THOMAS CROSSROADS
An Ancient Landmark of Laurens
Thomas Crossroads is one of the ancient landmarks of Laurens County. The intersection of two very old Indian trails was probably named for John Thomas, who came to this area about 1810. The road running from southwest to northeast is the Lower Uchee Trail. The trail ran from the Ogeechee River near Augusta to the Oconee River at Carr's Bluff above Dublin, and a continuation of the trail crossed Tauloohatchee (Palmetto or Turkey Creek, as it is now called) Creek, thence by the present town of Cochran and on to the crossing where Hawkinsville now stands. This road is known today as the Blackshear's Ferry Road and was formerly known as the Old Hawkinsville Road and Blackshear's Trail. During the War of 1812, General Blackshear supervised the clearing of the road from his home above Blackshear's Ferry to old Hartford, which was across the Ocmulgee from Hawkinsville. The road which runs from southeast to northwest is the Old Macon Road. It may follow along an Indian trail leading from Yamacraw near Savannah, crossing at Dublin, and extending to Indian Springs.
The area along the banks of Turkey Creek a few miles to the west provided the Indians in the area with abundant game and fertile farming lands. The crossroads would have been an important place for the Uchees and the other Indian tribes who lived in this area. According to one well respected authority, the Spanish explorer, Hernando De Soto, came through the crossroads during his exploration of the southeastern United States in 1540. Dr. John Swanton and others deduced that
DeSoto spent the winter of 1539-40 in Tallahasee, Florida. The diaries kept by members of the expedition indicate that DeSoto traveled through Atapaha thence to Ocute. The province of Ocute was between the Ocmulgee and Oconee Rivers or the original Laurens County. Dr. Charles C. Jones, Jr. in his book "The History of Georgia" concluded that the town of Ocute or Cofa was located in present day Laurens County. The Indians sent a force of about two thousand to greet De Soto. It was here that DeSoto astounded the Indians by pointing a cannon at a tree and with two shots cut it down. Before leaving, the cannon being too heavy to carry, he presented it to the chief. Most of the Indians in the area were gone by 1725 but they still hunted in the area until the 1790's.
The earliest white settlers in the area were the Thomas family. Major Peter Thomas came to Laurens County in 1808 from Montgomery County where he was a State Representative and Tax Receiver in 1806. The first session of Laurens County Superior Court was held in 1808 at the home of Maj. Thomas. That home was probably located just west of the crossroads on the banks of Turkey Creek. Peter Thomas was one of the first five Justices of the Inferior Court in 1808. Thomas assembled a large plantation in the area. Maj. Thomas bought Land Lot 28 from Clement Lanier for $500.00 on October 15, 1808. The sale price seems to indicate improvements to the land, which may have been a small house. On August 10, 1809, Maj. Thomas paid $800.00 for the fractional Land Lot 6. Again the high price suggests some time type of improvements, possibly a grist mill. It appears that Maj. Thomas had disposed of his land by 1809 and moved away from the area, but he is
shown living in Laurens County as late as February 17, 1819.
John Thomas, possibly a brother or son of Peter Thomas, lived in the area at the crossroads. He was a Justice of the Peace, Justice of the Inferior Court, and a captain in the Laurens County Militia. John Thomas was Sheriff of Laurens County from 1816 to 1817, State Representative from 1820 to 1823, and a Road Commissioner from 1821 to 1823.
John Thomas died in 1849 and is buried in a small hill top cemetery just a few hundred yards south of the Hawkinsville Road, west of the crossroads. After his death in 1849, his estate was sold. The purchaser of his plantation was none other than Gov. George Troup. Governor Troup lived at "Valdosta", on the east side of the river about a mile north of Interstate 16 on a high hill east of the Old River Road (Highway 199). He served as a congressman and senator. Governor Troup was the
last governor regularly elected by the legislature and the first governor to elected by popular vote in the mid 1820's. During his last term as governor, George Troup threatened the authority of the Federal Government to interfere with the removal of Indians from western Georgia. The conflict nearly became an armed one before both sides backed down. Gov. Troup owned a large plantation, "Valambrosa" which began along Highway 80 east of Dudley and ran north to the Thomas Cross Road's plantation of John Thomas. After Troup's death in 1856, the land passed to his grandchildren and was eventually purchased by timber broker, T.B. Hicks. The old plantation house at the crossroads burned recently and was a terrible loss to our county's history. Some evidence seems to indicate that the original crossroads was located a little further up the Macon Road and the house was originally located in the southwest corner.
