Last updated: August 4, 2023
Place
SOWEGA Building
Photograph by James R. Lockhart, courtesy of the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office
Quick Facts
Location:
100 S. Hutchinson Ave., Adel, Georgia
Significance:
Agriculture, Architecture, Commerce
Designation:
Listed in the National Register - Reference number 90000546
OPEN TO PUBLIC:
No
MANAGED BY:
Private
The SOWEGA (Southwest Georgia Melon Growers Association) Building in Adel, Georgia was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The building is significant for its use by SOWEGA, which was formed to market watermelons, as represented by the building's watermelon motif.
Starting in the mid-19th century, south Georgia began to diversify its agricultural offerings amidst an agricultural depression, the destruction of cotton crops by the boll weevil, and over-logging. While the exact circumstances around the introduction of watermelon to the region are unknown, the region's watermelon farmers formed a marketing cooperative in 1920. Watermelons, by virtue of their nature as a non-essential commodity, were well-suited for specialized marketing efforts. They were not useful as animal food, as a source of sugar, or a source of alcohol. By forming a cooperative, the farmers were able to control prices, collaborate on cultivation practices to produce uniform products, and ensure that watermelons were packed and shipped correctly.
In 1931, SOWEGA opened their headquarters in Adel, Georgia. The building's facade features a watermelon motif, which is similar to the logo sticker the cooperative put on each watermelon they sold. SOWEGA began to decline through the 1950s, when innovations in trucking allowed watermelons from Florida to be shipped more easily, creating new competition in the watermelon market. The cooperative sold the building in 1960.
Starting in the mid-19th century, south Georgia began to diversify its agricultural offerings amidst an agricultural depression, the destruction of cotton crops by the boll weevil, and over-logging. While the exact circumstances around the introduction of watermelon to the region are unknown, the region's watermelon farmers formed a marketing cooperative in 1920. Watermelons, by virtue of their nature as a non-essential commodity, were well-suited for specialized marketing efforts. They were not useful as animal food, as a source of sugar, or a source of alcohol. By forming a cooperative, the farmers were able to control prices, collaborate on cultivation practices to produce uniform products, and ensure that watermelons were packed and shipped correctly.
In 1931, SOWEGA opened their headquarters in Adel, Georgia. The building's facade features a watermelon motif, which is similar to the logo sticker the cooperative put on each watermelon they sold. SOWEGA began to decline through the 1950s, when innovations in trucking allowed watermelons from Florida to be shipped more easily, creating new competition in the watermelon market. The cooperative sold the building in 1960.