This house, which has been identified as the Allen Johnston House, was razed in the past few days. Debate continues as to the date and early ownership of the house, which local sources cite as circa 1858. While a few hand-hewn beams were visible in the ruins, most of the carpentry appears to be later than 1858. Even if the house as it appeared before demolition dated to the 1890s, as some have suggested, it would be one of the oldest in Ludowici.
The chimneys are all that remain.
These storefronts were already in ruins when I photographed them in 2013. One of the last businesses located here was Robinson’s Fried Chicken, as the sign indicated. W. F. Maxwell recently wrote that at this location: “…was once a Sinclair gas station, a bus stop for Greyhound, a small restaurant and purveyor of ice cream, candies, etc. It was owned by my maternal Grandaddy, J. L. Griffin whose wife, Mattie, was the restaurateur...” He went on to say that they were torn down some time after 2016.
Note: This replaces and updates a post originally published on 16 August 2013.
I just discovered this photograph, made in 2009, of an unidentified structure in Jacksonville. Because of its proximity to the Thomas Hardy Jackson house, visible in the background, I’m identifying it as a dependency of that property until I learn otherwise. Sadly, both structures are long gone, replaced by a Dollar General. It’s common to find barns and sheds alongside old houses, as space was at a premium, and these dependencies are usually easy to identify. I’m a bit stumped by this one, however. It’s very small and, unusually, has a window. Barns don’t generally have windows. I wonder if it could have been unrelated to the house and perhaps served some other purpose. It has a similar appearance to precinct houses I’ve documented in the past, but this example seems a bit small for that. If anyone from Jacksonville knows, please share.
This house was the center of a small farm that was kept up for many years, even when no one lived here. The photograph dates to 2010; the house was recently demolished. There are still barns on the property, painted bright red like the house.
Another barn from deep in the archives, this one was photographed in 2010. I believe it collapsed a few years later, but cannot confirm at this time. It was located somewhere off Five Bridge Road and was notably larger than other tobacco barns I’ve documented in Irwin County.
This photo dates to 2010; the barn is no longer standing.
I photographed this little house numerous times over the years and it finally collapsed in 2018. There was a large shed room that ran across the back side and continued into a small wing, visible behind the tree at right, but it was essentially a classic example of the hall and parlor style often associated with tenant housing. I like to imagine it in its younger days, when someone took care of it and called it home.
It’s strange how an otherwise nondescript structure can become a landmark, but that’s just what this little shed, sided with blue shingles, was for me. Located at the Mobley Bluff Road, just off the Ocmulgee River, it appears to have been a pump house or shed of some sort. I drove past it hundreds of times over the years. It was recently lost to Hurricane Helene. This photograph was made circa 2008.
This house was located in western Ben Hill County in the Aster or Sunflower Road area, near Arp. The photograph was made in 2004 and the house was razed soon thereafter. Unfortunately, this is the best quality file I’ve been able to locate. I’m re-editing my Ben Hill County images now and am republishing this (a different version was originally published in 2008) with the hope that someone will know more about the house. It was one of the special places that inspired the work I do now.
I learned yesterday that Cumorah Church, believed to be the oldest surviving Mormon (LDS) structure in the Southeast, was a victim of Hurricane Helene. The abandoned church was already in a poor state of repair but was a landmark to many. Now, it is but a pile of boards and tin. So much history was represented in this building. Those pioneer missionaries came to unfamiliar lands and were met with suspicion and unwelcoming locals but still they persisted and managed to nurture a small community. That this building survived so long was a testament to their original mission and its loss is notable.