THE CHALLENGE OR PRESERVING a LATE 1700S RURAL QUAKER

WRIGHTSBORO: THE CHALLENGE OR PRESERVING A LATE 1700s RURAL QUAKER

COMMUNITY

JOHN GORDON MCBRAYER

(Under the Direction of Mark Reinberger)

ABSTRACT

Wrightsboro, Georgia is a pre-Revolutionary settlement in the Central Savannah River

Area. As with any historic rural community, there are many challenges involved in the preservation and promotion of its historic resources. This thesis follows the community’s path in preservation, documenting its successes and failures. Preservation efforts in Wrightsboro illustrate the challenges involved in an historic district when there is sparse population, limited funding, a remote government presence and a limited number of willing volunteers. Lessons learned in Wrightsboro, good and bad, can be applied to a number of other historic rural communities.

INDEX WORDS: Wrightsboro, Wrightsborough, rural preservation, Quakers, pre-

Revolutionary settlement, historic preservation, McDuffie County, rural

historic community

WRIGHTSBORO: THE CHALLENGE FOR PRESERVING A LATE 1700s RURAL

QUAKER COMMMUNITY

JOHN GORDON MCBRAYER

BA, University of Georgia, 1989

BFA, University of Georgia, 1998

A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

MASTER

OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION

ATHENS, GEORGIA

2018

John Gordon McBrayer

WRIGHTSBORO: THE CHALLENGE OF PRESERVING A LATE 1700s RURAL QUAKER

COMMUNITY

JOHN GORDON MCBRAYER

Major Professor: Mark Reinberger Committee: Scott Nesbit Danny Sniff Mary G. Rolinson

Electronic Version Approved:

Suzanne Barbour Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia December 2018

DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to my late mother, Regena Hawes Hall. I am thankful to her for

instilling in me a love for our family farm, an appreciation of history and the responsibility of being a good steward to our historic community. My mother’s efforts in preservation continue to inspire me.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I could not have seen this project to completion without the continued encouragement, love and support from Rich Howe. He never allowed me to doubt that I would complete this thesis, even when I could not see an end in sight. I am so grateful to Rich and all of our friends who helped me through this process.

Lastly, I would like to thank my major professor, Mark Reinberger for his sustained encouragement and guidance in the writing of this thesis; Mrs. Donna Gabriel for her unwavering support and many words of kindness; my reading committee of Scott Nesbit, Daniel

Sniff and Mary G. Rolinson, and all of the faculty in the Historic Preservation program.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... v

LIST OF FIGURES ...... vii

INTRODUCTION ...... 1

CHAPTER

1 HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE ...... 3

2 INVENTORY ...... 14

Contributing Sites and Structures Within the Wrightsboro Historic District ...... 14

Non-Contributing Sites and Structures Within the Wrightsboro Historic District ...... 31

3 EFFORTS IN PRESERVATION UP TO MODERN DAY ...... 41

1950s ...... 41

1960s ...... 44

1970s ...... 45

1980s ...... 46

1990s ...... 50

2000 to Present Day ...... 54

4 PRESERVATION IN PHILOMATH, GEORGIA ...... 59

5 ONGOING EVENTS AND FUTURE PROJECTS AT WRIGHTSBORO ...... 69

CONCLUSION ...... 80

REFERENCES ...... 83

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1: Map of Wrightsboro Historic District ...... 6

Figure 2: Town Lots in Wrightsboro ...... 9

Figure 3: Wrightsboro Methodist Church Sign ...... 17

Figure 4: Interior, Wrightsboro Church ...... 17

Figure 5: Wrightsboro Church ...... 18

Figure 6: Reconstructed Cabin...... 19

Figure 7: Hawes General Store (c. 1898)...... 20

Figure 8: Holliman-Hawes House (c. 1815) ...... 22

Figure 9: Interior Plan, Holliman-Hawes House ...... 22

Figure 10: Wrightsboro Academy Girls’ Dormitory/ Duckworth-Hunt House (c. 1834) ...... 24

Figure 11: Interior Plan, Wrightsboro Academy Girls’ Dormitory/ Duckworth-Hunt House ...... 25

Figure 12: The “Old Bryant Hunt” House ...... 26

Figure 13: Ruins at Site of Quaker Meeting House and Burial Grounds ...... 27

Figure 14: Hunt-McCorkle House (early to mid 1800s) ...... 28

Figure 15: Wrightsboro School/ Gardner House ...... 29

Figure 16: Middle Lane ...... 31

Figure 17: Quaker Road ...... 32

Figure 18: Palmer House ...... 34

Figure 19: Gilmer House 2002 ...... 35

vii

Figure 20: Nunn House ...... 36

Figure 21: Rock Dam ...... 37

Figure 22: The Rock House ...... 38

Figure 23: Hawes-Knox House (1906-1935) ...... 39

Figure 24: Bowdre-Rees-Knox House (c. 1806) ...... 40

Figure 25: Georgia Historical Markers at Wrightsboro ...... 43

Figure 26: Vandalized Gates at the Rock House ...... 49

Figure 27: Vandalized Rock House Center ...... 49

Figure 28: Pull Off for Wayside Exhibit...... 51

Figure 29: Wayside Exhibit ...... 51

Figure 30: Wrightsboro Church in 1963 ...... 53

Figure 31: Audio Box at Wrightsboro Church ...... 56

Figure 32: New Pavilion at Cabin and Store Area ...... 57

Figure 33: Covered Pavilion and New Drive at Cabin and Store Area ...... 58

Figure 34: Glenn-Nichols-Callaway House 1834 ...... 61

Figure 35: General Store, Philomath ...... 61

Figure 36: Philomath Church ...... 63

Figure 37: Georgia Historical Marker at Philomath Church ...... 63

Figure 38: Pews and Pulpits Stop ...... 70

Figure 39: Belle Meade Hunt Stables ...... 71

Figure 40: Dinner on the Grounds, Wrightsboro Homecoming (2012) ...... 73

Figure 41: ‘Tally Ho’ Wagon Tour ...... 74

viii

INTRODUCTION

Wrightsboro, Georgia is a former Quaker settlement located in southeast Georgia, about 35 miles west of Augusta, Georgia and 120 miles east of Atlanta, Georgia. I chose Wrightsboro as the subject of my thesis due to my family’s connection to the area. Wrightsboro has been home to both sides of my family for many generations. My mother’s family, the Hawes’, have lived in

Wrightsboro continuously since the early 1800s. My great-great grandfather, Dr. Elllington

Cody Hawes, was the first generation of the Hawes family to have been born in Wrightsboro in

1826. My father’s ancestors, the Candlers, the Perrys and the Clouds, were some of the original settlers and land grant recipients when Wrightsboro was settled in 1768. Most of my father’s ancestors left Wrightsboro by the late 1800s. My family continues to maintain the Hawes family homeplace and plays an active role in the preservation of Wrightsboro’s historic resources.

Wrightsboro is an interesting study in the preservation of rural historic areas because it has survived a number of potential threats over the years. While development, neglect, and natural disasters have destroyed other historic resources in McDuffie County, Wrightsboro has survived relatively unscathed. While some historic resources have been lost over time, a significant portion of the community has survived intact. In the 1960s, Wrightsboro had a few local residents that recognized the importance of preserving Wrightsboro’s history. These early preservation advocates were successful in getting other local residents involved in preserving their community. These preservation efforts have been sustained for over 60 years. Even though it is in a remote rural area, Wrightsboro attracts hundreds of visitors throughout the year. In spite

of losing many residents over the past 100 years, the community still has a number of residents with ancestral ties to the area.

A long-standing involvement in the preservation and promotion of Wrightsboro has raised a number of recurring questions. What ignites a community’s interest in preserving its resources?

How do the unique resources of a historic community contribute to preservation efforts? How can a community cultivate an ongoing effort in preservation and promotion of its resources?

What can be done to ensure a continued interest in the community through successive generations? What are realistic and attainable goals in preserving an historic rural area? This thesis addresses these questions and attempts to identify successful preservation tools that could be applied in other rural historic communities.

The first chapter is devoted to the history and significance of Wrightsboro. This timeline of

Wrightsboro’s history begins in the mid-1700s and continues into the mid-1960s. The next chapter gives an inventory of the community’s historic resources. Photos of historic resources are included with the text. The third chapter chronicles preservation efforts in the Wrightsboro community for the past 60 years. The historic rural community of Philomath, Georgia is presented in the fourth chapter as a comparison study in rural preservation. In the final chapter, the ongoing and future preservation efforts of the Wrightsboro community are discussed.

CHAPTER 1

HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE

Wrightsboro, a former Quaker settlement, is located in the northwest corner of McDuffie

County, approximately six miles west of the city of Thomson, Georgia. McDuffie County is

located in east central Georgia, 120 miles east of Atlanta, and 30 miles west of Augusta. The

land in the Wrightsboro district is characterized by rolling hills, old growth timber and red clay.

At present, there are only a few structures left from what was once a thriving, self- sufficient community. Wrightsboro Road, running east to west, has always been the main

thoroughfare in the community. Formerly known as James Street, it was not paved until the

early 1950’s and is one of the oldest remaining thoroughfares in the community. Wrightsboro

Road is still in use and is heavily traveled. There are two other secondary dirt roads, Fish Dam

Road and Quaker Road, running in a north and south direction. Quaker Road was once a major

thoroughfare leading to Savannah, and Fish Dam Road led to Little River.1 These dirt roads are

framed with prominent high banks which are lined with old domestic and native trees and shrubs.

When Wrightsboro was still a thriving community, most of the businesses and public buildings were located on these three roads.

A windshield survey on a drive along Wrightsboro Road would produce an inventory of a church, a country store, a reconstructed log cabin, and several historical residences in the

Wrightsboro Historic District. All of the visible existing structures are from the early 19th century

1 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 29

or later. The present church dates back to 1810. This church is the second structure built on this

spot after the first was destroyed by fire. Some of the graves date back to the late 1700’s. The

first, and oldest, church of the settlement was that established by the Quakers.2 There are few

visible ruins of the older church. There is a low-lying stone wall with stone steps at the eastern

end. The graveyard, with graves marked with stones, is still visible. It is approximately one mile

north-east of the present church site. There are three houses visible from the main road – a

raised cottage (c.1815), a plantation plain style two story house (c.1834) and a hall-and-parlor

house (mid 1800s) with a later gable-front addition. The reconstructed cabin is a mid-1800s

structure transplanted from Dearing, Georgia in 1976. The Hawes store dates from the very late

1800s. Exploring the district on foot, one finds numerous old lanes, ruins of old structures and

remnants of rock foundations and walls.

The beginnings of Wrightsboro date back to the mid 1700’s. A Georgia historical marker states that in 1754, Edmund Grey, a Quaker, founded the town of Brandon on the site of present

day Wrightsboro.3 Local historians, Pearl Baker and Dorothy Jones, have recounted the same

chronology.4 In 1750, Edmund Grey, on behalf of 30 Quaker families, had petitioned the Board

of Trustees of Georgia for 20,000 acres of land 30 to 40 miles above Augusta. The Board

deferred action on this until the families could actually come into the colony. By 1751, the

number had drastically decreased. Ultimately, Grey was allotted 500 acres of land that would

have been closer to the area of Wrightsboro. It was customary at the time to name a plantation of

300 acres or over. While Grey may have named his land Brandon, his settlement of Quaker

families in this area never materialized. 5

2 Augusta Chronicle 6.13.1952 3 Georgia Historical Marker 4 Communicated by Wrightsboro historian Dorothy Jones in 2011. 5 Robert Scott Davis, Jr., Quaker Records in Georgia, (Augusta, Georgia: Augusta Genealogical Society, 1986), 3.

