Tag Archives: Slavery in Georgia

Eureka Church Cemetery: A Landmark of The Level, A Lost Community of Evans County

2 Replies
Gravestones in a grassy area with a dilapidated building in the background surrounded by trees.
Eureka Church seen from the cemetery, 18 August 2013.

The cemetery associated with historic Eureka Church is the last remaining public landmark of The Level, a Black community near Hagan. The church collapsed circa 2018. A nice collection of vernacular memorials set Eureka Cemetery apart as a historic resource for Evans County. I am sharing random shots, including commercial markers, but focusing on the vernacular pieces.

A weathered gravestone in a cemetery, engraved with the name 'A.J. Collins' along with dates and age information, surrounded by dry grass.
A. J. Collin(s) (1886-1952)

I believe the name was misspelled on this memorial, as there are others buried here whose name is Collins.

A weathered gravestone marking the burial site of Leasan Ray, who died on June 29, 1915, at the age of 75 years.
Leasan Ray (1850?-29 June 1915)

Like many in this Freedmen’s congregation, Leasan Ray was likely born enslaved.

A weathered gravestone engraved with the name 'Mary Wright,' the inscription 'Died Mar. 22, 1911,' and 'Aged 79.' The stone is surrounded by dry leaves and grass.
Mary Wright (1858?-25 March 1911)

The fallen marker notes that Mary Wright was aged 59 years at the time of her death.

A gravestone marking the burial of Mary Rease, with her birth date of March 10, 1868, and death date of June 27, 1926, inscribed along with a message about grace.
Mary Rease (10 March 1868-27 June 1926)

This is one of the earlier commercially made memorials in the cemetery, featuring a dove.

A weathered gravestone in a cemetery, surrounded by dry grass and a blurred background of other tombstones and trees.
Unfinished

This marker has no information, but was likely meant for a family.

Close-up of an old gravestone partially covered with grass, displaying the engraved name 'Sarah Davis', with the words 'Bob Small Sister' visible.
Sarah Davis (Birth and death dates unknown)

The only information, other than the decedent’s name, notes that she was Bob Small’s sister.

A weathered gravestone in a cemetery, inscribed in memory of Venus Bacon, with dates of birth and death visible, surrounded by dry grass.
Venus Bacon (2 January 1820-9 October 1889)

Venus Bacon’s marker is an early commercial form with stenciled lettering.

A weathered gravestone marked 'In Memory of O.F. Kennedy, Born July 19, 1877, Died September 15, 1892, with an inscription about the blessed dead.
O. F. Kennedy (19 July 1877-15 September 1892)

The hearts were a nice addition on this handmade memorial.

Gravestone of Sammie Wright, a private in the 157th Depot Brigade during World War I, located in Georgia. The stone displays his birth date of May 23, 1895, and death date of August 19, 1958.
Sammie Wright (23 May 1895-15 August 1958)

Mr. Wright was a Private, 52 Co, 157 Depot Brigade, World War I.

Weathered grave marker in a grassy area covered with fallen leaves, featuring faded inscriptions.
Illegible

I have tried to interpret the words on this memorial to no avail.

A weathered hexagonal stone marked with a faded red star, surrounded by dry grass and fallen leaves.
Unidentified

The red star likely denotes a Masonic affiliation.

Weathered grave marker partially obscured by dry leaves and grass in a natural setting.
York Jones (Birth date unknown-1935?)

All the Jones family memorials have a similar shape and were likely the work of the same maker. This small stone has faded badly.

Old gravestone partially obscured by dry leaves and grass, featuring engraved text and weathered surface.
Jim Jones (dates illegible)

I will try to add birth and death dates if I am able to interpret them. I believe they all may be children.

An old, weathered gravestone with inscriptions partially visible, situated in a wooded area covered with fallen leaves.
Mary Jones (1937-1938)

Like the memorial for Jim Jones, Mary Jones’s features the name in cursive.

An unusual geometric carving on a headstone, featuring a right angle and a triangular point.

The memorial for D. V. Richardson is perhaps the most notable work in the cemetery. It features hand lettering and an unusual symbol, seen in detail above. It appears to have something to do with carpentry or, perhaps, Masonry.

