Featured – Page 8 – Building a better South

February 24, 2015February 25, 2015

Vernacular farmhouse, Denmark, Ga.

This vernacular, unpainted farmhouse near Denmark, Ga., sits in a pecan grove surrounded by fields. The photo, taken by VanishingSouthGeorgia.com’s Brian Brown, is part of the site’s series of pictures in Bulloch County, Ga.

Denmark is a dozen miles south of Bulloch County’s seat, Statesboro, home to Georgia Southern University. Yet the eastern Georgia county along Interstate 16 is deeply in poverty with 31 percent of residents living below the federal poverty line. Bulloch County, which has a median household income of $33,902, is home to 72,694 people (2012), two thirds of whom are white.

February 21, 2015February 17, 2015

Three modes, Florence County, S.C.

You can spy hints of three three modes of transportation in this December 2014 taken by Kingstree, S.C., photographer Linda W. Brown. There’s a white horse, wagon wheel and old white sports car.

“We here in the country tend to hang on the past,” Brown writes, adding that the photo was taken Dec. 26, 2014, on Highway 341 between Johnsonville and Lake City.

February 19, 2015February 17, 2015

Rehab in the works, Florence County, S.C.

Scene from the Browntown community, Florence County, S.C.

It looks like a rehab is in the works at this old barn in the Browntown community in lower Florence County, writes Kingstree, S.C., photographer Linda W. Brown.

February 16, 2015February 17, 2015

Flat out, Williamsburg County, S.C.

Scene from the Sandy Bay community in Williamsburg County, S.C.

Kingstree, S.C., photographer Linda W. Brown sends a long this “tired, worn-out Farmall tractor, complete with very flat tires, [that] sits beneath a shed in the Sandy Bay community of Williamsburg County.

February 11, 2015February 12, 2015

Store, near Britton’s Neck, S.C.

This old store, located near Britton’s Neck in Marion County, was probably replaced by the convenience store that is now across the road from it, writes photographer Linda W. Brown of Kingstree, S.C. Country stores provided those who lived in rural areas a means of buying staples without having to drive all the way to town.

Marion County, rural in nature, is home to just over 33,000 people. An estimated 23 percent of residents live at or below the federal poverty level.

More on Marion County

February 8, 2015

Methodist church, Bulloch County, Ga.

Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church in Bulloch County, Ga., dates from a time (1879) when men entered the church through one door, the women through another, notes VanishingSouthGeorgia.com photographer Brian Brown in this post.

While Bulloch County is home to Georgia Southern University, it is deeply in poverty with 31 percent of residents living below the federal poverty line.

February 4, 2015February 5, 2015

Scott’s, Hemingway, S.C.

Scott's Bar-B-Que, Hemingway, S.C. — Scott’s Bar-B-Que, Hemingway, S.C.

Just looking at this picture by Linda W. Brown excites our taste buds because we know from experience that Rodney Scott makes some of the best barbecue ever.

The Williamsburg County joint, located at Brunson’s Crossroads outside Hemingway, S.C., recently was named the most iconic restaurant in South Carolina by ThrillList. You can learn more about Scott’s tasty barbecue here.

Other iconic Southern restaurants on the list, by state:

Alabama: Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Que, Decatur
Arkansas: McClard’s, Hot Springs
Florida: Joe’s Stone Crab, Miami
Georgia: H&H Soul Food, Macon
Kentucky: Jack Fry’s, Louisville
Louisiana: Commander’s Palace, New Orleans
Mississippi: Mayflower Cafe
North Carolina: Skylight Inn, Ayden
Tennessee: Pancake Pantry, Nashville
Virginia: Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Que, Williamsburg

February 1, 2015

Ella’s Grove, Marion County, S.C.

Ella's Grove, near Centenary, S.C. — Ella’s Grove, near Centenary, S.C.

“The collection of buildings known as Ella’s Grove reminds me of the ‘perfect’ little ghost town,” writes Kingstree, S.C., photographer Linda W. Brown.

“Near Centenary in Marion County, Ella’s Grove was the name of the B.F. Davis plantation. One of the stores was moved to property; the brick one, I believe, was built there. The property is still in the Davis family, owned today by his grandson.

Marion County, rural in nature, is home to just over 33,000 people. An estimated 23 percent of residents live at or below the federal poverty level.

More on Marion County

January 29, 2015

Classics, Ben Hill County, Ga.

Classics from two different centuries, Ben Hill County, Ga.

The house, writes photographer VanishingSouthGeorgia.com photographer Brian Brown, is a classic from the 19th century. The car is a classic from the 1950s. Both are in Ben Hill County in the central part of the state.

Just over 9,000 people live in Fitzgerald, the county seat of rural Ben Hill County. Some 31.6 percent of people in the county live in poverty, according to Census figures. More.

January 26, 2015January 27, 2015

Stable, Williamsburg County, S.C.

Stable on Cedar Swamp Road, Williamsburg County, S.C.

This stable on Cedar Swamp Road in Williamsburg County, S.C., used to be home to a large number of horses, photographer Linda W. Brown of Kingstree remembers. Now, only a handful of horses can be seen grazing in surrounding fields.