The Del-Mar Motel opened on September 30, 1956, and was owned by Mr. and Mrs. David Steigman.
Del-Mar Motel-Valdosta, Georgia
Tag Archives: motel
Paschal’s Brothers Restaurant and Motel-Atlanta, Georgia
Paschal’s Restaurant and Motel in Atlanta, Georgia, is a historic building with deep ties to Atlanta and the Civil Rights Movement. Founded in 1947 by brothers James and Robert Paschal, the restaurant became a hub for a good meal and social change. Originally a small 30-seat luncheonette, it was known for its fried chicken, which was Robert’s secret recipe. Because of its popularity, Paschal’s expanded to include a full-service restaurant and a motel, which is photographed above.
Paschal’s was more than just a place to eat. It was a meeting place for civil rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Maynard Jackson, and John Lewis, who often strategized there. Other famous visitors included Aretha Franklin, Dizzy Gillespie, and Al Gore.
While the original Paschal’s is no longer open, the restaurant can still be visited at their Castleberry Hill location on Northside Drive.
The Year in Review-Top Ten Posts of 2024
Thank you for joining me in my travels around the South. It’s been a great year of wandering backroads and a few main ones. If I learned anything, it is that people love abandoned houses, buildings with unexpected histories, and (in)famous graves.
Lone Oak Motel in Toccoa, Georgia was the Final Home of R&B singer Dee Clark
The Lone Oak Motel is an abandoned motel outside of Toccoa, Georgia. Built in 1941, it seems to have been in use until 2021. Tax records indicate it was sold in 2024, so its future is unknown. It could be restored, demolished, or continue to languish.
When I researched the motel’s history, I found out it was the final home of the singer Delecta “Dee” Clark (1938-1990), who sang the 1961 hit “Raindrops.” The song reached number 2 on the Hot 100 chart. You can hear the song here.
One of the things I love researching is unexpected or hidden stories. When I found the article about Dee’s death, I did some research about him and found that he had an interracial cover in 1961. If any music history people know more about this cover, please share.
Cleveland DeLuxe Cottages-A Georgia Motel with a Connection to the Cabbage Patch Kids
On the northwest outskirts of Cleveland, Georgia, you will drive past a sign that says, “You just passed BabyLand.” When I passed the sign, I immediately looked to my right to see through the trees an abandoned building. The allure of an abandoned building and the possible former home of the Cabbage Patch Kids caused me to turn around immediately.
As someone who did not collect Cabbage Patch Dolls, I was unaware of what BabyLand looked like, but I was immediately perplexed by what the building was. It did not seem to be a place where baby dolls could be adopted. It turns out this mid-century modern building with its breezeblock window and octagonal bay windows started out as the Cleveland Deluxe Cottages.
An article in The New York Times about the filming of I’d Climb the Highest Mountain in the north Georgia mountains sent me to research more about the Cleveland DeLuxe Cottages. Grady Johnson (1950) writes that the population of White County doubled its population of 6,000 during filming. He shares, “Incidentally, these headquarters, the Cleveland DeLuxe Cottages, are a story in themselves–a $300,000 anomaly in the mountains built by reckless Grady Carpenter, who was lured back from Augusta to help save his home town [sic] from financial ruin.”
So, why did the author state he was reckless? My guess is that it is because of Carpenter’s storied past. It seems Carpenter got himself into a bit of trouble in Augusta. In 1934, the feds shut down his business for illegally selling alcohol and not paying taxes. By 1942, he was in trouble again with the federal government. This time, Solicitor General George Hains was trying to tackle the issue of “the war-aggravated problem of venereal disease.” He was trying to close down Carpenter’s tourist camp, Big Oak, in Augusta, which he described as ‘the last word in an up-to-date lewd house’ (The Macon Telegraph). Judge A. L. Franklin called it a ‘filthy cesspool of indecency.’ Carpenter challenged the ruling to the Richmond Superior Court, but they supported the decision. In 1944, Grady Carpenter was fined $10,000 and sentenced to two years in prison for violating whiskey sale laws.
By 1946, Carpenter seemed to be out of prison because the tax records indicate that the main building of the DeLuxe Cottage was built and opened. By the 1960s, it was named Holiday Manor and became a place for locals to eat and have a good time. The dance floor was situated on a sand bar in the middle of the Little Tesnatee River. In 1988, Xavier Roberts (Harman, 1988), the designer and owner of the Cabbage Patch doll empire and Cleveland native, purchased Holiday Manor and renamed it the Villagio di Montagna. Roberts restored the motel and created a resort with an Olympic-sized pool, jacuzzi, and other amenities. Supposedly, no clocks were on the premises so guests could focus on the ultimate getaway. I am uncertain when the Villagio closed. Comments I’ve received elsewhere on social media was that it closed in late 1996.
The land is still owned by Original Appalachian Works, the company owned by Xavier Roberts.
Tennga Motel-Tennga, Georgia
Built in 1947, the Tennga Motel is near the Tennessee-Georgia border on US Highway 411. Motels used to dot highways all across the country, but the creation of interstates diverted traffic away from towns such as Tennga that would serve as a brief respite for travelers.
US Highway 411 runs from Alabama to Tennessee through Georgia.
