City of Waycross

The City of Waycross was incorporated in 1874. Earlier maps dated in 1860 show a town at the current location of Waycross called Tebeauville. What happened to this community and where is it now?

In 1857, Philip Coleman Pendleton moved his family to what would become the ninth station on the Savannah to Thomasville railroad that was under construction. The station was to be named Pendleton, but Mr. Pendleton requested the station be named Tebeauville after his father-in-law, Frederic Edmund Tebeau of Savannah. Tebeauville became home to the Pendleton and Remshart families. Now you know how those streets in downtown Waycross got their name. To this day many old timers refer to the section of town where Tebeauville was located as “Old Nine.” Tebeauville did not cease to exist but dissolved into Waycross when it was created.

In 1917 the Lyman Hall Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution decided to erect a monument to Tebeauville. On May 11, 1917, a large crowd gathered to witness the unveiling of the Teabeauville Tablet which read “On this site stood the old town of Tebeauville, erected 1917, by the Lyman Hall chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, Waycross, Georgia.” The unveiling featured group singing and speeches and included the reading of “Love Feast in Waycross.” For you children of the ’60s this was not a forerunner to our time, but verses describing how the happiest times occur in Waycross when everyone is in church.

Time passes on and the little park in Old Nine faded from memory. Fifty-one years later, the Waycross Junior Women’s Club took interest in the park. Money was raised and improvements were made to the neglected and forgotten park. On February 16, 1968, the park was rededicated.

Time, and now express highways (since we are into street names – Corridor Z or the South Georgia Parkway), once again removed Tebeauville from memory. But the Tebeauville Tablet still stands although its condition is a little worse for wear. Long ago the top portion of the monument with the inscription was destroyed. The inscription was duplicated by a brass plaque but that was stolen. The plaque has since been replaced. The Tablet is in a small City park between Bertha Street and Johanna Streets, parallel to Glenmore Avenue (Remember, we used to call it the Valdosta Highway).

On Saturday, October 25, 2008, the Leadership Waycross Alumni Class added a little dignity to the Tebeauville Tablet by landscaping the area around the monument. Among those participating were Robin Blackard, Pam Taylor, Regina Morgan and Larry Gattis. Assisting the alumni were Tyler Paul, Paige Taylor and Millie Morgan. Another alumni member, Elaine Howe of the Class of 2007, is a descendant of Frederic Edmund Tebeau. It may take us awhile, but Elaine has corrected our pronunciation of “Tea bo” to “ta Bo.” Leadership Waycross Alumni would like to thank Mark Deal of Okefenokee Technical College and Barry Wright of Wright’s Landscaping for their assistance in this project.

In 2009, Leadership Waycross Alumni petitioned the City Commission to change the legal name of Bertha Street Park to Tebeauville Park in recognition of the historic significance of Tebeauville. This was done after obtaining the approval of all the property owners that adjoin the park. On May 19, 2009, the City Commission of Waycross approved the change.

On June 17, 2009, a dedication ceremony was held. Among those in attendance were Mrs. Elaine Howe, a direct descendant of the Tebeaus; Mrs. S William Clark and Mrs. Marjorie Blythe-Poland representing the Lyman Hall Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution; Mrs. Ann Childers, a member of the Junior Women’s Club when the park was redone in 1968 and Robin Blackard, Pam Taylor, Regina Morgan of Leadership Waycross Alumni.

Thomas Larry Gattis (This article includes information taken from “By The Way…It Happened in Waycross” by Larry Purdom with Joe Ballentine; “This Magic Wilderness” by Robert Latimer Hurst and “History of Ware County Georgia” by Laura Singleton Walker.)

The following article was contained in the program dedicating the rehabilitation of City Hall in 1985:

“The turn of the century found Waycross a bustling Southeast Georgia transportation center “feeling its oats.” In 1907, when the cornerstone of a community Young Men’s Christian Association Center was laid at the corner of Pendleton and Isabella streets, Waycross already was, city boosters proudly proclaimed, a “city of churches.” Such was the optimism amid the boom atmosphere that some were comparing Waycross with the state’s burgeoning capital city and even labeling Waycross the “Atlanta of South Georgia.” Indeed, the parallel between the two cities was clear. Although geographically widely separated, both were creatures if the railroads; in fact, Atlanta’s original name was Terminus, the end of the line.

Community leaders thought that a city growing by such leaps and bounds needed a YMCA, to build strong bodies and develop Christian character. They had heard of a talented man in Jacksonville, Florida, whose architectural genius had played a major role on the rebuilding of the city in the wake of the 1901 fire which had destroyed 148 city blocks. In the fire, many of Jacksonville’s finest public and private buildings were gutted by flames.

Henry John Klutho came to Florida from New York when Jacksonville was literally still smoking. He was a disciple of two celebrated Midwestern architects, Lewis Sullivan of Chicago, and Frank Lloyd Wright, known for his revolutionary “prairie style.” Mr. Klutho distinguished himself on the rebuilding of Jacksonville with his design of the YMCA there, the St. James Building near Hemming Park, and the 10-story Bisbee Building recognized by its large windows and terra cotta ornamentation. Klutho was contacted about the pending design of the Waycross YMCA and agreed to do the job. Today it is considered by some of his admirers to be among the finer examples of his architectural excellence.

Although the actual beginning for the construction is not clear, the June 21, 1907, edition of the Waycross Journal reported that “work on the new $60,000 YMCA is progressing very well and walls have been built up to the first-floor joists.” That same news story projected that the building would be ready for use by Thanksgiving of that year. It was not to be true. Funds apparently ran out, for in the Spring of 1910 a community wide effort to raise the money to complete the building was launched. The effort raised $25,000 in cash and pledges with installment notes to be held by the First National Bank.