In 1763, the Treaty of Augusta obtained a large cession of Creek Indian lands, including

the area where the Wrightsboro Historic District is now located. A group of North Carolina

Quakers, led by Joseph Maddock and Jonathan Sell, petitioned Governor Wright of Georgia for

one of the land grants being offered to new settlers. The royal colony of Georgia granted the

Wrightsboro district to the North Carolina Quakers in 1767. Maddock and Sell honored

Governor Wright by naming the town after him. Wrightsborough (as it was called until the mid- nineteenth century) was to be one of the last Georgia towns planned under royal authority.

During the Trustee period, Oglethorpe laid out all the colony’s towns. However, permission

could be requested to lay out a type of town that would leave some of the plan to the town’s

discretion. The Quakers at Wrighsboro followed, with certain variations, the basic ideas of the

Savannah plan.6 Joseph Maddock seems to have had some influence in the final plan for

Wrightsboro. One similarity to the Savannah plan is the compactness of the layout which

afforded safety in a frontier setting. The major differences from the Savannah plan are the “T”

shaped plan with squares laid out only at the top of the “T”, and the wide road which surrounds

the town. This road allowed access to the common and could be used for defense.7 Wrightsboro

was not planned as a public town, but was to be settled by a particular sect for others of a like

persuasion. 8 The Wrightsboro area is the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in

the interior of rural Georgia. It is the southernmost point of the migration of the Quakers in

colonial America.9 The town is unusual in that it did not completely disappear nor was it

transformed or destroyed by later commercial development. Much of the land in the original

6Sears, Joan Niles, The First One Hundred Years of Town Planning in Georgia (Atlanta: Cherokee Publishing Company, 1979), 51 7 Sears, 50 8 Sears, 48 9 Davis, 15

town proper is still deeded in large tracts and is owned by descendants of earlier settlers.

Wrightsboro was laid out in a 1,000 acre rectangle on the west side of Middle Creek in present day McDuffie County. This size of this thousand acre rectangle would be disputed in a later survey. Within this rectangle, a 150 acre town was laid out consisting of ten blocks. Each block was divided into one acre lots. Originally, 99 lots were surveyed, but later this number

was expanded to approximately 125. 10 The blocks were divided by 66 foot wide streets and

lanes, except for James Street (present day Wrightsboro Road) which was 99 feet wide. The “T”

shaped town plan also provided for three squares across the top of the “T.” The town plan, dating

from about 1769, was implemented through surveys of the site by 1770. The population of the

early settlement consisted of about 150 Quakers.

Figure 1: Map of Wrightsboro Historic District

10 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 5

Documentary research by Robert Scott Davis, a professor of history at Wallace State

College, AL, has established that Wrightsboro never fully developed, nor was the impressive

town plan ever realized. 11 In reviewing old records and maps, it looks as though lot owners

tended to acquire multiple lots and these became incorporated into their land holdings. In fact, in

recorded transactions, there are many entries of settlers selling or buying multiple lots. 12 Lots

were bought, sold and re-sold, but relatively few owners actually built houses or made other improvements in the town proper. It may have been the case that it was not practical to have a

house in town and a separate farm further out in the community. Most of the Quaker settlers

appear to have remained dispersed throughout the reserve in rural settlements near streams and

grist mills. 13 There is no evidence to suggest that Wrightsboro proper was ever densely

populated with even a majority of the 12514 lots owned and occupied by individual families.

Under the leadership of Maddock and Sell, the Quakers had established a large rural

community by the time of the American Revolution. A reserve of approximately 44,000 acres,

for the Wrightsboro settlement at large, was being settled. The town of Wrightsboro would not

really begin to prosper until after the “New Purchase” of 1773 when the hostile neighboring

Indians were removed.15 By then, a town had been planned, surveyed and occupied. When

William Bartram visited Wrightsborough in 1773, he described it as a pleasant village of some

twenty houses with a number of traders who sold goods as cheaply as could be had in Augusta.

11 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 5 12 Davis, 10 13 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 6 14 Ibid 15 Sears, 49

The following is a description of the settlement in Bartram’s words:

“Wrightsburge (sic) is a late but thriving settlement on a branch of Little River which runs into Savannah River. The inhabitants are for the most part emigrants from the North Carolina Colonies, under the conduct of –Maddox, Esq. who obtained a grant of these lands with a privilege of settling with such People as he should approve of and he being a Quaker by profession, most of his followers are of that Society. It is called Wrightsborough in honor to the Governor, Sr. James Wright, who granted Mr. Maddox the privilege of a burrow in his little colony. The town is already laid out and about 20 houses built; several traders in it and goods are sold as cheap here as at Augusta….”.

The township and town probably reached the peak of its growth by early 1775. At this

point, there were then one hundred twenty-four identified male Quakers holding grants to 30,650

acres of land in the township, and of that number, eighty-two also owned lots in the town.16 One

of the most important uses of the minutes from the Mens Monthly Meetings is to determine the

membership of the Wrightsboro Quaker community. These minutes dispute the earlier held

notion that the entire population of Wrightsboro was made up of Quakers. According to research

done by Robert Scott Davis, Jr., “almost every settler who lived in the township had been

identified as a Quaker when, in fact, the Friends were a minority there from a very early date”. 17

The list of land grants prior to 1776 does not include many of the Quaker names identified in

1776 Wrightsboro minutes. In fact, only one-fifth of the names on the land grant list show up in surviving Wrightsboro meeting minutes. There is speculation that non-Quakers were allowed, perhaps even encouraged, to join the community in order to provide militia for the community.18

Even so, the settlement was regarded as a Quaker community, and certainly it was established by

Quakers, Maddock and Sell, who were the early leaders.

16 Davis, 8 17 Davis, 17 18 Davis, 18

Figure 2: Town Lots in Wrightsboro

When the American Revolution began, the Quakers found themselves in a difficult position. Not only were they pacifists, but many gave moral support to the British Crown rather than to the colonists’ cause. During the conflict, Quaker homes, crops and other property was destroyed. In one account, twelve Quakers were also reported murdered by roving band of

Whigs.19 A small military post, which had been established in Wrightsboro before the war, became an important supply base and apparently changed hands several times before the hostilities ended. Of interesting note is Wrightsboro’s claim to have been the capital of Georgia for a day during the Revolutionary War. It originates from the fact that the Whig legislature was driven from Augusta in 1799. It was agreed that business of state could be transacted whenever

19 Davis, 158

and wherever a quorum met. A majority of the members did meet in Wrightsboro, then held by

General Elijah Clark, and legal legislation of the state was enacted. 20

Following the close of the war (1781), Wrightsboro experienced renewed economic

activity as new settlers arrived. For the Quakers, however, the new order was not attractive. The

new government confiscated the holdings of some of those who refused to bear arms and

redistributed the property in the land courts. 21 Many Quakers had moved from the area during

the war and did not return. Within a few years, the Quaker element found themselves in the

minority not only in the greater reserve, but in the town of Wrightsboro itself. The Quakers had freed their slaves in 1774, but slaves were still held among non-Quakers in the community.22The number of slaves steadily increased and with the development of the cotton gin in the 1790’s, the plantation system became entrenched throughout the whole reserve. The Quaker influence continued to wane, and by the early 19th century, most Quakers had moved from the district. As

a community of non-Quakers, Wrightsboro became a rural village and a place of residence for planters and prosperous farmers. Opposed to slavery and finding their small farms unable to

compete with the growing plantations, Quakers began emigrating in small groups. In 1805-06, a

climax was reached when about forty Quaker families moved in a group to Ohio and Indiana. A

few families remained, renounced their faith, and were assimilated into the population.

The town of Wrightsboro was incorporated in 1799. The act of incorporation stated that

the 1,000 acres surveyed by the royal government in 1769 “shall in future be held …as the town

and common of Wrightsboro.” The act continued, “The Commissioners of the Town and

Common of Wrightsboro shall be empowered to lay out agreeably to the original plan of the said

20 Augusta Chronicle, 6.13.52, 7 21 Wayside Exhibit sign at Wrightsboro 22 Sears, 50

town, 150 acres of land into lots and street, including the lots and streets already laid out…”

Thus, not only the original name was retained, that of Georgia’s last royal governor, but the

original plan also. The town plan was resurveyed in 1807, based on the 1769 survey, now lost.

However, the 1807 survey conducted by William Harris found only 672 acres in the town plan—

191 acres in the town proper and 481 acres in the commons. This discrepancy cannot be readily

explained, as Harris stated he “found a complete set of old lines and corners all corresponding

with each other, containing only 672 acres…” 228 short of the 1000 believed earlier.23

Except for the change in population identifying themselves as Quakers, the development of post-war Wrightsboro continued much as it had in the past. Incorporation and renewed economic activity did not lead to fully developing the original town plan in the 19th century.

Town lots continued to be combined into single ownership and more often than not, town land

became a part of contiguous farms. 24 As the 19th century progressed, Wrightsboro continued to

become a community of planters’ residences, now with male and female academies, a post

office, churches and stage coach facilities. The successful planters of the community continued

the English tradition of sending their sons and daughters to separate schools. There were two

well attended academies- one male and one female. Many students traveled some distance to

attend these schools, and Wrightsboro was a noted educational center until after the Civil War.25

Several general stores operated in the village as well as a silk mill and a leather tanyard. From

1820 to 1850, there was a weekly paper published in the village called ‘the Village Wreath.”

During this period, Wrightsboro resembled other small communities in Middle Georgia such as

Leathersville in Lincoln County, Danburg in Wilkes County and Powelton in Hancock County.26

23 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 61 24 ibid 25 Augusta Chronicle, 6.13.52,7 26 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 62

Around 1833, the Georgia Railroad was chartered and ran about six miles south of

Wrightsboro. A town grew around this depot and became what is known as present day

Thomson. The folklore, handed down from generation to generation, is that the railroad was the

beginning of Thomson and the beginning of the end for Wrightsboro. Contrary to popular belief,

there was no immediate mass exodus and many families remained. There is no denying,

however, that a gradual decline in population began around this time and continued from this

point on. In the 1840’s Wrightsboro was home to about 100 families, five or more dry-goods

stores, a saloon, an inn, and a church. The two academies, male and female, had an attendance

of over 200 children.27 Many of the children came a great distance to attend the academies and either stayed at dormitories or boarded at private homes. The Duckworth-Hunt House was the former girls’ dormitory. The male academy closed in 1853 and then boys and girls attended the same school in the former male academy building. A few years later, this building burned and a smaller school was erected on this site.

