St. Athanasius’ Episcopal Church of Brunswick, Georgia, began in 1883 when two women from St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Brunswick, Mary King Troupe and Louise Nightingale, started a Sunday School for the Black community. By 1885, the mission had grown, and St. Athanasius’ Episcopal Church was officially organized, named after Athanasius of Alexandria, a prominent African saint.
The current church building replaced the original wooden church, which was destroyed by a storm in 1896. The Gothic-Revival influenced church is made of tabby and is one of the few remaining tabby structures from the 19th century still standing in Brunswick. In 1946, the tabby was covered in stucco.
A major renovation in 2000 included the installation of stained glass memorial panels, featuring three panels that honor Civil Rights Movement leaders.
Sapelo Island is one of my favorite places in Georgia. It’s mostly untouched, with fewer than 100 people living there. With so few people on the island, there aren’t restaurants, but there is Lula’s Kitchen.
Located in Hog Hammock, Lula Walker is the chef behind Lula’s Kitchen. She grew up on Sapelo Island as Lula Ward and later married George Walker. She now provides meals to visitors on the island. Meals are made by request before you arrive on the island.
On the recent Spring Ramble for the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, attendees were treated to a day trip to Sapelo Island, and were fortunate enough to enjoy Mrs. Walker’s food. Fried chicken, collards, mac-n-cheese, squash casserole, and homemade pies were part of the menu. After lunch was done, Mrs. Walker shared stories about her life on the island. She’s cooked for President Jimmy Carter and other dignitaries.
If you ever get the chance to visit Sapelo, I highly recommend ordering ahead for meals cooked by Lula herself. Your host for the island will be able to connect you with Lula or one of her staff members.
Reynolds Mansion is located on the southern part of Sapelo Island. Its origins trace back to the early 1800s, when Thomas Spalding, a prominent planter and politician, established a plantation on Sapelo Island. Using enslaved labor, Spalding introduced sugarcane cultivation to Georgia. The mansion was designed by Roswell King and constructed using tabby, a mixture of lime, sand, and oyster shells, a common building material in the Southern coastal States.
In 1912, Howard E. Coffin, an automobile magnate, acquired the island and undertook significant renovations of the Spalding estate, which had fallen into disrepair after the Civil War. The mansion was essentially completely rebuilt. Architect Albert Kahn designed the reconstruction.
The estate changed hands again in 1934 when tobacco heir Richard J. Reynolds Jr. purchased it. Reynolds further expanded the mansion and used it as a private residence and a venue for entertaining guests, including notable figures such as Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover.
Prominent Atlanta architect Phillip Trammell Shutze was responsible for the home’s redesign and expansion. Shutze engaged noted painter Athos Menaboni to paint murals throughout the home. Menaboni was an Italian American artist who came to the United States after World War I. The artist was known for his bird paintings, but his work also expanded into other areas. He designed the murals of the Reynolds Mansion’s ground-floor game room, sunroom, and top-floor banquet hall, known as the Circus Room. Photos are below.
The painting of Richard J Reynolds greets visitors in the main entrance. The painting of Katherine Reynolds is also in the front entranceway. One of the curved walls in the library highlights Reynolds’s book collection.Located in the libraryAnother view of the libraryOne of several owls that sits atop the bookshelvesDecorative window hqndlesDecorative tassel on chandelierHallway from library to children’a nursery Decorative shade in chileren’a wingView from children’s wingMenaboni mural in sunroomOne of the monkey lights in the circus roomLounge area in front of gameroomjImage in front lobby of gameroomLocated inside of gameroom
The Bank of Surrency, located at Hart and Main Streets in Surrency, Georgia, is the town’s only remaining historic commercial building. Built in 1911 as a branch of the Baxley Banking Company, it initially served as the town’s only bank until it closed in 1922. It then operated as the town’s post office from 1926 to 1960. The building was as sweet potato storage and has since fallen into disrepair.
It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2003.
The black and white photos are from the NRHP application.
The Penny Savings Loan and Investment Company is located at the corner of James Brown Boulevard and Laney-Walker Boulevard. The bank was founded on September 10, 1910, by prominent Black businessmen. The bank’s initial success led to the construction of this three-story building in 1925. Designed by noted architect G. Lloyd Preacher, it served as an anchor of the “Golden Blocks” Business District. Unfortunately, the bank closed in 1928 due to financial struggles.
The building has largely been vacant since its closure.
Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly (1978–2013) was one half of the legendary ’90s rap duo Kris Kross, known for their 1992 hit “Jump.” Discovered by Jermaine Dupri at the Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta, Georgia, Chris Kelly and Chris “Daddy Mac” Smith became instant icons with their signature backward clothes. At the time, they were the youngest duo to break into hip-hop.
Unfortunately, his life was cut short in 2013 due to drug overdose. His final resting place is in Westview Cemetery.
The black-and-white image is courtesy of Wikipedia.
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