City Hall, fire stations, and the YMCA Building seemed to be inextricably linked from the beginning. In late January 1911, a “week of open house” for public tours of the new YMCA building was announced. Just two weeks before, the Waycross Board of Alderman had been told by Alderman Parker “…that the city (should) secure new quarters, apart from the fire department entirely.” The need of further equipment in the central fire station was given as a special reason why a change should be made.

The YMCA building finally and officially opened on July 2, 1911, and dedicated “to the service of God” in a down-pour on October 14, 1911.

Although the Waycross YMCA was laid out along functional lines – gymnasium, swimming pool (basement floor), and dormitory rooms on the top floor, Klutho added a touch of class and his own originality by including interior Corinthian columns and an atrium opening through three floors. Both distinctions are preserved in the newly renovated structure.

Records show that the City of Waycross acquired the downtown “Y’ in 1917 from the First National Bank and added a new cornerstone to the northeast corner of the building. The names of Mayor Scott T. Beaton (the Mayor was then elected by the citizens) and those of the six members of the Board of Alderman are preserved in the renovated façade.

Talk to any long-time citizen of Waycross and you’ll discover that the City Hall Building was and has been by all odds the busiest place in town. It has been used for church services, by health officials for vaccination programs, meeting places for local National Guard units, and as a command post for military police during World War II. Many will recall that the building served as the city library until the present Waycross Regional Library was built. Countless “townhall” meetings were held in the old City Hall Building, there were “war bond” rallies, patriotic assemblies, protest meetings, and even some political campaigns spawned on this historic site.

Only minor alterations had been made to the 72-year-old structure when the city fathers were put on urgent notice early in this decade that failure to provide adequate facilities for the handicapped might lead to the loss of more than $600,000 in annual federal general revenue sharing funds. Already, city officials had been apprehensive about the deteriorating building, the conditions under which the people of Waycross were being served and which city employees worked. One department moved from an upper floor to leased quarters.

Only minor alterations had been made to the 72-year-old structure when the city fathers were put on urgent notice early in this decade that failure to provide adequate facilities for the handicapped might lead to the loss of more than $600,000 in annual federal general revenue sharing funds. Already, city officials had been apprehensive about the deteriorating building, the conditions under which the people of Waycross were being served and which city employees worked. One department moved from an upper floor to leased quarters.

After the electorate rejected a proposal to construct a new City Hall on the site of the Phoenix Building, the city commission proposed renovating the historic landmark structure in 1983 and the issue was carried by a margin of 4 to 1. The preservation of this centerpiece of Waycross history was clearly on the minds of the voters. The renovation preserves the most admired architectural features, while enhancing the building with tasteful design, comfortable surroundings, and an atmosphere that captures the aura of the past and the promise of the future.

In 1982, at the request of the Waycross City Commission, Surber, Barber & Mooney, architects, undertook an analysis of the existing City Hall Building to determine whether it was suitable for rehabilitation and reuse. Our investigation and design studies indicated that indeed it could be made suitable to adequately serve the city’s needs well into the 21st century.

Upon passage of the bond referendum, we prepared construction documents and have worked closely with Charles E. Lewis Construction Company through the process of implementation. The general contractor’s determination and integrity have been an important factor in the successful completion of the project.
The approach to rehabilitation was, generally, to restore the building’s exterior, to renovate the main public spaces on the first floor, to remove all materials down to the stud in other areas, and completely rebuild new spaces within the existing confines.

Work on the exterior including cleaning, repainting, repairing the brick, repairing all woodwork, adding a small plaza with a flagpole on the Pendleton Street side, and planting cherry trees and Chinese elm trees. Additionally, the old metal shed together with a great deal of exposed piping, conduit, and general debris was removed. The “Police Precinct” sign painted on the rear façade was attacked with every solvent and paint removal technique (short of sandblasting) known to the architect, contractor, and painting contractor. As can be seen, it remains as evidence of former building tenants and as a testament to the quality of paint in the “good old days.”

The interior moldings and trim in the first-floor lobby spaces as well as several adjacent areas were preserved and restored. On either side of the main entrance are the cashiers, tax administration and personnel department. By locating these functions thusly, most citizen business can be conducted without searching the building in frustration. This arrangement also reduces unneeded traffic in other work areas.

The new commission chamber is designed with acoustical excellence as a major goal. The splayed walls and reflective ceiling reflect sound into the room while the acoustically absorptive walls eliminate excessive reverberation. A sophisticated sound reinforcement system has been installed along with a concealed projection screen for audio-visual displays.

In the second-floor lobby, the skylight well that had been closed was reopened and rebuilt. The four plaster columns are the only remaining existing details, all else is new. Windows opening into adjacent spaces allow light from the skylight to be shared. The mayor’s and city manager’s offices are positioned so they will be readily accessible to guests arriving on the second floor.

A major change to the building occurred on the second floor in what was originally the upper area of the first-floor gymnasium. Here, a balcony designed for use as a running track was removed, as was the ceiling above it. A new floor was constructed covering the entire gymnasium area and a new ceiling was installed at the top cords of the existing, but formerly hidden, massive wooden trusses. The new floor houses the computer center, utilities billing and the finance operations. Upon entering the third-floor lobby, a visitor is aware of the skylight shaft and the large reception desk. The employee’s lounge is at one end of the U-shaped third floor and is a particularly pleasant space.

The approach to the interior detailing of the building was to match moldings, doors, and trim in areas where they originally occurred and to use design license where it suited the purpose of function or aesthetics.

Generally, we have attempted to design a building that meets the operational needs of city governments, while providing interesting and comfortable working environs for the employees, while creating a positive, progressive impression of the City of Waycross.

~ James A. Pinson