The Civil War and later economic and social changes probably caused Wrightsboro’s decline as much as anything else. As a community of prosperous planters and farmers, the war had a disruptive, if not catastrophic, effect. Agricultural labor was demoralized and land values dropped. The effects of soil exhaustion and erosion among the red clay hills also was a factor in the community’s decline. These developments, coupled with an economic depression in the

1890’s, caused many of the once affluent white citizens to move to larger towns such as

Thomson or Augusta. The Wrightsboro Militia District, in which the Wrightsboro Historic

District is located, declined in population from 1,746 in 1870 to 1,276 by 1910, and by 1930 the

27 Baker, Pearl, The Story of Wrightsboro, 1768-1964, The Wrightsboro Restoration Foundation, Thomson, Georgia, 1965, 22

number was down to 1022. Additionally, by the late 19th century, Wrightsboro’s town

government was inactive and the community had lost its post office.28

Like many southern agrarian communities, Wrightsboro was devastated by the boll

weevil around the time of World War I-1917-1918. It is noted that the Wrightsboro Militia

District suffered a population loss of over 400 persons between 1920 and 1940.29 The last

functioning school in the community, employing two teachers, closed in the 1920’s when the

McDuffie County schools were consolidated in 1922. Sometime around 1920, the cotton gin burned, and as it was never rebuilt, it left the town with no industry of any kind. 30 The Hawes

Store, the last general store in the village, closed in the early 1930’s. The Hawes Store had

served several functions in the community- voting precinct, Justice of the Peace’s office and

community gathering spot. With the store gone, the only public building was the Methodist

Church. The church was on a circuit with one minister serving four to six churches on the

circuit. Church services were irregular and the congregation declined.31 The last church service

was held in 1963. The church was deconsecrated in 1964 by the United Methodist Church and

became the property of McDuffie County. Two services are still held in May and December of

each year.

Though Wrightsboro no longer functions as an independent village, there is still a strong

sense of community here. Many of the residents have had ties to the area for generations and

have retained ownership of family homes and land. Most “Wrightsborians” maintain close ties

with one another, and there are many ongoing social events within the community that cultivate

strong community ties. The town of Wrightsboro is heavily promoted by the Convention and

28 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 64 29 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 65 30 Baker, 25 31 Communicated by Wrightsboro resident Regena Hawes Hall in 2013

Visitors Bureau of McDuffie County and attracts hundreds of visitors throughout the year.

Ironically, after years of a gradual exodus, land in the Wrightsboro area has become some of the most valuable real estate in the county.32

32 Communicated by McDuffie County appraiser Charlie Lewis in June, 2017

CHAPTER 2

INVENTORY

To avoid confusion it should be noted that the present day Wrightsboro Historic District is

defined by what was once the township of Wrightsboro. However, the settlement of

Wrightsboro was also inclusive of a larger rural community that goes well beyond the limits of the town proper. There are a number of historic resources located just outside the district. Most of the historic sites in or near Wrightsboro are located on land parcels ranging from 100 to 350 acres. Early land grants as far as eight miles away were still considered to be part of the

Wrightsboro Community.

Contributing Sites and Structures within the Wrightsboro Historic District

Wrightsboro Church and Cemetery: The Wrightsboro Church dates to 1810. It is the second oldest documented wood framed church building in the state, and the second-oldest documented wood-framed rural church building state wide. It is also the oldest documented structure in the

Wrightsboro Historic District. Architecturally, the Wrightsboro Church is an excellent intact example of the vernacular ‘country church’ building type that was built throughout rural areas of

Georgia from the late 18th century through the early 20th century. 33 It is a one story, one-room

(60 foot by 30 foot) rectangular wood frame building with a recessed portico like front porch.

33 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 48

The gable front structure has a tin roof and is built on brick and stone piers. The front façade has a porch in the form of an overhanging gable. This porch had been altered by adding two supporting brick columns and a concrete porch floor and steps. In 1995, the porch was restored to a vernacular Greek Revival style. It now has a wooden floor, steps and handrails. There are two tapered wood columns supporting the overhang. The interior is a basic large, unadorned open room. The ceilings and walls are composed of wide, hand-planed pine planks. The floors appear to be newer, narrow pine boards. There are five double-hung windows, sixteen over sixteen, on each side. There is a single window, also sixteen over sixteen, centered on the south wall. There are four sets of wood double doors, two in the front, two in the rear. The church is in remarkably good condition and retains most of its original building material. The pews in the church are hand-made from wide pine planks. According to members of the Hunt, Hawes and

McCorkle families, the pews date back to the early 1800s. Electrical lighting (schoolhouse type lamps) and the tin roof are the only significant changes made in the past 200 years. It was built on the same site as an earlier church that had been destroyed by fire. The earlier church had been

built in 1799 and burned in 1805.34 Both churches at this site were built as houses of worship for all denominations. The Wrightsboro Church was deeded to the Methodist Church in 1877.35 The cemetery dates to the very late 1700’s, confirming the fact that there was an earlier church on this same site. The cemetery, for the most part, has been well maintained.

34 Baker, 49 35 McCommons, Mrs. W.C. and Clara Stovall, History of McDuffie County, GA, Boyd Publishing Co., Tignall, GA, 1988, 135

Figure 3: Wrightsboro Methodist Church Sign

Figure 4: Interior, Wrightsboro Church

Figure 5: Wrightsboro Church

19th Century Cabin: There is an 1840’s36 cabin moved from its original site in nearby Dearing,

Georgia to its present site in Wrightsboro in 1976. It is a log cabin consisting of two rooms and a loft. The present day cabin actually consists of two cabins. The front main section is from one dwelling, the rear shed addition from another. The stones from the chimney were recovered from the ruins of other home sites in the Wrightsboro area. The rooms of the cabin have been kept in their original state and have no electrical lighting or plumbing. The cabin has a period appropriate cedar shake roof on the front façade, and a tin roof on the rear section roof. It has a large stone chimney and rests on stone piers. The interior and exterior walls of the cabin are in their natural state and have not been covered with paint, drywall or siding.

36 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 32

Figure 6: Reconstructed Cabin

Hawes General Store 1898: This structure is located directly across from the Wrightsboro

Church and is in close proximity to the cabin and the Hawes House. The general store is a one story, one-room structure with a gable front roof and a long, narrow rectangular footprint. The eastern side has a lean-to addition that provided behind the counter space for the store. It features weathered board and batten siding, a tin roof, stone chimney and stone piers. It is a good example of the ‘country store’ type of commercial vernacular architecture found in rural areas all across the state, generally dating from the 1840s to the 1940s. 37The south facing entrance

(facing Wrightsboro Road) once had a shed porch. The store closed in the 1930’s and has never

37 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 48

been wired for electricity or fitted with any plumbing. The store is in a state of peril at present due to rot and termite damage. When Wrightsboro Road was widened four decades ago, excess dirt was pushed into the road bank and thus under the front third of the store. Basically, the front

section of the foundation is resting on the ground. The result has been that the sills and joists in the front section of the store have been severely compromised. In addition, termite damage has contributed to a decline the store’s structural integrity. There is also significant inward lean in the western wall.

Figure 7: Hawes General Store (c. 1898)

Holliman Hawes House 1815: This structure is a wood frame raised cottage with a full width front porch. The main part of the house is a side gable structure situated on an east-west axis with the front (south side) facing Wrightsboro Road. The house sits in very close proximity, approximately 50 feet, to Wrightsboro Road. It is an excellent local example of the traditional and relatively common ‘hall-parlor cottage’ type of vernacular house and is a relatively early example of the type in the state. The house was originally built as a two room house with a loft

and a cellar. The interior cellar walls have remnants of a scored stucco finish. There is a cellar

fireplace and there are four windows. There is evidence that there was once an interior stairway connecting the hallway to the cellar. According to members of the Hawes family, the cellar was once used as a summer kitchen. There is an interior stairway in the hallway that leads to the habitable loft. There are subsequent shed room additions on the rear of the house. The clapboard siding is covered with asbestos shingle siding and the original cedar shake roof has been replaced with a tin roof. Like the Wrightsboro Church, the interior of the home features wide, hand milled pine planked walls. One of the planks in the hallway measures 15 inches in width. Many of the ceilings and walls have been covered in sheetrock and the house’s wood floors vary in age and material. The cellar walls are made of stone and measure 24 inches in thickness. The house is built with a characteristic heavy mortise-and-tenoned wood frame. 38 The house is located in

close proximity to the church, cabin and store.

38 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 49

Figure 8: Holliman-Hawes House (c. 1815)

Figure 9: Interior Plan, Holliman-Hawes House

Wrightsboro Academy Girls’Dormitory/ Duckworth-Hunt House (c.1834): The Hunt House

faces Wrightsboro Road, is situated on an east-west axis and sits back about 500 feet from the road. It is situated almost immediately to the west of the Wrightsboro Church. The Hunt House property is contiguous to the church cemetery. This structure is a two-story, wood frame I-house with a long, narrow rectangular plan and a full width front porch. It has a distinctive tall, narrow- gabled profile with exterior chimneys. It has a 5-v tin roof. Because it was originally built as a dormitory, it features a variant of the characteristic hall-parlor interior arrangement with two unequal sized rooms on the main floor. The house is built with a heavy mortise and tenoned wood frame. The clapboard siding is covered with vinyl siding and many of the original windows have been replaced with vinyl windows. This house served as the girls’ dormitory when Wrightsboro had a female and male academy in the mid 1800’s.

The only visible signs of the original interior are in the pine planked ceiling, walls and floors of the upstairs rooms. The house has not been occupied since 1990. The current owners, the Jobes family, have owned it since 1996. The Jobes family lives on the property, but has never moved into the house.

Figure 10: Wrightsboro Academy Girls’ Dormitory/ Duckworth-Hunt House (c. 1834)

Figure 11: Interior Plan, Wrightsboro Academy Girls’ Dormitory/ Duckworth-Hunt House

House on Quaker Road: Known as the “Old Bryant Hunt House,” this structure is located about

550 feet south of Wrightsboro Road, just to the left of Quaker Road. The date of construction is unclear, but appears to be a late 19th/ early 20th century vernacular one story ell and gable

structure.39 It is an L-shaped one story, gable-roofed, wood framed house sheathed in board-and-

batten siding. Appears to be a variant of the common gabled-ell vernacular house type, although

the ell may be a later addition. 40

39 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 17 40 Ibid.

Figure 12: The “Old Bryant Hunt” House

Fort Wrightsboro 1772: Fort Wrightsboro was built on a high point on the east side of

Maddock’s Creek 41 The site was chosen for its vantage point and there is evidence of man-made

terracing at the fort’s site. The fort consisted of a log stockade erected on a base of rocks.42 There are some ruins of a foundation believed to be part of the fort. The fort, established before the

Revolution, became an important supply base during the war and changed hands several times

before hostilities ended.43 During the Revolution, it was under the command of Major Pannell

and Captain John Dooley.44 Colonel Wm. Candler’s family later made the fort into their home and called it the ‘old fort house’. The site of the fort is documented by historian Pearl Baker, but the exact location of the structure cannot be confirmed.

