Town of Odum, U.S. Highway 341, Odum

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA-2267. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

PHYSICAL SETTING OF THE TOWN OF ODUM Odum is located in Wayne County in southeastern Georgia. The Town of Odum is centered on U.S. Highway the Southern Railroad and Railroad Street which run southeast to northwest through the town. The town extends out from the intersection of U.S. Highway 341 and Church Street to the northwest and the southeast with this intersection being the approximate midpoint. Located to the northwest is one of two residential areas in the town. Directly east of the intersection is the town's commercial area and southeast of the commercial center is another residential area.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA-2267. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOWN OF ODUM The town of Odum grew up out of the sawmill industry which thrived on the stands of virgin pines in the region. Originally, the area in which Odum is located was a portion of the 4th Land District of Appling County which was detached and added to Wayne County in The Southern Railway which had been planned prior to the Civil War was completed through Odum in Post Office Records show that a community known as "Haslam" was established by and renamed Odum by Odum is named for Godfrey Odum who, in purchased land lots 175 and 177 in Wayne County, a total of acres including the whole of Odum, from James A. Poppell. Two years later Odum sold the lots to K.A.

Smith but then in bought them back and began selling off the lots as the community grew. Odum finally was incorporated in with corporate limits extending out 3/4 of a mile in every direction, with some exceptions, from the point where the old Waresboro and Beard's Bluff Public Road (now Church Street) intersected the Southern Railway Railroad. The current corporate limits extend between 1 1/2 and 2 miles from this intersection. Odum's commercial center grew up to the east of this central point beginning in the late One of the original merchants was Poppell who operated a store where the Hires General Store now stands.

Another influential businessman was Leonard Carter who is listed as postmaster for Odum in and Carter was involved deeply in the banking business and a number of other investment and industrial ventures in Wayne County. By he moved to Jesup but by this time had established the L. Carter Company which remained influential in Odum's commercial center for another decade. ODUM, TOWN OF HABS No. GA-2267 (Page 3) The town grew steadily in the early and by the end of World War I many people from north Georgia began moving into the area seeking farmland and settling in the vicinity of Odum in outlying rural areas. The railroad was an important presence in Odum at this time allowing the town to serve the farmers in the area.

During the Odum's commercial area featured a drug store and general merchandise store. In the Odum Banking Company went bankrupt. The town continued to grow in the and as evidenced by its historic neighborhoods, and in the the Works Project Administration (WPA) built a new school and gymnasium in Odum. The Georgia Highway Department was created in and charged with the duty of creating a state highway system. U.S. Highway also designated as Georgia State Route 27, has been part of the state highway system at least as early as The highway had been graded by this time, however, a hard surface was not put down immediately. As late as state highway maps indicate that the portion of this highway through Odum was covered with soil; by the highway had a hard surface.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA-2267. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN OF ODUM The most intact historic commercial area of the Town of Odum lies on the south side of U.S. Highway 341 and extends for approximately two blocks east of Church Street. Included in this area are three nonhistoric commercial buildings and nine historic buildings; these buildings are separated from the highway by a narrow sidewalk. The seven brick buildings in the commercial area of the town are typical turn-of-the-century commercial development in small Georgia towns with one- to two-story attached brick structures displaying segmentally arched windows, recessed entrances, transom lights, brick corbeling and pilasters, and double-door entrances; one of these buildings is actually constructed of molded concrete blocks.

The three buildings located southeast of Carter Avenue were built c. reportedly by Leonard Carter. The molded concrete block building located further east was constructed c. The remaining three historic brick buildings, located between South Church Street and Carter Avenue date from c. to c. The two remaining historic commercial bu~ldings south of U.S. Highway 341 are frame structures, built c. and c. as gas stations. While all of the exteric~s retain some degree of architectural integrity, only shells remain of two of these commercial buildings. ODUM, TOWN OF HABS No. GA-2267 (Page 4) The two residential portions of this town lie to the northwest of the commercial area, along and west of Church Street North, and to the east and southeast of the commercial area, along U.S.

Highway 341 and south of U.S. 341 Highway between Carter Street and Tillman Street. Included in these residential area are one historic church, one historic school, and approximately forty historic residences. Most of the residential buildings date form c. and are one-story, though several two story residences also are located in the town. The majority of the residences are vernacular house types; the most common stylistic influence is Craftsman. The two residences located along U.S. Highway 341 are vernacular bungalows constructed in the late PART IV: SOURCES OF INFORMATION Jordan, Margaret Coleman. Wayne Miscellany. Jesup, Georgia: The Jesup Sentinel, Martin, Bobby M., ed. Wayne County, Georgia: Its History and Its People.

Jesup, Georgia: The Press-Sentinel Newspapers, Inc., Wayne County Deed Records. Wayne Cou~ty Clerk of Superior Court, Jesup, Georgia. "Wayne County History." Vertical File. Wayne County Public Library, Jesup, Georgia. Wayne County Tax Records. Wayne County Tax Assessors Office, Jesup, Georgia. PART V:

Project Information

Historic American Buildings Survey documentation completed as a mitigation stipulated in the Environmental Effects Reports (completed in compliance with the Georgia Environmental Policy Act) for Georgia Department of Transportation Project GIP-341(24), Wayne County (the proposed widening of U.S. Highway . Prepared by: Gail Anne D'Avino Title: Transportation Planner II Affiliation: Georgia Department of Transportation Office of Environment and Location Aviation Circle Atlanta, Georgia Date: May Prepared by: Amy Kissane ODUM, TOWN OF BABS No. GA-2267 (Page 5) Title: Staff Preservation Planner Affiliation: The Jaeger Company 119 Washington Street Gainesville, Georgia Date: June ODUM, TOWN OF HASS No. GA <Page 6> [? [? [j' 0 0 0 'i 0 i!J 0 UI )<I ~ SITE PLAN SKETCH D D MAY 0 C:: 0 I!

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