21 Open Air & Groc., Saint Helena, Island, SC

Photographer facing west

Hwy 21 from Beaufort, SC to Hunting Island, SC in Beaufort County, travels through some of the most fertile farmland in the southeastern U.S.

Dotting the highway along this route are several markets which consist of a variety of structures, from old packing warehouses, pole buildings, a couple of canopies side by side, to covered shelving, the latter of which made up the 21 Open Air & Grocery.

To get to Saint Helena Island, you must cross the bridge over the Harbor River at Beaufort, landing on Lady's Island, then across a small bridge over a tidal tributary onto Saint Helena Island. The land is flat with wooded tracts and open farmland interspersed with the ever present tidal marshes. Called the "Lowcountry" for good reason, the elevation at the small town of Frogmore is approximately 30' above sea level.

Photographer facing  east

The islands were occupied by the Union Army very early on during the Civil War, in November of 1861. The islands 350 white inhabitants fled the island, leaving behind more than 2,000 slaves.

 Since this occurred before the January 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, the slaves that were left behind were considered contraband, or spoils of war, caught in limbo between being a slave and being free.

Considered abandoned property, they became wards of the Treasury Department, and Saint Helena Island became ground zero for an experiment in transitioning the enslaved people into independent members of society. The Penn Center in Frogmore was the hub for this experiment, and still exists today as a center for civil rights study. You can learn more about this fascinating place here.

Many of the former slaves stayed in the Lowcountry, and remained heavily involved in the area's agriculture. Many of the markets along Hwy 21 are operated by their descendants. Every spring, strawberry harvesting signals the beginning of the bounty that floods into these markets. Tomatoes, squash, green beans, bell peppers, sweet corn, watermelons, are among the produce that covers the shelves in an array of colorful goodness.

The 21 Open Air & Grocery has been closed for several years. The gates at the front have been locked, and the sign encouraging you to eat Sunbeam bread is fading. I'm not sure what became of the older gentleman that operated this market, or why it closed. Perhaps it was the opening of the Barefoot Farms, a larger pole-barn market situated across the road that offered too much competition. Hopefully, someone will open those gates and get it up and running again. You can never have too many fresh local produce markets.

W.A. Dooley House, c. 1920, Oconee County, GA

Photographer facing north

I came across this gem last week on my way home from the dentist. It caught my eye as I drove past at about 50 mph, prompting me to turn around at the Oconee County Parks and Recreation headquarters. Surrounded by large hardwood trees, the size of the abandoned two-story house is what caught my eye. It has definitely been a long time since anyone has called it home.

Photographer facing NW

Like I do for all properties that I document, I pull up the tax assessor information online and look for the year built, as well as owner information, and any other specifics about the property. For just about every county in Georgia, you can search property information by entering the county name followed by qpublic in your favorite search engine. Except for those counties that want to charge a fee for this service, it is a wonderful resource.

The earliest ownership record shows the property was conveyed from W.A. Dooley in 1978. What came before that is unlisted, so I don't know if they were the original  owner.

This L-shaped home consists of 1,630 sq ft. The main part of the home is 40' across the front x 32' deep. The smaller section that extends off the back right of the house is 14' wide x 25' long. Also on the back left side is a 12' x 23' screen porch. The front porch is 8' deep and runs 33' across the front of the home. I can imagine the family sitting on the front porch on a hot summer afternoon, enjoying the breeze, perhaps listening to a rain shower hitting the tin roof.

Photographer facing NE

Located about halfway between Watkinsville and Bogart, this part of the county, other than the adjacent park, consists of large tracts of beautiful, rolling and open agricultural land. It would be nice if the county could purchase the home with its 20 acres and add it to the park, perhaps renovating the house as an example of an early 20th century farmhouse. Sadly, this one will probably be lost to time and the elements.

Swafford House, c. 1904 Dawson County, GA

Hwy 136 W, photographer facing north

Photographer facing east

This home is located NW of Dawsonville, GA along a stretch of Hwy 136 W that begins a run of open pastures in a county that is primarily wooded. The home grabs your attention as you're driving west due to the yellow color of the siding. I'm not certain what you call the color of the stuccoed chimney, and rusted tin roof, but it certainly compliments the siding.

According to the book, "Dawson County, A History", Robert & Clara Swafford moved into this home in 1921. Who owned the house before that is unknown to me.

Photographer facing NW

According to a lifelong resident of the area, when Mr. and Mrs. Swafford passed away, their daughter Annie Swafford continued to live in the home. Unmarried, she earned money working as a seamstress, and passed away in 2001.

Swafford outbuilding, photographer facing north

The house and a few outbuildings, though not occupied, have obviously been looked after and is a great example of a 100+ year-old house that is still standing today.