The Backroads Traveler: Barnesville, Georgia

The main sales office of Jackson C. Smith Barnesville Buggies.

 Barnesville is a pleasant small city in west central Georgia, about 60 miles south of Atlanta and 40 miles northwest of Macon. The population is about 6,800. Around the turn of the 20th century, Barnesville was known as the "Buggy Capitol of the South," with as many as 9,000 buggies being built there each year. There's an annual Buggy Days festival each September.

Currently, the offices of Jackson C. Smith Barnesville Buggies are being occupied by a cell phone company. Times change.

 The Barnesville City Hall. Surely the funkiest city hall in the entire United States.

Founded in 1826, the town was named for Gideon Barnes, owner of the local tavern. It is the seat of Lamar County. Barnesville's City Hall is unusually distinctive. In fact, it is almost certainly the funkiest city hall in these United States. 

 The Barnes-Keifer House on Thomaston Street.

Just a few blocks from downtown, Main Street becomes Thomaston Street. Once the old U.S. Highway 41 main drag, it is lined with nearly a mile of really fine historic homes. The Barnes-Keifer House, above, is one of the last in the row. It was built in 1870 by Sarah and William Keifer, daughter and son-in-law of the town's founder.

In the late 1960s, before Interstate 75 was completed, I drove from Florida to Indiana several times. I remember being routed over to U.S. 41 and languishing in a long line of traffic moving slowly through Barnesville. I still like the place, though.

About the photos: The photo of Jackson C. Smith Buggies was made with an Olympus E-M5 digital camera and a Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm lens. The other two photos were made with a Canon EOS 6D and a Canon EF 28-105mm lens. 

This post was adapted from my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia.

Signed copies of my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia are available. The price is $22.95 plus $4.50 shipping. My PayPal address is djphoto@vol.com (which is also my email). Or you can mail me a check to 8943 Wesley Place, Knoxville, TN 37922. Include your address and tell me how you would like your book inscribed.

Check out the pictures at my online gallery: https://davejenkins.pixels.com/  Looking is free, and you might find something you like.

Photography and text copyright 2024 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.

Tags:   photography     travel    Georgia     Barnesville     Lamar County     Barnesville Buggies     Olympus E-M5 camera     Panasonic     Lumix G Vario 14-140mm lens     Canon EOS 6D camera    Canon EF 28-105mm lens