Abandoned bank building in Georgia

Bank of Surrency - Post Office, Surrency Georgia

Date added: November 26, 2022 Categories: Georgia Bank

Located on the corner of Hart and Main streets in the small, rural town of Surrency in Appling County, Georgia, the Bank of Surrency is the only remaining historic commercial building in the downtown and service first as a bank and later as a post office.

Constructed in 1911 to house the local branch of the Baxley Banking Company, the building is a good example of a small-town bank, which anchored the once-thriving community of Surrency. It was the only bank in town until 1921. The Baxley Banking Company closed in 1922, and the building was sold to F.D. Kennedy and J.M. Kennedy. The building served as a post office from 1926 to 1960. A new post office was constructed in 1960 and the building was sold for storage.

The Georgia State Legislature created Appling County in 1818 out of lands formerly occupied by the Creek Indians. Named in honor of Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Appling, a hero during the War of 1812, the county originally encompassed all of present-day Bacon, Jeff Davis, Pierce, and Ware counties as well as portions of Atkinson, Brantley, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Echols, Telfair, and Wayne counties. Many of Appling County's early settlers came from the Carolinas and the counties north of the Altamaha River. The first recorded white settlement was located at Carter's Cowpens in the Padgett Community (south of Baxley). Largely due to unsettled conditions along what was then Appling County's western boundary, ten years passed before the county's first seat of government was established at Holmesville in 1828. The completion of the Macon and Brunswick Railroad through Appling County in 1870 led to early development of Baxley, originally known as Station Number 7 because of its location along the railroad.

The future site of Surrency was settled in the early 1850s by Allen Powell Surrency, a Tattnall County native. Surrency, who became a prominent businessman and local civic leader, initially operated a sawmill and owned the only general store in the area. Like Baxley, the community was known by its railroad station (Number 6) prior to being named Surrency in honor of its founder. The Town of Surrency was locally incorporated in 1904, and the Georgia General Assembly chartered the town in 1911. During its heyday in the early 1900s, Surrency was recognized as the "crosstie center of the world" with as many as five train carloads shipped a day. At that time, a number of businesses were located in Surrency, including six general stores, a grocery store, a drugstore, a bank, two hotels, a cotton gin, and grist mill.

S. (Silas) M. Johnson, who owned a general store, donated a 22' x 50' lot at the northeast corner of Main and Railroad streets in Surrency to the Baxley Banking Company on August 16, 1911. The property, which was part of original Lot Number 260 in the Third District, as well as a portion of Lot Number 12 of the Surrency survey, was located adjacent to other land owned by Johnson and at the corner of Surrency's main commercial block fronting the railroad tracks. As part of the agreement, Baxley Banking Company was to construct a brick bank building 40 feet in length on the site. Johnson was to own one-half interest in the wall located on the east side of the building. On December 4, 1911, Johnson transferred the same lot plus an additional 31 feet on the north and south, resulting in a 22' x 81' lot, to The Baxley Banking Company for $25.00. Part ownership of the bank building's east wall was not mentioned in this document. A handsome brick bank building with fine exterior detailing was erected on the site in 1911.

The Baxley Banking Company, which was organized in 1896, started a branch bank in Surrency in 1911 called the Bank of Surrency. Another branch bank was located in Alma. Employees at the Surrency branch included Paul Doster, C.C. (Chip) Johnson, H. Odell Robinson, Mr. and Mrs. Russell Tyre, and Charlie Hart. Sometimes Johnson (cashier) worked at night at the bank, which gave him the chance to visit with a friend who worked on the train passing through Surrency. He would get on the train and visit until it stopped for water at which time he would hop off and return to work. One evening, the train did not stop for water, and Johnson had to ride the ten miles to Baxley, pay the fare, and walk the railroad track back to the bank. When he arrived, he found that the kerosene lamp he left burning had smoked up the walls, thus causing the bank to need to be painted.

The Baxley Banking Company and its branch banks apparently did well for a time, listing resources of $1,004,071.31 in 1919. However, all three banks closed in January, 1921. The Baxley Banking Company reopened in July, 1921 with the backing of Mills B. Lane, but it is uncertain as to whether the Surrency branch reopened as well. This attempt to save the bank failed, and it closed permanently on May 26, 1922. T.R. Bennett, Superintendent of Banks of the State of Georgia, took charge of The Baxley Banking Company's assets for liquidation at that time.

On June 7, 1924, F.D. Kennedy and J.M. Kennedy purchased the Surrency Bank property, including "a one-story brick building and all fixtures connected therewith," for $1,200. Four days later on June 11, 1924, J.M. Kennedy gave his interest in the property to F.D. Kennedy for $1.

The former Bank of Surrency building became home for Surrency's fifth post office in 1926, serving for more than 30 years until the new facility was constructed in 1960. Postmasters at this location included: Emma S. Brindle, James C. Ross, Mrs. Ceres C. May, Robert S. Wolfe, and Carr McLemore.

F.D. Kennedy retained ownership of the property until September 16, 1965 when he gave it to Curtis C. Herndon for $1. In recent years, the building has been used for sweet potato storage and has been allowed to deteriorate. The City of Surrency purchased the property in July 1999 for $3,900 with plans to preserve it for possible use as a local museum/visitor's welcome center.

Building Description

Located in southeast Georgia, the Bank of Surrency is located at the corner of Main and Hart Street in the small, rural town of Surrency in Appling County, Georgia. Once the anchor of a series of commercial buildings, the bank remains the only historic building in the once-thriving downtown.

Constructed in 1911, the Bank of Surrency is a one-story, rectangular, brick commercial building with a flat roof. The building features its original unpainted brick with simple cast-concrete details. The building features a slight stepped parapet roof with round, blind arches along the cornice. Cast-concrete details on the building include coping along the roof, flat lintels and sills on the windows, decorative, square hoods over the windows on the west side of the building, and a water table. A decorative cast-concrete square hood with enlarged keystone is located on the front facade along with two flat, circular medallions bearing the date of construction (1911). The building also features a U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Benchmark marker dated 1917 on the front facade.

The interior of the building consists of one large main room with an office/main carrier's room and a vault room at the rear of the building. The original post office counter and post boxes were removed from the main room when the building ceased operation as a post office. The building retains its original plaster walls and part of its ceiling as well as tongue-and-groove wainscoting, wood window and door surrounds, and wood baseboards. The interior of the vault room retains its original metal ceiling.

The building is located on a corner lot and fronts the railroad tracks. The bank building is the only remaining historic commercial building in downtown Surrency.