I photographed this house in 2013 and have since lost the location. I would be surprised it it’s still standing. It’s included in my Lee County files, so I presume that’s where it was located. It’s a nice single-pen tenant house, which was expanded a couple of times throughout its history. Like many such uninsulated dwellings, it was later covered with tar paper to help with temperature control. If anyone knows its whereabouts or fate, please get in touch.
There are few historic commercial structures remaining in Leesburg. This commercial block, which appears to have contained three storefronts at one time, is the most significant, and is used today as city offices.
Leesburg was first known as Wooten Station, in 1870, for the railroad stop established here and renamed Wooten in 1872. It was renamed again, as Leesburg, in 1898.
Rising near Buena Vista, Kinchafoonee Creek flows southeasterly for nearly 92 miles before joining the Flint River at Albany. According to Ken Krakow, the name is Creek for Bone Mortar or Mortar Nutshells, which referred to a device for cracking nuts. The creek [longer than many rivers] was such an important artery in the early settlement of the area that it gave its name to Kinchafoonee County, which was later changed to Webster County.
I made this photo about ten years ago. The barn was a bit of a landmark traveling west on Georgia Highway 32 past Leesburg. I’m not sure if it’s still standing.
It’s nice to share a restoration success story from time to time and Leesburg’s historic Central of Georgia Depot fits the bill. There were plans to restore the structure as early as 2002 but storm damage in 2006 and budget issues delayed the project to the point that many believed it would never happen. See it before restoration here. Thanks to the efforts of concerned locals who never gave up on the project, it was beautifully restored and reopened to the public in 2018. It now serves as the Chamber of Commerce and visitor center for the community. It was a recipient of a 2019 Excellence in Rehabilitation Award from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.
National Register of Historic Places
Roger Mosley writes: This old house actually belonged my late great uncle. It sits on farm land that is still owned by my family.
Smithville was incorporated in 1863, and a post office established in 1871. According to Ken Krakow’s Georgia Place Names, it was named for a family of Smiths who moved to the area from Atlanta. It was originally known as Renwick.
A few landmark structures survive in this small community, including the block seen above, which has been nicely restored. The block pictured below appears to be largely abandoned.
This historic high school was constructed by Ivey P. Crutchfield, who later went on to become a noted architect in South Georgia and North Florida. The Macon firm of Dennis & Dennis were the architects.
National Register of Historic Places
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 