This mural by Chris Johnson honors Eastman’s most famous business, Stuckey’s, which in its heyday had 115 roadside locations, employed around a thousand people, and sold $5 million worth of candy every year. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the founder’s granddaughter, Stephanie Stuckey, this legendary family business is still going strong.
It’s located across from the historic Southern Railway depot.
The timber boom that led to the settlement of Eastman was facilitated in large part by the opening of the Macon & Brunswick Railroad through the area in 1869. The East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad followed, before its absorption by the Southern Railway in 1894. This Victorian depot was built by the Southern Railway circa 1906* and remains one of Eastman’s most important public landmarks.
The depot, while not fully restored, is in good condition.
*- Sources vary as to date of construction. Some state it was built in 1906 and others say 1908.
These saddlebag cottages are great examples of this widespread vernacular house type and are largely unmodified, with the exception of the partial wraparound porch on the example above. They are located on adjacent lots.
Most saddlebags I’ve documented have two doors on the front, but each of these examples feature a central doorway. My best guess as to a date of construction would be 1900-1920.
The Peabody School served the African-American community of Eastman, first as a comprehensive school and later as an elementary school. An earlier wooden school (also named Peabody) was located on the current Peabody School site. The earlier school burned in 1925. It is not known whether that school served the white or African-American community.
From the National Register of Historic Places: “According to a December 10, 1937 article in the Eastman Times Journal. “It has been recognized that the Negroes of Eastman should have a more satisfactory school building…” Plans for the new school were drawn by E.C. Hosford and included classrooms, offices, and an auditorium. The construction was supervised by Lawrence Noles, a local Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) foreman. The federal government paid one-third of the materials cost and supplied all of the labor. The building was completed in June, 1938. The school housed all grades (1st through 11th , and later 12th) and served all of Dodge County. In contrast, during the same time period, there were 14 schools serving the white students of the county. Professor Burton served as the first principal, and some of the teachers were Mrs. V. Yopp, Mrs. Alberta Hamilton, Mrs. Letish Speed, and Mrs. Letic Edwards. One or more grades were taught in each classroom.”
“There is no documentation regarding the name Peabody and its association with the school. In newspaper articles referring to the school during its construction, the building is referred to as “Eastman Negro School.” There is some speculation that the school was named for George Peabody, the noted 19th century philanthropist, or possibly a well-known black educator. As stated above, the earlier wooden school building was also named Peabody School. In the early 1950s all grades were still housed at the Peabody campus with the 1st grade and 8th through 12th grades in the brick building, and 2nd through 7th grades in wooden barracks that had been moved from the Air Force base at Warner Robbins, Georgia. These also served as a lunchroom for the school. In 1953, Peabody School was one of seven black schools countywide. The others were Chauncey Junior High, Chester, Copeland, Lisbon, Mt. Olive, and Rhine Junior High.”
“According to Dodge County Board of Education minutes from January and February, 1954, there were plans to construct a large addition to Peabody School in order to accommodate the rising enrollment. By May of that same year, the board decided to construct a new African-American high school (extant, located southwest of the 1938 building, now serves as Dodge County Middle School) in order to reduce the overcrowding of Peabody and reduce the size of the addition.”
Peabody added a lunchroom to its campus and became an elementary school in 1957 and continued to serve the Black community until ceasing operation in 1967. The school buildings became the Dodge County Early Childhood Center in the late 1960s and closed in the late 1980s. They were acquired by United Concerned Citizens of Dodge County in 1994 for use as a community center.
Considering the endangered status of most early 20th century schools in Georgia, the survival of these structures is amazing. Demolition by neglect is the leading cause of the loss of historic schools, so the fact that the Peabody School was saved by a community coalition makes it all the more inspiring.
