Tag Archives: North Georgia Gins & Warehouses

A marker placed by Morgan County in celebration of their bicentennial in 2007 reads: The town of Godfrey was incorporated by the Georgia Legislature on July 25, 1906. However, this community has much older roots. Local lore places the earliest geographical reference to a community in this area called Hamburg. By the early 1800s the community was known as Antioch for the original Antioch church built there around 1809. By 1839 the area was known as Evansville, perhaps for a local academy that existed there. One of the earliest industries in the area was a grist mill known as Walton’s Mill, operated by the Walton Family. Fire destroyed it around 1950. Mary Perkins Walton, a descendant of the Walton Family, married Dr. James Ervine Godfrey, a former Confederate surgeon. Dr. and Mrs. Godfrey acquired land in this area through her family and owned a plantation called Egypt. For a time, this community was identified with this plantation, and was called Egypt. The community was later named after Dr. Godfrey when the post office opened in the late 1800s. By 1867 two Baptist churches and one Methodist church had been established. The first school was established in the early 1900s. At its peak the town included eight stores, a bank, barber shop, livery stable, icehouse, cotton gin, warehouse, peach shed, railroad depot, post office, and Walton’s Mill. Godfrey depended on the Central of Georgia Railroad for passenger service, mail service and transportation of commodities.

There are several old storefronts in Godfrey.

The large building below may have been a combination store/warehouse.