Montgomery County – Building a better South

July 7, 2013July 13, 2013

Old one-room school, Montgomery County, Ga.

Old Memory Schoolhouse, Montgomery County, Ga., by Brian Brown. All rights reserved.

This decaying, tin-roofed building apparently is a one-room school remembered as the old “Memory School” northeast of Mount Vernon, Ga., in rural Montgomery County.

Vanishing South Georgia photographer Brian Brown, who snapped the shot last month along Thompson Pond Road, says, “I first thought it looked like a farmhouse, but these small rural schools often look like this.”

These days, Montgomery County and the area around

ount Vernon seem strapped, but interestingly, the population is about 50 percent bigger than it was in the late 1960s when Brack visited. In 2012, the estimated population was just under 9,000 — some 3,000 more people than in the 1970 Census. More.

Some 21.6 percent of people in the county live at or below the federal poverty level.

July 5, 2013July 13, 2013

Old farmhouse, Montgomery County, Ga.

South Georgia photographer Brian Brown enjoys snapping pictures of old farmhouses on his great site, Vanishing South Georgia. This board-and-batten farmhouse on the Mount-Vernon-Alston road in the Georgia heartland is typical, he writes on his site:

“This is one of the largest concentrations I’ve found of this iconic early South Georgia style. … I’d advise anyone who likes historic rural architecture who happens to be in the area of Montgomery County to find these roads. The structures located on them represent a quickly vanishing aspect of South Georgia’s agricultural heritage.”

These days, Montgomery County and the area around Mount Vernon seem strapped, but interestingly, the population is about 50 percent bigger than it was in the late 1960s when Brack visited. In 2012, the estimated population was just under 9,000 — some 3,000 more people than in the 1970 Census. More.

Some 21.6 percent of people in the county live at or below the federal poverty level.

July 3, 2013July 13, 2013

Old stores, Mount Vernon, Ga.

These two old buildings on Church Street in downtown Mount Vernon, Ga., caught the eye of photographer Michael Kaynard. Both seem to be old stores. the left of which seems to be re-purposed as a hair salon. The right one appeared empty.

Kaynard observed that people in Montgomery County seemed proud of the renovation of the county courthouse, which was nearby. But in the square around the courthouse, there weren’t many active businesses. “I spoke with a young woman in city hall and two of the businesses I asked about had been closed since before she arrived there” several years back, he said.

Georgia photographer Brian Brown of VanishingSouthGeorgia.com also enjoy these two Church Street buildings, saying here that they’re his two favorites in Mount Vernon.

See more of Brown’s photos of Mount Vernon and Montgomery County.

Some 21.6 percent of people in the county live at or below the federal poverty level.