National Register of Historic Places
The long-abandoned Peabody School lunchroom, which was designed by the architectural firm of Stevens and Wilkinson in the International Style in 1957, was transformed into a beautiful work of public art with the creation of this inspiring mural by Kevin “Scene” Lewis celebrating Juneteenth. Kevin told me the mural was completed in 2021.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, but it has been an important day of remembrance and optimism since it was first celebrated in Black churches in Texas in 1866. It recognizes the end of slavery, which occurred at different times in various locations. The date of 19 June 1865 is the source of the holiday’s name, recognizing Major General Gordon Granger’s General Order No. 3, which forcibly freed all the enslaved people of Texas. This is significant since many planters and slaveholders from Eastern states fled to Texas to escape the war, bringing their slaves with them. Amazingly, the enslaved people of the border states of Delaware and Kentucky did not achieve their freedom until the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment on 6 December 1865, but since Texas first began observing the holiday, the Juneteenth moniker has been used for all celebrations of emancipation.
Kevin “Scene” Lewis, has a story as interesting as his murals. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he grew up in southeastern Virginia, and embraced art from childhood. His talent for drawing and graffiti led him to a double major in Communication Arts and Illustration at Virginia Commonwealth University. After graduating near the top of his class, he was headed to California when his car broke down in Kansas. While working to get it repaired, Lewis met his future wife, Reatrina, who was serving her first year in the Air Force. After they married, they were stationed around the world for several years but eventually landed in Warner Robins, as Reatrina wanted to be closer to her family in Unadilla.
Lewis had already embraced the Macon arts scene when he learned that his grandfather was a native of the city. In 2022, he told the Middle Georgia Times, “I just want to keep letting the city know that I know I’m not from here but this is my home. My grandfather was from here and I want to put roots here in the city and make an impact.” He is definitely making an impact. An accomplished muralist, his work can be found all over the state, and his smaller scale works have attracted a growing number of collectors. Visit his website here.
National Register of Historic Places
Bethel Christian Church in Eastman was a Disciples of Christ congregation. I believe the church was built circa 1925. Tax records date it to 1940, but since the Dodge County Courthouse burned in 1939, 1940 is just a referential date, and not the correct date for construction. Thanks to Sue Williamson for sharing the following history, which I have abridged. I believe it was written for one of the last church Homecoming events and am unsure as to its author, though it was likely Willie Jane Simmons (1928-2020).
During the early 1900s, a small band of Christian believers joined in faith and organized the Bethel Christian Church in the Shiloh community…The membership was made up of the Summer Family, Jim Thomas Family, Sherman Price Family, and the Heath Family. They were a small group meeting in an old house, but they kept the faith.
A few years later, Mr. Jay Williamson erected a church building here in Eastman for the group and the membership began to grow. Elder Jim Thomas kept records of all church activities. The other ministers were Rev. Yapp and Deacon Sherman Price. Later, Elder Jim Thomas was ordained as minister and he served several years. Mrs. Martha Thomas was designated “Mother” of the church. Other ministers were Rev. Still and Rev. Coney. They also served several years.
During the early 1930s there was a great drop in membership due to members moving to other states, but Rev. Thomas kept the doors of Bethel open...
During the 1950s, the church began to grow. Members from the Christian Hope Christian Church in the northern section of the community connected with Bethel after their church burned down. Brother Elijah Goolsby, Brother Elo Whiting, Deacon Frank King, Brother Mathis Power, Brother Flanles King, Brother Seabon King, and Brother Charles Simmons and others joined here at Bethel. Brother Ed Simmons’s family connected after returning from West Palm Beach, Florida. Elder Simmons walked many Sundays to help Elder Thomas to conduct service…
Elder Ed Simmons worked with the State and National convention. He was able to get representatives to come and conduct meetings with us…Elder Simmons was always concerned with our basic mission, known today as Disciples’ Mission which included Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving, among others…
In 1990 we observed a special Homecoming. We celebrated and paid tribute to the “Mother of the Church”, Mother Rosebud Simmons, who was 93 years old. We enjoyed the churches who celebrated this occasion with us…
From reading the history, other pastors were Rev. D. T. Williams, Rev. R. H. Mitchell, Rev. L. C. Hunter, and Rev. Al Whiting. The church was still active as late as 2011, but the congregation disbanded some time after that.
