PIECES OF OUR PAST - 1998

 PIECES OF OUR PAST

Sketches of the History of Dublin and Laurens County, Georgia

and East Central Georgia Area

1998

Written by 

Scott B. Thompson, Sr.

Copyright 2008

The Emerald City History Company, Inc. and Courier Herald Publishing Company, Inc.

The Emerald City History Company

Scott B. Thompson, Sr.

P.O. Box 1586

Dublin, GA 31040

dublinhistory@yahoo.com

FOREWORD

Pieces of Our Past is a compilation of articles chronicling the history of Dublin and Laurens County, Georgia, as well as some of the history of Johnson, Treutlen, Wilkinson, Twiggs, Emanuel, Montgomery, and Washington Counties.  Your reception of these articles has been most gratifying.   The greatest compliment that I receive is that someone has thought enough of my article to cut it out of the paper and saved it.  That is why I have compiled these articles so that they may be referred to by students and history buffs.  I believe that you are never too young or too old to study your history and heritage.  No one’s is more important than another’s.  You can find history every where you look.  It is in your family, your neighborhood, your church, your school, your favorite sport, your business, your community, your state, and your nation.  Write it down so that generations to come may remember those who proceeded them. 

My thanks to Dubose Porter and Griffin Lovett of the Courier Herald Publishing Company, who have allowed me to tell my passion for our local history to the readers of the Courier Herald.  My thanks also to my editor and proofreader, Heather Carr, who found all of those late night mistakes in my columns and who has touched them up as if they never existed. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. GOVERNOR JAMES MILTON SMITH, Twiggs County Farm Boy Does Well

2. BENJAMIN BRANTLEY, The Namesake of Brantley County, Ga.

3. LILA MOORE KEEN, The Lady of the Camellias

4. CHARLES MCDANIEL, Volunteer

5. EARLY SCHOOLS OF LAURENS COUNTY FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS

6. LET IT SNOW! The Great Snowfall of 1973

7. THE EARLY YEARS OF THE COLORED FAIR ASSOCIATION OF LAURENS COUNTY

8. GEORGE LINDER, Gentleman

9. THE DEXTER HORNETTES, The Queens of Georgia Basketball

10. THOMAS CROSSROADS, An Ancient Landmark of Laurens

11. THE SAINT PATRICK’S FESTIVAL, 30 Years Ago, 1968

12. SHEEP HERDING IN LAURENS COUNTY

13. CATCH A FALLING STAR AND PUT IN YOUR POCKET

14. NAME THAT STREET, The Origin of the Street Names of Dublin

15. PLEASANT SPRINGS BAPTIST CHURCH AND THE JOHNSON COMMUNITY

16. FIFTY YEARS AGO IN TREUTLEN COUNTY, 1948

17. THE EARLY YEARS OF SPANISH EXPLORATIONS INTO EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA

18. BAD DAY AT BAKER’S CREEK

19. JOHNSON COUNTY - 80 YEARS AGO, 1918

20. THE MARTIANS ARE COMING

21. KEWANEE - The Largest Peach Orchard in the World

22. 50 YEARS OF GOLF AT THE DUBLIN COUNTRY CLUB

23. THE STORY OF CAPT. WILLIAM MCLEOD AND HIS JOURNEY HOME

24. ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF THREE LAURENS COUNTY METHODIST CHURCHES

25. THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR

26. SHOOT OUT ON MAIN STREET

27. ADRIAN’S LITTLE GENERAL, The Story of Gen. Alonzo Drake

28. JOHNSON COUNTY’S OLDEST CHURCH, A History of Oaky Grove Primitive Baptist Church

29. TO THE HIGHEST COURT IN THE LAND, Laurens County’s Only Supreme Court Case

30. KOREAN WAR P.O.W.s WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN

31. MARY MCCLUSKEY, Nurse

32. COLONEL LUCIAN A. WHIPPLE, Georgia’s Oldest Lawyer

33. THE DUKE OF DUBLIN, The Football and Business Career of “Breezy” Wynn

34. THE NANCY HART HIGHWAY, A Memorial to a Revolutionary Heroine

35. SEVENTY FIVE YEARS OF THE DUBLIN LIONS CLUB

36. ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF DUBLIN

37. STUBBS PARK

38. SIX MAN FOOTBALL IN LAURENS COUNTY - 1940

39. THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF LAURENS LODGE NO. 75, F. & A.M.

40. 80 YEARS AFTER THE WAR TO END ALL WARS

41. THE FIDDLING FULLBACK, The Story of Wex Jordan, Jr.

42. WHEN THE LIGHTS CAME ON, The Early Years of Electric Membership Corporations

43. THE CRANBERRY BOWL, Dublin’s Annual Thanksgiving All Star Football Game, 1959-1966

44. SHIPWRECKED IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC

45. THE TREES OF LAURENS COUNTY

46. THE SAVIOR OF SANDERSVILLE, Rev. James D. Anthony

47. THE LAST CHRISTMAS, Christmas in Laurens County in 1940.

48. COLONEL JOHN LAURENS, Unsung Hero of the American Revolution. 

49.    Saving Private Ryan - The Real Teacher Heroes of 

World War II 

98-1

GOVERNOR JAMES MILTON SMITH

Twiggs County Farm Boy Does Well

James Milton Smith, Jr. was born in Twiggs County, Georgia on October 24, 1823.  Smith grew up in on the family farm, where he learned to plant cotton and corn.  As a young man, Smith became proficient in the art of black smithing.  Many thought he was the best "smithy" in the area.  Smith attended school at Culloden in Monroe County.  Smith became infatuated with the law and set out to make it his life's profession.  At the age of twenty three,  Smith was admitted to the bar, moved to Thomaston, and set up a successful practice.  In his first try for political office, Smith lost the congressional election of 1855.

