Old Postcards & History

WAYCROSS EVENING HERALD

Waycross, Georgia, INDUSTRIAL EDITION, June, 1907

OUR ARTESIAN WATER

The water furnished Waycross is pure and wholesome. A chemical analysis by State Chemist White, in 1893, pronounced the water to be oranically pure and odorless. "This water contains the dissolved solids usually found in the artesian waters of Southern Georgia. It contains them, however, in rather smaller qualities than usual and it is one of the best of such waters that I have examinded. It is pure and excellent water, suitable for domestic and manufacturing purposes."

THE LA GRANDE HOTEL In WAYCROSS, WARE COUNTY, GEORGIA

The La Grande Hotel was considered to be one of the finest and best known hotels in South Georgia, according to Charles A. Temples in a 1911 publication. It was located where Plant Avenue, Tebeau Street and Jane Street meet. The front faced Plant Avenue. It was an impressive Louis XIV Period style with light colored bricks. There were 100 hotel rooms, with 60 offices located on the second floor. Built at a cost of $200,000.00, it advertised electric lights, hot and cold running water and "other conveniences right there attached." In 1911, Mr. E. B. Wooten was the Hotel Manager. The La Grande Hotel was destroyed by fire in the early 1900s.

Ref: Hurst, Robert Latimer, THIS MAGIC WILDERNESS: PART I & II, 1982, Brantley Printing Co., Waycross, GA, pp. 381-383.

Contributed by Barbara Walker Winge .

LEGION PARK, Waycross, Ware County, Georgia

Legion Park is in the heart of Waycross proper where the ways cross. The old water tower is known as "Stand Pipe," a landmark in South Georgia. Monuments to the dead soldiers of the various wars lay at its feet. Contributed by Barbara Walker Winge .

LADY STAR

A very interesting postcard from the 1940s. It was made by Cardy-Lundmark Company, Chicago, U.S.A. It has never been mailed so there is no postmark. The explanation on the back of the card: "Lady Star, Smallest perfect cow on earth. Weight 189 pounds. Height 34 inches. Age Two years and six months. She is of the Guinea breed. Father and Mother were of normal size of this breed of cattle. She was raised in So. Georgia, near Waycross. Owned by Miss Jean Maulsby and loaned to Seattle Whaling Co., as companion to 'Lone Star,' the world's largest cow."

Contributed by Barbara Walker Winge.

WAYCROSS, WARE COUNTY, GEORGIA "LOOKING NORTH FROM OPERA HOUSE"

This is a black and white postcard. It was mailed from Jesup, Georgia, January 25, 1909, to Miss Mabelle F. Alcott, 405 Gastor Street, East, Savannah, GA. The message states, "We lay over here for 20 minutes, Lee." The postmark is "Waycross, , JAN 1909 TR33. R.P.O." The stamp is one cent.

According to Robert Latimer Hurst in his THIS MAGIC WILDERNESS: PART I & PART II, 1982, Brantly Printing Co., Waycross, GA, pp. 337-340. The Waycross Opera House was located on Jenkins Street at Stephenson Street, It was built in 1887 and torn down in 1962. At one time it was known as the Willard Hotel, then the New Willard Hotel. It also housed the Bailey Theatre, several offices and a trade building. There is a lot more interesting data contained in Mr. Hurst's book. He writes about the opening of the cornerstone and the memorabilia found within. He also describes some of the performances that were given in those wonderful early days.

Contributed by Barbara Walker Winge.

THE PHOENIX HOTEL WAYCROSS, WARE COUNTY, GEORGIA

The Phoenix Hotel, Waycross, Georgia, advertised "Hospitality You Will Long Remember." It was located in the center of Waycross with a "Modern Coffee Shop featuring unexcelled food prpared as traditionally 'Southern Style.'" The Railroad Depot was within sight.

It was build in a Victorian style, two-storied, and covered 56,215 square feet. There were 100 modern hotel rooms, later offices were added. At one time "tea dances" were popular after the afternoon football games.

The Phoenix served Waycross as long as there was a passenger railroad service. Today it stands as an empty reminder of long ago days.

Contributed by Barbara Walker Winge.

ELIZABETH STREET, WAYCROSS, WARE COUNTY, GEORGIA

Two postcards showing Elizabeth Street in Waycross, Georgia. In the first view looking east, the post office is seen on the right, and the Ware Hotel is on the left. The street appears to go right into Union Station. This card was sent to Mrs. A. E. Tillingham Lebaretey (?) Mass. "Dear Mama,... Love, Benbe. The postmark is Waycross, Georgia, March 1932. Note the two ladies going into the post office. Also notice that there are no red lights or stop signs.

The other postcard depicts Elizabeth Street looking west. This is an unused card so there is no postmark. On the left is the Phoenix Hotel. On the right is a produce store and the Exchange Hotel. The time period appears to be in the late 1920s. In the middle of the street intersection is a large drum. These were used to show the automobile driver which side of the street he was to drive on. On this card a lot of street lights are visable that contain five round globes. The lights are singular on the other card.

Contributed by Barbara Walker Winge.

PLANT AVENUE, WAYCROSS, WARE COUNTY, GEORGIA

Richard E. Prince, an Atlantic Coast Line Railroad historican, wrote that the Brunswick and Florida Railroad had been laid as far as Waresboro, Georgia, by 1861. It was controlled by Northerners who had no desire to aid the South in any way, therefore rail movement stopped in Waresboro, which is west of Waycross on Highway 82.

The Atlantic and Gulf Railroad had expanded its service from the Little Satilla River at Screven, Georgia, to the Flint River, where steamboats continued further South with wares.

Henry Bradley Plant, from Connecticut, was a superintendent with the Adams Express Company, and had lived in the South for several years before the War. He lived in Europe from 1863 to 1865, when he returned South as the President of the Southern Express Company. He purchased the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad and reorganized as the Savannah, Florida, and Western in 1879. In 1881, "Waycross became one of the most important railroad centers in the South."

Plant Avenue was nanmed for Mr.Henry Bradley Plant.

404 GILMORE STREET, WARE COUNTY, GEORGIA

404 Gilmore Street, Waycross

404 Gilmore Street, Waycross Business Card, Ca. WWII

The address is 404 Gilmore Street, Waycross, GA. The house was built about 1898. It was a very large house, filled with antique furniture. It is the house of Willie Boyd, who married Fredrick Bibb, then Calvin Parker.

During World War II, Mrs. Parker used the house as a boarding house for men stationed at the Waycross Air Base. The business card above, is one of her business cards for that time period.

She was a charter member of the Central Baptist Church in Waycross. Her first husband was Fredrick W. Bibb. He died 24 Jun 1901 and left her with a small daughter, Christine. Christine was the genealogist.

Willie's second husband was Calvin W. Parker who had an elected office in the Georgia State Government.

Contributed by .