The crossroads saw two small portions of two major events of the War Between the States. During November of 1864, Confederate Calvary General Joseph Wheeler (LEFT) led a force of four thousand men from Macon in an effort to effectuate flank attacks on Gen. Sherman's right wing which was temporarily stalled at Ball's Ferry in Wilkinson County. Gen. Wheeler came to the crossroads and turned left crossing the Oconee at Blackshear's Ferry.
On the afternoon of May 7, 1865 Col. Henry Harden (left) and his Wisconsin Calvary Regiment arrived at Thomas Crossroads. They had left Macon earlier in the day in pursuit of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. When they arrived, a detachment was sent southwest along the Hawkinsville Road to Laurens Hill. Laurens Hill was the plantation home of David Harvard and is located a little over a mile below Interstate 16 on Georgia Highway 26. During the war, the Confederate government maintained a commissary for the storage of supplies at Laurens Hill.
Today, Thomas Crossroads is best known as the place where you turn off the Old Macon Road to go to the Laurens County Landfill. When you pass by, remember and imagine all of the history that took place in the area.
An Ancient Landmark of Laurens
The area along the banks of Turkey Creek a few miles to the west provided the Indians in the area with abundant game and fertile farming lands. The crossroads would have been an important place for the Uchees and the other Indian tribes who lived in this area. According to one well respected authority, the Spanish explorer, Hernando De Soto, came through the crossroads during his exploration of the southeastern United States in 1540. Dr. John Swanton and others deduced that
DeSoto spent the winter of 1539-40 in Tallahasee, Florida. The diaries kept by members of the expedition indicate that DeSoto traveled through Atapaha thence to Ocute. The province of Ocute was between the Ocmulgee and Oconee Rivers or the original Laurens County. Dr. Charles C. Jones, Jr. in his book "The History of Georgia" concluded that the town of Ocute or Cofa was located in present day Laurens County. The Indians sent a force of about two thousand to greet De Soto. It was here that DeSoto astounded the Indians by pointing a cannon at a tree and with two shots cut it down. Before leaving, the cannon being too heavy to carry, he presented it to the chief. Most of the Indians in the area were gone by 1725 but they still hunted in the area until the 1790's.
The earliest white settlers in the area were the Thomas family. Major Peter Thomas came to Laurens County in 1808 from Montgomery County where he was a State Representative and Tax Receiver in 1806. The first session of Laurens County Superior Court was held in 1808 at the home of Maj. Thomas. That home was probably located just west of the crossroads on the banks of Turkey Creek. Peter Thomas was one of the first five Justices of the Inferior Court in 1808. Thomas assembled a large plantation in the area. Maj. Thomas bought Land Lot 28 from Clement Lanier for $500.00 on October 15, 1808. The sale price seems to indicate improvements to the land, which may have been a small house. On August 10, 1809, Maj. Thomas paid $800.00 for the fractional Land Lot 6. Again the high price suggests some time type of improvements, possibly a grist mill. It appears that Maj. Thomas had disposed of his land by 1809 and moved away from the area, but he is
shown living in Laurens County as late as February 17, 1819.
John Thomas, possibly a brother or son of Peter Thomas, lived in the area at the crossroads. He was a Justice of the Peace, Justice of the Inferior Court, and a captain in the Laurens County Militia. John Thomas was Sheriff of Laurens County from 1816 to 1817, State Representative from 1820 to 1823, and a Road Commissioner from 1821 to 1823.
last governor regularly elected by the legislature and the first governor to elected by popular vote in the mid 1820's. During his last term as governor, George Troup threatened the authority of the Federal Government to interfere with the removal of Indians from western Georgia. The conflict nearly became an armed one before both sides backed down. Gov. Troup owned a large plantation, "Valambrosa" which began along Highway 80 east of Dudley and ran north to the Thomas Cross Road's plantation of John Thomas. After Troup's death in 1856, the land passed to his grandchildren and was eventually purchased by timber broker, T.B. Hicks. The old plantation house at the crossroads burned recently and was a terrible loss to our county's history. Some evidence seems to indicate that the original crossroads was located a little further up the Macon Road and the house was originally located in the southwest corner.
Today, Thomas Crossroads is best known as the place where you turn off the Old Macon Road to go to the Laurens County Landfill. When you pass by, remember and imagine all of the history that took place in the area.
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