Georgia Small Towns: Eatonton

 

The Eagle Tavern, also known as the Bronson House, was built in 1816.

Eatonton is another east-central Georgia small town with many interesting things to see in the city and in the area. There's also some unusual cultural history in the form of a pair of museums.

Founded in 1807 to be the seat of the newly-formed Putnam County, Eatonton has an historic courthouse and many fine old buildings. I especially liked the Bronson House at 114 North Madison, which began life in 1816 as the Eagle Tavern. In 1852, the columns were added and other changes made to convert the house into a Greek Revival mansion. It is now the headquarters of the Eatonton-Putnam County Historical Society. 

The population of Eatonton in 2020 was about 6,300 people.

The First United Methodist Church was built in 1857.

The First United Methodist Church was partially destroyed by fire in 1979, but was restored and reopened in 1981. It is directly across the street from the Plaza Arts Center and Tourist Information Office, where you can pick up a brochure for the self-guided tour of Eatonton’s more than one hundred historic buildings. 

 

The Brer Rabbit statue in front of the Putnam County Courthouse.

 

Chief among those historic buildings is the impressive Neoclassical Revival Putnam County Courthouse, built in 1824. It's the third oldest courthouse in Georgia and the oldest still in use as a courthouse. It occupies what is said to be the largest public square in Georgia. On the front lawn is a statue of the ubiquitous (in Eatonton, anyway) Joel Chandler Harris character Brer Rabbit.

 

As the birthplace of Joel Chandler Harris, author of the Uncle Remus--Brer Rabbit stories, and Alice Walker, whose best-known novel is The Color Purple, Eatonton is a natural home for the Georgia Writers Museum. Located at 109 South Jefferson Street, the museum hosts frequent lectures and workshops by well-known writers. 

 

The Uncle Remus museum is built of logs from two old slave cabins.
 

Another, and perhaps better-known museum in Eatonton is the Uncle Remus museum. A log cabin made from two old slave cabins from Putnam County, the museum is similar to the cabin lived in by Uncle Remus, the character made famous by author Joel Chandler Harris. Scenes and mementos depict antebellum plantation life. Turner Park, where the museum is located, was part of the original home place of Joseph Sidney Turner, the "Little Boy" in the Uncle Remus stories. 

 

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

 

About the photos: The Eagle Tavern and the Methodist Church were photographed with an Olympus E-M5 and the Panasonic Lumix Vario-G 12-32mm lens. The Uncle Remus Museum was photographed with the same camera, but with a Panasonic Lumix Vario-G 14-140mm lens. The courthouse was photographed with a Fuji X-H1 camera and the Fujicron XC16-50mm lens.

Signed copies of my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia are available. The price is $22.95 plus $3.95 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.

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Photography and text copyright 2023 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    Eatonton     digital photography   Olympus E-M5 camera     Panasonic Lumix Vario-G 12-32mm lens    Panasonic Lumix Vario-G 14-140mm lens  Fuji X-H1 camera     Fujicron X-H1 camera     Fujicron XC 16-50mm lens     Brer Rabbit     Uncle Remus     Joel Chandler Harris