A weathered grave marker in a cemetery, partially covered in moss, with inscriptions indicating the name, birth date, and death date of the individual it commemorates.
D. V. Richardson (11 August 1892-16 July 1930)

Elder Abraham Jackson, Veteran of the United States Colored Troops

Leave a reply

Elder Abraham Jackson was the patriarch of Jackson Town, a historically Black neighborhood near Collins, Georgia, and he and his family were among the earliest burials in what would become the Jackson Cemetery, still dominated by his descendants and cousins today. The cemetery is very well-maintained.

Gray granite tombstone commemorating Elder Abraham Jackson, born 1837 in Barnwell, South Carolina, died April 17, 1915, a Union Army veteran of the Civil War, with details about his military service and his wife Rilla Collins.
Elder Abraham Jackson (1837-17 April 1915) and Rilla Collins Jackson (1840-17 March 1915)

Born enslaved in Barnwell, South Carolina, Elder Jackson later served (1865-1866) in Co. C, 1st Regiment South Carolina Volunteer Infantry (Colored), which was redesignated Co. C, 33rd Regiment, United States Colored Troops. He married Rilla, whose last name remains unknown, in the 1850s.

A gravestone commemorating Anna Collins, wife of Henry Collins, who died on June 3rd, 1904, at the age of 14 years, 9 months, and 28 days, located on a grassy area.
Anna Collins, (Circa 11 October 1888-8 June 1904)

This memorial for Anna Collins, the very wife of Henry Collins, is the earliest grave I found in Jackson Cemetery. She may have been Elder Jackson’s sister-in-law.

Gravestone of Nellie Jackson, wife of George Jackson, born January 23, 1862, died June 23, 1904. The stone features an inscription addressing her husband and children.
Nellie Jackson (28 January 1862-23 June 1904)

Nellie was the wife of George Jackson. Her vernacular memorial, which has been repaired, is very similar to that of Anna Collins. It reads: Dear husbad (sic) and children. as you is now, once was I, and as I am now you must be. Remember death and follow me.

Goetchius House, 1839, Columbus

1 Reply
Goetchius House, one of the oldest in Columbus, now a restaurant, on Broadway near the Chattahoochee River.

Richard Rose Goetchius (1814-1875) came to Columbus from New York in 1834 and quickly established himself as a prominent builder and architect. He built this grand Greek Revival cottage as a gift for his wife, Mary Ann Bennett Goetchius (1819-1878), upon their marriage in 1839. It originally stood at 11th Street and 2nd Avenue but was moved circa 1970 to save it from commercial development.

All six of the Goetchius children, five sons and a daughter, were born in the house. The two eldest sons died in the Civil War. Another son died in early childhood. One son became a Columbus lawyer and another a Presbyterian minister. Their daughter, Mary Goetchius McKinley, died in childbirth, and her daughter Mary McKinley Wellborn, eventually inherited the house. It remained in the family until 1969.

It has been completely restored by its new owners, who have transformed it into a popular gourmet restaurant.

National Register of Historic Places

The Cedars, 1837, Columbus

Leave a reply
Historic home known as 'The Cedars' with columns and a gable roof, surrounded by greenery.

The Cedars was built for Col. John Banks (1797-1870) in 1837. It got its name from the cedar trees which lined the long driveway that led to the house from the old Wynnton Road. The floor plan consisted of eight rooms with a hall running the length of the house. A dirt-floored basement, entered from the outside, was used as the slave quarters. The main house was built of handmade deep rose colored bricks covered with stucco. This was marked off in large rectangles to resemble blocks of stone. The four Ionic columns on the front portico are stuccoed brick. The roofline was changed in 1885, elevating a much flatter original configuration.

A prominent attorney, John Banks was a native of Elbert County and a pioneer settler of Columbus. His obituary in the 24 September 1870 edition of the Atlanta Constitution noted: “For a while he was a grocery merchant in Augusta, the firm name being Banks & Baird. He has resided near Columbus over thirty-five years, and was engaged in various business in this city – grocery, banking, manufacturing, besides farming extensively – and accumulated a large property, much of which escaped the casualties of war.”

According to the nomination form of this property to the National Register of Historic Places, Banks was involved in the Indian Wars and first visited Columbus at the behest of Governor Troup to accompany General LaFayette on his trip from Milledgeville to Alabama. He was a founder of the Planters and Mechanics Bank of Columbus and a co-owner, with John E. Dawson, of the Howard Cotton Mill. He and his wife Sarah A. Watkins Banks (1803-1881) had 12 children. Four of their sons died in Confederate service.