Quaker Burial Ground and site of original Quaker Meeting House

41 McCommons and Stovall, 3 42 McCommons and Stovall, 4 43 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 21 44 McCommons and Stovall, 4

This area is across Maddock’s Creek from Fort Wrightsborough. All of the Quaker graves here are marked with field stones. There are no engraved tomb stones. There is 10 foot by 20 foot stone wall, about two feet in height that surrounds this burial ground. It is believed to be form the Quaker period and is largely intact. Due to the fact that the new meeting house was constructed in 1799 on a different site, it is unlikely the wall was built after 1799. There is a natural underground spring in this area which probably dictated the placement of church and burial ground. The original Quaker Meeting House is known45 to have been in the same location as this burial ground, but there are no ruins of the structure.

Figure 13: Ruins at Site of Quaker Meeting House and Burial Grounds

Hunt-McCorkle House: The Hunt-McCorkle House faces Wrightsboro Road and is situated just east of the intersection of Middle Lane and Wrightsboro Road. The house consists of an original

19th-century house, a turn-of-the-century addition, and a connector between the two. The original

45 Ibid.

section features a variant hall-parlor arrangement. The sills and floor joists are hand-hewn logs.

The foundation rests on field stone piers. The addition, located off the east end of the original structure, is a one story, wood framed structure with an end-gabled roof. The addition appears to have been built at two different times. The western half of the addition, including the chimney, has the same foundation as the original section. The eastern side of the addition, to the right of the chimney, appears to have been constructed in the 1940s. This newer half of the addition is constructed on more modern, dimensional lumber. The date of the connector/breezeway connecting the two structures is uncertain. 46 The exterior of the house is covered in asbestos shingle siding. This house did not have an indoor bathroom until the 1970s. 47

Figure 14: Hunt-McCorkle House (early to mid-1800s)

46 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 14 47 Communicated by Wrightsboro resident Paul McCorkle in May, 2018

Last Wrightsboro School/Gardner House: There are remnants of a foundation of a structure known as the Gardener House. The ruins are opposite the Wrightsboro Church and are about

300 yards from the main Wrightsboro Road. Only the roof structure and the general dimensions are discernable. The Gardner House was originally a two room school house that later became a home to the Gardner family. This was the site of the last school to have operated in

Wrightsboro, closing in the 1920’s when McDuffie County Schools were consolidated.

Figure 15: Wrightsboro School/ Gardner House

Wrightsboro Road, formerly known as James Street, is still the major thoroughfare through Wrightsboro. Though it still follows the same basic footprint as James Street, it is hardly recognizable from its earlier beginnings. In the past seventy years (get a date on paving) it has been widened, paved, re-widened and paved again. The last widening of the road in the 1980’s incorporated some land from some of the original town lots into the right of way. This last road

widening project eradicated old driveways that were no longer in use and relocated the entrance to the historic church. In many places, the road bed is defined by high red clay banks on either side.

The entrance to Middle Lane is still visible from Wrightsboro Road. Though it has not been used for public transportation in many years, it has remained a clear, defined road bed that runs north from Wrightsboro Road. Its dimensions are still quite visible and there is little vegetative growth on what was once a well-traveled road. It is defined by a border of mature trees on both sides. Much of the road can still be navigated by an off road vehicle. The road terminates at what is now Foxboro Farm, and then resumes its course beyond the farm. If its entire length could be traveled, it would intersect with Highway 78 near the Wilkes County line.

Figure 16: Middle Lane

The Old Quaker Road is still recognizable as the south bound roadway that once connected Wrightsboro to Jacksonboro (present day Sylvania) 48 As in many cases, these roads

48 Baker, 3

followed what were once Indian trading paths because they were found to be the best and most

practical routes. Like Middle Lane, Quaker Road is no longer a public thoroughfare. It is still a

well-defined roadway but some parts can only be traveled by an off road vehicle. At one point,

the road is interrupted by Middle Creek, but there is an intact wooden bridge that would accommodate a horse or small vehicle. Like Middle Lane, it is a shady pathway lined by mature pines, hardwoods and cedars. This road will eventually intersect and terminate with Cedar Rock

Road in McDuffie County.

Figure 17: Quaker Road

Much of the land in the Wrightsboro Historic District has been left in its natural state.

The bulk of the land is held in large tracts by local landowners and there has been very little development in the area that would have compromised the historic sites. While there has been development on the east and west boundaries, Wrightsboro itself has remained largely untouched. There are, however, a handful of non-contributing sites/structures in the old town proper.

Non-Contributing Sites and Structures of the Wrightsboro Historic District

Palmer House: This is a single story ranch style home built around 1978. The exterior walls are aluminum siding. It is across from the McCorkle House on the west side of Maddock’s Creek.

The house is perpendicular to Wrightsboro Road and sits approximately 65 feet from the main road.

Figure 18: Palmer House

Gilmer House and Stables: The Gilmer home is a three story vernacular Tudor/Gothic style

home built in 2005. The exterior walls are stucco and stone. The Gilmer stables are in close

proximity to the home and are built in the same style. The Gilmer home is in very close

proximity to the Palmer home. The house and stables are parallel to Wrightsboro Road and sit

approximately 185 feet from the road.

Figure 19: Gilmer House-2002

Chamberlain/ Gilmer House: This structure is a manufactured home set back about 275 feet

from Wrightsboro Road at the corner of Wrightsboro and Quaker Roads. This home is not highly

visible from Wrightsboro Road, and its egress is on Quaker Road.

Nunn House: This structure is a brick ranch house constructed in 1969. It is set back about 100 feet from Wrightsboro Road and faces the Hunt House on the opposite side of the road. The

Nunn house is in close proximity to the ruins of the Gardener House/ Wrightsboro School.

Figure 20: Nunn House

Outside of the Wrightsboro Historic District, there are several historic sites that would have been

part of the Wrightsboro Community. Rock Dam, the Rock House and the Bowdre-Rees-Knox

House are significant sites which contribute to the history of Wrightsboro.

Rock Dam 1771: The Rock Dam is a stone dam built by Joseph Maddock. This is the only surviving structure to actually have been built by the Quaker settlers. The basic structure of the dam is still intact. Repairs have been made by successive landowners. The structure measures

226 feet in length and 14 feet in height. The dam diverted water to a quarter-mile long race leading to the mills. Stone foundations of three mills are still evident. The grist mill ran continuously from 1771 to 1930, when a spring flood washed the last mill away.

Figure 21: Rock Dam

The Rock House 1799: Just before the American Revolution, a sea captain named William

Manson founded the last settlement in colonial Georgia. It was named Friendsborough and was considered part of the larger Wrightsboro township. There are no records to state what percentage of these settlers were Quakers. The Rock House is the only physical link to

Friendsborough.49 The Rock House was built by Thomas Ansley, an early Quaker settler. It is located approximately 6 miles southeast of Wrightsboro and is the only house left from the

Colonial/Quaker Wrightsborough Community. Made of weathered granite quarried locally in its natural form, the exterior walls are 24 inches thick. It is Georgia’s oldest documented stone

49 Davis, 196

house with its design intact50 The architectural style of the house is similar to stone houses in the

Delaware Valley of New Jersey from which Ansley migrated.51 The Rock House is President

Jimmy Carter’s ancestral home.

Figure 22: The Rock House

Hawes-Knox House 1806/1935: The Hawes-Knox House is a raised cottage that sits just outside of the historic district on the eastern end. It is a white clapboard frame cottage constructed in

1935. The floor plan is two rooms deep and has a central hall in the real half that is used as a dining room. There is a kitchen addition and screened porch at the rear of the house. The interior walls and ceilings are finished in a stained v-groove pine plank paneling. The loft and cellar are

50 Vanishing North Georgia, Online at: http://vanishingnorthgeorgia.com , Accessed March, 2018 51 Georgia Historical Marker

unfinished. It is built on the same foundation formerly occupied by a raised cottage built in the early 1800s. The foundation and cellar walls are very similar to other historic homes in the area and are constructed of field stone. The original structure was destroyed in the 1930s due to a fire started in the loft by a chicken incubator.

Figure 23: Hawes-Knox House 1806-1935

The Bowdre-Rees-Knox House 1810: This home is listed on the National Register. Built by a planter named Thomas Rees, it is a wood frame raised cottage with a cellar and loft. Originally, the main floor had two rooms; two rooms were added on the front and a shed addition was added to the back. When the house was built, the main thoroughfare would have been Stagecoach

Road. The house was built to face Stagecoach Road. Later, in the mid-nineteenth century, an extension of Wrightsboro Road was cut to make a shorter link to Thomson. The driveway and

front entry to the house is now accessed by Wrightsboro Road. The result is that the front and rear orientations of the house have been reversed. 52 This house retains a great deal of its original fabric. Many of the floors, walls and ceilings appear to be original. In addition, much of the structural system appears to be from the early 1800’s. Significant alterations include a newer tin roof and reconstructed windows. The roof was added about twenty years ago, according to the current owner, Andy Knox. The windows were reconstructed around 1980. The Bowdre-Rees-

Knox House is significant to the community in that it is probably the least compromised historic structure in the immediate Wrightsboro community.

Figure 24: Bowdre-Rees-Knox House (c. 1806)

52 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 64

CHAPTER 3

EFFORTS IN PRESERVATION UP TO MODERN DAY

Preservation efforts in the Wrightsboro community, as is the case with preservation in many historic rural communities, began with the community church. The first documented mention of preserving the Wrightsboro Church dates back to 1877, when there was a petition to deed the church and property to the Methodist Church. 53 The argument, by the citizens of

Wrightsboro, was that although the church was originally built for all denominations, it had been

used by the Methodists for over forty years. The petition went on to state that the Methodists

had been the caretakers for the building during this time and needed a deed in order to care for

and to preserve the church for use by future generations. At this point in time the church would

have been 67 years old. A deed was granted to the Methodists by townspeople in 1877. 54

1950s

In 1956, Georgia Historical Markers were placed at Wrightsboro. There is one dedicated to the Wrightsboro Church and another devoted to the founding and history of Wrightsboro. The marker for the church follows the church’s history from its beginnings in 1810. The church was constructed as Quaker meeting house, was later used as a Methodist-Episcopal church, and then deeded to the Methodist Church in 1877. The marker devoted to the history of Wrightsboro

53 Baker, 49 54 McCommons and Stovall, 135

states that the town of Brandon was founded upon the same site by Edmund Grey in 1754. It goes on to say that, after receiving a 40,000 acre land grant, Joseph Maddock and Jonathan Sell revived the town and renamed it Wrightsborough. The Georgia Historical Society has no records regarding the sponsorship and research for these markers.55 A few decades later, a Bartram Trail

Maker was added in 1988 to commemorate William Bartram’s 18th century travel through the

Wrightsboro area. 56 The Bartram marker was sponsored by state and local garden clubs.

The Georgia Historical Marker Program has long been an important way for rural historic sites and historic communities to identify and make known their significance to their community and state. The Georgia Historical Commission oversaw the historical marker program from the

1950’s to the mid-1990’s. The Georgia Historical Society began erecting new markers in 1998.

In 2015, the Georgia Historical Society also took over the coordination for maintaining and repairing the older state historical makers. The Georgia Historical Society accepts historical marker applications by September 1st each year. Requirements include a proposed marker site, necessary easements from affected property owners, and supporting documents for the subject of the marker, images of the proposed site and the text (around 125 words) for the marker itself.

