Category Archives: Cuthbert GA

Taylor-Douglass-Coffin House, Circa 1840, Cuthbert

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This Greek Revival cottage was built circa 1840 for Henry Dudley Taylor, one of the first trustees of Andrew College. It was purchased by Marcellus Douglass (1820-1862) in 1860. According to the History of Butts County, Georgia, 1825-1976, Douglass, a native of Butts County, was an honor graduate and trustee of the University of Georgia who moved to Cuthbert to practice law. He also ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Whig. Douglass never spent much time in the home, however, as he died while serving as colonel in temporary command of Lawton’s Brigade at the Battle of Antietam at the age of 31. The family of Nelson Coffin (1901-1970), a mayor of Cuthbert in the 1950s, have owned it for many years.

Cuthbert Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Suarez Fine Arts Building, 1967, Cuthbert

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This landmark on the campus of Andrew College is such an architecturally significant building that I decided to include it here, even if it’s just a few years older than I am. Its origins are in a smaller structure built in 1948, known as the Pitts Library. An expansion of the existing library into the present building was made in 1967 and the Pitts Library moved to another building. This is known as the Suarez Fine Arts Building, named for Annette McDonald Suarez, an Andrew College alumna and Cuthbert native.

Cuthbert Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Central Hallway Cottage, Cuthbert

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The central hallway cottage is one of the most common utilitarian house types in Georgia and even with such a simple form, can be found with many variations and decorative enhancements. In this example, the addition of the shingled dormer elevates an otherwise plain home to something a bit more formally architectural. I suspect the dormer is purely decorative, but it may have been an accommodation for an attic room. With the low roof line, it’s hard to tell.

Cuthbert Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Queen Anne Cottage, Cuthbert

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Like most prosperous communities at the turn of the last century, Cuthbert boasts a number of Queen Anne cottages. A popular local feature with many of these homes is the addition of a dormer, which likely accommodated a half-story or attic room.

Cuthbert Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Unidentified Building, Cuthbert

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I’ve been trying to identify this building for quite some time. It’s located near the entrance to Rosedale Cemetery and based on its size I’d guess it was once much nicer and a community landmark. Its present state suggests it’s been derelict for years. It appears that the front door once faced Gordon Street, but at some point the orientation was changed. Some windows have been boarded over, and porches removed, as well. My initial thought is that it was a house or boarding house, but it could have even been a school or lodge. If anyone knows, please get in touch.

Cuthbert Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Shelly-Brazeal House, Circa 1886, Cuthbert

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This home was built for Dr. Thomas W. Shelly circa 1886. Its Victorian porch posts and railings are typical of the finer homes of the era and, in this case, have been beautifully maintained. It represents a link between the plainer forms of the early Victorian period and the more intricate ornamentation associated with the popular Queen Anne style. James F. Sealy purchased the house in 1906 and his family lived here until the late 1970s.

Cuthbert Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Clarke-McDonald House, 1880s, Cuthbert

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For well over a century a pecan tree planted on this property in 1848 was memorialized as “The Mother of Georgia’s Pecan Industry”.

A house built for Judge William Taylor in 1842 originally stood on this lot. The seed nut for the historic pecan tree was brought from Texas by Mrs. Taylor’s mother. It was given to Judge John T. Clarke in 1863 and burned sometime between 1882-1884. It was rebuilt as one-story cottage by Judge Clarke, who sold it to George McDonald (1855-1923), a former mayor of Cuthbert, in 1889. McDonald added a second floor. One of his descendants, Annette McDonald Suarez, transferred it to Andrew College in 1974 for use as the college president’s home.

Cuthbert Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Toombs-Jackson House, Circa 1854, Cuthbert

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This fine Victorian cottage was built circa 1854. A quick review of local cemeteries has led me to believe it was built by Dr. Robert Ezekiel Toombs (1825-1894), since he was the only Toombs in Cuthbert I could locate who would have been old enough to have owned a house at the time. Julia Toombs was the last member of the family to live here, in the 1970s.

It’s likely that the house started out as a simpler central hallway form, with the Carpenter Gothic porch posts, and front gable and dormer, being later stylistic amendments. That’s simply a guess as I have no further information on the house, other than the fact that it retains its original polished floorboards.

Cuthbert Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Kennedy House, 1911, Cuthbert

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This structure, located on the edge of Cuthbert, has always caught my eye, and if you’ve entered the town from the east, you’ve likely noticed it. A typical central hallway cottage, it was built by Harry Kennedy in 1911. His wife, Rosa Coleman Kennedy was a seamstress. According to a tour brochure for historic Cuthbert homes, the house was one of the first in Cuthbert to have a telephone. A separate kitchen and outhouse, as well as the front porch, have been lost, but the house retains much of its historic character. It was occupied by the Kennedy family until 1953 and remains a part of the estate.

Cuthbert Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Chicken Dinner, Cuthbert

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This photograph also dates to 2010. The building is gone now, and I just call it “Chicken Dinner” because that’s what the sign says. It probably had another name. There’s a Carter’s Fried Chicken on this site now. I mostly liked the Mid-Century architectural vibe of this little restaurant, and the globe lamps inside. I don’t know if you could eat inside or if it was simply a walk-up-and-order kind of place. I do recall the place being open in the late 2000s. It was located across the street from the Piget, another local landmark that is also gone.