When the War Between the States broke out in 1861, Smith was elected Captain of D of the 13th Georgia Infantry, the Upson County Volunteers, on July 8, 1861.  That same day, Capt. Smith was elected as Major of the regiment.  On February 1, 1862,  Maj. Smith was elected Lt. Colonel of the 13th Georgia Infantry.   On the second day of the Seven Days Battles around Richmond, Virginia,  Lt. Col. Smith received a severe wound at Cold Harbor, Virginia.   During Lee's push to the north in September of 1862, Col. Smith and his regiment became heavily engaged in the Battle of Sharpsburg (or Antietam.)  That day, September 17, 1862, was the bloodiest in the history of our country.  Over 22,000 men were killed, wounded, or captured.  One of those killed was Col. Marcellus Douglas commanding the 13th Georgia Infantry.  The Brigade commander promoted James Smith to Colonel on the battlefield.  Smith resigned his commission on December 14, 1863 due to his disability.  Colonel Smith was elected to the Confederate Congress and served from May of 1864 until the end of the war.

After the war Smith returned home and formed a law partnership with Peter W. Alexander in Columbus.  Smith spoke out publicly against the reconstruction policies of the Federal government.  Smith, at the urging of many of his friends, decided to enter the political ring in 1870.  This time he was successful. As the new state representative from Muscogee County, he quickly rose to the leadership of the house.  In December of 1871,  Rep. Smith was elected as Speaker of the House, garnering 135 out of 157 votes. 

Gov. Rufus Brown Bullock's resignation left the office of Governor vacant.  Smith, the new leader of the Democrats, was chosen to run in a special election.  When the Republican candidate dropped out of the race, Smith became Governor with no opposition.

Gov. Smith entered office after the tumultuous years of Reconstruction.  State finances were in shambles.  The Governor instituted a policy of fiscal conservatism.  The state's credit rating was increased and when Smith left office there was a surplus in the treasury.  One of Smith's attributes was his ability to choose men of outstanding ability.  Among those were school superintendent Gustavas J. Orr, and Supreme Court justices James Jackson and Logan Bleckley.  In 1872, Gov. Smith was elected to serve a full four-year term.

During Smith's term as governor, new government agencies to aid Georgia farmers were created.  The Agriculture School at the University of Georgia was established.  In 1874, the Agriculture and Geology departments were created.  

In 1877, Gov. Smith ran for the Senate of the United States.  With the backing of former Civil War era governor, Joseph E. Brown, and Gen. John B. Gordon, Smith had a good chance.  Smith bowed out of the race in favor of Benjamin Harvey Hill.  As a sort of consolation prize, Col. Colquitt appointed James Smith as the first chairman of the Railroad Commission in 1879.  Commissioner Smith served a six-year term and returned to his law practice in Columbus.

In May of 1887, James Smith was appointed a judge of the Superior Court of the Chattahoochee Judicial Circuit, by his good friend, Gov. John B. Gordon.  Smith left his lucrative practice  to take the office of Superior Court Judge, a position of great honor.  Smith was elected to a four year term in the 1888 election.  Judge Smith suffered a stroke in 1890 and died on November 25, 1890 after a long illness.  Gov. Smith was buried in the Alta Vista Cemetery in Gainesville, Georgia, beside of his first wife, Hester Ann Brown Smith.

Gov. Smith was criticized by many for his association with the "Bourbon" faction of Georgia politics.  While he did agree with the Bourbons, Smith did not practice all of their policies, especially the economic ones.   Gov. Smith held strong opinions and often expressed them.  His outspokenness was often resented, but overall, he was a popular governor of Georgia in its "Coming of Out The Dark Period." The Atlanta Constitution" described Gov. Smith as "one of the boldest and most fearless men in the history of Georgia."

98-2

BENJAMIN D. BRANTLEY

The Namesake of Brantley County, Ga. 

Nearly every county in Georgia is named after a president, state-wide elected official, Indian chief, military officer/hero, physician, or lawyer.  This is a story of a self-made man who was honored by the state of Georgia, which named one of its last counties in his honor.  On August 14, 1920,  the new county of Brantley was created and named in honor of one of Pierce County's founding fathers and leading citizens, Benjamin D. Brantley (formerly of Laurens County.)  Brantley County was carved out of the larger counties of Pierce, Wayne, and Charlton.  Brantley joined Gov. George M. Troup and James Walker Fannin as the only Laurens Countians to have Georgia counties named in their honor.