The proposed subject for a marker should have more than just local significance. 57 It costs approximately $5,000 for the GHS to erect each marker. The marker program is supported by the state of Georgia, but the costs must be shared by marker sponsors. A minimum of $2500 is required by maker sponsorship. 58 The Georgia Historic Marker Program is still a valuable asset for historic rural communities today.

55 Communicated by Elizabeth Wrozek of the Georgia Historical Society in September, 2018 56 McDuffie Progress, 11.22.88, 6 57 Communicated by Elizabeth Wrozek of the Georgia Historical Society in September, 2018 58 ibid

Figure 25: Georgia Historical Markers at Wrightsboro

1960s

In 1964, there was a renewed interest in preserving the Wrightsboro Church. In actuality, this preservation movement began with the church’s cemetery. The cemetery dates back to 1799 and contains the graves of veterans of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. By the early 1960’s the graveyard was overgrown and in a state of disrepair. Due to the fact that many families in

Wrightsboro had strong ties to the cemetery, and to its historical significance, concerned citizens of the community began to take note. This concern was the impetus for the formation of the

Wrightsboro Quaker Community Foundation in 1965.

A local writer, Vinnie Williams, and a local historian, Pearl Baker, formed the

Foundation with a handful of other preservation minded residents. Known today as the

Wrightsboro Quaker Community Foundation, it was founded as a nonprofit preservation entity to address the preservation needs and concerns of the historic community. The church had been deconsecrated in 1963. At this point, the ownership was transferred to McDuffie County. The

Wrightsboro Quaker Community Foundation assumed a joint role with the county in preserving and maintaining the building. The foundation was granted access and use of the church by the county. The foundation’s first endeavor was to attend to the neglected graveyard, which is comprised of roughly two acres. The Foundation cleared the undergrowth, fallen trees and other debris over the two acre parcel. They documented the grave sites and made rudimentary repairs to fallen head stones. The church had not fallen into serious disrepair. Although it ceased to be used on a regular basis in 1963, the annual homecoming services began just three years later, in

1966. Many Wrightsborians still considered it their church, and there was still an occasional

wedding or funeral held there. Various residents, some of whom had been trustees of the church,

continued to assume the roles of caring for it and making necessary repairs.

1970s

Few would argue the point that Wrightsboro’s most effective preservation advocate was a local woman named Dorothy Jones. Sometime in the mid 1970’s, Dorothy “Dot” Jones became the president of the Wrightsboro Foundation. Mrs. Jones was in a key position to promote

Wrightsboro as she served as Director of Tourism for McDuffie County. It is not an overstatement to assert that Mrs. Jones was primarily responsible for spearheading most of the preservation efforts at Wrightsboro from 1974 to 2010.59 Mrs. Jones, by all accounts, was a

passionate advocate for Wrightsboro and was tireless in her efforts to preserve and promote the

historic community. It is important to note that Mrs. Jones became the de facto grant writer for

the Wrightsboro Foundation. Her ability to secure numerous grants was a key factor in

successful preservation projects. She was a self -taught preservationist and was tenacious in her

efforts to secure funding for the Wrightsboro community. Mrs. Jones made herself, and

Wrightsboro, known among preservationists on a state wide level. She was instrumental in

securing funding for the Rock House, the Wrightsboro Church, the historical cabin, the church

cemetery, signage and numerous other projects pursued by the Foundation. In addition, Mrs.

Jones attended to repairs and maintenance for the buildings and grounds of Wrightsboro, as well

as the historic Rock House. For decades, she could be found at Wrightsboro fulfilling the dual

role of custodian and groundskeeper.

59 Communicated by Wrightsboro resident Epp Wilson in March, 2016

The next major preservation effort by the Wrightsboro Foundation was in 1976. To

celebrate the Bicentennial, a major effort was made in anticipation of a large number of visitors

to the area. It was during this time that the historical cabin(s) was moved to Wrightsboro and

reconstructed in close proximity to the Hawes General Store. Restrooms were constructed in

close proximity to the cabin. The construction of restrooms necessitated the need for a well and

electrical service to serve the cabin and store area. A new driveway was implemented to access

the store and cabin. Also, at this time, the store had some exterior repairs in the form of

weatherboard repair and replacement. The store’s tin roof was also patched, repaired and

painted. In addition, temporary sheds were constructed for use by the Kiokee Rifle Club and

other colonial reenactors. The 4th of July event succeeded in attracting hundreds of people to the

community. Having been a frequent destination for local school field trips for years, the physical

improvements and additions helped Wrightsboro attract even more visitors to the area.

1980s

In 1981, the Wrightsboro Quaker Foundation, Inc., retained the services of Pat Garrow of

Soil Systems, Inc. in surveying about 336 acres of the ‘proper town’ or about one half of the historic district. Starting in 1983, Dr. Sue Moore of Georgia Southern University continued this work. Altogether, the two investigations have identified 33 geological sites, of which, 25 can be

linked directly to the developmental history of the settlement. During this time, the location of

the original Quaker meeting house was identified. 60 This work was the prelude to an effort,

60 National Register nomination for Wrightsboro, Georgia, 43

beginning in 1990, to be included in the National Register. The Wrightsboro Historic District was listed in 1998.

Preservation efforts at the Rock House warrant mentioning due to its association with the larger Wrightsboro community. Much of the foundation’s efforts and finances were focused on the Rock House in the early and mid-1980’s. Although the Rock House is not physically located in the Wrightsboro Historic District, it was considered part of the original Wrightsboro community that existed in the late 1700’s. The foundation had obtained ownership of the Rock

House in early 1970. It had not been occupied in a long while and was a frequent target for vandals. Initial efforts toward restoration had begun in the late 1960’s in an effort to have it listed on the National Register. It was added to the National Register in 1970. In the early

1980’s a major restoration project was begun by the Wrightsboro Foundation and the McDuffie

County Commission. A layer of stucco was removed from the exterior of the house’s walls to reveal the original stonework. Repairs were made to exterior shutters and windows. The Rock

House also received a new cedar shingle roof. The interior had never been significantly damaged or altered and was restored to its original state. The Georgia Trust for Historic

Preservation presented an award on May 15, 1982 to the Wrightsboro Foundation, “In recognition of outstanding achievement in the field of preservation.”61 The Rock House Center, a modern pavilion with restrooms and a kitchen, was constructed in 1985. The entire project was finalized that same year and a reception was held to celebrate the restoration of the Rock House and the ribbon cutting for the Rock House Center. Funding was attributed to The U.S.

Department of Interior’s National Park Service, Governor Joe Frank Harris, and the state’s emergency recreation fund, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. 62

61 Wrightsboro Foundation newsletter, Fall 1982, pg. 3 62 Jefferson Electric Membership Corporation magazine, November 1985, pg. 38

Unfortunately, much of the restoration work accomplished in the 1980’s was compromised as the house continued to fall prey to vandalism. The Rock House Center has been virtually destroyed by vandals. The kitchen and bathrooms at the Center were gutted. Some of the

Center’s supporting posts were dislodged and all of its doors were removed. The Rock House suffered broken windows, shutters and doors. The interior of the Rock House has been covered in graffiti.

The Rock House is located on a sparsely populated dirt road in a remote part of the county.

Security can be one of the greatest challenges for a rural historic site. The Rock House serves as a good case study in what to do, and what not to do, in protecting a valuable historic site. The

Wrightsboro Foundation, at various stages, installed security lighting, locked entrance gates, an alarm system, and security cameras. None of the aforementioned efforts put an end to the vandalism. The only effective method of deterrence was to employ a security guard. The foundation could not afford to employ security personnel indefinitely, and the vandalism resumed as soon as the security detail was discontinued. The Wrightsboro Foundation deeded ownership of the Rock House to McDuffie County in 2015 in hopes that the county would have the necessary resources to protect it. The Rock House was also allocated $500,000 in SPLOST funds at this time. Part of these funds were earmarked for construction of a caretaker’s cabin on the site. The train of thought was that the SPLOST funds, a county presence, and an on-site resident would provide the necessary security and funding for the house. In June of 2018, two vandals were sentenced for vandalizing the Rock House. They were sentenced to three years’ probation and required to make restitution for damages. These are the first arrests and convictions since vandals started targeting the site in the 1970s.63

63 McDuffie Progress, 7.19.2018, 9

Figure 26: Vandalized Gates at the Rock House

Figure 27: Vandalized Rock House Center

1990s

In the late 1990’s, the Wrightsboro Historic District was successful in obtaining an ISTEA

(Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991) grant. Tom Robertson, of Cranston,

Robertson and Whitehurst Engineering (Augusta, Georgia), assisted in writing the grant. Mr.

Robertson also played a key role in implementing the project funded by the grant. Dorothy Jones

served as administrator of the grant.64 This grant was used for establishing visitor pull offs or

wayside exhibits with informative signs along Wrightsboro Road. This project has provided an

excellent source of information for self-guided tours of Wrightsboro. The first pull off welcomes visitors as they approach Wrightsboro on the eastern end. The signs disseminate information on all aspects of Wrightsboro including historic structures, history, historic roads and social history.

Alan Stovall, a landscape professor at the University of Georgia, provided the research for the

signs. 65 The signs were produced by a company in Olympia, Washington called Winsor Fire

Form Co. This company was chosen because they produce signs known for their outstanding

durability. The 24x36 signs are made of porcelain enamel, and chemical inorganic dyes are

baked into the panels. The result is that the text and images do not fade. 66 Almost twenty years

later the signs are in very good shape and continue to serve visitors to the area. This type of sign

is a good answer for a rural historic site in that they require very little maintenance and are made

very durable. Today, the cost would be approximately $1200 per panel. 67

64 Communicated by Georgia Regional Historic Preservation Officer Anne Floyd in August, 2018 65 Wayside Exhibit sign 66 Communicated by Tom Roberson in October, 2018 67 Winsor Fire Form Signs, Online at: http://www.Winsorfireform.com , Accessed June, 2018

Figure 28: Pull Off for Wayside Exhibit

Figure 29: Wayside Exhibit

During this same time period in the late 1990’s, the foundation obtained a Georgia

Heritage Grant for restoration and repair of the historic Wrightsboro Church. Anne S. Floyd, regional historic preservation planner for the Central Savannah River Area Regional

Development Center, assisted in writing this grant. As per an interview with Ms. Floyd, this was a matching grant. Dorothy Jones’ time, as well as some money contributed from McDuffie

County Tourism, fulfilled the criteria for matching funds. The scope of work funded by this grant was quite extensive. The church’s foundation needed substantial improvements as the sill along the east side was rotted and needed to be replaced. According to Gene Surber, one the architects on the project, when the damaged sill was removed, it dislodged a rattlesnake nest within the walls of the church. 68 The damaged sill required the foundation to be raised so that necessary repairs could be made. The most visible component of this project is the front (north) facade of the church. At some point, three brick supporting columns, a poured concrete porch floor and concrete block steps had been installed. All of this was removed in order to return it to a more period appropriate appearance.

68 Communicated by architect Gene Surber in October, 2018

Figure 30: Wrightsboro Church in 1963

The Wrightsboro Foundation enlisted the services of architects Gene Surber and Lane

Greene. Dorothy Jones, president of the Wrightsboro Foundation, was familiar with the work of

Mr. Surber and Mr. Greene through her association with the Georgia Trust. Mr. Surber was affiliated with the architectural firm of Surber, Barber, Choate and Hertlein of Atlanta. Mr.

