History Center Grounds Map_Interactive 2024

To the Lapham-Patterson House

Jerger Street

Webster Street

N. Dawson Street

Crawford Street

1892 Metcalfe Courthouse

County Building

Metcalfe, located eight miles to the southeast of Thomasville, was founded as a railroad boomtown in 1889. A lumber-and-agriculture based town, Metcalfe expanded around the depot and by 1892 requested Thomas County build a courthouse there for magisterial purposes. While the courthouse was never used for court, and Metcalfe lost its governing charter by the early 1920s, it was a meeting place for the residents of Metcalfe and was the voting location for every election until 2002.

In 2003, the courthouse in severe disrepair was put up for auction by the County. The Historical Society won the bid, and the building was moved to Museum grounds in 2004. It came with its contents, including benches and voting signs and materials.

1877 Joiner-Callaway House

Cottage Style House

Emily Joiner, a Civil War widow, purchased this house and lot in 1877 for $125. The original lot was along Jerger Street, about the current location of the Pilau Shed on the History Center's grounds. The house itself is an adaptive re-use structure: Emily had two smaller structures loaded on logs, and moved to her lot, where the small hallway was built to join the two quarters together. Emily sold her lot and house to Oliver Ewart in 1895 for the greatly inflated price of $1000. The Ewarts used this house for the maid’s quarters and moved the house to its current location at the corner of Jerger and Crawford.

The Flowers family purchased the property in 1909, and they moved their children’s nanny Matilda King Calloway into the little house. Matilda lived in the cottage until shortly before her death in 1948, after which it was used as a guest cottage by the Roberts family. Later it was the first headquarters of Thomasville Landmarks.

Ethel Flowers Neel Fountain

Enjoyed by visitors of all ages year round, in the summer you’ll find it’s home to a population of wriggling tadpoles. The fountain is named for the eldest surviving Flowers daughter and was dedicated in 2001.

The Roberts Garage houses several vehicles, most notably, the 1916 American LaFrance, which is believed to be the Thomasville Fire Department’s first motorized fire engine. It is also home to Miss Fannie Chisholm’s 1926 hardtop Model T localled referred to as the "Blue Bomber." In addition the 1923 Cox Model T and 1936 Ford Phaeton round out the collection of antique automobiles.

1942 Roberts Garage

Antique Automobiles

The Roberts Garage was constructed shortly after the the Roberts family purchased 725 North Dawson Street. Built to match the main house, the Garage originally had a cupola that was blown off during Hurricane Kate in 1985. The six door, three bay Garage was also built with a drive that wrapped around the rear to allow drivers to face forward when pulling out, therefore never having to go in reverse or make a U-turn to exit. The Roberts Garage was the longtime home of Mildred Robert’s giant Cadillac, which is still well-remembered by many.

1923 Flowers-Roberts House

Museum & Archives

The brick house at 725 North Dawson Street was built in 1923 by Joseph Hampton Flowers and designed by architect Frank Galliher. Other buildings in Thomasville built by Galliher include Eastside School, now the Thomasville Center for the Arts, the 1919 Flowers Baking Factory on Madison Street, and the original Thomasville utility building. Built on the footprint of the 1893 Ewart mansion that burned in an electrical fire, the house was sold from Flowers to Fritz and Mildred Robert in 1939. During their time in the house, the Roberts family made extensive changes to the structure.

The main building, the Flowers-Roberts House, contains exhibits about the history of Thomas County, as well as the document, photo, and three-dimensional archives that provide the material evidence of what happened in Thomas County’s past. Visit The Lobby gift shop for unique gifts and souvenirs.

Pilau Shed

Storage Pole Barn

The Pilau shed has sheltered many a volunteer during the Center’s annual fundraiser on election night. Pilau: (Per-Loo) n. A traditional Southern food made of stewed chicken and rice.

The Flowers family lived in the bowling alley while the brick house was built following a devastating fire. They added a kitchen and bathroom which have since been removed. Under the ownership of the Roberts family, 1939-1968, the outside was painted green, the inside painted pink and wood railings on the porch were replaced by metal piping. The bowling alley was restored in the early 1990s.

1896 Ewart Bowling Alley

Private 10- Pin Bowling Alley & Home Gymnasium

Oliver Ewart, a banker who split time between New York and Mount Vernon, Ohio, purchased the lot at 725 North Dawson Street in 1893 and built a three-level mansion. Three years later, he added this ten-pin bowling lane/shooting gallery/gymnasium for his twelve-year-old son, Robert. Believed to be the second oldest bowling alley left standing in the United States, it is built from heart pine. Pocket doors separate the bowling lane from the gymnasium area, which include twisted hooks on the ceiling to support ropes and swings. The doors also helped maintain heat in the gymnasium section during winter months, while the Ewart family was in Thomasville.

The Lapham-Patterson House has stood as a testament to the prosperity and imagination of Thomasville’s Resort Era since its construction in 1885. Home to three families over the course of 8 decades, the Lapham-Patterson House is a celebrated example of the community’s preservation movement. The Lapham-Patterson House has witnessed the evolution of Thomasville over the last 135+ years. We look forward to seeing what new stories emerge as we continue to research its history and mark new milestones in its continued operations.

House Museum & Event Space

1885 Lapham-Patterson House

The interior of the Lapham-Patterson House lends itself to small celebrations of life's milestones, and spacious grounds welcome celebrations of all sizes.

c. 1870 Smith Homestead

Slat Pine Log House, Kitchen & Shed

Originally built in various places across the County, this assemblage of log buildings retains the atmosphere of life in rural Thomas County so many generations ago. The main home belonged to the Cecilia and Rufus Smith family of Coolidge. With their five children, the Smiths farmed nearly 500 acres. After Rufus' untimely death, Cecelia and the children continued farming. The house was donated and moved in 1974.

The architecture of the house is designed for a warm-weather environment. Dogtrot-style architecture is typified by two quarters connected by a breezeway that maximizes breezes while limiting warming sunlight. The Homestead is built with cracks between wall planks, to allow even more cooling breezes to enter the structure while limiting heat. During cold spells, additional wood planks, mud, and clay could be used to seal the structure to retain heat.

1910 Flowers Playhouse

Imginative Play Area

In 1910, Joseph Hampton Flowers had two granddaughters who were cousins. He built a playhouse for each of them, a matched pair. This one went to Claire Fllewellyn Flowers, whose photograph is in the playhouse. Through the twentieth century, the playhouse was moved whenever one set of Flowers children became too old and another generation was born. Four generations of Flowers children have played in the playhouse. This playhouse was donated to the History Center by Claire Varnedoe Thomas, Claire Fllewellyn Flowers Varnedoe’s daughter.