National Register of Historic Places

John W. Woolfolk House, Circa 1835, Columbus

Leave a reply
The antebellum Greek Revival plantation home of John Woolfolk in Wynnton, featuring tall columns, a centered entrance with steps, and surrounded by greenery.

The antebellum Greek Revival plantation home of John Woolfolk (1781-1861) in Wynnton is one of the most significant surviving houses of early Columbus. Woolfolk and William L. Wynn were the first settlers of the Wynnton area. Woolfolk, a native of Virginia, first came to Augusta before he began acquiring land in Muscogee County in the 1820s. He owned large acreage on the north side of Wynnton Road and purchased the land on which he built this house in 1832, the same year he was elected to the Georgia legislature. The house is important in terms of architectural history, but also African-American history, as it is estimated that approximately 180 enslaved people were held here before Emancipation, according to historian Calvin Schermerhorn’s The Business of Slavery and the Rise of American Capitalism 1815-1860. With his nephew, Austin Woolfolk he was a slave trader, who enslaved nearly 700 people in total. This gave rise to an urban legend suggesting the one of Woolfolk’s sons hunted down and killed slaves and buried them on the grounds or in the walls of the house, known in the legend as the House of a Thousand Cadavers. Of course, considering the value of the enslaved as property, this is highly unlikely. Perhaps the Woolfolk son was just particularly cruel.

Antebellum Greek Revival plantation home of John Woolfolk in Wynnton (Columbus), Georgia, featuring classical columns and a vintage car in the foreground. From Domestic Architecture of the Early American Republic, the Greek Revival by Howard Major, 1926.
Plate 119 from Domestic Architecture of the Early American Republic, the Greek Revival by Howard Major. J. B. Lippincott, Philadelphia, 1926. Public domain. No known restrictions.

Woolfolk’s daughters inherited his estate, which was already being subdivided to accommodate the growth of Wynnton, when he died in 1861. The property later passed to Judge William A. Little and was for a time known as the Little Place. In 1925, it was owned by Minnie J. Flournoy, who transformed it into the Colonial Apartments. She removed the original side porticoes, which have since been replaced, and added one-story wings to the house. This configuration (above) was documented in Howard Major’s seminal work Domestic Architecture of the Early American Republic: The Greek Revival (Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott, 1926).

A historic Greek Revival plantation home surrounded by trees, showcasing its white exterior and tall columns.

National Register of Historic Places

John R. Dawson House, Circa 1837, Columbus

1 Reply
Front view of the Old Dawson Place, or Gordonido, a historic house with white columns and pink exterior, featuring a blue door and surrounded by greenery. Fire damage is visible.

This historic Greek Revival home, built by John R. Dawson (1810-1852) when the Wynnton area was first being settled and long known as the Old Dawson Place, is most commonly known as Gordonido today. A fire on 7 October 2023 did serious damage to the structure, especially to the roof and upper floor, as is visible in this photograph.

Dawson was a pioneer settler of Columbus, whose family relocated to the area from Maryland. He was a partner in the firm of Hill and Dawson, a successful planters supply company. Wynnton in 1837 was not part of the city of Columbus and the Dawson home was one of just a few country estates in the area. Originally situated on six acres, the property has been reduced to two acres over its nearly 200 year history.

After Dawson’s death in 1852, his heirs remained on the property until it was sold to Sallie L. Gilbert circa 1878-1880. A warranty deed identifies J. T. Willis as the next owner, in 1885. Frederick Barrett Gordon, president of the Columbus Manufacturing Company, purchased the Old Dawson Place in 1913 and his wife, Rosa Crook Martin Gordon, a founding member of the Woman’s Club of Columbus, oversaw significant improvements to the property. It was rechristened Gordonido, and was modernized while retaining its historical appearance. When the Gordons’ daughter, Margaret Gordon Richards inherited the home in 1949, further renovations, meant to return the house to its original appearance, were entrusted to local architect James J. W. Biggers.

A brochure published by the Historic Columbus Foundation in the 1970s noted: “Gordonido is exquisitely kept and one of the city’s most beautiful homes. It is recognized as one of Columbus’ most valued antebellum structures.“

I’m unsure as to any plans for stabilization or restoration at this time, but it would be a shame to lose this landmark.

National Register of Historic Places

Rankin House, Circa 1860, Columbus

Leave a reply
Historic brick Italianate house with ornate ironwork and a balcony, surrounded by greenery.

