Davis-Lang House
309 East Oak Street

The Davis-Lang House was built in 1897-98 by J.S.N. Davis of Brandon & Davis Timber Company. His portrait hangs in the Masonic Lodge. The house plans are said to have been ordered from Sears Roebuck. The timber was supplied by Davis’s company. In 1921 Mrs. Rufus S. Lang (Beatrice Dufour), one of the founders of the Bryan-Lang Library, purchased the Davis house. Her family lived here for many years and for a while she operated it as a boarding house, the Monasile Inn. Her granddaughter, Beatrice Colson, met her future husband, Henry E. Williams, Sr., when he came here to board in the late 1930’s.

This home is a good example of a Queen Anne style cottage popular among the middle class during the 1880’s and 1890’s. It is square shaped with projecting gables on the front and sides. It has a hipped roof and interior chimneys.

Brandon House
307 East Oak Street

This house was built by George Washington Brandon in 1905. Mr. Brandon was appointed by the Georgia State Legislature as the first mayor of Woodbine when the town was incorporated in 1908; his portrait hangs in City Hall. Brandon & Davis Timber Company had offices northeast of the old depot at the intersection of East Oak Street and Third Street.

The two-story house is a Gable Ell type house. The lower story has beveled corners with curved brackets producing a second-floor overhang. The projection is topped by a gable on a pent roof. The decorative shingles and the bay window show some Queen Anne style which was extremely popular and used in many variations across Georgia from the 1880’s to 1910.

Foster Colson House
303 East Oak Street

This two-story building was built during the early 1900’s
by Foster Colson as a general store with living quarters
upstairs. The stairs inside on the right were originally
outside, enclosed when the building was turned into a
home. A well and generator were located behind this
house to supply water and electricity to this area of
town (there were few homes and businesses at the time).

The house is a Side Hallway-type with Craftsman-style
elements and a two-story wrap-around porch.

Hayes-Dan Proctor House
West Oak Street between 3rd and 4th Streets

This house was built in the early 20th century by an undocumented builder. Researcher Tara Fields has located information that the Hayes family did own property on the corner of 3rd Street and Old Dixie Highway (West Oak Street). An old plat dated 1896 shows a home in the approximate location of this house. On May 18, 1927, D. M. Proctor secured a warranty deed from J. B. Newton for the property. The Proctor family lived here and operated a boarding house. Their son, Joseph Daniel, met his future wife, Ella Bowman, at this house; she was one of several teachers who boarded here. After a short while she moved out because it was improper for a lady to stay in the same house with her beau. The Proctor family owned the house until 1964.

The house is a two-story Side-hall type with a wrap-around porch and a hip roof.

Garage/Old Community House
Northwest corner of 3rd Street and West Oak Street

This historic store was built during the early 1900’s. Known uses of the building were Bill McCollough’s Garage, the Woodbine Community House, Ben Martin’s law office and the office of Joe Chaney’s Chaney Enterprises. When it was the Community House, various activities were held there, including square dances, Teen Canteen, Episcopal Bazaar, flower shows, first aid classes during WW II, and dinners of different organizations.

The building has a three-bay front façade and large single and paired windows.

Goldstein Store
Southwest corner of 3rd Street and West Oak Street

This historic store was built in the early 1900’s. Originally it was Goldstein’s General Merchandise, a general store that sold dry goods, groceries and hardware. Barney Gowen bought the store from Aaron Goldstein in 1928 but by 1937 had moved his business to Highway 17. For a time, up until the 1960’s or 70’s, this building became the old Rawl’s Candy Kitchen where Rawl’s candy was packaged and shipped all over the southeast.

The original store is brick. The Rawls’ built the wooden addition for storage during their busy candy packaging operation.

The store has a three-bay front façade and large paired windows.

Cowart House
208 West 3rd Street

This house was at one time used as the rectory for St. Marks Episcopal Church although it probably was not owned by the church. The Cowart family owned the house in the 1930’s.

During WW II there was a freeze on rent. Because of the housing shortage in many areas, the government decreed that no dwelling could be rented for more than it had been rented for at some earlier time. The Cowart House rented for $10 a month. At one time during the war, when the house was rented to workers from the shipyard in Brunswick, there were 21 people living in the house.

