Fieldstone Grave, Salem Church Cemetery,

Salem Community,

Ben Hill County, Georgia, 2006.

c. Brian Brown

Country churches often showcase a variety of available materials in the construction of headstones. This one, at Salem Baptist Church in northwestern Ben Hill County, was made from flint-like fieldstones and concrete, and is more elaborate than most.

Sycamore Farmhouse,

Sycamore, Turner County, Georgia, 2006.

c. Brian Brown

Sycamore, smaller neighbor to the Turner County seat of Ashburn, was incorporated in 1891, and still boasts quite a few early twentieth century farmsteads.

Farmhouse, Daisy Road,

Irwin County, Georgia, 2006.

c. Brian Brown

These contrasting views of the same farmhouse are good examples of the architecture typical to rural Georgia in the first decades of the twentieth century. These were more stylized than their humble counterparts, and generally were the domain of larger landowners and planters in the Wiregrass. Most survive because they remain in the original families, which often have strong ties to them as historical relics.

Block Tobacco Barn,

Player Cemetery Road,

Ben Hill County, Georgia, 2002.

c. Brian Brown

Block Tobacco Barn,

Old Robitzsch Farm,

Ben Hill County, Georgia, 2002.

c. Brian Brown

These are two good examples of the durable style of red block tobacco barns that were built after the Great Depression in South Georgia. While the walls of these structures have generally held up to the elements, the roofs are falling in on most that remain, and like all tobacco barns, they are an endangered species.

Corn,
Mystic, Irwin County, Georgia, 2002.
c. Brian Brown

South Georgia farmers routinely utilize recycled materials to advertise their crops. This old cable spool on the Mystic Highway is one of my favorites.

Red Farmhouse (Now Demolished),

Valley Grove Church Road,

Irwin County, Georgia, 2001.

c. Brian Brown

Roadhouse,

Rochelle Highway, (Georgia Hwy 90),

Ben Hill County, Georgia, 2001.

c. Brian Brown

I call this a roadhouse, because that's what my late grandmother always called it. I believe it may have had many incarnations in its seventy-odd years, from store to juke joint. I am sure in the days right after Prohibition was repealed, it sold alcohol, probably benefitting from its far-flung location at the fork of Highway 90 and Sibbie Road, just south of the Wilcox County line. It has been removed to the property of the owners in the past few months.

Contains Lead,

Queensland, Ben Hill County, Georgia, 2001.

c. Brian Brown

This old gasoline pump, a relic of the days of leaded fuel, once served the Queensland School, seen in the background of this photograph. Queensland, a predominately African-American community in northern Ben Hill County, was never incorporated, but has been around nearly as long as Fitzgerald. African-American schools such as Queensland provided education for grades 1-12, and nearly all were closed by 1970. They were often grossly underfunded, but Queensland was a rare exception, and many of its active alumni hold occasional reunions.

Winter Pecan Orchard,

Dave Bishop, Sr. Road,

Ben Hill County, Georgia, 2002.

c. Brian Brown

This year's pecan harvest is one of the smallest in recent years, but the impact of this crop on the South Georgia economy remains large. While the cost of operating large-scale pecan operations has risen dramatically in the last decade, it is still one of the region's primary agricultural activities in the fall and early winter.

West Brothers Grocery,

Rebecca, Turner County, Georgia, 2006.

c. Brian Brown

Irwinville, 1935.

Irwinville, Irwin County, Georgia.

c. Arthur Rothstein.

Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

People often say that little has changed around Irwinville since the Great Depression. A look at this photograph would beg to differ. None of the buildings seen here remain, though the oak trees in the background do. The white two-story building to the rear left is the old courthouse, used during the Depression as an apartment complex.

Dorminy Homestead, circa 1850,

Ben Hill County, Georgia, 2006.

c. Brian Brown

Dorminy Homestead,

Ben Hill County, Georgia, 2006.

c. Brian Brown

Completed around 1850, by area pioneer Bradford Dorminy, this house (on the Jacksonville Highway, US 319) is to my knowledge the oldest still standing in its original location in Ben Hill County. Several outbuildings survive on the property, though the original kitchen does not. According to one of his descendants, who is in the process of renovating the property, Mr. Dorminy died in 1852, and lost two sons in the War Between the States. The Dorminy clan is one of the most prolific in Ben Hill and Irwin counties, and this grand old house stands as a testament to their early prosperity.

Collection House,

Riverbend Bluegrass Park,

Irwin County, Georgia, 2006.

c. Brian Brown

The Riverbend Bluegrass Festival, begun in 1986, has grown to be one of the most popular bluegrass festivals in South Georgia. Founders Reggie and Elaine Paulk have seen their little festival in the pecan orchard grow to a big business that seems to be enjoyed by fans of bluegrass and traditional music from all over.

LINK

http://www.riverbendbluegrass.com

Abandoned Store,

Osierfield, Irwin County, Georgia, 2006.

c. Brian Brown

Interior of Abandoned Store,

Osierfield, Irwin County, Georgia, 2006.

c. Brian Brown

Just a few years ago, there were still several abandoned commercial buildings in Osierfield, but this is the only one that remains. It appears to have been a general store.

Sycamore Angel,

Sycamore, Turner County, Georgia, 2006.

c. Brian Brown

Gravesite of Mattie Hazel Reeves (1906 - 1915)

Sycamore, Turner County, Georgia, 2006.

c. Brian Brown

These photos were made in a cemetery on the north side of Sycamore, off Georgia Highway 32. Sycamore was incorporated in 1891, and today has a population around 500. The church where the cemetery is located is unmarked, so I'd appreciate any help tracking down its name. Cemetery angels are one of my favorite subjects, and elaborate ones like this are quite rare in South Georgia. They were often chosen to mark the site of babies' or childrens' graves.

Texaco,

Osierfield, Irwin County, Georgia, 2006.

c. Brian Brown

Osierfield Grocery,

Osierfield, Irwin County, Georgia, 2006.

c. Brian Brown

The Osierfield Grocery is one of those rare country stores that has managed to survive into the twenty-first century. Though it now maintains limited hours, a visit to this special place is like stepping back in time fifty years. Of course, it's been a long time since they sold gasoline in Osierfield, but the Texaco sign gives the visitor a taste for the nostalgia that awaits him or her inside. It has always been a favorite stop for railroad men, one of their last before arriving in nearby Fitzgerald.