Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. The older I’ve gotten, the more I understand that holidays aren’t about gifts but about the togetherness of family and memories of our traditions at this time. One of my traditions is riding around my hometown with my mother on Christmas Eve and looking at all the Christmas lights in the parks, in peoples’ yards, and listening to holiday music on the radio. This was my church when I was growing up, and it looked particularly nice last night as we made our annual drive. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Stay safe.
Located beside the Colored Hospital, Campbell Chapel is believed to be the oldest black congregation in Americus. In 1869, it began as a part of the white Methodist church, but its members, mostly freedmen, withdrew and formed an independent Methodist congregation, originating with brush arbor meetings led by Rev. Braswell. In 1877, under the leadership of Bishop Campbell, they purchased this lot in the McCoy Hill neighborhood and built a wood frame church to house their growing membership. The congregation named themselves for Bishop Campbell. As Campbell Chapel grew, becoming the “Mother Church” of Americus, the old church was razed and this structure built in its place, in 1920.
The new church cost $20,000 to build and while the congregation counted most of the doctors and other middle class black professionals of Americus among its members and generous donors; Dr. E. J. Brinson, a black physician, successfully solicited donations from members of the white community. The church history is proud to point out that much of the money was raised from small donations by working class members such as sharecroppers and domestics, who often made less than fifty cents per day.
Significantly, it is the work of Georgia’s first registered African-American architect, Macon native Louis H. Persley (1888-1932). After studies at Lincoln University and the Carnegie Institute of Technology [now Carnegie-Mellon University] and teaching architecture for a year at Tuskegee University, Persley and fellow black architect Robert Robinson Taylor (1868-1942) formed the firm of Taylor and Persley. Taylor was America’s first formally trained black architect. Theirs was one of the earliest, if not the first, professional architectural firm of black ownership in the United States. Persley went on to design numerous structures on the campus of Tuskegee University, but also had other commissions in Georgia, including the First A. M. E. Church and Samaritan Building in Athens, and the Chambliss Hotel and Central City Funeral Home in Macon. I believe the Athens and Americus churches are his only two surviving works in Georgia.
The landmark has fallen into disrepair in recent years, but thanks to a grant from the National Park Service, will be restored, along with the Americus Colored Hospital. I had a nice encounter with Bishop Melvin McCluster, of neighboring Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, who told me he had been looking forward to it being restored to its rightful purpose for many years. He noted that the congregation was still active and presently meets in Elijah Smith, Sr., Worship Center across the street. Rev. Gloria F. Wynds is the current pastor.
The old Spalding County Courthouse is a rare example of the early use of the Italianate Style in public buildings in Georgia and is one of just a few surviving antebellum courthouses in the state. Spalding County was created in 1854 and this was its first official courthouse. It was the work of David Demarest (1811-1879) and Columbus Hughes (c.1825-1871). Demarest was a New Jersey-born builder/architect responsible for the Greene County Courthouse, the Powell Building at the State Lunatic Asylum, and the Old Mercer Chapel at Penfield, among others. He is thought to have been the builder of this courthouse, with Hughes serving as architect. Little is known about Hughes other than the fact that he designed the old Atlanta City Hall, on the site of the present state capitol.
The city likes to point out that famed Western outlaw, John Henry “Doc” Holliday, who was born in Griffin, had business dealings in the old courthouse before his family moved to Valdosta. He may also be buried in the old Oak Hill Cemetery.
After construction of a new courthouse in 1911, the structure became the Spalding County Jail in 1914, furnished by the Pauley Jail Works Company of St. Louis. It was decommissioned as the jail in 1984, when a new facility was built elsewhere.
This superb Craftsman cottage is made even more interesting with its Ludowici Tile roof and shingle siding. It’s a two-story version of the more common single-story bungalow that is synonymous with the Craftsman style. There are some great homes in Barnesville’s historic residential area but I haven’t had much luck identifying any of them. Nonetheless, if you ever need a break from the traffic on I-75, this small town best known for its history of buggy manufacturing is definitely worth a drive-through or walk-around.
Thomaston Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This grand Shingle Style Victorian is one of the highlights of the historic residential section of Barnesville and an exemplar of the form. The style is relatively uncommon in Georgia and is usually found in larger urban settings. Often called cottages, most houses of this type were built between 1876-1910. If you’ve visited Jekyll Island, you have likely seen a few in the National Historic Landmark District, owned as vacation homes by some of America’s wealthiest families of the time.
Thomaston Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
The name of this Victorian home, Morocco Swing, is a bit of a mystery to me, but the best kind of mystery. The house doesn’t appear to have any Moroccan elements, but apparently it has meaning. It’s a nice example of a plain style Victorian, and it dates to circa 1863. This means construction of the house was taking place during the Civil War, which was a difficult time for such an endeavor.