Benjamin Daniel Brantley was born on January 14, 1832 in Laurens County, a son of Benjamin Brantley and Elizabeth Daniel.   Brantley's family came to Laurens County from North Carolina.  His mother grew up in Laurens County.   Born into a somewhat meager existence, his life was forever changed by the death of his father when Benjamin was only a few weeks old.  Benjamin was originally born with the name of Joseph, in honor of his paternal grandfather.  His name was changed to Benjamin Daniel in honor of his father and his mother's maiden name.  

About five years after Benjamin Brantley's death, Mrs. Brantley and her three children moved to Montgomery County.   Benjamin spent his early years working on the farm and learning the value of hard work.  As he approached manhood, Brantley followed his brother William to Ware County where he worked as a clerk in his brother's store.   Benjamin's sister married Judge John McRae, the founder of Alamo, Georgia.  Benjamin married Jennette McRae, daughter of Christopher and Christian McCrimmon McRae.   To this marriage were born seven children: Christian, Margaret, William, Archibald, Benjamin, John, and Jeanette.   

Benjamin Brantley moved to Blackshear in Pierce County in 1857.  He entered into a business partnership with Alex Douglas under the firm name of Brantley and Douglas.  Brantley wisely got in on the ground floor in Blackshear just before the railroad came and established the town as a regional trading center.   Brantley enlisted in the 4th Georgia Cavalry during the Civil War.  He resigned from the service in 1864 when he was elected Clerk of the Superior Court of Pierce County for one four-year term.  

In 1870, he entered into a new partnership under the name  of Brantley and Company with William Sessions, Judge of the Brunswick Circuit.   In 1873, Brantley was elected to represent Pierce County in the Georgia legislature.  He served as County Treasurer, for eighteen  years beginning in 1876.  After Judge Sessions moved to Marietta and left the firm in 1878, Benjamin Brantley went into business with his sons, William and Archibald.  William was admitted to the bar and Benjamin, Jr. took his place.  The firm  conducted business under the name of the A.P. Brantley Company.  The company was a diversified one, conducting a bank, an oil mill, a tobacco warehouse, a potato warehouse, a cotton gin, a fertilizer plant, a general store, and several large farms.  

Benjamin Daniel Brantley died at his home in Blackshear, Georgia on March 18, 1891.  Interestingly, his home town was named in honor of the venerable Gen. David Blackshear of Laurens County.  Benjamin Brantley, with only a meager education, knew the value of agriculture and timber in his community. He built and operated the first turpentine still in Pierce County.  He was also a leader in the industrial, religious, and educational progress of his county.  He was known to be a man of outstanding man of moral character - never drinking or smoking and never knowing one playing card from the other.   Just what accomplishments Brantley would have made to his county had he lived beyond his 59 years will never be known.    

William Gordon Brantley, son of Benjamin D. Brantley, graduated from the University of Georgia.  He studied law in the office of former Congressman, John C. Nichols.  At the age of twenty two, he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives.  He grew a mustache to make him look older and shaved it off after the election.  After two terms, the young Brantley was elected to the State Senate and at the age of twenty six, was elected its president.  He served as Solicitor General of the Brunswick Circuit for eight years.  

In 1896,  William G. Brantley was elected to the United States Congress from the old 11th District and  served for sixteen  years without opposition until 1913.  William Brantley served on the powerful Judiciary and Ways & Means Committees.   Cong. Brantley was instrumental in the building of the brick post office on East Madison Street in Dublin and in  improvements made to Georgia's rivers, including the improvement of the navigation of the Oconee River.  

William Brantley left the Congress in 1913 to set up a private law practice in Atlanta.  Washington remained in Brantley's blood and after a short stay in Georgia, he returned to the capital city.  Brantley became associated with the Federal evaluation of southern railroads.  He also served as vice president and general counsel of the Fruit Growers Express Company and the Burlington Express Company.  W.G. Brantley died in Washington, D.C. on September 12, 1934.  His body was returned home for burial in Blackshear.  Among the wreaths of flowers was one sent by Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt. 

The story of Benjamin Daniel Brantley and his son, William Gordon Brantley, is one which has been lost to those of us in Laurens County, but which has become an important part of the histories of Pierce and Brantley Counties.  Benjamin Brantley was justly honored by our state.  He represented all of those men and women who dedicated their lives to the development of our state following the Civil War. 

 

98-3

LILA MOORE KEEN

The Lady of the Camellias 

Lila Moore Keen loved the flowers of her native Georgia.  With an unequaled talent for painting flowers, Mrs. Keen became nationally renowned for her paintings of camellias, magnolias, and other flowers of the South.  Mrs. Keen, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jack Moore of Winder, Georgia, began her artistic career at the age of twelve.   One day she sneaked off a secret place with her sister's paints and began to teach herself to paint. She attended Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia.  Wayman Adams of Elizabethtown, New Jersey, gave the "budding artist" - pun intended - her formal training.  Lila Moore married James L. Keen, Jr., son of James L. Keen, Sr., the founding president of Farmers and Merchants Bank.  The couple moved to Laurens County after their marriage. Their last home was located at the southwest corner of North Calhoun Street and Highland Avenue.  Their children, James L., III, and Jane were born here and graduated from high school here.  Camellia Journal Magazine described Lila Moore Keen as "a missionary for truth and beauty."

