Tag Archives: McIntosh County

-Georgia, Black History, Houses

The Tabby Slave Cabin Dwellings of The Thicket in McIntosh County, Georgia

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Known as The Thicket, William Carnochan ran a sugar mill, rum distillery, and plantation on this land from 1816 to 1824. The buildings were constructed from tabby, a combination of shells, water, and sand. Sugar cane had become a prosperous crop along the Georgia coast. The mills would crystallize the sugar and create molasses, which would be manufactured into rum. Operations ceased after a hurricane destroyed some of the buildings.

The village of tabby buildings was built in 1816 as double slave dwellings. Research on the history of The Thicket does not highlight the number of people Carnochan enslaved. Slave cabins, built by the enslaved, could house as few as five people up to 20. With four double dwellings, it is plausible that there were as few as 40 men, women, and children held in bondage, likely many more due to the hard work of harvesting sugar cane could entail.

After the end of the Civil War, freedmen and women founded Carnigan, a town a few miles from the plantation. The name was a deliberate change from Carnochan.

-Georgia, Houses

Whiteside-Green House-A Georgian Cottage in Darien, Georgia

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The Whiteside-Green house is dated with an approximate build date of 1870. Believed to have been built by a local butcher, this picturesque cottage sits on the edge of Darien’s downtown. Its well-maintained landscape is filled with palm trees and Spanish moss.

-Georgia, Abandoned, Houses

The Todd-Young-Bluestein House of Darien, Georgia

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This gabled-ell cottage was initially located in Darien, Georgia, on the “Young Triangle” (approximately Garrison Street and Highway 17). It was moved to Franklin Street in the 1940s after the widening of the highway and the building of a gas station.

At one time, the home had Greek Revival details, but those are essentially gone. The home had an addition that has since been removed. I am uncertain if it is being dismantled or restored. Either way, it is clear not much work has been done recently.

-Georgia, National Register of Historic Places, Stores

The Restoration of the Adam Strain Building in Darien, Georgia

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A few years ago, it seemed that the oldest commercial building in Georgia would be another case of demolition by neglect. The Adam Strain Building was built before 1820 and survived The Burning of Darien by federal troops during the Civil War. More recently, it was vacant for many years and had started to deteriorate to the point that the Georgia Trust for Historic Places had listed it as one of the state’s Places in Peril.

In February 2020, it was announced that Marion and Milan Savic of Marietta had purchased the building with the intention of saving it. Working with the teams from Ethos Preservation and Landmark Preservation, the Savics were able to restore it. Marion shared that the preservation teams designed new techniques for the restoration. For instance, an outside wall must be pulled closer to the building. The system was designed specifically for the building’s walls.

Window details

In July 2024, it looked like the building would be open for fall as a brewery. My friends and I decided to plan a trip for October to see the restoration and try the brewery. Unfortunately, it was not ready by the time for our trip to the coast. Luckily, mutual friends were able to connect us with Marion Savic who graciously offered to give us a tour.

A mural that was found when the clean-up process began.

The two-story building will open as the Tabby House Brewing Company sometime in the fall of 2024, so when my friends and I showed up, they were in the final stages of getting ready to open. The building has two floors with an upper and lower outdoor patio. In view of the river, it will be the place to grab a pint in McIntosh County and surrounding areas.

A view of the tabby inside the building

Outside of being a scenic place to visit, architecture and history nerds will appreciate the details the Savics kept to respect the building’s history and architecture. Patrons will be able to see a close-up of the Tabby. Much of the hardwood was salvaged from the building and reused.

-Georgia, Black History, Churches and Temples

Bolden Home Lodge-A Praise House in McIntosh County, Georgia

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Halfway between Eulonia and Crescent, Georgia, is the Briar Patch Community. You will find one of the few remaining praise houses left along the coast.

Praise houses were small structures on plantations where enslaved people worshipped. They are associated with the Gullah-Geechee culture. Ty Moody (2023) writes on the South Carolina ETV website, “Praise houses were erected as a place of worship on the plantation, but the real intentions were to keep enslaved Africans from mingling with others on different plantations. Despite the controlled measures, the praise house become the center of the community for enslaved Africans and where freedom was most experienced.”

Praise houses were erected as a place of worship on the plantation, but the real intentions were to keep enslaved Africans from mingling with others on different plantations. Despite the controlled measures, the praise house become the center of the community for enslaved Africans and where freedom was most experienced.-Ty Moody

Worshippers often participated in “ring shouts,” a shuffling or stomping movement in a circle while praying and clapping hands. The McIntosh Ring Shouters was founded by community members in Briar Patch. It was believed that the practice of ring shouting was lost until the group was discovered in 1980.

Tied to the Mt Calvary Baptist Church, the Bolden Home Lodge was built in the 1920s. When my friends and I arrived to photograph the praise hoise, we met someone who shared that his great grandfather, Reverend Nathan Palmer, helped build it. Reverend Palmer was an integral member of creating the community of Briar Patch.

Library of Congress video of a 2010 performance

Recommended reading:

The McIntosh Shouters’ website

A write-up by the Smithsonian Institute with photos of the Bolden Home Lodge

-Georgia

The Feral Cattle of Sapelo Island, Georgia

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Sapelo Island, McIntosh County

I was aware of the wild cows of Sapelo Island because of different books and articles I’ve read. I was not aware until the morning I took this photo that they are known to charge. I am grateful I had a conversation with a resident who shared a story of a run in with the cattle.

It was my last day on the island, and I wanted to ensure I didn’t miss any road or path that was ok to travel by golf cart (many roads are too rough for the carts to travel safely). I turned down one path, and as I was traveling, I saw ahead of me between 10 to 15 cows. It was a mixture of older cows and their calves. They immediately started to run towards me. I quickly did a 180 as fast as I could on a sandy road in a golf cart.

As I turned around to see if they were still running towards me, only a bull was left. I quickly snapped a photo on my phone and left.

Sapelo is the only barrier island, and one of the few places in the United States with wild cattle. This is a great article that discusses the Sapelo cattle, which are believed to be tied, minimally, to the time RJ Reynolds Jr. had farming operations on the island or when there were plantations on the island.

I am certain I didn’t say a word, but I know I was shouting many a cuss word as I was trying to get away. I will not forget this experience.