Colonization movements were very popular in that last decade of the 19th century, bringing large numbers of people with shared values together to create a world of their own vision. Ruskin was an example of such a place, named for John Ruskin who came from England with the hopes of establishing an agrarian utopia. Founded in 1898, the colony survived for just three years before individuals decided to go their own way. Some reports suggest that Ruskin was a large and thriving community, though much of this seems apocryphal, considering the community was attempting to attract settlers. (I’d like to thank Sharman Southall, historian for the Georgia Department of Transportation, for bringing much of this history to my attention). The church predates the Ruskin experiment by a few years. It’s thought to have been built by a Methodist congregation serving the nearby lost community of Duke but will likely be known forever as the Old Ruskin Church. It has recently been restored and is well-maintained to this day. Its survival of historic wildfires a few years ago is nothing short of miraculous and is quite inspiring.