One of Mrs. Keen's crowning moments was her management of the South Georgia division of American Art Week in 1944, for which she won statewide acclaim.  After the chairman fell ill at the last minute, Mrs. Keen took over management of the entire state's celebration.   Mrs. Keen organized exhibits all over the southern part of the state.  She convinced four civic clubs of Dublin to each donate an art book to the library.  Locally, Noble H. Marshall, Jr. and Mrs. Milo Smith were the county and city chairmen.  Mrs. John Waldrep was co-chairman and Mrs. W.M. Harrison was publicity chairman.   Misses Mildred Bishop, Virginia Joiner, Ida O'Neal, and Pearl Cofer were chairwomen of the city schools.  Mrs. Tom Burts, Mrs. Sam Swinson, Mrs. Fred Brown, and Mrs. Roy Orr were committee members.  Mrs. Orr put together a scrapbook of the activities of the art week.  That book is now in the Dublin-Laurens Museum.  The scrapbook contains paintings of magnolias and cherry blossoms done by Mrs. Keen.

During the celebration, art works were exhibited at the Women's Club House on North Drive.  That building still stands and is located in front of the entrance to Dublin Junior High School on North Calhoun Street.  The featured artist was Frances Jordan.  Miss Jordan, a native of Wrightsville, was the first woman ever to graduate from Wesleyan Conservatory in Macon with a degree in sculpture.  She was the first student at the college to have her work put on permanent display.  Art works were also displayed in several downtown stores.  

School children contributed their best works to the exhibits.  The Savannah Art Club sent a large group of paintings by South Georgia artists for display at the Women's Center.  Miss Frances Stewart, head of the University of Georgia Art Department, spoke at the chapel program at the High School.  The women of the Parnassus Club served as hostesses throughout the week.

For her efforts, Lila Moore Keen was presented a blue ribbon for honorable mention by Art Digest Magazine.  Mrs. Keen was one of only four to receive the distinct honor.

Mrs. Keen dedicated her life to preserving the beauty of southern flowers on her canvases.  Her talent won her critical acclaim by art critics and the public all over the world.  Her attention to detail was especially keen (pun intended.)   The least deviation from the true color or detail of the flower was rejected and thrown away.  Her standards of quality led to perfect prints of her works.  One publisher misidentified a similar variety of camellia.  Many readers wrote in to correct the publisher's error and to vindicate the perfect depiction of the camellia.    

Mrs. Keen was personally fond of the magnolias of the South.  She toured many gardens in order to select the perfect example of the fragrant beauty.  Her portraits were often life-sized, captured at the moment of perfection.  Mrs. Keen also captured the beauty of other southern flowers; the Narcissus, the Daffodil, the Violet, the Hyacinth, and the Periwinkle.  

Lila Moore Keen was a member of the American Artists Professional League and was associated with a number of famous artists.  She served as National Director of the 13th Annual Celebration of American Art Work.

Lila Moore Keen was honored nationwide for her paintings.  Her works were exhibited at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., every other year.  She was honored by the American Camellia Society.  Keen's flowers adorned the covers of national flower publications.  In addition to her floral portraits, Lila Moore Keen's landscapes and portraits were displayed in major cities of our country.  Some of the children, who had their portraits done, didn't like them because Mrs. Keen left their freckles on their faces.   Lila Moore Keen's originals are highly sought after by art lovers - some commanding prices above one thousand dollars.  The prints of her camellias and magnolias are favorites among collectors and lovers of flowers everywhere.

Lila Moore Keen died in 1963.  Her legacy lives on the walls of the Dublin-Laurens Museum.  Her son, James L. Keen, III, gave a collection of eighty of her works to the museum several years ago. Other examples of her works have been donated by others.  The museum displays a large portion of these paintings on a regular basis.  Two of the camellia prints are available for sale at the museum.   My words do no justice the works of Lila Moore Keen.  They are an invitation to come by the museum and enjoy the beauty and splendor of the portraits of the most beautiful flowers of the South by Lila Moore Keen, "The Lady of the Camellias."

98-4

CHARLES McDANIEL, 

Volunteer

Charles McDaniel, a self admitted "glory hound," turns seventy three years old  January 28, 1998.  He doesn't seek glory in what he does, but is proud of his accomplishments.  Charles believes that the past is good and ought to be remembered.  However, he believes that the present and the future is more important.  He is making it his mission to live the rest of his life serving others - that is, as much as his tired old body can do.  For most of his life, he has tried to serve others.   

Charles McDaniel was born in Dublin in 1925.  He was a son of Herschel McDaniel and Nettie Mae Hattaway.  His maternal grandfather, S.J. Hattaway, served many years as the "Boss" of the Laurens County Chaingang.  When Charles was three years old, his father took his own life.  McDaniel is proud of the fact that as a child he lived in a house at 203 Mincey Street, which is now the site of Musetta Foster's African-American History Museum.   After his father died, Charles and his family moved out to a farm off Claxton Dairy Road.  They lived on the Payne Place, now a part of Brookwood Subdivision.  In July of 1940, Charles decided to enlist in the United States Army.  World War II was over a year away.  Charles became as a private in Co. E of the 13th Infantry Regiment, 8th Army Division, of General George Patton's 3rd Army.  

