Here’s an older, not well-cared-for building somewhat off the beaten path. It has its own history which may intrigue you. Tell us more about this Mystery Photo, sending your ideas to elliott@brack.net, and include your hometown.
It always amazes GwinnettForum at how easily some people recognize the Mystery Photo. Last week what we thought would be difficult found several correct respondents. First in was Bob Foreman of Grayson, followed soon by his architectural colleague, Jeff Seely of Winder, who wrote: “That is the newly restored stained glass windows on the north side of the newly renovated Norcross Presbyterian Church!” (He was the architect for the restoration of the church at Foreman Seely Fountain of Norcross.) Foreman sent in a photo which shows Rocky Littlepage, the superintendent who works for Lusk and Company, general contractor of the church, working in the building with the windows in the background.
Others recognizing it included Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill; George Graf of Palmyra, Va. and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex., who wrote: “Today’s mystery photo is of three stained glass windows in the Norcross Presbyterian Church (NPC ) at 89 Jones St in Norcross, Ga. In 1899, the congregation built a charming white chapel with a mellow-toned bell in its tower. It was their home for 73 years, but they moved out of the historic church building in the early 70s to a new location on Medlock Bridge Road. Fifty years later on October 17, 2021, having completed renovations on the old building, the NPC held a dedication ceremony to reinstate the congregation back home to the Norcross Presbyterian Church building that has been on site since 1899.”
How Allan came up with the answer is interesting. ”A clue popped out at me in the bottom-right of the photo which reads “In Memoriam – Mary Richardson – 1827-1896.” I found that she was buried in the old Norcross City Cemetery. This let me narrow the search to the Norcross area, and I ran across news that dedication ceremony for the historic Norcross Presbyterian Church building at 89 Jones Street, Norcross. The article included the picture of the stained glass windows.
“One more thing: who was Mary Richardson? Well, she was born as Mary Ann Carroll, with roots back to the Carroll family patriots in the Revolutionary War. At age 31 she married Dr. Moses Richardson, and they moved to Norcross (which was called Pinckneyville at the time) where they would live for the rest of their lives. When Norcross was founded as a city in 1870, Moses Richardson was the only doctor in town and Mary dedicated her time and efforts to supporting the families of patients who her husband was treating. Mary Richardson died suddenly in 1896, and the church’s congregation decided to memorialize her with the addition of the stained glass window in the Norcross Presbyterian Church.”
NOTE: We regret that we misidentified the contributor of the photo of the Nubble Point Lighthouse. It was Stewart Woodard of Lawrenceville.
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