This was a depot before becoming a store and filling station. Considering its approximate date of construction, it was likely built by the Macon & Birmingham Railroad or, perhaps, the Southern Railway. I have a couple of books on the Southern Railway, however, and can find no references to a depot at Culloden.
Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Culloden Primitive Baptist Church was constituted on 10 April 1909 and this structure is contemporary to that date. The two-steeple style is mostly associated with African-American churches today but at one time was a widely used form.
Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
This beautifully maintained house, a transitional Victorian, is a standout in the exceptional residential area of Culloden. I have also seen reference to a construction date of 1904, so I’m not sure which is correct.
Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Culloden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
From what I’ve located via online sources, including the National Register of Historic Places, I believe this was the home of William Frederick Johnston (1857-1925), son of pioneer settler John Banks Johnston (1804-1880). It’s a fascinating example of the evolutionary process of a rural house. It originated as a log house and was later improved and expanded into a gabled-ell. If the house were built when William was about 20 years old, it would date to circa 1877, but I believe the size of the log boards may indicate an earlier construction, perhaps prior to the Civil War, by John Johnston. Either way, it’s a very important surviving vernacular house.
John Johnston of South Carolina was the original settler of this area, in 1821. Johnstonville was the first seat of government of Monroe County, which at the time of settlement extended from Houston County in the south to Fayette County in the north and included all the land in that context between the Flint and Ocmulgee Rivers.
The National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Johnstonville-Goggins Historic District notes: It is thought that the very earliest settlers of Johnstonville came to the areas of Land Lots 254 and 255. This area was near the Towaliga River and possibly an old Indian settlement. Most of the early settlers had large acreage and some of them had slave labor in the early 1800s. The village was growing into a bustling community around a crossroads area. The crossroads as on a leg of the Old Alabama Road Trail and the Pony Express delivered mail to Johnstonville, Goggins, and other communities in the district.
Johnstonville-Goggins Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
When I heard in 2018 that the Adam Strain Building was slated for likely demolition, I felt anger, impending loss, and a sense of betrayal that a building with so many historical connections dating back at least 200 years could simply be allowed to go out like that. Despite being burned during the Civil War, it survived to become an unofficial symbol of Darien.
I was very aware of its endangered state, from photographs I made as early as 2009, a year after the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation brought attention to it by naming it a Place in Peril. And Darien friends who reached out over the years were cautiously optimistic, but mostly fearful, for what its future held.
I got an exciting message from one of those friends, Kit Stebbins Sutherland, in 2020. She was still cautiously optimistic, but said that the impossible had happened and the Adam Strain Building was going to be saved. Kit grew up in Darien with a mother who spent years creating an amazing photographic archive of its historic buildings and coastal landmarks, so her interest in her hometown is palpable. I breathed a sigh of relief.
Fast forward to the present and the restoration is in full swing. Milan and Marion Savic of Marietta are the new owners of the Adam Strain Building and the circa 1898 Bank of Darien [pink building to immediate left of Strain Building] and are doing everything right. They’ve emphasized the benefits of keeping everything as original as possible, especially protecting the tabby siding which is one of the distinct aspects of the Strain’s construction. It’s in the good hands of Ethos Preservation, Landmark Preservation, and Lominack Coleman Smith Architects. They’re doing the serious work of putting everything back into place and insuring the building is around for another 200 years. I hope to get more detailed photos in the near future, and will share them here.
West Darien Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Grace Baptist Church is an important vernacular Gothic Revival church and has been a landmark of Darien’s Gullah-Geechee community since its construction circa 1910-1915. Though segregated, the community was well-established in Darien and several architecturally significant historic churches from the first generations after Emancipation can still be found throughout the historic district, including First African Baptist, St. Cyprian’s, and St. John Baptist. According to Missy Brandt Wilson, notable names associated with the church include the Bleach and Stewart families, who found their way back to relatives in Darien after being sold during the Weeping Time, and W. H. Rogers, the only African-American member of the Georgia General Assembly in 1907.
In recent years, it was home to Emmanuel House of Prayer in Historic Grace, but the congregation has apparently been inactive for a long time. A tree fall impacted the rear section of the building a few years ago and lack of repair has led to encroachment of wildlife and vegetation. The collapsed section of roof is evident and has begun “pushing out” the left side of the cruciform. As a result, the city of Darien has designated the property dangerous and unfit, and will likely condemn it in the near future. Their concern is understandable, but hopefully, they will work with advocates who want to see it saved.