Charles had the opportunity to see and hear General Patton.  He described Patton as pretty much like you see in the movies.  "He was a "glory hound" like me,"  McDaniel said. " He liked to show off his two pistols.  I guess that's why I became a "glory hound," McDaniel added.  Charles and his company participated in the Normandy Invasion.  "I wasn't in the first wave.  We came along a little later.  We didn't see any small arms fire at first, only artillery," McDaniel said.  McDaniel and his fellow infantrymen were met by one hedgerow after another.  "These hedgerows were so thick, that we had to get special equipment to get through them.  When our tanks tried to push through, they went belly up.  The German "88s" blew them apart.”  While fighting in western France, about twenty miles inland,  Charles was wounded when his weapon misfired.  His right hand was severely wounded and he suffered flesh wounds to his face.   

Charles was taken back behind the lines and put on a transport which he called a "duck."  "All I could remember was seeing the waves.  I couldn't see any water.  When we arrived at the hospital ship, they picked us up.  They picked the whole "duck" up and set it on the deck," McDaniel said.  He knew he was safe  when he smelled the sweet perfume of the ship's nurses.  "They were beautiful ladies. After all, I was only nineteen years old," McDaniel fondly remembered.  For his actions in the Normandy Invasion, Charles McDaniel was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.  Charles spent the next eight months in an English hospital.  He returned to the states in 1945, first to Boston, and then to Oklahoma.  After about three months, he was discharged and sent home.  

After the war, Charles worked as a construction lineman for the R.E.A..  Charles returned to Dublin, where he worked in the V.A. Hospital until the outbreak of the Korean War.  He transferred to Warner Robins Air Force Base and was an electrical aircraft inspector there for twenty years.  McDaniel and his crew were working on the new jet engines.   While Charles was working at Warner Robins, he and others formed a public safety department outside of the base. "There was no police or fire protection. Outside the gate, you could see Boss Watson's house on the hill and a few shacks around it.  Eventually stores, houses, and other buildings were built.  Ernest Woods was our first chief," McDaniel added.  His bosses gave McDaniel and others administrative leave to volunteer as firemen.  While at Warner Robins, McDaniel suffered the tragedy of his mother's death when she drowned  in the pond on the Payne Place.

One accomplishment McDaniel is proud of is his triumph over alcoholism.  "I must have been the biggest drunk in town," McDaniel lamented.  "Judge Bill White saved my life.  The examples he set convinced me to stop drinking."  McDaniel wound up in an Atlanta Hospital.  After being dismissed, he worked as an orderly in the Children's Burn Center at Henrietta Eggleston Hospital.  After having a heart attack, Charles McDaniel was sent back to Dublin as a patient in the Domiciliary at the V.A. Hospital in Dublin.  He was assigned the position of First Sergeant of his ward at the hospital.  

Charles McDaniel left the V.A. and has lived in public housing since then.  About 1985, he moved to the senior section on Druid Street.  McDaniel soon realized that his neighborhood had a big problem - a drug problem.  He had to do something.  Brenda Smith, the Housing Authority's Executive Director, encouraged Charles to do something.  When Mrs. Smith's help, Charles and the residents of Druid Street organized the city's first resident housing council.  With the help of Chief Wayne Fuqua, the residents set up a neighborhood watch program. "We got rid of most of those drug dealers," McDaniel boasted.  Charles also saw a need to clean up Vinson Village.  He was put in contact with Patsy Baker, Director of Dublin-Laurens Clean and Beautiful.  Charles went to work and cleaned a lot of the trash out of his neighborhood.  In 1995, McDaniel was named Senior Citizen of the Year during the St. Patrick's Festival.  In 1996, he was given the Humanitarian Award by the Housing Authority.

In 1996, Charles was nominated to carry the Olympic torch during its passage through Dublin.  He trained for the event and fittingly carried the torch on the V.A. grounds.  Charles gives all the credit for this honor to Patsy Baker and Cong. J. Roy Rowland.  While he likes to talk about his accomplishments, Charles gives a lot of credit to others.  He sports his new badge given to him by the V.A. Hospital.  It says, "Charles McDaniel, Volunteer Ambassador."  His proudest accomplishment, McDaniel says, "is being a volunteer.  "This volunteer badge means more to me than the Congressional Medal of Honor."  His next project is to revive the Dublin tradition of having Veteran's Day parades on the 11th of November.  My question is, why not?  After all, don't they deserve it?  

98-5

EARLY SCHOOLS OF LAURENS COUNTY

FOR AFRICAN - AMERICANS

      

The Negro students of Dublin did not have a permanent school building during most of the 19th century.  Students studied in church buildings in the same manner as many county school students  in the earlier part of the century.  Jacob Moorman and Rev. Norman McCall were early leaders in the system.  Near the end of the century, the city organized its school system for both white and colored students.  The city of Dublin purchased a tract of land on the Telfair Road at the southwestern corner of the Currell property in 1888.  It was bounded on the east by the Telfair Road, on the west by present day Joiner Street, and on the northeast by a branch.  The site is occupied today by the Georgia National Guard Armory.  

