Charred Mansion

The city of Waycross was created in 1872 and incorporated in March 1874 by an act of the Georgia General Assembly. Founded as a railroad center, most of the original settlers of the town gathered to live in an area now known as “Old Waycross” which centered around Butler Street and along Plant Avenue. However, the first residential area in the city to develop strictly as such was to be found in the Gilmore, Brunei and Lee Street section, now referred to as the Waycross Historic District. Many of the major streets within the historic district were among the city’s first paved streets, signifying the relative importance of this neighborhood. Most, if not all, of the streets were at one time, according to locals, Indian trails and Spanish bridle paths. Plant Avenue, named after Henry B. Plant, a local railroad magnate, was the first of the paved streets of Waycross.

Shortly thereafter, Gilmore Street, the second heaviest “line of travel” in the city, was paved. This street, one of Georgia’s historic highways, has served as an Indian trail, Spanish bridle path, train road and as part of the Dixie Highway. Gilmore became a thoroughfare from the time it was blazed through virgin swamp and forest; due in part to the fact that all of the roads in the vicinity, this was the most direct route leading to four noted trading posts in South Georgia. Gulf and Albany Streets followed Gilmore Street in become respectively the third and fourth paved streets. Brick pavers were initially used as the pavement material and remnants of this early surfacing can still be seen at some intersections within the district. These streets have since been covered with asphalt and crushed aggregate.

Constructed in the late 1880s, this magnificent Queen Anne-style home located at 602 Gilmore Street has been left abandoned. In the late 19th century, the present Waycross Historic District was part of a large forest that was harvested by local settlers to provide much-needed construction materials. As the community became a growing railroad center, this wood brought substantial income to many of the local people, and eventually, so much timber was harvested that large quantities could be shipped out to Savannah and other ports. Only after much of the forest had been cleared away was the site divided up into small blocks and developed in a relatively consistent manner as the city’s first “subdivision.” From 1890 to 1920, Gilmore Street was home to some of the city’s most prominent residents. Politicians, bankers, judges, lawyers, dentists, even a president of CSX railroad resided here. By the 1950s, this 4500-square-foot residence on the corner was divided into apartments. During the 1960s and ’70s, when people abandoned urban centers in favor of suburbs, Gilmore Street fell into disrepair. Eventually the area become known more for its drugs and prostitution than for its illustrious past.

The home was listed as a contributing property to the Waycross Historic District when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. In the early 2000s, the neighborhood began to see a resurgence and many of the old Victorian homes that sat neglected for decades began getting a new life. Before being renovated in 2010, this home was used as a bed and breakfast, a restaurant, and an adult daycare business. It sold in 2019 to a couple from Fort Lauderdale who planned to restore the house. In January 2021, the Waycross Fire Department was dispatched to the property after a fire was reported. Upon arrival, the rear of the house was engulfed in flames. All natural and accidental sources of ignition were eliminated through an initial investigation by the fire department who believe it was an act of arson. A $10,000 reward was offered for any information regarding the fire from the Georgia Arson Control. In April 2024, the stately home was demolished.

Thank you for reading. Please share the blog with your friends. I appreciate the support. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. For more amazing, abandoned places from across Georgia, check out my books Abandoned Georgia: Exploring the Peach State and Abandoned Georgia: Traveling the Backroads.