Giles Hoover

Photography and design for print production

Tag: regional imagery

  • New Gallery: Sparta, Georgia

    New Gallery: Sparta, Georgia

    I’ve been meaning to take a camera to Sparta for a minute now; its downtown is small yet old and photogenic in a distinctly Southern way.

    Confederate State of Hancock County

    On that subject: let’s get the elephant in the room out front and center. Sparta is 85% Black, arguably economically and socially suffering, and yet this monument stands front and center. Why?

    Neglect: “It Suits Us”
    Lightbulb Moment, 12745 Broad St.

    However, there are signs of hope. More than one building downtown is being refurbished, and there are at least a couple of businesses that are surviving — perhaps even thriving — by providing a sense of community:

    The Sparta Ishmaelite (Printing)
    Hattaway Furniture, 12755 Broad St.

    By the way, those old buildings often have beautiful cast iron details:

    Building Detail, 12699 Broad St.

    I was glad to have made the trip, and hope that you’ll be glad to take a moment and look and Sparta’s downtown in the new gallery.

    Up tomorrow: Eatonton. Thanks for stopping by.

  • Gallery Update: Milledgeville, Georgia

    Gallery Update: Milledgeville, Georgia

    Spring has sprung here in Middle Georgia:

    Downtown Dogwood

    Gerald and I took advantage of a warm and cloudless March day for a lengthy photostroll which started in Milledgeville — lunch — and wandered northeast, starting at the nearby O’Quinn Mill:

    Old O’Quinn Mill (Wheel)
    Old O’Quinn Mill (Siding Detail #2)

    The old mill building is situated on, natch, O’Quinn pond — a man-made addition to Town Creek:

    O’Quinn Pond Dam (Town Creek)

    There’s a dock and old farm buildings in the complex, which these days is a picturesque event venue:

    O’Quinn Mill on Town Creek

    We continued on to Sparta, then returned through Eatonton, stopping in both towns for photographs. (Updates coming tomorrow and Wednesday: stay tuned.)

    Meanwhile, take a look at the updated Milledgeville gallery, now up to 100 photographs spanning the last twelve years. Enjoy!

  • Gallery Update: Jackson, Georgia

    Gallery Update: Jackson, Georgia

    Spring is beginning to blossom here in Middle Georgia, which means it’s time to restart the traditional Sunday drive and photostroll. This week’s destination was the small city of Jackson, seat of Butts County, and home to a typically pretty downtown square:

    Jackson Historic Square (20 Oak St.)

    The courthouse, as is often the case in Georgia, takes center stage:

    Confederate Butts Forever
    “Dream,” Not Necessarily Reflected

    No, I usually don’t make political commentary. Why do you ask?

    Anyway, there are several examples of my architectural studies, including these:

    Butts County Courthouse Tower (B&W Study)
    Smoking Column Detail, 10 3rd St.

    I didn’t realize that Jackson was the filming location for Stranger Things — a stand-in for Hawkins, Indiana:

    Jackson is Hawkins (Police)

    Check out the full gallery for Jackson, including yesterday’s photographs and those from last year, which include some from nearby Jackson Lake, in the updated gallery.

  • Gallery Update: Dublin

    Gallery Update: Dublin

    Named for the city in Ireland, Dublin in Georgia is an hour or so southeast of Macon. It’s my third trip there, and, like last time, I enjoyed Gerald’s company.1He seemed to enjoy the trip, rain notwithstanding, but apparently the creative juices didn’t flow. (Sorry, man.) Details here.

    It has a photogenic downtown, too:

    Corker (of a) Building, W. Jackson St.
    Fountain and Holiday Tree, N. Monroe St. and Bellevue Ave.

    The Welcome Park includes a clock and bell complete with clover, reminding visitors that the name is, in fact, a tribute:

    Dublin Welcome Tower #1

    As has become typical, my favorite — “best” is debatable, of course — shot is a close-up that’s almost an abstract. In this case, a turquoise box car in the appropriately-named Railroad Park:

    Pull Down for Camel, Dublin Railraod Park

    Just off the main drag we found an item thankfully not yet painted over:

    Aqua Fox, Jefferson and Madison

    . . . Which may, in fact, be a holdover from a bygone era. In fact, I’d be remiss if I didn’t call this subject out:

    Laurens and Dublin Mural (No Biases Shown), S. Lawrence St.

    The only people of color depicted here are Native Americans, relegated to viewing (probably from afar), and two Blacks, very much shown “in their place.” (Dublin still prominently features a Confederate memorial, as well.) Let’s hope that this small city continues its journey into the 21st century, one step at a time.

