Fellowship Primitive Baptist is located just west of Shiloh and while its interior layout is typical of Primitive Baptists, the exterior is a bit more formal than most with its Neoclassical portico. The congregation was constituted on 14 November 1839, and land for the construction of a church was set aside by Thomas A. Middlebrooks, according to our friends at Historic Rural Churches. The present structure was built in 1907. It was never a large congregation, but other than a dormant period from 1929-1936, remained active until it stopped having services in the 1990s. A small attached cemetery and the grounds continue to be well-maintained.
The two-story building at right originally served as the Woodmen of the World Lodge, identified by a marble cartouche above the middle window on the second floor, but it is best known as the old post office. Typically, fraternal lodges in commercial settings served a dual purpose, housing a lodge upstairs and various retail tenants downstairs. Woodmen of the World as an organization has always been focused on insurance and financial assistance for its members and in its early years maintained thousands of local chapters.
The altered building adjacent to the Woodmen of the World Lodge was a grocery store at one time, indicated by the fading words “Gro. Dry Goods Hardware” at the top.
Members of the Slaughter family were living in the Harris and Muscogee County areas before the Civil War. A Georgia historic resource survey identifies this structure as the W. S. Slaughter Grocery Store and dates it to circa 1900. The Slaughter name is also present on signage around the building. It’s obviously a landmark of Shiloh and nice example of a typical commercial structure of its era. It’s in good condition. The same survey that identified this structure also identified a wooden shotgun store nearby, but it has apparently been demolished or moved.
This old neighborhood grocery and filling station, located on Georgia Highway 116 just west of downtown Shiloh, will definitely get your attention. It features an amazing mural, with loose vibes of Davinci’s The Last Supper, that places Black historical figures in a colorful tableau.It’s an important work of “Outsider/Folk Art” and deserves further recognition.
My friend Cynthia Jennings and I found it completely by accident this past weekend. According to family members, the artist is Kinyotter Turner. I had a delightful conversation with Mr. Turner’s mother, Jeanette, who was rightfully proud of her son’s work. She said Kinyotter’s uncle owned the building, which has more recently been used as a pool room. The image is based on The Last Supper, but since it adorns a pool room and is near a church, he didn’t formally give it that title. She noted that he had always been interested in history and spent a lot of time reading about it when he was younger. And she stated that he has always had a talent for drawing and art. After his son passed away a few years ago, he made drawings of him and gave them to Mrs. Jeanette. She said they were amazing likenesses.
The artist identified the figures, but some were difficult to decipher. I believe the prophet Muhammad and Jesus to be at the center. [Since Muhammad is generally not portrayed in art, the back to the viewer would fall within the acceptable bounds of ambiguous interpretation.] The other figures are Black revolutionaries and educators.
Most of the architectural elements have been removed, but in its heyday, this was a grand example of the Queen Anne style. (This photo dates to March 2012). Clyde Railey writes: …it was always (still is) called the Trammel House. My family lived in this house when I was very young , about three years old, (around 1948). I was fascinated with the “wrap around “ porch, and transoms over the doors.
Once a common sight on the backroads of Georgia, traveling tent revivals and their unique brand of hellfire-and-damnation fundamentalism are increasingly rare today. (This photo dates to March 2012).