      The list of principals at Telfair Street School included S.H. Daley, L.P. Pinkney, Isiah Hayes, D.M. Smith, E.L. Wheaton, N.W. Clark, Roscoe Appling, J.C. Brookins, and H.B. Rice.  Some of the teachers at the school were Lucille Battey, Laura Proudfoot, Julia Hudson, Mary Boggs, Madora Jefferson, Gussie Proudford, and Emma G. Reader.  In 1914,  the school was moved to a new location on Taylor and Pritchett streets.  The new school later became known as Taylor Street School, but to some it retained its original name.  In 1920, one of Dublin's foremost educators, Susie Dasher, took over the principalship of the newly created Telfair Street Elementary School.  Susie Dasher helped to establish the first Parent Teacher Association in 1923.  The Telfair High School students joined the Scottsville School students in a new building known as Washington Street High School.

      The growth of the northeast quarter of Dublin led to the need for a Negro School in the area.  A site was chosen on North Decatur Street opposite the Second African Baptist Church in a community known as Scottsville.  The community grew up around the furniture factory of the Dublin Furniture Factory Company.  The Board of Education voted to build the Scottsville Elementary School in 1908.  The first principal was E.L. Hall with Pearl Simmons and E.B. Caldwell as his assistants.  Unfortunately, the school burned during in its tenth term.  Students were quartered in churches while the city pondered whether or not to rebuild the school.  The city chose to establish a new school close to the area because of  the rapid growth in the southeastern quarter of the city, a school was built on South Washington Street and became known as Washington Street Elementary.

      Following the destruction by fire, of the Scottsville School the city erected a new school for colored children.  A site was chosen near the middle of the two most populated areas.  The new Washington Street School was built in 1918 in an area known as Pine Park on the site of the colored baseball field.  Eventually, the students from the Telfair Street School came to the school.  The school was located on South Washington Street on the lot adjoining Howard Chapel Church.  The school eventually moved to new quarters at the end of Washington Street under the new name of Oconee High School.  The school was located between the present day Howard Chapel Methodist Church and the Katherine Gray Library.

Susie White Dasher, one of Laurens County's most legendary educators, began her teaching career in 1896at the age.  Mrs. Dasher, a native of Macon, Ga., attended Morehouse College, Fort Valley State College and graduated from Tuskeegee Institute in 1896.  Mrs. Dasher retired for over a decade to rear her two children.  Mrs. Dasher began her career here as a first grade teacher at Telfair Street School in 1914.  The school had just been relocated from the south side of Telfair Street just before its intersection with Smith Street to the corner of Taylor and Pritchett Streets.  Mrs. Dasher took over as principal of the school in 1920 and made great improvements, such as adding lights and a lunchroom - making sure each child received one well balanced hot meal each day.  Three years later she organized the first P.T.A. at the school, which raised money for needed equipment.  Susie Dasher's long career of dedication to her students and her community led to the naming of an elementary school in her honor. (Information courtesy of Alpha Kappa Sorority, Inc.)

One hundred years ago,  there were thirty three county schools for colored students.  There were two line schools which were shared with adjoining counties.  Of the thirty six teachers, thirteen were male and twenty three were female.  There were eight assistants.  The enrollment was 2,240 with an average daily attendance of slightly over thirteen hundred.

Due to a lack of taxpayer funding, most, if not all, of the schools were held in local churches.  The schools of 1898 were : New Providence, Cave Springs, Green Hill, Donaldson, Sandy Ford, William's Chapel, Valdosta, Dexter, Garbutt, Rose Mount, Spring Hill, Montrose, Poplar Spring, Laurens Hill, Mount Pullen, Oaky Grove, Rocky Creek, Oconee, Brewton, Shewmake, Hickory Grove, St. James, Eason Hill, Buckeye, Holly Grove, Byrd Hill, Fleming Chapel and Holly Springs.  

Laurens County teachers a century ago included:, P.R. Butler, Mary Devise, Rosa Dasher, Nettie Freeman, Mamie Grant, Leila M. Grant, G.C. Grant, F.D. Griffin, J.S. Houston, Emma Hines, Charlotte Johnson, Sallie Kellum, C.E. Lewis, Virgil Lewis, W.L. Miller, Fannie Moore, Clara Moorman, Lucretia Neal, Dr. B.D. Perry, Lillie Walden, Mary M. Smith, Sarah Smith, H.L. Rozier, Flora Troup, Ella Troup, W.B. Troup, John Tucker, C.D. Wright, Ella White,  and A.J. Harris. Dublin teachers were Isaac H. Hayes, Kate Dudley, and Theodocia Hinton.  Enrollment in the city school was about eighty.

These early schools for Laurens County were pretty much like their white counterparts.  Each school was understaffed and underfunded.  The agricultural economy took precedence over school work.  When the fields needed working, school was put off.  During the first two decades of the 20th century, there was a major shift in the education of black Laurens County children.  Illiteracy rates were cut dramatically.  This progress was a direct result of the dedicated men and women who made it their life's mission to teach their children.

