1949 - 1950: Profiles of Prominent Citizens

Benjamin G. McDonald
Owner, McDonald House Hotel

Written November 11, 1949

B.G. McDonald was definitely unhappy about the size of his small store on Courthouse Street. He had been in the general mercantile business since 1887 and had bought out his partners L.M. Bedell, Henry Renfroe and Dr. A.P. English in order to run the store the way he wanted to. But Mr. McDonald knew the building wasn't big enough to handle the amount of merchandise the people of Folkston expected to find in a store that sold everything from pine coffins to tin whistles.

Growing tired of living for nearly ten years in the rear section of the store building that was once the home of the Tracy Stewart family, and which faced what is now known as West Main Street, Mr. McDonald and his wife, Miss Bernice, decided to construct an establishment that the town could be proud of. So in the spring of 1914 several small buildings were moved from the corner of McDonald Street and Main, making way for a new two-story brick building 67 feet long facing the railroad square and 57 feet along the north edge of West Main. By the end of the summer Mr. McDonald had moved his stock of merchandise into the new building.

The store was an impressive sight. Built of white brick with a steel and glass front trimmed in green and a balcony extending over the sidewalk along the upper story, it gave Mr. McDonald plenty of room to place his merchandise, leaving space near the front of the largest room for Miss Bernice's specialty - ladies' fancy hats. Another smaller storeroom downstairs was soon filled with iron beds, bureaus, springs and mattresses, and it became Folkston's first furniture store.

Upstairs, Mrs. McDonald had the space arranged for the convenience of a family home. It had 'big airy rooms, compact closets, bath and toilet rooms, and kitchen with hot and cold water' said the editor of the county paper the week the McDonalds moved into their new home. Part of the top floor was reserved for overnight tourists, many of whom came to be repeat customers through the years.

By day customers cheerfully strolled in to purchase lace or buttons, food or tools, many times charging them until they could sell the backyard chickens, that were nearing fryer-size, to Mr. McDonald. The evening sounds in this large building were those of the road-weary tourists seeking comfortable beds for the night from the accommodating McDonald House staff.
For several years, beginning in 1918, ladies specializing in producing ornate, extravagant women's hats, were hired to assist Miss Bernice in the creation of this very fashionable part of ladies wear. According to the late Mrs. Pearl Wright Davis, the Folkston women just didn't think they looked nice at all if they weren't wearing one of Miss Bernice's hats.

When the building was about fifteen years old, 1929, the county paper reported that the McDonald House had been undergoing repairs. 'The reception room has been made larger, a new flue built and heater installed, adding to the comfort of that already cozy abiding place.'

1932 brought an abrupt change to the lives revolving about the McDonald House. Benjamin Griffin McDonald died unexpectedly, probably from a heart attack. He had been one of the most influential men of the county - Folkston's first mayor, City Councilman, County Commissioner, County Ordinary, School Trustee, Vice President of the bank and chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee, to name just a few of his accomplishments. Immediately Miss Bernice began to take care of the business affairs and saw that within a year a new fence was built around the property, the vacant lot was plowed and planted with oats and rye so it would look nice during the winter and the building received a new dress of white trimmed with gray.

Three women took loving care of this big structure after the death of Mr. McDonald. Miss Bernice, Martha Grace Lang, Mrs. McDonald's niece and Miss Rachel Wainwright, a special friend who lived with them and worked for Mrs. McDonald. The women moved downstairs and rented all the upper rooms. The mercantile business was gradually liquidated but the McDonald House, as a hotel, has continued in active operation.

One of Folkston's oldest business enterprises, the hotel has been in continuous operation since 1914. Several businesses through the years have used the first floor of the building and most of them have been diligent about preserving its historical integrity. The sale this week to new owners begins a brand new chapter in the life of this historic Charlton County landmark.

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