I was in Snellville yesterday because my wonderful partner arranged for a private type printing press class with an incredibly talented artist we met during a market at the Portico at High Shoals. The class was so fun [and so was that market!] and I learned SO MUCH and I created a small piece that I can use with future projects. [scroll to the bottom to see a sneak peek]
And I just had to swing by the Snellville Historical Cemetery to seek out this mausoleum created by one of the founders of the city. I love, love, love a vernacular work.
Two friends, Thomas Snell and James Sawyer, along with another Sawyer brother, immigrated to Georgia from England and worked a variety of jobs before a) marrying into money [Thomas] and b) inheriting money [James]. Together, these two friends created a mercantile business that drew clients from as far as Athens, Georgia and put the area on the map as a shopping destination. Unfortunately, the friends eventually parted ways in business with Sawyer building his own store just across the street from their original building. Despite being competitors they remained friends.
Snell died young during a risky abdominal surgery, and so Sawyer’s wealth and status grew even more as the primary established salesperson for the area. He eventually opened the first Post Office and served as the first Postmaster until it was moved in the early 1900s. He also remained at the helm of his store until the 1940s when his health forced him to retire. Sawyer was in his 80s by that time.
Back to cemetery talk, Sawyer worked on the mausoleum for decades, and often visited it and his wife who passed before him until his own death in 1948 at the age of 91 made him a permanent resident. He also had a local cabinet maker craft a coffin to his specifications and then kept the coffin propped up in his living room for years and years for all to see.
Today the mausoleum remains in remarkably good condition with only a few small sections showing wear, tear and vandalism…
For a very detailed history of the Sawyer/Snell relationship the City of Snellville has a detailed account here.
Here’s a peek at the back of the mausoleum. The are crosses on 3 sides.
Nearby is another stone creation with a plaque reading Erected Jan. 1945 and the interesting epitaph stating They Strived To Be Citizens.
It appears that the Barnett family also has a long history in the county and you can see a photo of their home in Snellville circa 1890 here. The home was destroyed decades ago, just like the stone mercantile building built by Sawyer, due to the ever increasing expansion of Atlanta suburbs…
And here’s a sneak peek at my project from the class at Stukenborg Press. I wholeheartedly recommend this experience for anyone interested in learning how to use a type printing press.* My one-on-one was 4 hours and the time flewwwww by and I even ran over a bit because I was so into it. I’m so looking forward to my next session there [I have so many plans!] and I’ll be sharing some of my creations very soon…
*This is a personal testimonial and I was not paid, compensated or asked to share this. As always, I highlight experiences like these because I like supporting local and/or independent artists, business and places.
