Tag Archives: Washington County

Fern Crest Dairy-Washington County, Georgia

From the February 16, 1904 Sandersville Progress

Built at a Cost of Eight Thousand Dollars – Fern Crest Dairy, one mile north of Sandersville, is the largest in Georgia. Dr. Wm. Rawlings, the owner, has recently had finished a model barn which will house three hundred cows, each in a seperate stall. The barn is round and is 480 feet in circumference. There are now 175 cows and a large number of calves in the barn. The floor is made of concrete and is kept clean. In the center of the building there is a large silo, cylinder in shape, extending to the roof, which will contain seven hundred tons of green corn. This corn is taken from the fields when the roasting ears are sufficiently matured and is chopped up by machinery and stored in the silo, making the finest kind of forage for cattle. It smells like apple brandy and the cows are very fond of it, preferring it to any kind of feed. Each stall is provided with fresh water which is conveyed through pipes to buckets conveniently arranged for the cows to drink from. Halters are used to keep the cows in their positions, which permit them to lie down or move about without leaving their stalls. When a visitor goes to the dairy the immense circular barn full of animals reminds him of a circus. The dairy is now turning out one hundred pounds of butter daily, besides supplying the demand for milk and cream at Sandersville and Tennille, two modern dairy wagons being in use for this purpose.

Other images can be found at the following links:

Digital Library of Georgia

WorthPoint

Masonic Temple-Sandersville, Georgia

Erected in 1855-56 for the Masons inspired by the Parthenon, the Masonic Temple stood near Sandersville courthouse. Built of brick that was handmade by enslaved laborers, it survived Sherman’s troops. It was one of the only remaining buildings in the town. It was lost to fire in 1921.

Public domain photo: Mitchell, E. (1924). History of Washington county. Atlanta, Ga.: Byrd printing co..

Middle Hill School, Georgia

Washington County

The Middle Hill School is located next to the Middle Hill Missionary Baptist Church. The school was started in 1879. Gussie Wright, Geneva Ford, and Rosa Williams were listed as teacher’s in the school. I believe this building would have been built in the 1920s.

Much appreciation to Katherine Helms Cumming for providing history.

John Strauther Monument in Live Oaks Cemetery

John Strauther was the first Black mortician in Greenville, Mississippi. His monument is the only one in Live Oaks Cemetery. His wife had this made after he passed.

It is listed as part of the Smithsonian’s Save Outdoor Sculpture program.

The Ruins of St. John’s Episcopal Church-Glen Allan, Mississippi

Glen Allan, Mississippi is located in the Mississippi Delta region of Washington County. Built in 1830, it was one of the first churches in the area. During the Civil War, the stained glass windows were supposedly removed to assist in the Civil War efforts by using the lead in the windows for bullets.

This began the decline of the church building. Unfortunately, it was hit by a tornado in the early 1900s, and the outer brick walls were destroyed leaving most of what you see today.

This the funeral marker for Jesse Crowell, the only person of color to be buried in the adjacent cemetery. The marker reads, “Born into slavery and held by the Turnbull family, he was a master craftsman who directed the construction of St. John’s Episcopal Church. He supervised the preparation of timber from the forests, as well as bricks made on site by fellow slaves. He personally carved the wood for the chancel rail and pulpit, creating his own design from the leaves of native trees. A devoted Christian, he became the church’s sexton for the remainder of his life. When he died, Bishop Wm. Mercer Green, Sr. preached his funeral from the church, and Jesse became the only person of color ever buried in Greenfield Cemetery.”
I cannot confirm what this is, but I asked some cemetery experts, and they believe that it was a holding vault for the cemetery that is located next to the churchyard.