Tag Archives: National Register of Historic Places

Graves-McCoy House, 1886, Bainbridge

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According to a “Heritage Tour of Historic Homes” brochure: This Victorian-era home was built by James Ralph Graves. Mr. Graves was a Bainbridge alderman and deacon of First Presbyterian Church. The Bainbridge Democrat reported on March 6, 1884, that “James R. Graves is improving his new lot preparatory to building a house.” The house originally sat on four acres, contained 3,800 square feet, and had a detached kitchen. It cost $1500 and took five years to build.

The home’s Queen Anne and Carpenter Gothic elements blend nicely to make one of the most interesting Victorians in Bainbridge. It was for sale when I photographed and first published it in 2010. I hope it found a new owner and that it retains its wonderful appearance.

Bainbridge Residential Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Donalson-Rollins House, 1898, Bainbridge

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Local lumber baron John Ernest Donalson (1846-1920), for whom nearby Donalsonville, Georgia, was named, built this house in 1898. In addition to his vast holdings with the Donalson Lumber Company, he was a Confederate veteran, well-known Georgia entrepreneur, lawyer, and judge. Bainbridge was the center of his business operations.

The Queen Anne home, possibly a George Barber design, originally featured Tiffany stained-glass windows, but they were removed by a later owner and sold. The house is also said to have been the first in Bainbridge to feature wire window screens, quite an innovation at the time.

Bainbridge Residential Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

First Baptist Church, 1920, Bainbridge

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I haven’t been able to locate much information about this congregation, but it’s certainly among the oldest in Bainbridge. Considering the early establishment date of the town (1824), there was a probably a Baptist presence in that decade. The earliest known history at this time suggests that local congregants first met in the old “Log House” of the Methodists and built their first permanent home in 1852. It was sold in 1892 and a larger sanctuary was built on the same site. Considering that it was moved, it was likely a small frame structure, typical of the time. Construction on the present structure began in 1916 but was not completed until 1920, due to delays brought on by World War I. Wayne Carter writes that James E. Green was the architect. Green practiced in Birmingham, and designed several churches there.

Bainbridge Residential Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Note: This updates and replaces a post originally published on 8 September 2010.

Temple Beth El, 1916, Bainbridge

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Abraham Ehrlich, born in Gehause, Germany in 1841, was one of the first Jewish settlers in Bainbridge, moving to the community from Valdosta in 1869. A peddler by trade, he served in the Georgia infantry in the Civil War, and was wounded at Chickamauga. His brothers, Henry and Lewis, migrated from Germany after the war. Abraham and Henry established a dry goods business in Bainbridge and Lewis had a butcher shop. Abraham died from an infection in the wound he received at Chickamauga. Lewis and Henry became the leaders of the local Jewish community, which soon included the Kwilecki and Nussbaum families.

The Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities notes that by 1878, an estimated 53 Jews lived in Bainbridge. Most of the male breadwinners worked in retail trade. This growing number of Jews began to meet together. In 1900, Rosalie Kwilecki began a Sunday School to teach the tenets of Judaism to her community, and remained its leader for over 50 years. The Reform congregation was established in 1902 and met in members’ homes until the dedication of this synagogue in 1916. The Jewish community in Bainbridge peaked in 1927 with over 220 members. By 1937, the American Jewish Year Book counted just 42 Jews in Bainbridge, largely due to the effects of the Great Depression.

Beth El’s membership continued to dwindle over the decades but remained an active small community. In 2018, the decision was made to dissolve the congregation and sell the synagogue. It’s presently a short-term rental property.

Bainbridge Residential Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Allen Mercantile Company, 1903, Climax

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This building, and another one separated by an empty lot, are the oldest remaining commercial storefronts in Climax. Other than the removal of a shed roof on the front of the building and the addition of a restroom in the rear, it’s virtually unchanged from its original appearance.

