Appalachian Home, Pickens County, GA

Hwy 53 East, photographer facing south

Tucked away on a wooded tract located in the Marble Hill section of far eastern Pickens County, this old home is passed unseen by drivers headed east. It lies on a sweeping curve that bends to the southeast as the road leads towards Dawson County. In the summer, even drivers heading west probably miss it due to the dense foliage between the home and the road. The pictures in this post were taken in March of 2015.

Photographer facing south

The tax records show that this property was owned by Wyolene Wigington from 1955 - 1992, however the age of the home is not listed, and the locals I have asked about this property don't know much about it. I don't know if Ms. Wigington ever lived in the home, or leased it.

Stacked marble foundation, photographer facing NE

One man who grew up in the area remembered a Widow (pronounced "widder") Brooks living there. There was a good, cold spring at the property from which he and his brother would sneak a drink as they walked down the highway on hot summer days. They had to be fast about it though, because she was quick to holler at them to get out of there.

A few miles west of this site lie the marble quarries that have been important to the local economy. A closer look at the foundation of this home reveals the use of cast-off pieces of marble instead of the typical field stone of this area.

Photographer facing SE

The tin roof over the back porch was barely hanging on at the time of these photos, but the chimney is standing strong. The forest is slowly shutting this gem of an old mountain home off from the peering eyes and noise of today's traffic.

T-shaped Farmhouse, Dawson County, GA

Crane Road, photographer facing NW

Tucked away in a wooded patch located in the NW section of Dawson County, GA, this home is a sleeping reminder of days gone by. Although it is unknown to me when this house was built, it is obvious that it has been many years since somebody called it home.

Photographer facing NE

Sitting upon a stacked rock foundation, with a collapsing wrap-around porch,the chimney on the south side of the house is standing strong, a testament to the craftsman that built it.

Adjacent to and down slope from the home is an open plowed field that, when looked at in aerial photos, looks like a long finger, or a snake stretched out in the sun, pointing to the NW. This field is almost 2,300' in length and a narrow 100'-200' wide. If this field was present when this house was new, I can only imagine the sweat and effort that went into clearing and cultivating this land.

Photographer facing NE

My grandfather worked as a sharecropper in the 1940's and 50's in Jeff Davis County, GA, and my mother remembers him working the garden area using a horse or mule-drawn plow. Based on some of the other homes I have researched in Dawson County, I believe that this house is c. early 1900s, perhaps late 1800s.

With respect to this property, if it was worked with a horse-drawn plow, I wonder how many passes would it take to cover this field, at nearly 1/2 mile in length?

Photographer facing NW

The wing that includes the wrap-around porch looks like it may have been added on to the original house. The porch won't be around for long given the sagging that has occurred. One tree appears to be helping to hold the roof of the porch in place. It is also an indicator of how long this house has been a remnant.

Old McKee's Chapel, c. 1948, Dawson County, GA

From Hwy 183, photographer facing west

Located on Hwy 183, northwest of Dawsonville, GA, this modest brick structure is the second of the three structures that McKee's Chapel United Methodist Church has utilized. The initial church was organized in the 1860s in the form of a brush arbor (for those of you that are as unfamiliar with a brush arbor as I was, there's a great, short article here). 

Main entrance, photographer facing SW

According to the church's website, it was founded by people who were Union sympathizers during the Civil War.  Apparently Dawson County, like many of the counties in the mountainous region of north Georgia, was divided on the issue of secession. There is even a historical marker at the old courthouse in town that describes the unit formed (the First Georgia Volunteer Infantry Battalion) in the county that fought for the Union.

The church evolved into a campground with 14 cabins, and a log church, named Campground Methodist Church. In 1883, land was donated to the church by the Purdy and Bennett families, which was renamed McKee' Chapel to honor Joseph McKee who donated money (either $50 or $100, depending on the source) to construct a wooden frame church.

In 1909/10 the building was moved from its original location to where it is now, closer to the road. In 1948, the wooden building was replaced by the brick structure shown in these photos. 

From Hwy 183, photographer facing south

This structure was replaced in 1990, according to tax assessor's records. The new church building, with approximately 2,500 square feet is over twice as large as the old building. It is located across the highway.

Though no longer used as the main house of worship, it is apparently maintained by the congregation.

Adjacent to the old church is the cemetery, both silent reminders of a bygone era.

Two-story Farmhouse, c.1848, Union County, GA

From John Smith Road East, photographer facing NW

At the edge of  a pasture in northern Union County, GA stands this magnificent, two-story wooden, L shaped home. Built circa 1848, the owner must have been of substantial means. The feature that stands out the most to me is the 2nd story porch that is located on the front of the home. Few homes built in the mid 1800s  had two stories, much less a second floor porch.

From John Smith Road East, photographer facing NE

The property where this home is located also includes a home that was built in the early 70s and is obviously the primary home of the land owner. So many homes like this, if they haven't been torn down, destroyed by fire, or simply collapsed due to age, are typically covered by vegetation. Invasive vines such as Kudzu, Wisteria, Virginia Creeper; thick growths of privet, or other shrubs, and sometimes trees growing up inches from the foundation cause serious damage to these old structures.Thankfully, the owner has made sure that these grounds are maintained around the old home, allowing any passersby a glimpse of the past.