Greene, also of Atlanta, was a noted preservation architect in the Atlanta area. 69 The

construction was carried out by the firm of John Wesley Hammer of Atlanta, Georgia. The end

result was to return the front façade to that of a vernacular Greek Revival style believed to be a

very close approximation to the original structure. There are now two wood supporting columns,

wood plank front porch floor, and wood steps and risers. After this work was completed, the

69 Communicated by Georgia Regional Historic Preservation Officer Anne Floyd in July, 2018

church’s exterior, including the green tin roof, was repainted. The nine sixteen over sixteen

windows were also repaired, re-glazed and painted.

2000 to Present Day

In 2004, the Wrightsboro Foundation and McDuffie County embarked on the most

extensive endeavor to date in restoring and preserving the church cemetery. The Chicora

Foundation, Inc., of Columbia, South Carolina was enlisted to submit a conservation treatment

proposal for the cemetery. The Chicora Foundation specializes in heritage preservation and

cultural resources protection. 70 The Chicora Foundation provided a condition report and

suggested treatment proposals for 32 stones in the cemetery. The repairs included resetting

stones on bases, providing new foundations for stones and bases, repairing stones with pins and

epoxy, and replacing missing or damaged masonry. They also made suggestions in controlling

vegetation, treating fire ants, and enhancing security. The proposal was accepted at a cost of

$15, 540. The Watson-Brown Foundation awarded a grant of $10,000 for the project. The

remaining $5,540 was raised from donations.71 The project was successfully completed in 2005.

In 2014, the Wrightsboro Foundation received donations earmarked for use in repairs to be

made on the cedar shingle roof on the front half (south facing) side of the transplanted cabin. A long-standing board member of the foundation passed away and the family requested that memorials be made in the form of donations to the foundation. The cedar shakes were obtained from Valley Lumber Co., Knoxville, Tennessee, a company which specializes in producing western red cedar shakes and shingles appropriate for historic structures. The new cedar shake

70 Chicora Foundation, Online at: http://www.chicora.org, Accessed April, 2018 71 Communicated by Wrightsboro resident Epp Wilson in August, 2018

roof was installed in the latter part of 2014. At present, the cedar shakes cost $325 per square and require stainless steel nails for proper installation. Minor repairs to doors and window shutters were also made at this time.

Also in 2014, the McCorkle family (long standing residents of the community) financed the construction of new restrooms for the cabin and store area. The previous restrooms had been constructed for the 1976 event and were in a state of disrepair. A new wood frame structure, with unpainted weatherboard, was constructed to house two restrooms. It was built on the same slab foundation occupied by the old facilities. The cost for this project was $3,000.

In 2016, the Thomson-McDuffie County Convention and Visitors Bureau allotted funds for a self-service audio tour station located at the Wrightsboro Church. The tour station is a solar powered audio box that has four recorded history lessons pertaining to the community of

Wrightsboro. Elizabeth Vance, executive director of the CVB, worked with local residents and historians to develop the scripts. Each script is recorded by local people and is accompanied by background music and sound effects. Each script is approximately 2-3 minutes long. These audio boxes are manufactured by Tourmate and sold by Creative Digital. Each box costs approximately $2850 which includes the cost of writing and recording the four scripts for the tour. The tour station also has a brochure holder for printed material on Wrightsboro and

McDuffie County. The station is checked and restocked by Thomson-McDuffie CVB staff once a month. The number of brochures taken each month gives some idea as to how many people are using these audio boxes. The CVB has gotten positive feedback from this project and the station is used on a regular basis. The CVB has installed one other audio tour station at the depot in

Thomson. To date, the audio boxes have needed no maintenance.

Figure 31: Audio Box at Wrightsboro Church

In 2017, the Wrightsboro Foundation voted to approve the construction of a non- contributing structure, a covered pavilion, on adjacent property occupied by the cabin and general store. There was a great need for a covered gathering space for outdoor meals, selling merchandise, housing demonstrations, hosting receptions and outdoor entertainment. The result is a 20 feet x 40 feet gable end structure supported by ten rough sawn 8x8 posts. It is constructed atop a poured concrete floor, has a tin roof, and there is a stone fireplace at the north end. In conjunction with the pavilion construction, a series of improvements were undertaken in order to provide greater access to the store and cabin area. To improve accessibility to the church, a new driveway, aligned with the church’s drive, leads directly to the covered pavilion. The existing drive to the store was cleared and widened and gained a loop for access to the new driveway.

The new paths were compacted and covered with gravel and screening. The end result is easier

access, increased parking and the ability to accommodate full size tour buses. The labor (clearing

trees, burning, and grading) for the project was donated by Paul McCorkle and Epp Wilson, both

residents of Wrightsboro. The donated labor is valued at approximately $20,000.72 The total cost to the foundation, in construction costs and gravel, amounted to $39,950.

Figure 32: New Pavilion at Cabin and Store Area

72 Communicated by Wrightsboro resident Paul McCorkle in July, 2018

Figure 33: Covered Pavilion and New Drive at Cabin and Store Area

CHAPTER 4

PRESERVATION IN PHILOMATH, GEORGIA

In discussing the preservation challenges in an historic rural community such as

Wrightsboro, it is informative to take a look at another rural historic community. How has a

similar community dealt with preservation challenges? What can be learned from the successes

and failures in another community? What did another historic community get right in their

efforts to preserve the integrity of their historical resources? What obstacles has another community encountered in their efforts to preserve and promote their historic area? Are there successful preservation formulas that can be applied in many rural historic community?

The historic community of Philomath, Georgia provides a germane comparison to the community of Wrightsboro for several reasons. First, and foremost, they are both rural communities with a current population of less than 15 households. The Philomath and

Wrightsboro historic districts are both listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Philomath, like Wrightsboro, was first settled in the 1770’s. Like Wrightsboro, Philomath had a name change. The settlement, originally called Woodstock, was later renamed as Philomath.

According to a local resident, the name change came about with the advent of the postal service because there was already another Woodstock, Georgia. 73 Like Wrightsboro, Philomath was

also a stop along the William Bartram Trail in the 1770s. Both communities, for the most part,

are held by landowners who have owned their properties for generations.

73 Communicated by Philomath resident John Buckman in July, 2016

As mentioned earlier, white settlers had arrived in this area by the 1770s. By around

1820, the settlement had come to be known as Woodstock. When the post office necessitated the

need for a name change, Alexander H. Stephens suggested Philomath, a Greek word meaning

‘love of learning’. Stephens suggested the name as a way to honor the prominent local school, the Reid Academy.74 The Reid Academy was hailed as a prestigious boarding school for boys and is said to have enrolled hundreds of students from around the area. 75

Philomath has a similar inventory of resources to Wrightsboro. Though the construction

dates of structures are close in both communities, the style of architecture is notably different.

Most of the houses in Wrightsboro, raised cottages and plantation plain farmhouses, are modest

in size and style. Philomath also has a more diverse inventory of homes ranging from the late

1700’s to the mid 1800’s. There are two impressive Greek revival houses, very similar to one

another and thus, called the ‘sister houses’. There is also a vernacular Greek revival house with

unfinished cedar trees in lieu of finished columns. There is a Gothic Revival church from the late

1800s. There is a defunct general store, former dormitories for the school, and a log cabin. There

are also newer, non-contributing homes and structures within the historic district. As is the case

with Wrightsboro, there has been no intrusion of modern-day commercial construction within the

historic district.

74 Vanishing Georgia, Online at: http://www.georgiaarchives.org, Accessed May, 2018 75 ibid

Figure 34: Glenn-Nichols-Callaway House 1834

Figure 35: General Store, Philomath

As was the case in Wrightsboro, preservation efforts in Philomath began with the

community church. The historic church in Philomath was formerly a Presbyterian church and

was last used as a church in the late 1960’s. 76 It is a vernacular Gothic Revival frame church

constructed in 1892. Efforts to preserve the church began in 2005 with about ten residents intent on saving and restoring the structure. In the case of Philomath’s church, there was a provision in its deed stipulating that ownership reverted back to the community if the congregation ever disbanded.77 This group eventually formed a non-profit, 501(c)(3), called the Philomath Church

Preservation Association. 78 According to a member of the association, the church was in

serious disrepair and had major structural damage. The first phase of restoration was to jack up

the foundation of the church in order to replace rotted sills. The damage was so advanced that

there was severe buckling in the interior floors. The next major project was to replace the tin

roof. Other repairs and improvements included painting, restoring exterior window shutters, and

deferred landscape maintenance. In addition, various repairs were made to exterior siding, trim,

doors and windows, and electrical. A well has been dug in anticipation of adding restrooms in

the future. In the latest phase of work, heating and air conditioning has been implemented.

76 National Register nomination for Philomath, Georgia, 32 77Courson, Justin Eric, Preservation Planning for Philomath, Georgia, Masters Thesis, College of Environment and Design, University of Georgia, 2010 78 Communicated by Philomath resident John Buckman in July, 2018

Figure 36: Philomath Church

Figure 37: Georgia Historical Marker at Philomath Church

Estimates for the cost of aforementioned repairs and improvements range from $80,000 to

$100,000. Virtually all of the costs were paid for out of local donations.79 According to an

association member, John Buckman, they have never been successful in obtaining any local or

regional grants for the church restoration. Mr. Buckman, on behalf of the association, applied

for various grants over a period of five years. The association has sought assistance from their

regional preservation planner and the Athens Historical Society. They have made no recent applications for grant funding of any kind. Some members of the association speculate that the failure to obtain grants is due to the fact that the word ‘church’ appears in their non-profit name.

In the absence of any grant funding, the necessary funds have been raised through local

fundraisers.

One their most successful fundraising endeavors has been an annual low county boil

hosted at the historic Glenn-Nichols-Callaway House. These events are preceded by a wine

tasting and hors d’ oeuvres, followed by a sit-down dinner. They usually capped the number of

attendees at 125 and charged $25 per head. The association made around $3200 per event. In addition, donation jars at these events usually added an additional $800 to the proceeds.

Additional funds were raised by barbeque dinners and selling various crafts. Though very successful in raising funds, the association has not held one of these events for the past three years. The fundraisers have been sponsored by a small core group within the association and they have not been able to maintain a regular schedule of events due to health concerns of members. One of the challenges in preserving and promoting Philomath lies in the fact that the majority of the population there is over the age of 75. Thus far, the association has not been able to attract younger members who are willing to continue the work begun by the original group.

79 Communicated by Philomath resident Jim Carter in September, 2018

As the name would suggest, the main focus of the Philomath Church Preservation

Association has been the historic church. The church, and its cemetery, is also the sole property owned by the Philomath Church Preservation Association. Like Wrightsboro, most of the property in the historic district has remained in the hands of families that have lived there for generations. There is a small building in the historic district designated for use as the Bartram

Trail Society Museum. The museum building was constructed and founded in the late 1950’s. A resident named Dorothy Normandy constructed the building on her land and it remains privately owned. According to one resident, access was always limited and by permission only. It has not been open to the public, in any capacity, for at least a decade.80 The association has never

pursued any plans for operating the museum, the old store, the log cabin, or any other former communal building.

