Category Archives: –LAURENS COUNTY GA–

All Images Above:

Pioneer Cabin in Winter, Tulip Road, Ben Hill County, 2002 -  © Brian Brown

In preparation for an upcoming documentary, I’ve been reviewing my archive of over 2,000 photographs made on various film cameras before I made the switch to digital in 2007.  I’m sharing some of them here and hope they are of interest. Amazingly, most of these structures are gone now and remind me why I do what I do. The images above, of a wintry landscape adorned with a crude pioneer cabin with a fieldstone chimney, were among my first favorites. I had 8x10s printed and looked at them with a sense of awe at the loss that was accelerating around me. As with many of the places I shoot, I’ve wished many times that I’d returned to this quaint little cabin for more photographs. I’m not quite sure when it was demolished but it was gone before 2010.  Such stories of loss motivate me to photograph nearly everything I can that I believe to be of cultural or historical value and I hope my work inspires others to pick up their cameras and do the same in their neck of the woods.

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Hunter’s Bar-B-Que, Irwin County, 2002 – © Brian Brown

Hunter’s was a local favorite and welcome stop for travelers along Highway 32 for years. They even had parking for semi-trucks. Their goat sandwich, with chips & Coca-Cola was my favorite. Though Hunter’s closed not too long after this photo was made, it’s legendary barbeque sauce has been resurrected by the Hutto family, who now operate the location as Hutto’s Barbeque. It’s just as good!

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Peach Road Farmhouse, Irwin County, 2001 – © Brian Brown

This house was demolished by 2010.

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Pigs in Winter, Starling Road, Ben Hill County, 2001 – © Brian Brown

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House with Kudzu, Cadwell, Laurens County, 2005 – © Brian Brown

This house is a little out of place in context to the other images in this archive, but it represents some of my first efforts to travel outside my immediate local area.

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Loony Layton’s Store, Waterloo, Irwin County, 2002 – © Brian Brown

I can’t count how many times I passed this store traveling between Fitzgerald and Tifton over the years, though I honestly don’t remember it ever being open. It was razed in early 2012. (I’m not sure of the spelling of the owner’s name, but thanks to Dale Bledsoe for the information.)

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Both Images Above:

Thompson Road Farmhouse, Irwin County, 2002 – © Brian Brown

This house was also an early favorite of mine. It was razed in 2007.

For another view of the house, one of my all-time favorite images:

http://vanishingsouthgeorgia.com/2008/08/01/thompson-road-farmhouse-irwin-county/

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Valley Grove Victorian, Irwin County, 2003 – © Brian Brown

This Folk Victorian, long a landmark in the area, was demolished before 2007.

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Player Cemetery Road Tobacco Barn, Ben Hill County, 2002 – © Brian Brown

This barn was razed in 2009.

http://vanishingsouthgeorgia.com/2008/10/03/tobacco-barn-player-cemetery-road-2/

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Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, Ben Hill County, 2003 – © Brian Brown

Union Baptist Church, Ben Hill County, 2002 – © Brian Brown

The two churches pictured above are among Ben Hill County’s most historic African-American congregations.

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Snow Shower, Dogwood Lane, Fitzgerald, 1989 – © Brian Brown

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Wooden Shingle Farmhouse, Ben Hill County, 2001 – © Brian Brown

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Burning Beaver Dam, Irwin County, 2002 – © Brian Brown