98-6

LET IT SNOW!

The Great Snowfall of 1973

The day was Friday, February 9, 1973 - twenty-five years ago.  It was supposed to rain - a cold rain.  After all, it had rained the Friday before - an all time official record of five and one - half inches.  Eight East Laurens High School classrooms had been soaked.  The weatherman said "lows in the mid thirties and highs approaching fifty."  He was wrong.  Boy, was he wrong!

The day started out like any other February Friday.  It was a little chilly, but not too cold.  My father told us that it was going to snow that day. We responded "Daddy, you're crazy!  It's not cold enough."  You see, it was his naval flight training that told him so - cold fronts, wet air masses, and stuff like that.

Around noon it began to rain.  In some places sleet was enfilading the trees.   Claps of thunder boomed throughout the county.  Then, in a moment of day dreaming, I glanced out of the narrow window of Mrs. Frances Powell's English classroom.  There were flakes in that rain - one then another.  Soon the rain vanished.  Large snow flakes began pommeling the rapidly freezing ground.

"It won't stick" many said.  Before it was over, it stuck alright.  More snow than anyone had ever seen in Laurens County - that we know of, of course.  County School Superintendent William P. Johnson sent students home just after noon.  The city school students were right behind them.  The 2-AA West Basketball tournament , Dublin versus West Laurens playing was postponed.  

It snowed and it snowed - all night and into the next day. Statewide papers said six to eight inches.  Mr. W.P. Nalley, the local weatherman, measured fourteen inches.  The "Black's Seed Store" yardstick plunged down thirteen inches in the snow in our front yard.  Many reported drifts which accumulated sixteen to eighteen inches.  Central Georgia bore the brunt of the storm, which blanketed the southeast from Mississippi to South Carolina.

Macon and Augusta had seven inches.  Columbus topped out at nine inches.

Ironically, the Dublin Police Department had just undergone training for an event like this.  They were ready for some snow, but never had they planned for this much.  Marguerite Faulk, director of the Laurens County Civil Defense Department, set the wheels in motion to protect County citizens.  The Sheriff's office helped too.  Law enforcement officers began ferrying needed medical personnel to hospitals.  The weekend training for the Army Reserve was canceled.  However, the National Guard stepped in to help out.

Everything shut down. Most streets were impassable.  Interstate Highway 16 was closed.  Only during the "Great Flood of 1994" has that highway been closed.  Alderman Bob Walker and City Manager John Crane oversaw the scraping of downtown streets and sidewalks.  Snowbanks were several feet high along West Jackson Street.  Yankee transplants with snow chains and four-wheel drive truck owners could get around with a little difficulty.  Everyone else was stuck.

Necessary stores began to open.  Convenience stores, grocery stores, and drug stores were opened as soon as possible.  There was a lot of walk-in customers that day.  Many kids got up early that Saturday morning.  The anticipation of playing in the snow was too much.  An army of snow men were stationed all over the county.   Many yards had three or four Frostys.  Few people had snow sleds, again except for the Yankee transplants.  We had to improvise.  An old Coca Cola sign made a great sled.  Garbage can lids were pretty good, too.  Boy did all of us kids have a blast!  Then a lot of us kids found the way to the ultimate downhill run - the Shamrock Bowl.  There must have been two dozen kids there that afternoon.  Several of us went over to the dumpsters behind the Big Apple Grocery Store and fished out several chicken boxes - the waxed ones that don't get very wet.  They worked remarkably well.

  

However, everything wasn't fun and games.  Several of Louis and D.I. Parker's cows were trapped in a barn.  Its roof collapsed under the weight of the snow.  Some power and utility lines were down, but Southern Bell, Georgia Power, and E.M.C. crews repaired them in short order.  Thankfully, there were only a few auto accidents.

To make matters worse, temperatures didn't get above freezing for very long.  The temperature plummeted to thirteen degrees on Sunday morning.  The powdery snow was turning to ice.  There was some melting that afternoon.  By Monday most paved roads and streets were passable.  County dirt roads were still a nightmare.  Much to the dismay of several thousand school kids, we had to go back to school on Tuesday, Valentine's Day.  By the way, that was the day that Laurens County voters narrowly turned down a bond issue to build a Junior College in Dublin.  

We had snowfalls before.  The "Great Snow of February, 1914" was remembered by the old timers as the biggest snow storm of all.  It was only four inches.  Nearly two more decades passed before a good amount of snow fell again.  A legendary snow fall occurred in the early hours of Thanksgiving in 1912.  Nearly three inches of snow fell, but quickly melted during a mid morning rain.  Another more legendary snow occurred in July of 1902.  Dr. George Franklin Green and other reliable witnesses reported that they saw a few snow flakes following a hail storm.   

In this part of the state,  there are snowfalls  in excess of one inch about every five years or so.  We get flurries almost every year.   We are due for another measurable snowfall.  The last one occurred on December 23, 1993.  It gave us the only touch of a "White Christmas" we have ever known.  Alas, it was gone in a few hours.   Most of the big ones have occurred in mid-February. Nothing compares to that weekend, twenty five years ago, when we all, at least the kids, enjoyed one of the most memorable times of our lives.  