According to members of the association in Philomath, there has been no self-imposed adherence in their historic district to any guidelines that would normally protect a locally designated historic district. Over the years, historic houses have been torn down, inappropriate new houses have been constructed, and historic homes have been compromised by questionable restoration practices.81 There is a much higher success rate of implementing local historic

districts in larger towns and cities. If one is living in a city, there is already a degree of

acceptance of rules and regulations that might be foreign to someone in a rural setting. There are

two ways to address this problem. The first would be to propose less restrictive guidelines for a

potential locally designated district in a rural area. The second would be to seek protective

80 Communicated by Philomath resident Jim Carter in September, 2018 81 Communicated by Philomath resident Jim Carter in September, 2018

easements on a property by property basis. In both of the aforementioned solutions, success is

contingent upon the sophistication of the population and their grasp of potential benefits. 82

At present, the main attraction for tourism in Philomath is the community’s historic church. The church is featured in the book, Historic Rural Churches of Georgia, by Sonny Seals and George Hart. While Philomath has an impressive inventory of historic homes, they are all privately owned and not accessible to the general public. Philomath has been featured in two of the Georgia Trust’s Rambles in past years. Since the association was founded, there has been an annual Christmas program held at the church every December. The Christmas program, however, has been on hiatus for the past two years. The association hopes to resume this annual event this December. 83 The church also hosts the occasional family get together, wedding or

funeral. Aside from the Georgia historical marker at the church, there is no other signage or

information center to serve visitors. Due to its location on Route 22, Philomath does have a

good amount of traffic flowing through its historic district. There is definite potential for

increased tourism should the association decide to pursue it.

How can Philomath expand its efforts in preservation? For that to happen, there has to an

interest to do so among those that have ties to the area. At present, there does not seem to be an

interest in pursuing any projects beyond the Philomath Church. In the future, if there is an effort

to expand beyond the current scope of work, there is the recurring issue of funding. It may be

necessary for the association to rethink its name and original purpose. If, for instance, they

wanted to preserve and promote the old store, it is currently privately owned. Private ownership,

of course, severely limits the potential for fund raising. It would be helpful if it could fall under

the umbrella of a nonprofit organization in order to be eligible for additional funding through

82 Communicated by Historic Augusta Executive Director Erick Montgomery in September, 2018 83 Communicated by Philomath resident Jim Carter in September, 2018

grants. It may be beneficial, in this future scenario, for the association to have a name and a mission that could accommodate a wider range of future preservation projects. The association would be eligible for grants from private, nonprofit foundations in the region. For example, the

Knox Foundation and the Watson-Brown Foundation, both in McDuffie County, award grants in education and preservation throughout an extensive area of Georgia. Philomath would be included in the area served by both of these foundations. If the interest and initiative is there, the residents of Philomath would be eligible for grant funding from these entities should they choose to expand their efforts in community preservation and restoration.

Anne Floyd, Regional Historic Preservation Planner for the Central Savannah River Area, asserts that it is rare for an historic rural community to go so far as to enforce design review guidelines administered by a local certified government. However, Mrs. Floyd states that these rural communities can find that being recognized as a local certified government is in their best interests. Mrs. Floyd remembers McDuffie County was very resistant to the idea of a certified local government until they realized that they would become eligible for CLG grants. Although

McDuffie County never had an interest in design review, they did become certified and created an historic preservation commission. Taking these steps enabled them to pursue CLG grants and obtain technical assistance from the State Historical Preservation Officer. CLG grants paid for an

Historic Resources Survey and church repairs in Wrightsboro. McDuffie County’s path is one that could be followed by any number of other rural historic communities. As Historic Resources

Surveys are given priority in the CLG grant process, there is definitely an incentive for a community to work through the certification process. 84

84 Communicated by Georgia Regional Historic Preservation Officer Anne Floyd in September, 2018

Perhaps the most pressing need in the Philomath district is a means by which to convey information to visitors. The wayside information centers used in Wrightsboro could be a good answer for this. They are not costly and require little to no maintenance. In this way, Philomath could enable visitors to enjoy a self-guided tour. In addition to telling the town’s story, it could make visitors aware of the historic preservation association in the event they would like to make donations. The signage could lead visitors to the association’s Facebook page which could be easily be tailored to accept donations.

Given the fact that state and federal grants are now much more difficult to obtain, what are some practical fundraising ideas that would serve a community like Philomath? Erick

Montgomery, Executive Director of Historic Augusta, has a number of suggestions. Having worked previously as a regional historic preservation planner in southwest Georgia, Mr.

Montgomery is familiar with the obstacles a rural historic community faces in funding preservation projects. In Mr. Montgomery’s experience, special events are crucial to fund raising. He suggests that a fledgling non-profit begin a two pronged project that starts a capital campaign while simultaneously creating an endowment fund. The capital campaign is usually more attractive to people because it focuses on a particular project, i.e., donors can see tangible results from their donations. The endowment fund is necessary for future projects and maintenance. While raising funds for a capital campaign, the endowment fund can be promoted as a way to maintain and protect this new project. A social media presence as well as a

newsletter are essential in raising money on an ongoing basis. Planned giving, in which people make provisions in their wills, can also be a great aid in funding an endowment.

CHAPTER 5

ONGOING EVENTS AND FUTURE PROJECTS AT WRIGHTSBORO

There are several ongoing events at Wrightsboro that have greatly increased interest and visitation in the area. There is a “pews and pulpits’ tour that is sponsored by the office of

McDuffie County Tourism in cooperation with four other neighboring counties. The tours are scheduled every three months and usually have 55-60 people in attendance. More often than not, the tours sell out. Each tour is different and focuses on four or five historic rural churches within the five counties. Attendees are taken by tour bus to each of the churches and are served lunch and refreshments as part of the ticket price. There is a short talk at each church by someone who is familiar with the history of that particular site. After the talk, guests are given twenty to thirty minutes to tour the church and cemetery on their own. These tours have been very well received and a second tour bus is being considered to accommodate everyone who wants to attend. Over the past couple of years, these tours have brought hundreds of new visitors to the community.85

85 Communicated by McDuffie County Tourism Director Elizabeth Vance in June, 2018

Figure 38: Pews and Pulpits Stop

In 2016, Sonny Seals and George Hart published a pictorial, Historic Rural Churches of

Georgia, which presents many of Georgia’s significant historic rural churches. The book features beautiful photographs of each church as well as text that tells their histories. Wrightsboro

Church was included in this book and has enjoyed increased tourism since its publication. Film maker Brad McColl, of Atlanta, Georgia, has since used the book as the basis for a television series he began filming last year. The series has a recurring host who travels throughout the state and visits the churches featured in the book. The host interviews local people at each church who have some knowledge of the church’s history. In some episodes, they employ historical reenactors to showcase a particular event in a church’s history. They feature extensive filming of the exteriors and interiors of the churches and use a drone to film a bird’s eye view of the community. The series, “Saving Grace,” began airing on Georgia Public Television in the fall of

2018 and has already been picked up for a second year in 2019. The segment on Wrightsboro

will air in 2019. Mr. McColl hopes to expand the scope of the series to include the entire South

and beyond.

One unusual source of tourism and stewardship in Wrightsboro is the Belle Meade Hunt,

a long-standing fox hunting club based in the Wrightsboro community. Land owners in the

community have given the hunt access to over 40,000 contiguous acres. It was founded in 1966 and is recognized on a national level. Its association with other nationally recognized hunts brings visitors from all over the country. The opening hunt is always the first Saturday in

November and attracts between 500 and 700 participants. The regular hunts are every Saturday

from November through April. There are also informal rides on Wednesdays throughout the year.

Figure 39: Belle Meade Hunt Stables

The Belle Meade Hunt has benefited Wrightsboro in several ways. First, it brings

hundreds of visitors to the historic district and thus puts Wrightsboro on the map for a large number of people. Many of these people have been very supportive of the Wrightsboro

Foundation. In fact, several members of the hunt have established secondary or primary homes in the historic district due to its central role in their rides. Second, the local members of the hunt help maintain and preserve a significant portion of the historic district. They maintain miles of trails through the woods which provide access to sites like the Rock Dam, Fort Wrightsboro, and

the ruins of the original Quaker Meeting House. They also help to maintain the original Quaker

burial grounds. Lastly, members of the hunt are directly responsible for stabilizing, preserving

and restoring the historic Bowdre-Rees-Knox House for the past thirty-five years. The house has

been used for many years for social events sponsored by the hunt.

As mentioned earlier, the annual Homecoming at the Wrightsboro Church has been an

annual event in the community for the past 53 years. It usually attracts around 100 attendees.

Many of the attendees have ancestral ties to Wrightsboro and make the effort to return home for

this event. This gathering is also the best way for the foundation to inform the community at

large about upcoming projects, fundraisers and community concerns. The offering plates are

passed through the church and the foundation usually receives $1500 to $2000 in donations.

Over the years, the homecoming event has helped contribute to a very strong sense of

community in Wrightsboro.

Figure 40: Dinner on the Grounds, Wrightsboro Homecoming (2012)

In May of 2018, the Wrightsboro Foundation hosted an event celebrating the 250th anniversary of the settling of the community. The church, general store, cabin and Holliman-

Hawes House were open for tours. The Belle Meade Hunt offered ‘tally ho’ wagon rides to tour the Rock Dam and the ruins of the original Quaker meeting house and burial grounds. Colonial reenactors from North Augusta’s Living History Park participated in demonstrations depicting everyday aspects of colonial life. A traveling trunk exhibit, with colonial artifacts, was hosted by colonial reenactors from the Sons of the American Revolution. The local Daughters of the

American Revolution chapter sold commemorative trivets. The foundation sold lunches as well as t-shirts commemorating the event. Attendance was estimated at around 200 people and was very well received. The foundation plans to make this a recurring event.

Figure 41: ‘Tally Ho’ Wagon Tour

With the help of Historic Augusta, the Wrightsboro Foundation has plans to start a new

yearly event in the fall of 2019 called “Walk with the Spirits.” The event, which is borrowed

from Historic Augusta, is a guided tour of the historic cemetery. The guides are reenactors

portraying various inhabitants of the cemetery. There will be several tours over the course of a

weekend in October. Historic Augusta has enjoyed great success with this event over a number of years. It serves the dual purpose of fundraising and an educational special event associated with the site. There is very little overhead cost involved, so most of the proceeds from ticket sales are a net gain. This is an idea that could be successfully employed by most any historic community with an historic cemetery.

The next restoration project focuses on the general store at Wrightsboro and is slated to

begin in October 2018. The store is the only historical building in the community still owned by

the Wrightsboro Foundation. The cabin was reconstructed in the1970s, and the church is owned by the county. The store is important due to its function in the community in the late 1800s through the early 1900s. In addition to functioning as the general store, it also functioned as the

office of the Justice of the Peace, the voting precinct and a community gathering spot. Its

foundation is severely compromised by rotted sills and joists in the front one third of the store’s

structure. When Wrightsboro Road was widened in the late 1970s, excess dirt from the bank was

pushed back under the store. The result is that part of the store’s foundation, which rests on

piers, is in contact with the earth. This has caused extensive damage in the sills and floor joists.

