1914 - McDonald House Hotel

By
Lois Barefoot Mays

One of Folkston's oldest business enterprises, the McDonald House has been in continuous operation since 1914. The recent sale to new owners marks the beginning of yet another chapter in the life of the historic landmark.

Benjamin Griffin McDonald was not satisfied with the size of his small general mercantile store. He had been in business since 1887, selling everything from pine coffins to tin whistles. He had even bought out his three original partners (L.M. Bedell, Henry Renfroe and Dr. A.P. English) so he could run the store the way he wanted. The old building had once been the home of the Tracy Stewart family. It faced onto Courthouse Street (which is now West Main). But the shop was just too small to handle the amount of merchandise that customers in Folkston expected to find in a store of this kind, and Mr. McDonald and his wife, Miss Bernice, were growing tired of living -- as they had for nearly ten years -- in the rooms in back of the store.

Mr. McDonald decided to build a fitting establishment, one in which the whole town could take a sense of pride. In the spring of 1914, several small buildings were moved to clear the corner of McDonald Street and Main, and the site was made ready for a new two-story building, running 67 feet along McDonald Street (along the train station), with a front of 57 feet along West Main Street. By the end of summer, Mr. McDonald had moved his stock into the new building and he opened for business.

The people of Folkston who came in to celebrate the grand opening were treated to an impressive sight, and the building took its place instantly as a new landmark for the town. It was built of brick and had a front of steel and glass. It was painted white and trimmed in green, and sported a balcony that extended out over the sidewalk below. Mr. McDonald put the shaded walkway to good use, placing his merchandise in front for passers-by to see. He left a prominent space near the front of the large showroom for Miss Bernice to display her own specialty - ladies' fancy hats, which she handcrafted herself. A smaller storeroom downstairs was filled with displays of iron beds, bureaus, springs and mattresses. The McDonald House became Folkston's first furniture store.

On the upper floor, Mrs. McDonald arranged most of the space for the convenience of her family. There were spacious, airy rooms, with compact closets, and a bath and toilet. The kitchen was outfitted with hot and cold running water. All the modern conveniences were noted by the county paper when it reported on the opening. Part of the top floor was reserved for the overnight accommodation of tourists, who were usually on their way to or from a visit to Florida. Many of them became repeat visitors over the years.

By day, the customers strolled in to purchase food or tools, lace or buttons, often charging their purchases until they could raise the money by selling garden produce, or a few backyard chickens that were growing to the right size. In the evenings the activity centered on the road-weary travelers who enjoyed a comfortable bed for the night, and the hospitality of the staff at the McDonald House Hotel.

Beginning in 1918, the establishment employed several ladies who assisted Miss Bernice in creating her fanciful and extravagant hats. According to Mrs. Pearl Wright Davis, the ladies of Folkston did not feel well-dressed unless they were wearing one of Miss Bernice's millinery creations.

In 1929, when the McDonald House was 15 years old, the building underwent renovations. The county paper recorded that “the reception room has been made larger, a new flue built and heater installed, adding to the comfort of that already cozy abiding place.”

In 1932, Mr. McDonald died suddenly, most likely from a heart attack. He had been one of the county’s most influential men. He had served as the first mayor of Folkston, and was also a City Councilman, County Commissioner, County Ordinary, School Trustee, Vice President of the bank and chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee, to name only a few of examples of his leadership. After he died, Miss Bernice took the helm. As she attended to business affairs, she also made a few changes of her own, adding her personal touch, always striving to improve the appearance of the building. Within a year she had given it a fresh coat of white paint, and had trimmed it out in gray. She had a new fence installed around the property, and the vacant lot outside was planted with oats and rye grass, so that its fresh greenery would set off the appearance of the building over the dreary winter months.

Ever since Mr. McDonald’s death the building has been in the loving care of three women -- Miss Bernice, Martha Grace Lang (the neice of Mrs. McDonald) and Miss Rachel Wainwright, a close friend of Mrs. McDonald’s. The ladies moved downstairs and rented out the rooms on the upper floor, and they painstakingly cared for the structure. Over the years, the mercantile business was slowly liquidated, and several businesses have since occupied the first floor of the building. But the McDonald House has always continued in active operation as a hotel, and its owners have always been diligent to preserve the historical integrity of the old landmark.

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