This is a wonderful example of the Mediterranean [Italian] Renaissance Revival style, which was extremely popular during the Roaring Twenties.
Note: This replaces a post which originally appeared in 2018.
In 2013, I shared a post about this house, and identified it as the Allen Johnston House. The identification was made by people in Ludowici and there is some debate as to whether that is correct; nonetheless, it’s likely the oldest house in Ludowici and a recent clearing of the property is concerning.
Though parts of the house appear to be structurally sound, the eastern section is collapsing from the second floor down. According to previous comments, the house was still occupied in the early 1990s.
I believe this was originally the rear of the house but the entrance may have been switched to this side at some point in its history. There is more Ludowici Tile on this structure than on any other, to my knowledge, in Long County. Since the tile factory was in operation in the earliest part of the 20th century, the roof would have been a later addition, like the porches.
The kitchen was also attached to the house, as seen here.
This striking Neoclassical farmhouse has been one of Bleckley County’s best-loved landmarks for over a century.
This Ludowici Tile-roofed farmhouse has always been a landmark in my travels. It’s an unusual example of a common vernacular form [saddlebag]. Virginia Tarrer identified it as her home and added: …we redid it around 1976. [It] used to be at the bottom of the hill in Ideal, it was a railroad foreman’s house and was moved to this location but I have no idea what year. She notes that they purchased the home from the Clifford Hines family and that the Cannon family were also earlier owners.
The Ludowici Roof Tile Company opened a factory in Johnston Station, Georgia in 1904. This large structure was its de facto community center and also provided lodging for traveling executives, salesmen and contractors.
The tiny settlement of Johnston Station was renamed in honor of William Ludowici, who donated most of the money required to build a schoolhouse in the overnight boomtown . The economic impact of the factory was massive and during its ten years in operation, it provided over 2 million square feet of roofing materials for government buildings in the Panama Canal Zone. After Ludowici Roof Tile left town in 1914, the Club House was generally used as residential housing.
John A. Brown, who made this photograph circa 1965 and graciously shared it with me, recalls that his Brown grandparents lived here during World War I, when it was owned by a Lang (Laing?) family. He also remembers a spring-fed pool on the property. His grandfather and a partner were in a cross-tie business known as Kendricks & Brown who had a government contract during World War I. I believe it was used as a boarding house but it may have also been rented to single families. I’m not sure when it was torn down, either, but it was likely not too long after this photograph was made.
This Mediterranean Revival house is also known as the Matthews-Lynch House.
Athens-Candler-Church Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
In the 1890s John H. Winder, an engineer and manager with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, was instrumental in bringing the line through the hamlet of Jug Tavern. The residents were so grateful they renamed the settlement Winder in his honor. Soon, the area experienced rapid growth and the new town became an important stop between Athens and Atlanta. This depot was erected in 1912, to reflect the newfound prosperity of the city. It remains a well-loved landmark today.
National Register of Historic Places
This historic elementary School was designed by noted Valdosta architect Lloyd Greer. It was last used as an alternative school.
Thank to Chuck Ramsey, and James Horton, for the identification and background.
Quitman Historic District, National Register of Historic Place
A restoration in the 1970s essentially “modernized” the interior of the Lavonia Depot, dropping ceilings and obscuring important structural details. An historically accurate second restoration, completed in 2012, returned the depot to its rightful place as the anchor of the historic downtown. It now houses a welcome center and offices.
Lavonia Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Greenville Street-LaGrange Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places