This exquisite Italianate townhouse was built for James A. Rankin (1806-1880), a Scottish immigrant who found success as a planter by enslaving at least 30 men, women, and children. He was also the owner of the Rankin Hotel in Columbus. Construction commenced before the Civil War but wasn’t completed until after the end of the conflict. Lawrence Wimberley Wall was the architect. An 1898 newspaper article proclaimed the Rankin House the finest in Columbus and valued it at $18,500, a fortune at the time.

It is now home to a museum and the Historic Columbus Foundation. Restoration was done by local architect Edward W. Neal.

High Uptown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Illges House, Circa 1850, Columbus

1 Reply
Front entrance of a historic house in Columbus, featuring grand white columns, black door, and ornate planters.

The Illges House, now an event venue known as the Illges-Woodruff House, is one of the most imposing works of residential architecture in Columbus. It was built by James A. Chapman (c. 1809-1869) circa 1850. Chapman, a native of Warren County, came to Columbus about 1840 and was one of the largest planters in the area, dependent on the labor of over 140 slaves. The Civil War ended his prosperity and with it went the ownership of this house. When Abraham Illges (1830-1915) purchased the home from interim owner William H. Woods in 1877, he added the elaborate doorway, pedimented windows, iron roof trim, paired eave brackets, and an iron fence. The house remained in the family until being sold in 1946. It returned to the family in 1956 when purchased by James Waldo Woodruff for his wife, Ethel, a daughter of Abraham Illges.

The Illges-Woodruff House, an impressive historical mansion in Columbus, featuring tall white columns, green shutters, and an ornate iron fence in front.

Illges, a native of Pennsylvania, worked for the Confederacy as an intelligence agent behind enemy lines, as he did not want to fight against his brothers who remained in Pennsylvania. His Columbus businesses included groceries, mills, manufacturing companies, and banks.

High Uptown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

William Scarbrough House, 1819, Savannah

1 Reply
Front view of the historic William Scarbrough House, featuring Greek Revival architecture, columns, and elegant landscaping.

Though it has been extensively modified, the William Scarbrough House is nonetheless a significant example of Greek Revival domestic architecture in Savannah. Built in 1819, it was designed by English architect William Jay, the most accomplished architect of his time in Savannah. Not long after its completion, the Scarbroughs hosted President James Monroe when he visited Savannah.

William Scarbrough (1776-1838) was a wealthy shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company. He was an investor in the SS Savannah, which, as the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, in 1819, was internationally famous and a source of great pride to its namesake city. Unfortunately, the Savannah‘s glory was short-lived and an initial lack of interest in this new mode of travel led to financial ruin for its investors, including Scarbrough. After being converted to a sailing vessel, the Savannah sunk off Long Island in 1821. William Scarbrough went into a deep depression around this time and was essentially bankrupt, though a wealthy relative who purchased his home allowed him to remain there. He worked with Upper Darien Steam Rice and Saw Mill in McIntosh County in the late 1820s and early 1830s, returning to Savannah in 1835. He died in New York City while visiting his son-in-law, Godfrey Barnsley, in 1838.

From 1873-1962, the Scarbrough House was owned by the City of Savannah. During this time, the West Broad Street Colored School was housed here.

The Scarbrough House is now home to the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum.

National Historic Landmark

Hillman-Bowden House, Circa 1860 , McDuffie County

5 Replies

This Greek-Revival Georgian home was the center of large plantation owned by Josephus Hillman (c.1827-1880), who was one of the wealthiest men in what would eventually become McDuffie County. Though 1860 is generally accepted as the date of construction, there is no official documentation of this date. Typical of his time, Hillman was an enslaver, and the success of his agricultural operations was dependent on this fact. He became a Baptist minister during the Civil War and served as pastor of Thomson First Baptist Church in 1870-1871. Though his fortunes were greatly reduced by the end of the Civil War, he was able to continue his operation with tenant farmers and sharecroppers, including 11 of his former slaves. Failing health led Hillman to sell his plantation to Methodist minister Felix P. Brown in 1879.

Brown sold the farm to the Pylant brothers in 1897 and the property again changed hands in 1905, when it was purchased by William K. Miller as an investment. Paul Akers Bowden (1876-1968) ) bought the farm in 1916. Bowden, nor its next owner, Lucille Bowden Johnson (1903-1994), never lived full-time in the house, but Lucille undertook major renovations in the 1950s. After Lucille’s death, it was owned for a time by the Wrightsboro Quaker Community Foundation, but I believe it is once again a private residence.

National Register of Historic Places