Mike and I love to go driving country backroads every chance we get, and we’re always captivated by the sights we see along the way. In particular, the old buildings and homes that speak of another time, and the charming Georgia and Alabama downtowns that sprung to life with the railroads and today struggle to stay alive and keep up with modern society.
How fortunate we are that folks like Brian Brown have dedicated their lives to preserving these places in photographic history so that they never become lost to us forever. A historian, photographer and author from Fitzgerald, Ga., Brian spends his days documenting, through photography, the vernacular architecture of small towns and the culture and countryside of South Georgia. His website, Vanishing South Georgia, and book, Vanishing Irwin County, the first in what will be a continual series, are just part of his ambitious project list. Brian calls his work a “wonderful obsession” and cites William Christenberry’s Alabama photographs as a major influence on his decision to create Vanishing South Georgia.
In his statement of purpose, the photographer and poet says he wants to “bring attention to the many crossroads and small towns which a century ago were thriving centers of life and commerce. Most today are mere ghost towns of their former selves, and with Vanishing South Georgia, I hope to give them a permanent photographic presence, for future generations, whether their interests be trivial, genealogical, or historical.”
Here are just a few of his photographs. See and learn more at Vanishing South Georgia or on Flickr.
Copyright Brian Brown and Vanishing Media, LLC, 2008-2011
