The End of the Dr. Martin Home

The End of the Dr. Martin Home
by President/CEO Oakley G. Perry
It’s been a busy year – as evident by my lack of column writing. Today is a sad day, and it has made me find the time to pen this. I am a history buff, and I love our local history. I can take you to the old township sites across our county, discuss the country schools that were once here, and tell you a decent amount about some of our historical figures in the county. Hazlehurst was once filled with grand homes. Many of them are now gone. Some lost to fire, others to development, and now it seems a new danger encroaches – neglect.
Built in 1911, Samuel Martin (1876-1966) lived in the home at 21 E. Jarmen Street. He received his degree from the Atlanta School of Medicine (now known as Emory University) and started his practice in 1911. The two-story building behind his home is where he had his medical office. He traveled the county to meet the sick, and he allowed many of your grandparents and great-great-grandparents to pay on credit when they needed.
He served for six years as an alderman for the City of Hazlehurst and later as Mayor. In 1932, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives where he served until 1938. He then served as the 3rd District State Senator covering Appling, Brantley, Jeff Davis, and Wayne counties from 1941 to 1942. While in the Senate, he was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Hygiene and Sanitation. He also sponsored Senate Bill 194, which proposed scholarships for medical students who agreed to practice for four years in small towns and communities.
The Development Authority purchased his home for the commercial land that it sits on, but we have tried to find a way to save the building first. Since purchasing, I have spoken with the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, the Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Community Affairs, and three different parties interested in the building. Every conversation ended with a no. Currently, we feel we have exhausted all our options for trying to preserve Dr. Martin’s home. You can see a Taco Bell in many communities in Georgia. Only one Dr. Samuel Wright Martin home exists. I’ll be saddened to see it disappear and our community lose another historical asset. If you are interested in the home, please contact our office soon at 912-375-4543.