Zion Episcopal Church, Talbotton, Georgia. (Canon 6D)
Talbotton, in Talbot County, west central Georgia, is a very interesting little town with a good number of early and mid-19th century buildings. A good place to begin your visit is the Chamber of Commerce, across from the courthouse at the corner of South Washington and East Madison, where you can pick up a self-guided tour brochure.
Since it's right across the street you can't miss the Queen Anne-style Talbot County Courthouse, built in 1892 (truly a
banner year for Georgia
courthouses). Here are some other sites I liked.
(Canon 6D)
Zion Episcopal Church, on Jackson Street between Clark and Polk Streets, is a Tudor-Gothic structure which would look right at home in an English village. Master craftsmen put it together with handmade iron nails and wooden pegs, making the altars, communion rails, and pulpit of native walnut, and hanging doors that open with a five-inch brass key. The rare Pilcher pipe organ, installed in 1850, is the oldest one still working in the United States.
A $257,000 project to restore
the exterior of the church was completed in 2020. Worship services
are held quarterly.
The Straus-LeVert Memorial Hall, Talbotton. (Canon 6D) Talbotton was an important center for Methodism in the pre-Civil War years, with two Methodist colleges in the town.
One of those colleges was LeVert College, founded in 1856 as one of the first schools for young women in Georgia. Its most prominent building was the Straus-LeVert Memorial Hall, on the northwest corner of Clark Street and College Avenue, also built in 1856. The school closed in 1907, but the building was renovated through the generosity of the Straus family.
Lazerus Straus, a German Jew, immigrated in 1853 and came to Talbotton in 1854, peddling goods from a wagon. He settled in the town, brought his family from Germany, and established a successful dry-goods business on the town square. He moved his family to New York in 1865, and by 1896 the Straus Family were the sole owners of Macy's Department Store.
The Pew-Hill-Dean House, Talbotton. (Olympus E-M5)
The Pew-Hill-Dean House, built in 1852, is a fine example of Greek
Revival architecture. It is set back from the road, on the right, at Number 864
on US 80/GA 22/41 south of town. Unfortunately, you won't be able to see its
most unusual feature: two-story columns at the rear of the house to match those
in front!
The Towns-Persons-Page House, Talbotton. (Olympus E-M5)
The Towns-Persons-Page House, several blocks out on West Monroe, is a bit hard to see because it is on a hill set well back from the right side of the road with no place to park. A classic Greek Revival design, it was built in 1830 by George Washington Towns, a cousin of the Creek Indian Chief William McIntosh, who built the McIntosh House at Indian Springs in Butts County in 1823.
Many of the original outbuildings were made of brick and are still standing, including a seven-seat brick outhouse!
There are quite a few other interesting and significant sites in Talbotton, so enjoy the tour.
(This post was adapted from my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia.)
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