The stained glass windows are thought to have been placed during the 1930s.
They are perhaps the most endearing feature of the design.
Though they look damaged, most are in good condition. The blur effect is from plastic placed on the windows to protect from moisture. Note the collapsing roof at the right in this photo.
I think the loss of this resource would be a tragedy, not just for its aesthetic value but for its historic connections.
Since I don’t know what is being planned, I can only hope that signing a petition will help in a small way. Saving the church should at least be something the city will consider. It’s definitely worth saving.
Update: As of 2026, the church is being restored, a big win for preservation in Darien.
Vernon Square-Columbus Square Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Milledgeville is a great city to walk around, largely due to the architectural relics that populate its historic district. A standout is a local style considered so significant it was given its own name: Milledgeville Federal. This is meant to be a starting point for exploration and research.
Referring to The Homestead [above], architectural historian John Linley defined the style: [it] may well be the first house in America to utilize a narrow colossal-type portico with only two columns. Though never widely used, the style became so popular in the Milledgeville area that it is frequently referred to as the Milledgeville-Federal type of architecture. Also emblematic are cantilevered spiral staircases, side-gabled roofs and fanlight ornamentation. There are variations but these are central to the style, which is strongly rooted in Federal and Greek Revival architecture.
The man most associated with Milledgeville Federal style architecture is John Marlor. Born in England, he came to Milledgeville by way of Charleston and was active from circa 1815 until his death in 1835. Daniel Pratt and Elam Alexander both apprenticed or collaborated with Marlor.
In Milledgeville, Georgia’s Antebellum Capital (Athens, UGA Press. 1978), James C. Bonner notes that most of Marlor’s construction labor was performed by seven enslaved men who were trained carpenters. This would have been common practice at the time. Most large houses built in the antebellum era can be attributed to slave labor.
The Orme-Salle House is one of the finest illustrations of the style, due as much to its Palladian doors as anything else.
The Cedars is a beautifully executed example of the Milledgeville Federal style. It serves as the Phi Mu sorority house today.
This structure once served as the Beecher-Brown Hotel and later the States’ Rights Hotel, hosting legislators when the body was in session. It has one of the most stylized porticoes of all the Milledgeville Federal style houses.
The DeLauney house is slightly less refined than other examples, but is definitely a work of the Milledgeville Federal school.
The portico on the Newell House is more Greek Revival than Milledgeville Federal, but it’s definitely an example of the style.
This was the home of the architect himself. John Marlor built it as a gift for his second wife.
The only non-residential building of Marlor’s that survives is the Masonic Temple. It’s considered his finest work and, architecturally, of national importance.
The Milledgeville Federal style influenced other houses in the area, including notable examples: Rockwell [circa 1838], near Hardwick, and the Daniel Pratt-attributed Jones-Ross House [circa 1826] in Old Clinton, in Jones County.
Milledgeville Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
An Englishman who came to Milledgeville via Charleston, John Marlor (1789-1835) developed the Milledgeville Federal style of architecture, of which this house he built for his wife Ann Carlton Marlor (1797-1845) in 1830 is a perfect example. These would have been among the most prominent homes in the capital when they were built and are still the pinnacle of domestic architecture in the city.
The house, now known as the John Marlor Arts Center, is one of four buildings which make up the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Allied Arts Center.
Milledgeville Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
When the Atlanta & Florida Railway bypassed Knoxville in 1888, opting to build a depot about a mile away, the settlement of Roberta began. It was originally known as New Knoxville, after the county seat. When Hiram David McCrary (1847-1912) and James Mathews gave the right of way for the railroad, McCrary, who was also an active entrepreneur, was allowed to choose a name for it. He chose Roberta, in honor of his daughter*. *-Mattie Roberta McCrary Champion (1881-1977)
The old Bankston Store is a great example of restoration. It’s located adjacent to the bank/post office building.
The corner entrance was a popular commercial style in the early 20th century.
I made these photos a few years ago, so some of these business have been repainted. For a small town, Roberta does a good job of maintaining its historic commercial structures and still uses them all, as best I can see. I don’t encounter that in many places.
Roberta Historic District, National Register of Historic Places