There is also deterioration to the west facing wall due to termite damage. The western wall has a

high degree of deflection that is easily visible to the naked eye. There has also been moderate

water damage to wall studs, decking and siding from unchecked leaks in the tin roof.

The Wrightsboro Foundation has enlisted the help of Landmark Preservation of

Savannah, Georgia in undertaking this stabilization and restoration of the general store. Greg

Jacobs, managing partner for the firm has put forth a detailed restoration plan for the structure.

The plan is conceived to be the least invasive method possible, ensuring that no visible

alterations to any aspect of the building occur. 86 The work will require a significant amount of

excavation on the south elevation to address the soil accretion and to expose the pier foundation.

This first phase is done in an effort to return grade to a proper level below the sill of the structure. Landmark intends to install extensive cribbing and shoring in efforts to protect the existing foundation system and structural integrity of the building. Compromised masonry piers

86 Communicated by Landmark Preservation partner Greg Jacobs in March, 2018

will be documented and removed in order to replace rotted sills and joists. Structural members

with severe to moderate deterioration will be replaced with pressure treated new growth pine of

the same dimensions. The western elevation will be jacked to remove floor deflection.

Reinforced concrete footings will be poured to support newly constructed masonry piers. The

new piers will be constructed from salvaged material and historically compatible material. All new mortar work will match existing historic mortar as accurately as is possible.

In addressing the deflection of the western wall, Landmark will employ a series of cables,

stretched in an east-west orientation. A temporary lateral framing systems will also installed

during this process. The cables are attached to all north-south beams and then gathered in a

bundle outside the exterior western wall. Heavy machinery will then gently pull these cables to

remove a good deal of the deflection in the west wall. Vertical, stainless steel structural

members will be imbedded into the new footings and extend vertically above the sill. This is

done in an effort to prevent future deflection. These vertical reinforcements will be attached to

the exterior faces of walls studs and then covered with exterior siding. All of the siding removed

during this process will be documented, stored and then reinstalled. The estimated cost for the

entire project is $28,000.

The Wrightsboro Foundation has a number of ongoing projects planned for the next year

and beyond. As many of the older board members have rotated off the board, new members

have been added to continue the work begun by the foundation over fifty years ago. The board

currently consists of ten members who have worked well together in completing the recent

projects encompassing the store and cabin area. Board meetings are well attended and are held

every two to three months. In speaking with board members, they are excited about future

projects in an ongoing mission to promote and preserve their community.

Epp Wilson, board member since 2014, is passionate about working on future

preservation projects in Wrightsboro. In particular, he is interested in the cultural landscapes of

the district, the historic roads and paths. As mentioned earlier, many of the old Quaker roads and

paths are still in existence and have remained as evident markers of the past. Mr. Wilson wants

to focus on preserving these valuable resources by keeping them clear of debris, prohibiting intrusive vegetation and identifying them with signage. In addition, he would like to implement additional walking trails which would connect many of the district’s historic resources. For instance, one of these proposed trails would connect the original meeting house ruins, the creek, the old fort site and the Wrightsboro church. These trails would serve the purpose of connecting these sites with a safer path -one removed from the busy main road --and would also take advantage of the natural setting. His plans would also incorporate a greater focus on the original

Quaker settlers and the role that freedom of religion played in the settlement of the area.87 Mr.

Wilson is optimistic about these plans due to the cooperative spirit of the community in past work.

Merri McCorkle Stephens, board member since 1999, would like to focus on future works involving signage in the area. Many of the wooden signs marking historic roads and

structures are starting to deteriorate. In addition to replacing damaged signs, Mrs. Stephens

would like to add to the existing inventory in order to more fully relay the social history of the

community. Mrs. Stephens would like to see the foundation working more closely with the local schools. Specifically, she would like to foster a relationship between the foundation and school system that encourages field trips to the area and increases knowledge of local history. She also states that she would like to see the foundation award small scholarships to local high school

87 Communicated by Wrightsboro resident Epp Wilson in September, 2018

students. Mrs. Stephens also believes that the foundation might one day play a role in wildlife

conservation in the Wrightsboro area. 88

Wrightsboro could continue to benefit from earlier preservation efforts led by McDuffie

County and the Wrightsboro Foundation. When McDuffie County gained Certified Local

Government status, Wrightsboro benefited in the form of an Historic Resources Survey. The

National Register Historic District designation, pursued by the Wrightsboro Foundation, is also a valuable preservation tool in promoting awareness of a community’s historic resources. Both of

these efforts, the Certified Local Government and the National Register District, greatly increase

the community’s chances of benefiting from programs and grants administered by the Georgia

Trust and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

One of these programs is the Revolving Fund for Endangered Properties administered by

the Georgia Trust. The Revolving Fund, implemented in 1990, provides effective alternatives to

demolition or neglect of historic properties by promoting their rehabilitation.89 The Revolving

Fund can accept property donations from an owner of an endangered structure. The fund can also

acquire an option to purchase an endangered historic property. This process allows the Georgia

Trust to find a buyer who would commit to maintaining the historic integrity of the property. At

the point of sale, restrictive covenants can be used to ensure that the historic property is

rehabilitated and maintained. Proceeds from sales are folded back into the Revolving Fund.90

The Georgia Trust also administers an easement program which allows owners of historic

properties to donate a conservation easement. These easements commit the current and

subsequent owners of a property to maintaining the resource in a manner that is compatible to

88 Communicated by Wrightsboro Foundation board member Merri Stephens in August, 2018 89 Courson, 62 90 Ibid.

preservation standards advocated by the Georgia Trust. These easements also seek to prohibit the owners from making changes to the property without prior review, consultation, and approval from the Georgia Trust. The owners can also benefit from income, estate, gift and property tax

advantages associated with the easement program.91

Potential grants could be obtained from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. A

national endowment, managed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is to be used for

investing and assisting with preservation in rural areas, towns and cities. This endowment enables the National Trust to award non-profit organizations and public agencies matching grants ranging from $500 to $5000. These grants are to be used for preservation planning, educational efforts, and as intervention funds in preservation emergencies.92 The National Trust also

administers the Peter H. Brink Leadership Fund. This fund is intended to support leadership and

promote effectiveness of staff and board members of preservation organizations. Funds can also

be used for honoraria that serves the purpose of mentoring existing preservation organizations

toward networking and strengthening historic preservation programs in the community.

91 Courson, 63 92 Courson, 64

CONCLUSION

Researching the Wrightsboro Foundation’s efforts in preservation identifies a number of

preservation practices that could be successfully applied in other rural communities. Conversely, the foundation has made some mistakes that could serve as a learning experience for other rural historic areas. It is also evident that successful preservation of a community is dependent upon a number of variables that are specific to that community. Some rural communities have built in advantages, and disadvantages, that others do not. For example, a community in which a majority of the population is receptive to preservation practices has a distinct advantage over a community in which preservation minded residents are outnumbered.

There are some general rules that apply to any rural historic community. There has to be something that draws visitors to the community. Social activities are important in attracting visitors as well as sustaining community ties. Some form of self-guided tours and signage are essential to attracting and educating visitors. It helps to have communal buildings that could be accessible for public tours. There needs to be a community group, or ideally, a non-profit entity, whose purpose is to preserve and promote the community. This community group should be able to attract able and willing members. Someone in the community group needs to have the wherewithal to secure funding for preservation projects.

Preservation plans for an historic community should be thoroughly vetted for practicality and sustainability. For example, the Rock House Center was destroyed in a relatively short period of time. The plan sounded good in the abstract. The idea was to build a pavilion that

could host family reunions, host small receptions and enhance a visitor’s experience at the Rock

House. In retrospect, it was not a well thought out plan. The center was an answer to a demand that really didn’t exist. There were no provisions made for security. There was no personnel to oversee clean-up, maintenance or rental of the facility. Due to its isolated location on a poorly maintained dirt road, it was unattractive to many as a rental for receptions. In short, it was used very little before vandalism set in. What seemed like a great idea simply didn’t work in reality.

In addition, the restoration plan for the Rock House didn’t include any provisions for protecting restored windows, shutters and doors. The problem of ongoing vandalism was never addressed before starting a major restoration project. The first priority at the Rock House should have been to provide security.

In the case of Wrightsboro, there were a number of variables favorable to the preservation of the community. Fortunately, a significant amount of land in the historic district has been held by the same families for generations. Many of the tracts of land in the historic district average 100 to 200 acres in size and have never been parceled out into smaller tracts. The majority of landowners in the community appreciate the benefits of preserving their community.

The Wrightsboro community also benefits from several ongoing sources of tourism. The presence of seven households within the historic district provides a built-in source of security to guard against vandalism. The sustained interest in the Wrightsboro Foundation has enabled the recruitment of new board members who are effective in securing funding for ongoing and future preservation projects. Within the past few years, filmmakers and authors have played a role in conveying Wrightsboro’s unique history to a larger audience. All of the aforementioned circumstances, specific to Wrightsboro, have created an atmosphere that is conducive to

preservation. Like Wrightsboro, every rural community has its own unique set of resources that

could play a role in preserving its historic integrity.

There is still ongoing work to be done at Wrightsboro. As public interest in the historic

community grows, it would be beneficial to further research the history of early Wrightsboro.

The Wrightsboro Foundation could supplement the existing history during the Colonial period in

Wrightsboro by researching land grants and early land deeds. Records recovered from the Hawes

General Store, along with early census records, could be valuable in relating the social history of

the area. Grants offered by Georgia Humanities, a non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment

for the Humanities, might be used toward this purpose. The Wrightsboro Foundation could also consider enlisting the help of local students in order to cultivate an awareness and appreciation of

the community’s notable history. There are a number of research and maintenance projects in

Wrightsboro that could be potential service projects for high school students. Working with local

students would serve the dual purpose of strengthening community ties and recruiting future

members to serve on the board of the Wrightsboro Foundation.

REFERENCES

Baker, Pearl. The Story of Wrightsboro 1768-1964, Thomson, GA: The Wrightsboro Foundation, 1965

Baker, Pearl. A Handbook of History, McDuffie County Georgia 1870-1970, Thomson, GA: Progress News Publishing Co., 1971

Courson, Justin Eric, Preservation Planning for Philomath, Georgia, Master of Historic Preservation Thesis, College of Environment and Design, University of Georgia, 2010.

Davis, Robert Scott. Quaker Records in Georgia: Wrightsborough 1772-1793, Friendsborough 1176-1777, Augusta, GA: Augusta Genealogical Society, Inc., 1986

Jones, Dorothy M. Wrightsborough 1768, Wrightsboro 1799, McDuffie County, Georgia 1870, Thomson, GA: Wrightsboro Quaker Community Foundation, Inc., 1982

McCommons, Mrs. W.C. and Clara Stovall. History of McDuffie County Georgia, Tignall, GA: Boyd Publishing Co., 1988

National Register of Historic Places: Wrightsboro Historic District, National Park Service, Washington, DC, Online at

Sears, Joan Niles. The First One Hundred Years of Town Planning in Georgia, Atlanta, GA: Cherokee Publishing Co., 1979