    See the updated gallery here. As always, once in the gallery, click on any photograph to start a slide show.

    • 1
      He seemed to enjoy the trip, rain notwithstanding, but apparently the creative juices didn’t flow. (Sorry, man.) Details here. ↩︎
  • New Gallery: Fickling Mill

    New Gallery: Fickling Mill

    An unintended postscript to the recent photostroll, and another in the lengthy list of places you pass through without stopping — except, this time:

    Signs of White Flash
    Shell Motor Oil

    While tiny, Fickling Mill in 2022 is eye-catching, thanks to this building at the water crossing, and likely represents exactly what the name advertises — the location of a former mill of some sort, driven by the power of the water of Patsilinga Creek.

    Patsiliga Creek Over the Fickling Mill Dam

    We were there late in the day, hence the fading-yet-still-golden light:

    Windmill Decor and Patsiliga Creek

    Only nine photographs, but posted as a dedicated gallery. Enjoy your virtual photostroll — and thanks for visiting.

  • New Gallery: Talbotton

    New Gallery: Talbotton

    The county seat of Talbot (Wiki) was the primary destination of our recent photostroll, another of those places that are often passed through without stopping. A small, poor town — and county — its rich history absolutely deserves a home here amongst the galleries of Georgia.

    Monroe Street Storefonts, Downtown

    Founded in 1828, Talbotton was a center of education for the area; its architectural splendor reflects a wealth no longer present. Even the later courthouse (1892) is a beautiful structure:

    Talbot County Probate Court, 26 Washington Ave.
    Talbot County Court Tower #3

    There was one structure in particular that I wanted to visit: the Zion Episcopal Church, an 1848 wooden item, painted dark brown with white shutters:

    Historic Zion Episcopal Church, Circa 1848

    Unfortunately, Georgia’s early- and mid-century legacy survives intact. From the Zion Church’s Historical Marker:

    The choir loft at the east end of the structure opposite the sanctuary, above the narthex, is flanked on each side by a gallery, where slaves worshipped prior to the conflict which many believed temporarily destroyed Southern culture.

    Georgia Historical Commission, 1955

    The church is still beautiful, it’s still beautifully preserved and maintained, and I’m glad that we can, in 2022, look at it in the historical context it deserves.1Read more about Zion Episcopal and its place in Talbotton here.

    Zion Episcopal Church (Window Detail #2)

    See the church and all of Talbotton — 34 photographs in all — in the new gallery here.

    Thanks to Gerald for a pleasant Sunday of fine photography.

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      Read more about Zion Episcopal and its place in Talbotton here. ↩︎
  • Updated Gallery: Thomaston

    Updated Gallery: Thomaston

    Despite the leaves pretty much, well, leaving us, yesterday was too nice a day to not do a photostroll — or three, in our case. First up: Sprewell Bluff Park. Located in rural Upson County on a lovely bend in the Flint River, the park has long been one of those places that was driven by and not visited.

    Flint River from Sprewell Bluff #1

    Glad to have fixed that! Better still, it’s more than just a bluff with a view:

    River and Tree in Afternoon Sun, Sprewell Park (#2)
    Cairn on the Riverbank, Sprewell Park
    Flint River Shoals at Sprewell (#2)
    Bluff Base, Flint River

    As it’s technically located there, the Thomaston gallery has grown by nineteen photographs — check it out. (As always, once in the gallery, click on any photograph to start a slide show.)

    Stay tuned for Talbotton and Fickling Mill, which will be posted as soon as possible.

    Thank you!

  • Updated Gallery: Milledgeville

    Updated Gallery: Milledgeville

    The small city of Milledgeville, on the banks of the Oconee River in nearby Baldwin County, is a favorite for photography. In this case, Gerald and I stopped on our way home from Sandersville, and spent some time wandering the historic district.

    Aged Signage, 101 W. Mcintosh St., Circa 1911
    Fall Color, First Presbyterian Church (#1), S. Wayne St.
    (Extended) Weathervane, Old Courthouse Building, 201 W. Hancock St.

    I especially liked this gate:

    Gate and Stairs (Going Up), 129 S. Wayne St.

    We were these the day after (part of) the Deep Roots Festival, which meant some street decorations lingered:

    Deep Roots Festival Balloons, S. Wayne St.

    Oh, and happy Halloween:

    Happily Haunted Window, S. Wayne St.

    See all my photographs from Milledgeville in the updated gallery. Thank you for visiting. See you in November!