The Backroads Traveler: Lexington, Georgia

The 1886 Richardsonian-Romanesque Oglethorpe County courthouse.

Founded in 1793, Lexington is a small town with a long history. It is the seat of Oglethorpe County government and was incorporated in 1806. 

Lexington has an historic district with an amazing number of really old, really fine houses in Greek Revival, Federal, and Victorian styles, many of them concentrated in a few blocks of Church Street, which was once the main drag through town. 

The Oglethorpe County courthouse was built in the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style so popular in Georgia during the closing years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th.

Although the population of Lexington is only about 250, the town seems bigger than that to me. Just the right size, actually, for walking. Pick up a self-guided walking tour brochure at City Hall or any of the stores and enjoy a leisurely stroll around this little gem of a city.

The Presbyterian Manse (pastor's residence) on Church Street.

The c.1812 Presbyterian Manse at 211 East Church was the original home of Columbia Theological Seminary, now located in Decatur, Georgia. The beautiful but empty Beth-Salem Presbyterian Church is across the street. With only three remaining members, the congregation was dissolved in 2015, 230 years after its founding.

The 1827-36 Plat-Brooks House at 102 East Church Street.

 

The Aaron McGehee House.

Not on Church Street, but behind the courthouse at 206 South Gilmer Street, displaying delightfully different vernacular architecture, is the c.1800 Aaron-McGehee House. 

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

About the photographs: The courthouse was photographed with a Fuji X-H1 camera and the tiny, cheap, but very sharp Fujinon XC16-50mm lens. The other three pictures were all made with an Olympus E-M5 camera and the Panasonic Lumix G-Vario 12-32mm lens.

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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 a check to 8943 Wesley Place, Knoxville, TN 37922. Include your address and tell me how you would like your book inscribed.

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   digital photography   Fuji X-H1 camera     Oglethorpe County, Georgia     travel photography    Olympus E-M5 camera     Panasonic 12-32mm lens     Lexington, Georgia     old houses     Georgia courthouses