Beulah Lodge #37, Prince Hall Masons, is typical of Black Masonic lodges found throughout Georgia and is still active. It is also home to the Rose of Beulah Chapter #251, Order of the Eastern Star. According to tax records, it was built in 1958. Historically, the Prince Hall Masons and the Order of the Eastern Star have been anchors of Black communities, and are often found in central locations in their neighborhoods. Beulah is no exception, with both Shorter’s Chapel and Bethel Christian Church in view of the property.
Shorter’s Chapel was established by freedmen in 1868. In 1883, William Eastman, founder and namesake of the town, gave the congregation the land on which the present structure now stands. It is the most historic Black church in Dodge County. The cornerstone states that it was built in 1885 by Rev. R. Ford. I am sure it has been modified somewhat over time, but it seems mostly original in appearance. A 2015 feature on WGXA notes that the steeple is the only part of the original building that survives but also notes that this is the third oldest building in Eastman. Perhaps the steeple was part of an earlier structure built before Eastman gave the land for this church. If anyone knows, please get in touch.
The first time I saw this house there was an old Plymouth parked in the overgrown yard. I was walking around the courthouse in Eastman and noticed the car.
It was obvious the house had been abandoned for some time, but it was still in good condition. Not long after I first posted photographs, Nancy Heath reached out to let me know that she had recently inherited the house, and was trying to sell it to someone who would bring it back to life. She invited me to photograph the interior and I had a nice visit with her. My friend David Bray, an interior designer, was also along for the visit.
It was once known as the DeLacy House, but in recent years served as the law office of Nancy’s stepfather, Eastman attorney Will Burch (1921-2011).
Mr. Burch, a native of Eastman, was a naval officer in WWII, survived D-Day, and later served in the Korean War. He studied law at Emory and practiced in Atlanta and Eastman. He maintained his practice in Eastman from 1974 until his retirement.
Tax records indicate that the house was built in 1885, but that date is incorrect.
The present structure, of an eclectic Colonial Revival style, dates to circa 1906, according to Nancy Heath, who extensively researched the house.
I’m grateful to Nancy for allowing me to photograph the house and see it before it was sold.
There are some great details in the house and I’m sure the new owners have made sure they are still an integral part of its charm. They did a wonderful job with the exterior.
Note: This replaces and expands a post originally published on 20 December 2015.
This was the last Eastman home of my great-grandparents, Burt Herman Browning (1892-1951) and Sadie Harrell Browning (1902-1986), before they moved to Fitzgerald. They married in 1920. My great-grandfather was a World War I veteran, a member of the large Browning family around Scotland, and my great-grandmother was one of hundreds of Harrells in Dodge County. My great-grandmother loved this little house and kept this photograph her whole life. Perhaps she had sad memories here, too, because this was where the horrible effects of my great-grandfather’s being gassed and shell-shocked in France during the war were first noticed, and where she lost a baby girl, Mary Elizabeth, to fever in 1926. She’s buried just down the street in Woodlawn Cemetery. All that said, I imagine many happy hours were spent on that front porch. It’s neat to see the swing, because my great-grandmother had a swing on her front porch throughout my life and believed in the healing power of time spent on the porch. It was a place to tell stories, catch up on gossip, and of course, to shell peas. Lots of peas.
The little girl with the Buster Brown haircut sitting barefoot on the front porch and sucking her thumb is my grandmother, Thelma Browning Bussell (1921-2003). She was six years old when the photograph was made. She also had fond memories of the house.
When my family lived here it was a gable front cottage, very typical of the working class of the era. It’s still standing, though you’d hardly recognize it today. It’s located at 5304 1st Avenue and has been expanded and is now sided with brick. Tax records state the house was built in 1939, but that is incorrect. I believe the Dodge County Courthouse burned in 1939, so many houses may have been assigned that date of construction. I imagine it was fairly new when this photograph was made, but it was definitely built before 1939.
