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Saturday, October 25, 2014

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.

20140929_171740 2014-09-29 Magnolia Mornings Bed and Breakfast Bartow Georgia Johnson-Josey-Jordan House  drive Home from Hilton Head
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
20140929_171805 2014-09-29 Bartow Georgia Drive Home from Hilton Head
Magnolia Mornings isn't the only pretty house in Bartow. This is almost next door.

20140929_171846 2014-09-29 Bartow Georgia Drive Home from Hilton Head
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.

20140929_172147 2014-09-29  Bartow Georgia Drive Home from Hilton Head
The former business side of the depot looks good, a shady spot to await the train.

20140929_172044 2014-10-29 Bartow Georgia
This the Railroad Avenue strip, it's empty but not quite abandoned.

20140929_172038 2014-10-29 Bartow Georgia drive home from Hilton Head
It's baseball cap is pulled down low over the eyes.

20140929_172056  2014-10-29 Bartow Georgia
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.

20140929_172114 2014-10-29 Bartow Georgia
Noble cornice, triumphal triple arches and recessed double doors with transom, worth all the TLC it can get.

20140929_172127 2014-10-29 Bartow Georgia
High style anchors the north end of the strip.

20140929_172236 2014-09-29  2014-10-29 Bartow Georgia downtow commercial strip Drive Home from Hilton Head
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."

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