Tag Archives: Lost Structures & Landmarks of Georgia

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.

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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.

Queen Anne Cottage, Mount Vernon

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I photographed this house in 2013. I believe it was on South Railroad Street but have since lost my notes from the trip and am not positive as to location. It’s definitely in Montgomery County.

Top Ten Posts of 2022

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With nearly a million views, these are our most popular posts of 2022. Thanks for traveling with me and for making all this possible.

#1- House Creek Boils, Wilcox County

#2- Apartment Houses, St. Simons Island

#3- Peches Stand, Putnam County

#4- Elizabeth Durden House, 1840s, Emanuel County

#5- Hunter’s Cafe, 1951, Shellman Bluff

#6- Package Store, Jeff Davis County

#7- Best Biskits by a Dam Site, Hartwell

#8- Flint River Diving Trees, Meriwether County

#9- Amanda America Dickson House, 1871, Hancock County

#10- Stonewall J. Williams Plantation, 1880s, Screven County

C. M. Copeland Workshop, Fitzgerald

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I made these photographs in 2019, a few months before this structure was razed. For most of my life, it was known as C. M. Copeland’s workshop and studio. I believe it was originally a neighborhood grocery store but I can’t confirm that at this time.

C. M. Copeland, Fitzgerald, 1977 [detail]. Library of Congress. Public domain.

C. M. Copeland (15 July 1916-4 February 2000) was a brilliant wood carver, best known for his sculptures of wildlife made with cypress knees. He was often referred to as “The Happy Wood Carver”. He was also a banjo picker and folk singer, who had a radio show on local radio station WBHB with Wimpy Fowler, The Wimpy and Jigs Show.

C. M. Copeland Treasures in Wood, Fitzgerald, 1977. Library of Congress. Public domain.

He was documented by folklorists for the South Georgia Folklife Project in 1977, both for his picking and his carving.

Wimpy Fowler and C. M. Copeland, Fitzgerald, 1977. Library of Congress. Public domain.

At the time of the South Georgia Folklife Project photographs, his shop was a few blocks down the road from this location. This structure was adjacent to his home and I believe he moved his operations here sometime after 1977 for the sake of convenience.

Hall-and-Parlor Farmhouse, Ben Hill County

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I photographed this house, which was located near the Fitzgerald Airport, in 2010. It had collapsed by 2017 [or earlier]. The hall-and-parlor form is often associated with tenant housing in South Georgia, though many tenants ended up owning the houses and using them as residences after the sharecropping era.

Garland Grave Houses, Hancock County

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These grave houses, which I photographed at Mt. Hope Methodist cemetery in Hancock County in 2010, are still among my favorites. Sadly, they were in poor condition and were gone by 2016. They protected the final resting place of James M. Garland (31 March 1827-19 May 1912) & Mary E. Garland (10 September 1836-9 November 1888) and though they are difficult to date, were likely placed around the time of Mr. Garland’s death in 1912.

Grave houses may be as old as architecture itself, as a protection for the deceased. There are myriad forms scattered throughout North America and they were widely used by Native peoples; in the South they are more common in mountain communities than elsewhere. The Garland grave houses are of the framed picket variety, similar to fencing.

It’s amazing to think that these lasted for a century. As with most examples made of wood, they are quite vulnerable to the elements. The first ones I ever saw, at the Dickson Cemetery in my home county of Ben Hill, were very elaborate and sadly, by the time I wanted to photograph them, they were already lost. If you see any or know of any, please share them with me.