In the second photo, you will notice the mountains in the background, as you look past the house over T Chapel Road, and Hwy 129. These are the peaks of Gumlog and Ballard Mountains. These peaks rise from the floor of Union County, and fall down to the border with Cherokee County, NC.  The individuals that settled the surrounding lands were the heartiest of individuals. This area is still quite remote with respect to the distance to the nearest grocery store. When this house was built, the trip to Blairsville, GA or Murphy, NC by horse would have been an all-day venture.

Northwest side of home, with side porch 

If you're heading up Hwy 129 north from Blairsville, turn left on T Chapel Road, look to the right across the pasture as you approach the stop sign at John Smith Road East. The view will give you a glimpse into the 19th century, and allow you to imagine how magnificent it looked when it was first built.  

Old Matt School, c. 1945, Forsyth County, GA

Photographer facing SW, Bannister Road

The "Old" Matt School, named for the Matt Community, was constructed in 1945 and was used as a school until 1968. The northern part of the county that the school served is now served by Matt Elementary School which was built in 2001. The old school has since been used as a commercial structure, most recently as a retail mattress store that I'm not sure is open any longer.

According to the Matt Elementary School website, students walked to the old school and got their drinking water from a spring. An interesting concept for its time, the students didn't use desks, but sat on benches around an open fireplace.  

Photographer facing SE

In just about every community, there are old schools like this that are no longer in use. Many school systems turn them into administrative offices, and some, like this one, are used for businesses.

The old William Robinson School (where I attended the 7th grade) in Augusta, GA has been turned into residential housing. You can read about it here.

Photographer facing east

In these old structures, I'm sure any proposed renovation or restoration activities present challenges in dealing with hazardous building materials such as lead paint and asbestos.

However, the end result could be the preservation of structures that played such a large role in the shaping of this community's children, as well as providing housing for the increasing number of young professionals that are calling Forsyth County home.

Anyone have an extra million dollars laying around?

Colonial Revival Style Home, c. 1940, Augusta, GA

Magnolia Drive, photographer facing SE

Located in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Augusta, GA, this home stands out. In a neighborhood of beautifully maintained homes, this one is showing severe signs of neglect; from a couple of boarded windows, rotting wood and weathered paint on the trim, to the shrubbery that has grown out of control.

The Forest Hills neighborhood is located in the "Hill" area of Augusta, adjacent to Summerville, a place where the elite families used to retreat to during the summer months, escaping the oppressive heat, and summer time illnesses of the "Bottom" section of the city. In existence since the late 1700s, by the mid 1800s Summerville was also a destination used by wealthy northerners who would use it as an escape from the harsh winters. An independent city until it was annexed by Augusta in 1912, building in this area took off after the fire of 1916 that destroyed much of downtown Augusta.

Front Entrance, photographer facing east

Forest Hills sprang up during the 1920s and 30s and offered more humble homes, like the ones on Cardinal Drive, Wrightsboro Road, and Pine Needle Road, in addition to the larger, more grand homes located on  Comfort Road, Park Avenue, and Bransford Road.

On the opposite end of Forest Hills is the Forest Hills Golf Club which was established in 1926, in conjunction with the stunning Forest Hills-Ricker Hotel. You can read about it here. Unfortunately, it was razed in 1988.

In 1930, before the Augusta National or The Masters tournament existed, the Southeastern Open was held, with two rounds played at the Augusta Country Club, and two at Forest Hills. Played in late March, this was where Bobby Jones began his ultimate achievement of a grand slam of golf.

This house, though in rough shape, still stands; a sentinel waiting to be renovated back to its former glory.

Old Farmhouse, Turner Road, Forsyth County, GA

Photographer facing east

Located a stones throw from Costco, and the Market Place shopping complex, there's no telling how long this farmstead will remain in its pastoral state. Located on Turner Road, sandwiched between Lake Lanier to the east, and the City of Cumming to the west, this home can be seen to the east from the new four-lane Market Place Boulevard.

As one of the fastest growing counties in the country, Forsyth's population has exploded from 44,000 in 1990 to the staggering 2013 estimate of 195,000 residents. The majority of this growth has been from high-income professionals migrating north from Atlanta. Forbes listed the county as the 13th wealthiest county in the nation. The transformation of the once quiet countryside to McMansion developments has surely swallowed up scores of places like this small farm, one that is unlikely to be around much longer.   

Rear, photographer facing SW

There are some interesting features that I discovered later in the photo of the rear of the house. The stacked rock base below the windows is a mystery to me. It looks like the base for a chimney, but it doesn't make sense for one to be in that location.

There are what appears to be two windows up high, but they are covered with hinged, wooden inserts. There is a two-wheeled pushcart, a Christmas tree stand, and lastly, one of the windowpanes has been replaced by a cardboard Little Caesar's Hot-and-Ready pizza box. It is also easy to spot the more recent addition to the left.

Outbuildings behind the house, photographer facing east

Behind the house is a taller than normal small barn or shed, the function of which I am unsure. An old outhouse lurks in the background.

Be sure to look around, even near new commercial development, and you might be able to step back in time.