{Some Laurens County, GA Slave Houses from the 1980s}

When we came to the United States as immigrants, on August 29, of 1983 we of course started to explore the area in rural Georgia where we were living. Right here in Laurens County, Georgia we could still make some photos of former so called 'Slave Houses'. We were quite surprised to find them. I did come across these as I was scanning old slides during the heavy rains and the flooding in husband Pieter's work shop. February it was Black History Month so this is appropriate for showing them here today.

Husband Pieter took this photo in Laurens County, Georgia.

Probably in 1985 and yes, this was before the digital camera era...

Guess these are no longer around, which is a pity as it was part of history.

This one looks quite patched up...

It must have been raining a lot too, considering the water to the bottom right in this photo...

Do any of you recall those slave houses?

PS There are some comments on my FB Page (just click this link) by local readers and they  refer to them as being also tenant houses. Sure, I did NOT grow up here in this State. Any info is welcome! 

Just tried to archive some history by saving our initial photos.

{Our Double Peony Tulips Angelique & Mount Tacoma}

• One of our most favorite spring bulbs have been the Double Peony Tulips Angelique & Mount Tacoma. The Angelique is a pink double peony tulip and the Mount Tacoma is a pure white double peony tulip. 
• First we bought them at the tax free airport of Schiphol, Amsterdam in The Netherlands. So anxious to see those bloom and it was quite a show.

• Gorgeous display of Angelique in front and Mount Tacoma in the back with white creeping phlox.
• But over time, they did disappear... WHY? Read further below for finding out.

• Gorgeous double Angelique Peony Tulips with our Chinese redbud.

• View towards the gazebo...

• Me touching one of those fragrant Mount Tacoma Double Peony Tulips.
• We did learn that they are being eaten as gourmet food by e.g. VOLES. 
• No, not moles, but voles. 
• One day when husband Pieter went to fill the bird feeders with seeds, he stepped over those tulip beds and in doing so he just saw one tulip stem disappear into the ground. 
• So after filling up those feeders, he investigated; with a shovel he dug up that particular tulip and he showed me a half eaten bulb and even the stem with the bloom had been nibbled off and that was the reason he saw it going into the ground. 
• AHA; we learned that those critters eat all the tulip bulbs and other bulbs; but not daffodils as those are poisonous. 
• SAD fact but we no longer have these beauties in our garden. As gourmet food they are too expensive for replacing them every couple of years.

• This single Mount Tacoma Double Peony Tulip was our ONLY one survivor for 2010... 
• Those voles left us with ONE bulb; isn't that generous?!
• Does any of you have tulips in the garden?
• AND have voles to feed...?

Related link: 

Vole | how this critter looks...

{Our Wood Trail in 1994}

• While scanning old slides I came across this one from 1994, showing you Our Wood Trail. 
• Husband Pieter had dug the ditches and build this wooden walk way, all the way from the gazebo to the greenhouse. That was our first water control project to rid the property of some wet spots.

• From here you are looking at the gazebo and the back of the house, towards the road.
• We only could start with our gardening after we came home from our 3 years of working and living in Indonesia. 
• This was the beginning of our lush garden with cute wrens bird house on the tree.

Azalea Helen Curtis is blooming here

• Same Wood Trail, 17 years later... The wrens bird house still on the tree.
• This photo is taken in the opposite direction.
• The ditches have been filled up with the dirt that came out of the basement when Pieter dug it out for building the Rose Suite. 
• That were 60 tons of dirt and it ended up on the side and in the ditches and on the back of our property near the creek. You can't even tell it was that much.

Do any of you have a walk way into the garden?

Related links:

{205 Winfield Road Then and Now} | previous post by me

{Walk Our Wood Trail With Me + Helen Curtis Azalea} | previous post by me