Although it was originally called Pittsville for Rev. Pitt S. Milner, he chose to call it Georgiana, the combined name of his home state of Georgia, and his daughter, Anna.
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| Postcard of Georgiana 1910
[Photo courtesy of Jerry Reeves.] |
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Downtown Georgiana |
Downtown Georgiana |
| These are some old photos of the downtown area of Georgiana. The right photo is the front of Durham's Store. Can anyone identify the stores and their owners in the left photo? [Photos courtesy of Mildred Stinson Brown] | |
Georgiana's First Post Office |
Georgiana's 2nd Post Office: |
| Georgiana residents stand proudly in front of the first post office to serve the town. The date of this photo is unknown. The first man on the left has been identified as Gabe Sellers. The man standing to the left of the utility pole is said to be a Black, and the man standing to the right of the pole is supposedly a Thigpen. [Photo courtesy Fayth Black.] | The building, located on the corner of the main street that runs parallel to the railroad tracks, is said to be the second post office building to serve Georgiana. It was just across from the old L&N depot, and across from what used to be Turnipseed Drugstore. At one time it was home of the Garner Drugstore. According to the sign, it now appears to be an insurance agency. The red brick structure is typical of most of the business district of Georgiana. [Photo by Linda Bratcher McGuire] |
Georgiana Gin |
Above is a photo of what remains of the old Georgiana Gin. In its day, hundreds of bales were cotton passed through its mill. Cotton was a major agriculture crop in Butler County. Another prominent field crop was tobacco. [Photo courtesy of Mildred Stinson Brown] |
Downtown Georgiana, 1925 |
| Taken from the east side of the railroad tracks, this photo appears to have been taken from the vicinity of the current location of the bank. [Photo courtesy of Butler County News] |
Georgiana L & N Depot |
| The above photo is a reproduction of the local depot taken in 1948 as it appeared in the Butler County News. It served the community as prominent landmark for Georgiana for many years. The L & N Line was sold, and the structure stood vacant for many years. Part of it was torn down and the remainder was covered in brick. It was rented out as a cafe, a community center, and several other stores. Once again, this building stands empty. [Photo courtesy of Fayth Black] |
Downtown Georgiana, 1952 |
| Taken from the overhead walk above the railroad tracks, shows Georgiana as a vibrant town. [Photo courtesy of Butler County News] |
Old Engine14 |
CSX Railroad |
| Railroading has always played an important part in the history of Georgiana and Butler County. For years Engine 14 stood in a roadside park on State Hwy 31 just north of Georgiana. The engine was used by the W. T. Smith Lumber Co. to haul lumber to various sawmills and yards owned by the company. Upon retirement, it was placed in the roadside part as a monument to those who worked in the counties forest cutting and milling lumber. Though the engine was used entirely in Butler County all its servicable years, it was moved to a railroad museum near Troy in a neighboring county. It has been missed.[Photo courtesy of Mildred Stinson Brown] | The railroad tracks that run through the middle of Georgiana may be without a depot, but they are still play a major role in the town. Used mostly as a switching yard now, the railroad still provides many jobs for area residents. There are no passenger trains anymore, but at times you will see quite a few crew members walking these tracks just as they did when the old L & N stopped to pick up passengers from the depot. [Photo courtesy of Mildred Stinson Brown] |
Nightingale Uniform Factory |
Taylor's Mercantile |
| This factory
has been in Georgiana since the early 1940's and perhaps before. It was
owned by Tilford Blackmon. It is now owned by his children. Mr. Blackmon
had four children: Juanita, Patricia, Bryant, and Charles. The red brick
building behind the factory used to be a cafe. Some of the people that
worked there were Ila Stinson Snead, Mr. & Mrs. Ashford Matthews, Mrs.
Mae Booker, Mrs. Marjorie Davis, Mrs. Grady Newton, Mrs. Robie Sanford,
Mrs. Odis Moore (sister to Mr. Blackmon), Miss Gloria Mae Davis, Mrs. Christine
Davis, Fayth Booker, Lucile Smith, Mrs. Evelyn Lee Sirmon, Mrs. Pearlie
Bee Smith Sirmon.[Photo by Linda
Bratcher McGuire]
Addendum, 10 Jun 2007: John Watts would like to add the name of his Aunt Elizabeth Kendrick, who worked there from some time in the 1950's until its close. |
Taylor's Food Market
and Mercantile was owned by Oliver Taylor. The grocery store used to send
out "The Rolling Store", a portable grocery that serviced rural areas in
the county. It is now owned by his daughter, Joyce and her husband, Albert
Morris Middleton, formerly of Garland. Mrs. Bessie Hicks worked there a
long time. James Bush worked there as a boy in the 40's and believe he
still works there. My mother, Lucile Smith, bought her first slack suit
there about 1945. Her last dress bought in Alabama was purchased there
just before we came to Texas in 1950. It cost $16.00. The same dress now
would probably cost $50.00.
The building to the right of the Taylor building used to be the Citizens Bank. Sue Henderson worked there in the 1940's. Virginia Black Gandy worked there for many years, probably until she died or retired. She was married to Lester Gandy. It is the Whitney Bank of Georgiana now. [Photo by Linda Bratcher McGuire] |
Georgiana Theatre |
The newly remodeled old theatre. The railroad tracks are in the immediate foreground. [Photo courtesy of Lucile Smith Stinson] |
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| Georgiana High School
The lithograph above was taken for the 1947 GHS diploma of Alma Lucile Smith. The 50th class reunion honoring this graduating class was held in June 1997. This school building is still being used today. [Photos courtesy of Lucile Stinson] |
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Hank Williams Museum |
Hank |
| Georgiana claims perhaps the most legendary country western singer of all time, Hank Williams [right], as one of it's own. The city hosts the Hank Williams Days Celebration the first Saturday in June each year. The house above is his boyhood home. It now houses the Hank Williams Museum. [Photo courtesy of Mildred Stinson Brown] | |
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Page updated 10 Jun 2007.
