The old precinct houses, or precincts as most locals call these little buildings, are quickly fading from the landscape in South Georgia. Irwin County has more of these than any other county I know of, and most have this same general style. For older views of the Waterloo precinct:
http://vanishingsouthgeorgia.com/2009/05/11/waterloo-precinct-house/
http://vanishingsouthgeorgia.com/2008/11/21/precinct-house-waterloo/
“Court House” in this context refers to a precinct house.
http://vanishingsouthgeorgia.com/2009/08/24/barwick-precinct-house/
South Georgia Towns in Two Counties
You may notice that some communities are identified with more than one county. This is not an error; besides Barwick and Pavo, Adrian also comes to mind. I have chosen to list both counties when this anomaly arises, as to aid searchers in locating the information more easily.
The term “courthouse” is often used to designate polling places in rural Georgia towns, as is the case here.
To see a photograph of this structure from 2009, visit the link:
http://vanishingsouthgeorgia.com/2009/09/01/rural-courthouse-daisy/
Hoggard Mill was a settlement on the banks of the Ichawaynochaway Creek. Courthouse refers to a public place, most often used as a voting precinct.
I do not have confirmation that this was a precinct house, though that would be my initial guess. It’s possible that it served as a playhouse or shed, but it’s very similar to the utilitarian precinct houses once common throughout South Georgia.
In the foreground are Stiff Verbena (Verbena rigida), one of the most common and beautiful roadside wildflowers in South Georgia.
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