Thomaston Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This is a textbook example of Queen Anne architecture and a beautifully maintained landmark in Twin City. I’ve seen several with this form and wonder if it is not from a pattern book. There were numerous such “blueprint” publications used by skilled carpenters to build on-demand homes for wealthier clients. As a result, many have been identified but I don’t think this one has. George Barber was perhaps the most prolific producers of Victorian pattern books.
This house was built in 1907 by Jefferson Davis Durden but has long been known as the Higginbotham House.
Twin City Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
When I was photographing the Mars Theatre before its restoration, about ten years ago, some of the nice folks with the City of Springfield suggested I photograph this property, as it’s considered the most historic farmstead in the county. I believe the referrer was a relative of the family. It’s not a public property but I was lucky to find the road to the farm open. As the sign says, this land was first surveyed in May 1800.
The land was first owned by David Reiser (1765-1836), a descendant of one of the early Salzburger families who came to Effingham County from Austria in 1736. Reiser received a grant of 450 acres from the State of Georgia in 1802. The farm, which grew into plantation with the addition of 150 acres, was inherited by David’s son, Christopher F. Reiser (1813-1884). Christopher and his wife had two sons and thirteen daughters.
One of Christopher’s sons, Virgil Herbert Reiser (1852-1918) purchased 100 acres of the family plantation in 1874 and developed his own farm, which became the present-day Reiser-Zoller Farm. After his marriage to Ella Gnann in 1879, they began living on the property. The small house behind the two-story house was their home originally, and all of their children were born here. The principal crop of the farm was corn but Virgil also raised cattle and hogs, which were floated on timber rafts and sold downriver in Savannah. As more crops were raised and timber cleared, the farm concurrently included a turpentine operation.
Tobacco Barn, Mid-20th century
In 1900, Virgil’s relative, Pierce Edwards, was hired to build the larger farmhouse, needed to accommodate his growing family and farm. Upon Virgil’s death, his son Herbert (1880-1970) inherited the property. He added pecan and grapes, as well as tobacco, and more livestock, to the operation. It continued to grow under his stewardship. Herbert never married, and a nephew, Walter Zoller, became the next owner, and the fifth generation of the family to own the land.
House built by Virgil Reiser in 1875
Such an intact historical farm is rare anywhere and the family’s commitment to its preservation is inspiring. It is of statewide importance as a landmark of agricultural heritage.
This house stands at the busiest intersection in Guyton, nearly hidden today by shrubbery and trees. It was built the same year as The Rabbi, a few blocks away, and both are excellent examples of the Carpenter Italianate style. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the work of the same local builder. I don’t know much about the house, other than the owners’ names and year built, but did learn that its last residents, Quitman D. “Dale” (1933-2012) & Marjorie Lee Jackson (1942-2016), were dedicated to its preservation.
Marjorie’s obituary is a heartwarming portrait of a Southern lady, albeit one who adopted the South as her home: Marjorie was known to friends and family as “Margie” and earlier as a young girl as “Little Margie”. Margie spent her early years growing up in Los Angeles, CA where she met husband, Quitman D. Jackson (Dale), her husband of 54 years while he was serving in the US Navy. Married in 1959, they both yearned for the tranquility of the South and in 1977, they found their own lifelong dream home, much like the historic houses she loved and researched, in Guyton, GA. She spent her life as a wonderful wife and amazing mother to 3 children, whom she devoted her creative talents to teach them everything she knew. She tended and loved her life in Guyton for nearly 40 years.
An avid believer in historic preservation, she was a member of the Guyton Historic Society in the early years and loved to invite folks in for the Annual Tour of Homes, dressed in her Southern Belle finery. She was an artist that saw the importance of music and visual beauty and a refined decorator in her home for each season. She loved to learn about travel through study and reading and mastered her skills of creating international meals to bring to her family table. She would often come back to her country roots cooking up her world renowned (according to her children) Sunday fried chicken dinners with skillet fried potatoes & okra and corn bread along with the sweetest tea you ever had the pleasure to enjoy.
Margie painted, drew portraits, made her kid’s clothes, sang and played the piano. Her favorite time was Christmas, when she would decorate every room in varying themes of the holiday, including several Christmas trees. She was once featured in Southern Living Magazine and was so proud of the distinguished honor. She was an incredible gardener and grew hundreds of varieties of flowers in her yard in Guyton including Japanese and English gardens, which her husband built for her to tend.
After years as a homemaker, once the children left the nest, she worked for many years at Thompson’s IGA, enjoying the socializing on a daily basis. She was loved by many customers and had many stories to tell from her time there.
