Near Brinson in Decatur County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Cyrene
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Cyrene Institute
Photographed by David Seibert, May 17, 2012
1. Side 1: Cyrene Marker
Cyrene
Approximately 1.6 miles north of this location is the village of Cyrene. Founded about 1890 by C. S. Hodges and W. G. Powell, Cyrene was typical of the many mill towns established along the railroad to utilize the vast forests of Southern Pine. Naval stores and lumber were the primary products taken from these forests. At one time, the village had a post office, sawmill, turpentine still, cotton gin, commissaries and about 500 inhabitants. After the loss of the Hodges Sawmill to fire in 1927 and the lean Depression years that followed, the naval stores industry began to decline. Today only a few people live in the town of Cyrene.
Cyrene Institute
This school was founded in 1909 by C. S. Hodges and W. G. Powell, at the Village of Cyrene, to provide preparatory education for boys. Later that year the curricula was expanded to provide co-educational teaching and the facilities were enlarged to accommodate boarding students. At that time the school was deeded to the Bowen Baptist Association. Cyrene Institute offered primary and secondary education with some college preparatory courses. The school facilities included a girls and boys dormitory, dining hall and general administration building. Accommodations were available for approximately 100 students. After only a few years in operation
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Erected 1986 by Historic Chattahoochee Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Horticulture & Forestry • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1890.
Location. 30° 56.527′ N, 84° 40.884′ W. Marker is near Brinson, Georgia, in Decatur County. It is at the intersection of Dothan Road (U.S. 84) and Cyrene Road, on the right when traveling west on Dothan Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Brinson GA 39825, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Coastal Plain. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Brinson / Simeon Brinson (approx. 3.6 miles away); William Belk "Bill" Lynn and Lynn Station (approx. 3.7 miles away); Bainbridge Army Air Field (approx. 4.7 miles away); Steamboats (approx. 6.4 miles away); Bainbridge Beginnings (approx. 6½ miles away); Stepping Back in Time (approx. 6½ miles away); Historic Fort Hughes (approx. 6½ miles away); The First Seminole War in Decatur County (approx. 6½ miles away).
Photographed by David Seibert, May 17, 2012
2. Side 2: Cyrene Institute Marker
Photographed by David Seibert, May 17, 2012
3. Side 1: Cyrene Marker
Looking west on US Highway 84 toward Brinson
Photographed by David Seibert, May 17, 2012
4. Side 2: Cyrene Institute Marker
Looking east on US 84 toward Bainbridge
Photographed by David Seibert, May 17, 2012
5. Cyrene / Cyrene Institute Marker
Looking north on Cyrene Road toward the town of Cyrene, now almost abandoned.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 6, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 3, 2012, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 1,397 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 3, 2012, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
