Road Trip 16: Riddleville Georgia's 1917 Corner Beauty

Riddleville is a crossroads between Bartow and Sandersville where Highway 242 crosses 231.


I think it's "J Y Bryan & Sons 1917." It has one of those dogeared corner entrances I like so much, lot's of fine brick detailing too. The diagonal "honors" and "activates the corner by facing in. You'll find this in our best feeling corners.



Apart from the visual appeal the cut corner is a gift to the street. It lets you see around the corner a bit, makes you feel a bit safer.

We've seen these before.


Midville City Hall.

And were still seeing these. And it's a fine thing.


Kevin Gillespie's restaurant, Gunshow in Glenwood Park has a massive corner column in keeping with its bulky building. It's a good look.

Road Trip 15: Tiny Bartow Georgia is Imagible, Legible, and Memorable thanks to Patsy Jordan

Bartow is still stuck in my head.

It looked like somebody has just "picked up" you know what I mean? When guests were coming over, my mom would tell everybody to pick up and she'd come in behind us to straighten up. Your mom too I'm sure.

And though downtown Bartow was mostly empty and closed, it felt clean and comfortable and it felt like somebody cared about it.

We encountered three landmarks right off: the water-tower, the Johnson-Josey-Jordan House, and the caboose.


The water tower is right smack in town and there were people in there on this late Monday afternoon.

The tower was enough for me but we when we turned our heads to the right, there was a perfect house in a  perfect yard.


It's the Magnolia Mornings Bed and Breakfast in the 1860 Johnson-Josey-Jordan House. I think Sherman went right by here. If you want to stay here for the Masters, Augusta National is about 60 miles away.

Patsy Jordan (R.I.P.) ran it. She must have made sure everyone in town picked up.

"(Patsy Jordan) Museum founder and bed and breakfast operator the heart and soul of Bartow, Ga." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Magnolia Mornings isn't the only pretty house in Bartow. This is almost next door.


And there's the caboose. Looks like the old depot is now the Bartow Museum. I'm pretty sure Patsy had her hand in this.

A good time to look at the map.


Downtown has a "green" with the depot at the north end. It feels like the two commercial strips reach out to embrace you. If this was a county seat, there'd be a beautiful if intimidating courthouse there, a landmark that blocked the view.


The former business side of the depot looks good, a shady spot to await the train.


This the Railroad Avenue strip, it's empty but not quite abandoned.


It's baseball cap is pulled down low over the eyes.


1900 in marble between rusticated bands with a hint of acanthus leaves. I'm embarrassed that I didn't get out of the car a peek inside.


Noble cornice, triumphal triple arches and recessed double doors with transom, worth all the TLC it can get.


High style anchors the north end of the strip.


I wish we had one of these in my neighborhood.

We would have stayed longer but we were were trying to reach Sparta before dark.

See more of Bartow at Brian Brown's "Vanishing South Georgia."

Road Trip 13: In the Middle of Midville Georgia

Highway 17 isn't main street in Midville, so we turned south on Jones Street to North Railroad, Trout, and Kilpatrick. But we were in a hurry to reach Sparta before dark.


This was a good start but I can't find it on the map.


City hall or the once city hall.


Nice cornice.


A beauty on Trout Street.


Also on Trout. This shape warms my heart. See the steeple of Midville United Methodist Church on the left?

Wish we'd had more time.

Road Trip 12: We Missed Most of Millen Georgia but Hope to Return

Driving north on 17 our introduction to Millen was this mansion in the middle of a low-rise housing project.


This can't be the only one, can it? But we were in a rush hoping to make Sparta before dark.


We took a jog west on Cotton Avenue. Commercial on the north side.


Millen's Pal Theater looks fine for now.

 
Losing the innards of the basket handle arch.


Cotton Avenue fronts the tracks. Millen must be a great train watching place: "Awesome N(orfolk) S(southern) Action in Millen, GA 2/15/14" is indeed awesome.


We found this kitty-cornered from the courthouse at College and Harvey. Look at those tall windows.

But we were out of time. We stopped at McDonalds at the intersection of 17 and 23 then headed west toward Midville.

Road Trip 11: Scarboro, Georgia's Perfect Terminated Vista and Triangular Green

This tiny place is not to be missed. Fortunately you can't miss it so take an extra five minutes and stop in Scarboro.

About 5 miles up Highway 17 north of Rocky Ford we found a near perfect terminated vista. It looks like you are going to drive smack into a building, a place that stops the eye.

You put something pretty in a terminated vista. In Scarboro it's this little church.


Scarboro Baptist is atop a tiny rise on a triangular green, grand red steps to the portico.

"In 1839 (Scarboro) became Station No. 7 on the Central Rail Road and served this (sic) one of the very oldest rail roads in the United States...."

On the green there's a white church, a blue house, and a gray house. Scarboro Road, a shortcut to the Ogeechee River, passes a ruin and the cemetery.


The Scarboro triangle.


The Blue House.

 
Boat cubby.


The gray house seems to be a riverside store neither abandoned nor busy on this Monday afternoon.


The ruin is on Scarboro Road where it starts sloping down to the Ogeechee.

The cemetery is across the street from the ruin. We didn't have time to explore be we wanted to.

Of course Brian Brown has been there with Vanishing South Georgia.

That's about all there is, do stop.

Road Trip 10: Rocky Ford, Georgia

Rocky Ford proper isn't on Highway 17. We turned southwest on Rocky Ford Road and drove just past the railroad tracks where we found City Hall.


On Rocky Ford Road the buildings are close to the street.


Rocky Ford Baptist is right on the sidewalk. It feels good.


This big old house is right out there for us to enjoy.


There's a handful of elegant small houses along the tracks.


The PO.


We spoke to the police officer. He could not have been nicer.

Downtown Rocky Ford has been on HGTV's reZONED. Greta Newton bought downtown Rocky Ford.



Cool, huh?

Greta Newton has a blog - best blog quality to town size ratio I've ever seen.

Road Trip 9: Oliver, Georgia the Beautiful Speed Trap?

When you are flying up Highway 17, the speed limit signs come on fast. But that wasn't our particular problem.

We could have gotten a ticket for going too slow in Oliver Georgia. It's a little gem about 20 miles east if Stateboro. We drove around Oliver in the rain. Glad we did.


The only sign we saw directed us to municipal court.


Here it is on Schoolhouse Road.

We turned up Clark Street and hit Railroad Avenue, Old Louisville Road and took a little jog to Kildare. We'd have gotten out of the car if it wasn't raining.





 





Little Ogeechee Baptist Church is on Old Louisville Road

  
Thanks to Brian Brown at Vanishing South Georgia we have some good information on the Little Ogeechee Baptist Church. I hope Historic Rural Churches of Georgia is on the way.

"Church was used in a movie in 1974 called 'Buster and Billie'”

"The church was established 222 yrs ago. The present structure is the third in the history of the church and was build in 1912. There is a grave yard attached to the church property."

Corner of Railroad and Schoolhouse.


We found City Hall.


And the post office.


We took a little jog up Highway 24 and found Oliver on 24 which sure looked like a church.


Maybe a meeting place / wedding chapel now.


There's a pretty blue next door with some stabilizing columns, a good sign.


Hope to come back on a pretty day.




Next stop: Rocky Ford.