Woodbine Plantation
End of West Third Street, 1 mile west of City Hall

A plantation house was originally built by John Bailey (son of David and Elizabeth Lang Bailey) who bought the property on July 1, 1835. It was called Woodbine Plantation because of the beautiful red trumpet honeysuckle or “Woodbine Vine” once abundant in this area. The original buildings were burned by the northern troops during the Civil War in 1862.

James King Bedell bought the property in 1876. He built a home near the site of the destroyed Bailey home around 1890. The hurricane of 1898 destroyed that home and another was built within the year. This house is situated near the Satilla River approximately one mile west of City Hall.

Interesting Information:
The total tract of land owned by J. K. Bedell extended along the river eastward to Halifax. With the exception of pine land, the Bedell acreage was planted in rice which was dried, threshed and sold on his dock on the river when sailing vessels came to load and take the rice to market.

St. Marks Episcopal Church
Corner of US Highway 17 and 2nd Street

St. Marks Episcopal Church is the outgrowth of St. Clements Episcopal Church at Satilla Bluff. The beautiful brass candelabra and cross on the altar came from St. Clements. In 1898 J. K. Bedell gave a one-acre tract for a new church building. In 1900 the men of the community combined their skills to build a tabby church “of beauty and joy forever.” Lumber from nearby river mills and ballast rock which was cast upon the river banks by sailing vessels were used in its construction. The windows were brought from England by the Reverend David Watson Winn.

The church was built in the Gothic Revival style and features a center steeple, four-sided spire and square tower with louvered lanterns. It has Gothic style lancet windows.

Original Gowen Building with attached one-story
commercial buildings
West side of Bedell Avenue./US Highway 17

Historically known as the Gowen Building, these attached commercial buildings were built between 1928 and 1948. Businesses associated with the buildings included general merchandise, groceries, banking and timber. The north section originally housed a drug store and post office. One section still has “CAMDEN COUNTY STATE BANK” (begun in 1947) engraved at the top.

The building is located close to the edge of the highway and features a stepped-parapet roof. Each section has a three-bay front façade with a centrally located main entrance and large storefront windows.

Gowen House

Barney A. Gowen, Sr., built this beautiful home in 1932 as a gift for his soon-to-be wife, Ethel Veale. J. Clayton Perry designed the house for Mr. Gowen.

Built of brick and nestled in beautiful pines that Mr. Gowen loved, a gold fish pool was built for Mrs. Gowen. Later it was used as a sandbox for the children and then as a small swimming pool. It is still being used as a fish pool.

In the 1930’s the home hosted several weddings for friends and during the war boarded teachers because rooms were scarce.

There are future plans for the home to become a bed and breakfast.

Ann Mallette Proctor House
106 East 4th Street

Mrs. Julian Joseph Proctor (Ann Mallette) built this home in Woodbine when she left Satilla Bluff to move into Woodbine about 1926. Her daughter, Gertrude Proctor, a teacher and home demonstration agent, lived there for many years after her mother’s death. The upper floor was sometimes used to board teachers.

This house is a good example of the Craftsman-style bungalow so popular across the state from the 1910’s through the 1930’s. It features a low-pitched roof with cross gables, widely overhanging eaves with brackets, short round columns set on masonry piers and paired windows with a multi-paned sash over a large one-pane sash.

Woodbine Methodist Church
Corner of Bedell Avenue and 4th Street

The north wing of the present church was at one time the main church, constructed about 1945. It is situated on the site of the original Woodbine Methodist Church built in 1896 through the determined efforts of James K. Bedell who gave the land and materials and paid for the construction.

The north wing is a good example of a gable-front masonry church. It features masonry construction, six-over-six double hung windows, a steeply pitched roof, and Gothic Revival style front portico with parapet.

Newton House
102 East 4th Street

The Newton House was built around 1911 by Captain John Newton, Superintendent of the Seaboard Railroad at the time. He was responsible for the railroad between Savannah and Jacksonville, and his office was located in Woodbine.