Ira Albert Allen (1869-1924) and Walter Samuel Allen (1873-1931) established the Allen Mercantile Company in 1903 and operated the business until they went bankrupt in 1916. Typical of merchants of the day, the Allen Mercantile Company sold groceries, hardware, dry goods, and farm supplies, probably even caskets. The store was also home to the Climax post office from 1905 until the 1930s .The store also housed the Climax post office from 1905 until the 1930s. John P. Herring bought the store from the bank after the Allen brothers went bankrupt. Ira’s daughter, Inez Allen, reopened the store in the 1930s and operated it until the 1960s.

Bernice Doyle writes: This store was known as Miss Inez’ s Mercantile Store. My mother worked for her for many years. It is sad to see it is falling in. Climax looks nothing like it did when I was growing up there. Jean Ouzts notes: I am the Climax news paper correspondent for the Bainbridge Post Searchlight…There were several other stores on Main Street before being torn down for the building of Parker Park. Grover’s store, which later became Gowan’s, and then B&B or Bishop and Betts.

National Register of Historic Places

Note: This replaces and updates a post originally published on 26 October 2009. It was my very first post from Decatur County.

Bailey-Heard-Dallis House, Circa 1828 + 1842, LaGrange

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Typical of Georgia’s grandest town homes, the Bailey-Heard-Dallis House evolved from a smaller and plainer space to a larger, more architecturally-inspired vision. It’s also an important survivor of gentrification, as the 1974 application for the National Register of Historic Places attests: “…the house is currently the only Greek Revival dwelling left in its block. Only a few years ago there were seven such homes on the block.“

Thought to be the oldest house in LaGrange, it was built circa 1828 by General Samuel A. Bailey, who used it as his headquarters during the Creek Indian War of 1836. It was originally a simple vernacular form, with four rooms downstairs and two up, separated by a central hallway. When George Heard bought the house in 1842, he added four rooms and the exceptional colonnade, with six fluted Doric columns on the front and two more on each side of the house.

The home was acquired by George Dallis in 1888 and has remained in his family ever since.

Broad Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Dr. J. T. Reese House, Circa 1856, Newnan

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This fine Greek Revival townhouse is one of the architectural highlights of Greenville Street, in one of the oldest residential historic districts in Newnan. It was built by Dr. J. T. Reese, an early druggist in the community. Newnan was known as a hospital town during the Civil War, and this was one of the houses where injured soldiers were taken for care.

The house is also associated with the Umberger family and known as the Reese-Umberger House. The colonnade was likely added in the early 1900s when the Neoclassical movement was in full swing.

Greenville Street-LaGrange Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Hand House, 1889, Newnan

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This is one of several large Neoclassical Revival mansions in the Greenville-LaGrange Street historic district. Considering the construction date of 1889, the columns were likely added a few years later. It was seriously damaged during the EF-4 tornado that struck downtown Newnan on 26 March 2021, with columns toppled, and is now being restored.

Greenville Street-LaGrange Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Governor Ellis & Mildred Arnall House, 1935, Newnan

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Ellis Gibbs Arnall (1907-1992) received his law degree from the University of Georgia in 1931 and returned to Newnan to practice law. He married Mildred Delaney Slemons (1908-1980) and built this house in 1935, in the same neighborhood where his parents once lived. He served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 1932-1938 and as attorney general from 1939-1943. He was elected governor in 1943 and served four years. His record still stands as one of the most progressive in the state’s modern history.

Platinum Point Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

McDonald-McMichael House, 1941, Newnan

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The McDonald-McMichael House was among the last to be built in the Platinum Point neighborhood, just north of downtown Newnan on US 29. Characterized by large lots with set-back houses, Platinum Point was one of the earliest residential expansions of Newnan, and represented several early-20th-century revival styles popular throughout the country at the time. This Colonial Revival example, completed in 1941, looks like something you’d see in Beverly Hills on a tour of star’s homes during Hollywood’s Golden Era.

Platinum Point Historic District, National Register of Historic Places