Every few minutes a pole truck rounded Veterans Park on Highway 16 passing the ruin of Hancock County Courthouse.


Even at dusk under the dull overcast sky the courthouse was a fine ruin. The August 11 fire was a blow but Sparta still stands.


I'm not a believer in ghosts yet Sparta haunts me. The empty houses had more to tell that I could bear.


There's a six block commercial district but not much commerce.


This town had it's heyday before the boll weevil. And what a heyday.


Now many of it's mansions are for sale.


Even the "little" houses stood proud.


They really know how to do porches.


This seemed to be waiting for its fire.


East Adams Street.


Graves Barn.


These amazing houses left us wondering about everything.


Do they have a future?


This one is tidy for now.


This one not.


Tidy.


Elegant but not tidy. Is this one wasting away?


This porch has a tilt.


Fresh paint.


Fresh porch.


There seemed to be another one around every corner.


And another one.


This one wasn't like the others. I spoke with the guy in the yard. "It's a house and it's for sale if you want to buy it."


We were snooping among the ruins. In the city, in Detroit they'd call this ghetto tourism.


Doomed on Maiden Lane?


The side of "Doomed" on Maiden Lane.




Every few minutes we caught the smell of pine rosin as a pole truck roared by the courthouse.

In Sandersville we needed to turn north on Highway 15 so we could get to Sparta before dark.


Wish we'd had more time. "Old Jail Museum and  Genealogy Research Center 129 Jones Street."


We stopped long enough to take a picture though the drizzle from the car.


Downtown wasn't dead at 6pm.


John Dana is a state court judge with a handsome office.

Then whoa, North Harris Street, a street of mansions north of the courthouse.


Salmon is one of my favorite colors for mansions.


Speechless.


Uhh... Curvy portico and a balcony with a reverse curve. Apologies for the blurry picture but I have to show you.


Just so you know: The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation has placed the Sandersville School on it's 2015 Places in Peril List.

Riddleville is a crossroads between Bartow and Sandersville where Highway 242 crosses 231.


I think it's "J Y Bryan & Sons 1917." It has one of those dogeared corner entrances I like so much, lot's of fine brick detailing too. The diagonal "honors" and "activates the corner by facing in. You'll find this in our best feeling corners.



Apart from the visual appeal the cut corner is a gift to the street. It lets you see around the corner a bit, makes you feel a bit safer.

We've seen these before.


Midville City Hall.

And were still seeing these. And it's a fine thing.


Kevin Gillespie's restaurant, Gunshow in Glenwood Park has a massive corner column in keeping with its bulky building. It's a good look.

Bartow is still stuck in my head.

It looked like somebody has just "picked up" you know what I mean? When guests were coming over, my mom would tell everybody to pick up and she'd come in behind us to straighten up. Your mom too I'm sure.

And though downtown Bartow was mostly empty and closed, it felt clean and comfortable and it felt like somebody cared about it.

We encountered three landmarks right off: the water-tower, the Johnson-Josey-Jordan House, and the caboose.


The water tower is right smack in town and there were people in there on this late Monday afternoon.

The tower was enough for me but we when we turned our heads to the right, there was a perfect house in a  perfect yard.


It's the Magnolia Mornings Bed and Breakfast in the 1860 Johnson-Josey-Jordan House. I think Sherman went right by here. If you want to stay here for the Masters, Augusta National is about 60 miles away.

Patsy Jordan (R.I.P.) ran it. She must have made sure everyone in town picked up.

"(Patsy Jordan) Museum founder and bed and breakfast operator the heart and soul of Bartow, Ga." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Magnolia Mornings isn't the only pretty house in Bartow. This is almost next door.


And there's the caboose. Looks like the old depot is now the Bartow Museum. I'm pretty sure Patsy had her hand in this.

A good time to look at the map.


Downtown has a "green" with the depot at the north end. It feels like the two commercial strips reach out to embrace you. If this was a county seat, there'd be a beautiful if intimidating courthouse there, a landmark that blocked the view.


The former business side of the depot looks good, a shady spot to await the train.


This the Railroad Avenue strip, it's empty but not quite abandoned.


It's baseball cap is pulled down low over the eyes.


1900 in marble between rusticated bands with a hint of acanthus leaves. I'm embarrassed that I didn't get out of the car a peek inside.


Noble cornice, triumphal triple arches and recessed double doors with transom, worth all the TLC it can get.


High style anchors the north end of the strip.


I wish we had one of these in my neighborhood.

We would have stayed longer but we were were trying to reach Sparta before dark.

See more of Bartow at Brian Brown's "Vanishing South Georgia."