This home originally faced what is now US Highway 17. Upon the completion of that highway in 1927 the Georgia Department of Transportation moved the house back and turned it to face Fourth Street. They used 24 mules to accomplish this task.

Old Woodbine Hospital
107 West 4th Street

The town’s oldest hospital was established in 1940 by
Dr. A. K. Swift and Dr. J. O. Simmons. The small hospital was equipped with x-ray and laboratory capabilities. Major and minor surgeries were performed here with hospital beds and 24-hour nursing care available. Edvin Cooler was the first child born in the hospital. During World War II many babies were born here because the parents could not drive to Jacksonville due to rationing of vehicles, tires and gasoline.

The back section of the building was possibly built in 1900 and was Dr. Swift’s original office, located on his property next door. The Woodbine Hospital operated until the death of Dr. Simmons in 1965. The Woodbine Clinic reopened from 1966 until the 1970’s.

Atkinson Memorial Building
200 East 4th Street on the courthouse square

This building was built in 1947. Now a tax office, it was originally the Atkinson Memorial Hospital. Before the hospital the County Agricultural Building stood here; it served as the original courthouse and also as a school.

The Atkinson Building is the only example of the International Style of construction in Woodbine’s National Register Historic District. The International Style is a rare style almost exclusively built during the late 1940’s in Georgia cities. The one-story building features a flat roof with wide overhanging eaves and parapet wall, multiple roof levels, unornamented wall surface, one-story plain round supports, and single and paired windows.

“Old Lettuce Shed”

East Oak Street between 4th and5th Streets
The wood-framed warehouse known as the “lettuce packing house or shed” was built in the 1940’s by the
H. S. Brenner family. Lettuce was brought into town
from nearby lettuce farms and sorted. The standard
heads of lettuce were packed, loaded on railroad cars
and shipped to markets on the East Coast. The culls
came off the conveyor belt onto a large pile on the
southern end of the building where it was available
free of charge to everyone.

The building is a long gable-end rectangular structure
with a shed porch.

Jackson Theatre Ruins
Highway 17 in City Limits

Tom Bruce set up his grocery/residence on this site in 1927; it is unclear whether he built it or if it was already there. Clarence Jackson was Mrs. Tom (Lillian) Bruce’s brother; at her death he bought the property from her husband. Mr. Jackson built the theater after purchasing the store.

Early shows in the theatre were black and white silent movies. The seats were backless benches built up gallery style. There was no public restroom. In the 1950’s regular fold-up seats were installed and modern films were shown on the weekend.
Cokes, candy and popcorn could be purchased in Mr. Jackson’s store next door.

Jackson had a pet monkey which sat on his shoulder; he acquired it when one of the traveling circus companies to whom he rented space failed to make money because of bad weather. They traded the monkey to Jackson for gasoline to go to their next engagement.

Payne House
412 West Oak Street

The Payne House was built in two stages. The right side of
the house was built first at Plantation Point. In 1905 that
part was moved to its present location and the front wing
added later. R.B. Payne, a railroad employee, was the
first occupant. The house remained in the Payne family
until several years ago.

This house is a Gabled Ell cottage. Its features include a
T-shaped plan with a gable front at one end of a recessed
wing that is parallel to the façade. The Gabled Ell cottage
was quite popular around 1875-1915.

Liles House
201 Myrtle Avenue

This house was built in 1942 by Kelly Liles. It remained in the Liles family until the Estate of Alma Liles (former Camden County Tax Commissioner) sold it in 1992. The property is approximately one city block in size.

The original house is unique in that the exterior siding is cypress and the floors are heart pine.

Bryan-Lang Historical Library
Corner of Camden Avenue and 4th Street

Bryan-Lang Historical Library had its beginnings in November, 1983, when Miss Bebe Lang announced her plans to donate her tremendous collection of historical books and documents to Camden County with the stipulation that suitable housing for the library be secured in Woodbine, the county seat and her hometown.

In 1984 the Bryan-Lang Historical Library was organized. The Historical Commission received a $25,000 grant from Coastal Highway District to help with their dreams of building a historical library. Novelist Eugenia Price of St. Simons Island was announced as the honorary chairwoman for the proposed historic research library. Construction was begun and completed on the library building in 1986.