The Pendleton-Graves was built in 1820 as a plantation plain house. Purchased in 1853, Edmund Pendleton expanded it to share with his large family. It was then purchased by R. A. Graves in 1880 and had it transformed into the Queen Anne Victorian that you see today.
The home was abandoned and then purchased by Nancy Stephens in 1889. She attempted to restore the house. In 1993, she sold her home. It’s since changed owners several times, with the home staying empty.
The Bank of Sparta is located on the main thoroughfare of Broad Street in Sparta, Georgia. Despite applying for a charter fifteen years prior, the Bank of Sparta was approved to open as a bank in February 1904.
The bank was only for a few years. By April 1921, it was closed by state bank regulators when it was determined that the bank leaders were mishandling bank deposits. John D. Walker first served as the First National Bank of Sparta president. He then came to serve as the president of the Bank of Sparta. By 1921, he escaped to Texas to avoid prosecution for mishandling and the embezzling of bank funds. Depositors lost all of their money.
An interesting part of the sidewalk in front of the building is that there are still some vault lights. Vault lights were created to provide lighting in basements. The surface area is flat, but many of the vault lights would be angled to guide light into other basement areas.
While most of the glass appears clear, the glass can take on a purple hue. This (dis)coloration is caused by manganese dioxide, which will begin to change colors in response to sunlight. Silica was the main ingredient of the vault lights. Manganese dioxide was added to refine and set it.
So the next time you are walking in a historic downtown area, look down to see if you can locate any vault lights.
When you think of the historic homes of Sparta, Georgia, you likely don’t think of Spanish Colonial Revival. Sparta had at least one, and it was lost to fire in recent months. It was a contributing property to the Sparta Historic District.
Tax records indicate it was built in 1905, but the GNAHRGIS survey states it was built in 1920. John D. Walker built the home and sold it to the G. B. Moore family.
I will update the post with the cause of the fire once I know.
Mount Gilead Cemetery outside of Sparta, Tennessee, is one of several cemeteries found in mostly Southern states and the Appalachian Mountains containing tent graves. This cemetery has some of the oldest graves featuring this style.
Also known as comb graves, it was initially assumed that they were built to protect graves, but it is now believed that these were likely aesthetic choices. I support this idea. Vernacular headstones often appear in clusters in several cemeteries. For instance, there are a series of cemeteries along the coast that feature what I’ve called “Black Madonnas” since they are only in Black cemeteries. Additionally, many cemeteries along the coast feature a single-star motif on headstones. An example can be seen on the Mary Lemon grave at Behavior Cemetery.
The church was founded in 1802, and the building was moved to this site in 1828. Prior to Emancipation, the church held services for slave holders and the people they enslaved.
After the Civil War, the newly freedmen and women founded Hickory Grove Baptist Church.
This is Amanda America Dickson, who became one of the wealthiest African American women after her father left his wealth to her. This was an unusual act because most white planters did not recognize the children born of the women they enslaved. Dickson’s relatives contested the will, but the Georgia courts ruled in favor of Ms. Dickson.
The plantation where Amanda was born and her mother, Julia, was enslaved still exists in Sparta. The home that she lived in with her mother and her two sons still stands today. It sits on Dickson Plantation on the outskirts of Sparta. David Dickson owned significantly more land than what makes up the modern day Dickson Plantation.
Through the woods, near the plantation, is the St. Paul’s CME Church where Julia worshipped. If you visit, you will notice the graveyard is filled with Dicksons. The mother is buried there, but she seems to be without a headstone because I’ve been unable to locate it in my visits. The congregation is still active with a newer brick church down the road from this building.
After winning her court case, Amanda moved to Augusta with her sons and mother and lived in the yellow home on Telfair Street. Amanda married Nathan Toomer (Toomer was the father of Jean Toomer, the author), but she died only one year after they got married.
Her funeral was held at the Trinity CME Church in Augusta. Her final resting place is in Cedar Grove Cemetery in Augusta. Even though her husband remarried, he rests next to Amanda.
This is a small look into Amanda’s life. There is a book about her life written by Kent Leslie. There’s also a movie, starring Jennifer Beals of Flashdance and L-Word fame, called “A House Divided.” It’s available via YouTube.
