J.V. Gowen purchased the Main Street house as a second, in-city home for when his children were attending school in Folkston. The Gowens had nine children, eight boys and one girl. The Gowens were well known and active in the community. J.V. Gowen formed the Georgia-Florida Investment company in 1910, and his business grew into one of the county's largest and most successful businesses. The company operated a sawmill, turpentine still, and related timber products, as well as a commissary at Traders Hill. Over the years Gowen acquired over 30,000 acres of land at Traders Hill. The Gowens lived on and off on Main Street for the next 28 years. After that time, the house changed hands frequently. In August of 1952 the house was sold to the Bragg family. Elizabeth DeVane and her husband Howard bought the house in February, 1959, and Ms. DeVane converted the old servant's quarters into a schoolhouse. Many local people recall attending Ms. DeVane's kindergarten class between 1959-67.
The Whitakers (perhaps a distant relation to Bill Whitaker ??) lived here from 1969-1975, and they reported the presence of a ghost, a woman in a plaid dress, who appeared in the stairwell to the second story. Apparently, the ghost is that of Rachel Templeton, a teacher who was a former resident. Allon Boatwright, currently of Valdosta, spent many boyhood hours in the house when the Flinks bought the house from the Whitakers and moved into the house in 1976. He recalls putting a chair in front of the attic door to ensure that the ghost did not come into the upper room bedroom of one of the Flink children.
