This vernacular Greek Revival cottage, built for John Teel between 1836-1840, was one of the most important remaining antebellum houses in Sumter County. As the centerpiece of an historic plantation and farm that have been cultivated for nearly two centuries, it represented both the history of slavery and sharecropping. Teel owned 16 slaves and they almost certainly were integral to the construction of the house. The family who have long owned it did important stabilization work, most obviously by adding a new roof to protect it, so it was a shock to learn today that it has been dismantled and the architectural elements being sold. If you are preservation-minded and can afford the price tag, it might be a good investment.

National Register of Historic Places

Harden Lumber Company Store & Office, Circa 1914, Forsyth

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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.

Historic House Being Dismantled in Wrens

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Through photos shared in social media, I’ve learned that this house, known as the Marcus McNair House, is presently being dismantled. I believe the lumber and other elements are being salvaged. This is an important vernacular house and it’s my understanding that it has remained in the same family since it was built in 1884. I’m glad I was able to document it and am glad the family did their best to save the house as long as they could. It’s very expensive to maintain these large old houses and in some cases, the liabilities outweigh the benefits. Preservation should always be the first option, but it’s not for me, or anyone else, to judge what someone does with their own property. I’m sure it was a difficult decision to go forward with this process.

Wishbone Fried Chicken, Tifton

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We made a lot of trips to Tifton when I was growing up in the 1970s, visiting the pediatrician and shopping, and Wishbone Fried Chicken was a great fast food place back in those days. It was located right downtown, across from what was then the Big Star shopping center on Love Avenue. Some of you may remember that Big Star was a grocery chain. I don’t remember shopping there, but we did on occasion. I just remember they had a televised horse race once a week and you could win cash and groceries if your horse “won” the race.

The last I heard, Wishbone in Tifton was closed but the sign was still there. I wish I could find out more about it. I know there’s one in Newnan, with the same kind of sign, so it may have been a franchise.

Update: Susan Anderson writes: I can confirm that the sign is now down, it was just taken down in the last few months. The building will soon be a new restaurant.

Hinesville First United Methodist Church, 1942

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This church was built in 1942 and dedicated in 1944. This photograph dates to 2011 and the structure is now gone, replaced by a newer facility in the past few years. The main sanctuary building, next door, was completed in 1985 and is still in use.

From the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, a bit of background on the congregation: In 1837, when the town of Hinesville was laid out, a plot was reserved for the Methodist Church. This site was adjacent to the courthouse, where Bradwell Park is now. A small frame building was built on the lot reserved for the church and it was there that Methodism in Hinesville began to grow. By 1845, the church had a Sunday school and, by 1890, the Woman’s Missionary Society had twenty-five members. In March 1900, a group of Hinesville ladies banded together to form a Ladies Aid Society which made special efforts to raise funds for the church building. In 1901, this group paid for new shingles for the roof, two chandeliers, and six bracket lamps...Under the pastorate of Rev. C. B. Ray, construction of a new church began in 1941 [the one pictured here]. Work was completed in 1942, under Rev. J. W. Patterson, and was dedicated on September 4, 1944, with Bishop Arthur J. Moore delivering the dedicatory sermon.

Union Primitive Baptist Church, 1860-1995, Miller County

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This illustration [I will credit the artist if I can locate a name] depicts the old Union Primitive Baptist Church, a county landmark which stood near Colquitt until it was destroyed by a tornado and razed in 1995. The cemetery on the site of the church is known as Primitive Union for some reason. A memorial ensures the history of the congregation will be remembered for generations to come.

Georgia Cigar & Soda Company Ruins, Waycross

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Waycross native Ben Hagen recently reached out to let me know about this structure in the process of being razed, in downtown Waycross. He noted: …The siding which had covered it for decades had been removed, and a number of great old ads were visible, including Coca-Cola, Chero Cola, a Nash/Oakland auto dealership, and more that I can’t make out...

It was located beside the US Highway 84 overpass at Francis Street and was originally two stories.

The primary signage on the front of the building, as seen in the first image, and below, indicate it may have been home to the Georgia Cigar & Soda Company.

As Ben noted, there were quite a few ads for other business on the side of the building, including Coca-Cola. My guess is that the proximity to the busy highway may have made the location a perfect spot for advertising, before the proliferation of stand-alone billboards.

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I’m hoping some of my Waycross friends will know.

Old Hospital, Fitzgerald

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2008

Fitzgerald’s first general hospital was built in the late 1920s or early 1930s to replace Dr. Dudley B. Ware’s much smaller convalescent hospital on Central Avenue.

My grandmother worked here in the 1950s and my mother and father were born here. It was used by the community until 1974 when a more modern facility, Dorminy Memorial Hospital [now Dorminy Medical Center] opened. When I was growing up, the hospital housed the Cooperative Extension office and other governmental offices.

It was lost to arson in 2012.

Shiloh Church, DeSoto

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This historic church was located just outside DeSoto near Chokee Creek. The photo dates to 2008, and I think the church is gone now. I haven’t been able to track down any history of the congregation but I believe it was African-American.

Note: Originally published on 20 April 2009 as “Abandoned Church, DeSoto”