The stories behind some of downtown best historic structures. (Atlanta: chapel, hotel)

[Columbuskidd92]

The historic ma rainy home in downtown, Columbus, GA. Ma Rainy was known as the mother of Blues.


St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1863. The present church is built on land granted by act of the Georgia Legislature in 1873. It was erected in 1876 under the pastorate of Rev. Wesley J. Gaines, at a cost of $20,000. Rev. Gaines was the first pastor on record of the church. The graceful central tower and flanking turrets were added in 1886 during the ministry of Rev. L.L. Thomas. St. James AME Church ranks as the second oldest church of the domination in Georgia. Erected by the Historic Chattahoochee Commission, St. James AME Church, Mrs. Carlton B. Franklin and Fred D. Franklin, Jr., Families 1985.



A Pike County, Alabama native of African-American descent, Dr. Brewer was born November 16, 1894. His office was located at 1025 1/2 First Avenue. Brewer emerged as a chief spokesman for the Civil Rights of the Negro and was described by Roy Wilkins of the NAACP as "a fearless champion of the rights of his people." His goal to guarantee the Negro the right to vote throughout the South was achieved in the Primus King case in 1945. He was a leader of the local chapter of the NAACP and worked tirelessly for racial equality. Brewer was killed by gunshots February 18, 1956 near this site.

Brewer home.


The Presbyterians were granted one of the original church lots in the 1828 Columbus plan. It was on the North side of Chapel St. between Second and Third Avenues. The fourteen charter members, received in 1830, were: Edward Featherston, William Root, James S. Norman, Richard T. Marks, David Dean, Thomas B. McCreary, John Johnson, Mrs. Jane L. Marks, Mrs. Leah J. Norman, Mrs. Harriet A. Root, Mrs. Miriam Dean, Mrs. Sarah DeGraffenried, Mrs. Eliza Bullock, Miss Rebecca Featherston. In 1831 the congregation was granted a lot at the N.E. corner of Second Ave. and Tenth St., where services were held for thirty years. The move to Eleventh St. and First Ave. came in 1862.



This is the mother church of Roman Catholicism in this area, serving as the only Catholic Church in Columbus from 1880 to 1958. The first Catholic church, the Church of Sts. Philip and James, was built in 1835 on what is now Chapel Street on one of the original lots designated for churches when Columbus was founded in 1828. Early missionary efforts from Sts. Philip and James reached Decatur and Terminus (now Atlanta), Macon, Eufaula, and Apalachicola, Fla. Missionaries visited these stations by rail, riverboat, oxcart or even by foot, quarterly or twice yearly. First resident pastor was Rev. James Graham.



A shaft of white marble erected in 1879 by the Ladies Memorial Association is dedicated to the Columbus soldiers who fought in the War Between the States. It differs from most monuments of the period in that it is topped with a simple Grecian urn rather that the usual statuary. Originally it had a fence with a turnstile around it to keep the cattle out. The park area surrounding it, known as Salisbury Park, was named for Major William Salisbury whose home formerly faced the park.


George Parker Swift and his daughter and son-in-law owned the mansion which dates from the antebellum period. It dates to 1857 and was remodeled after a roof fire in 1898. Adelaide and Hames P. Kyle also owned the home. It was a residence until 1956 and has also been used by the Columbus Travel Bureau.


The Central of Georgia Railroad's Station, designed by Bruce and Morgan of Atlanta, GA, was erected in 1901. Featuring massive granite arches, it served as the transportation hub of the city for over 70 years. Threatened with demolition in 1984, this landmark, on the eastern perimeter of the Original City, was saved through the leadership of the Historic Columbus Foundation and the generosity of the Southern Railway System and the Consolidated Government of Columbus and its citizens. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.


Founded in 1885 as a "cotton factoring" business. Today the company includes divisions in textiles, farm implement manufacturing, row crop and livestock production, wholesale supply businesses for industrial and building contractors, and barbecue grill manufacturing. The company still occupies renovated buildings dating from 1885 that were previously used to store cotton and other goods for the company's businesses.


Built in 1887 by Dr. William L. Bullard, Columbus physician and pioneer ear, eye, nose and throat specialist, this house is a splendid example of Second Empire Victorian architecture. It was designed by L.E. Thornton of New York. The Bullard family lived here for 90 years. Their guests included President Franklin D. Roosevelt and generals George Patton and George Marshall who dined on "Country Captain." A popular regional dish originated by the family cook, Arle Mullins. The house was listed in the National register in 1977 and painstakingly restored in 1978 by the new owners, dr. and Mrs. Lloyd Sampson.


Built in 1850 by James A. Chapman. This Roman Revival home has a stuccoed facade and has six large Corinthian columns. The Italianate embellishments were added after 1877. The house was given to the Historic Columbus Foundation.


The Rankin House: James A. Rankin came to Columbus from Ayrshire, Scotland and in 1839 married Agnes Affleck. Mr. Rankin was a planter and owner of the Rankin Hotel and Rankin Realty Co. This high style Italianate mansion was built between 1860 and 1870. In 1898, the Rankin House, valued at $18,500, was the finest home in Columbus. After the Civil War, Mr. Rankin returned to Scotland and turned the home over to his eldest child.




Bicentennial Park