98-7

THE EARLY YEARS OF THE

COLORED FAIR ASSOCIATIONS OF LAURENS COUNTY

With the turning of the 20th Century, the African-Americans of Laurens County found themselves beginning to move up on the economic and educational ladders.  Formal education was finally the norm.  Thousand of families lived out on the farms.  One popular event of the first decade of this century was the annual county fair.  The fairs, usually held in October and early November, were designed not only to entertain, but to educate as well. 

The first recorded fair was held at the Dublin City Pavilion from October 3rd through October 10th of 1905.  The pavilion was located just off East Madison Street, where the City Water Department is now located.  Prizes were awarded for agricultural products, home demonstration projects, and sewing.  There was ball playing and horse riding each day.  Music was provided by the Acme State Band of Macon.

A few days after the fair ended, R. Evans, S.H. Hunter, J.B. Wright, Ivery Clay, and L. Pinkerton of Laurens County petitioned the Superior Court to incorporate the Georgia Colored Fair Association.  The objective of the corporation was "to carry on and conduct fairs throughout in Laurens and throughout the state for the purpose of exhibiting the commercial and industrial development of the Colored race along the lines of agriculture, manufacturing, mechanical, arts, and sciences, ... to enlighten, inspire, develop, and encourage said race."  Of course, entertainment and the selling of merchandise was also authorized.

For the next decade, most of the fairs were held at the Harriett Holsey Industrial College in northeast Dublin.  The Negro Farmer's Institute held a fair on October 20, 1915.  In 1916, the 12th Congressional District Fair was held for the first time at its permanent home on Telfair Street.  The site was located on Telfair Street between Troup and Joiner Streets.  Rev. William Gaines and H.H. Dudley were chosen to manage the 12th District Colored Fair, which would run from November 22nd to November 25th.  Rev. Gaines and Mr. Dudley invited all the people of Dublin and Laurens to come out and see the entertainment, which featured a big brass band.  

In 1917, the Central Colored People's Fair was incorporated by E.L. Hall, J.I. Clark, E.D. Newsome, Seaborn Daniels, Freeman Hill, C.B. Adams, H.N. Clark, M.H. O'Neal, W.A. Kemp, Thomas Mitchell, R.W. Thomas, Joe Hall and Frank Kilo. The second annual fair was held in November of 1917.  E.D. Newsome was chairman of the event.  Highlights of the fair included a parade, agricultural exhibits, the Ging Carnival Company, and a "Wild West" Show.  Thirty one hundred people showed up on Wednesday of the six-day fair. 

In 1918, the Fair Association elected W.L. Hughes as President of the fair.  Other fair officers were: E.L. Hall, Secretary; J.W. Dent, Secretary to Board of Directors; and E.D. Newsome, Manager.  The board was composed of W.L. Hughes, J.W. Dent, E.L. Hall, W.A. Jenkins, E.J. Newsome, D.F. Kemp, W.T. Wood, Major Thomas, and E.D. Newsome.  That year's fair was scheduled for November 4, 1918.

In April of 1918, another fair association was organized.  The new organization was known as the Oconee Fair Association.  It was incorporated by J.J. Jenkins, Dr. H.T. Jones, T.C. Kinchen, William May, and W.F. Robinson.  The group decided to purchase their own land and to custom build their fairgrounds to suit their needs.  In June, the association purchased a three acre tract on the east side of Washington Street from J.M. Page.  The new fairgrounds were opposite Washington Street School, which was located between the Katherine Gray Library and Howard Chapel Church.  

The fairgrounds stretched from South Washington to South Decatur Street and featured a one-half mile race track.  The track was four sided with the southern end being slightly longer than the northern end.   At the entrance to the fair grounds was a two-story exhibition hall.  A half-dozen livestock sheds were scattered around the sides of the track.  

The Association fell on hard times in 1924.  The property was sold for taxes by the city and the county.  President R. Perry and Secretary B.D. Perry stepped in and repurchased the property.  The whole county was experiencing a devastating depression.  The local economy was destroyed when the boll weevil came to the county in 1918.  Farmers, especially the African-American tenant farmers, were leaving the county in masses.  In 1924, Laurens County still had over four thousand farms.  The money, however, was not so plentiful.   In 1930, President J.S. Edmond and Secretary D.C. Lampkin secured a loan from C.W. Brantley to keep the fair operating.  Once again in 1934, the fairgrounds were sold to pay the taxes.  The Interstate Bond Company, a company which specialized in grabbing up lands near railroads, purchased the property.  President B.D. Perry made the necessary arrangements and bought the property back in 1935.

During the war years, the fair was probably suspended.  It was around this time that the association turned its thoughts to buying a new place to hold their fairs.  The Association sold the Washington Street fairgrounds to the City of Dublin Housing Authority.  At that time Dr. B.D. Perry was still serving as President.  O.N. Lewis was the Vice-President.  John Stanley served as the Secretary-Treasurer.  John Stanley secured a site on the corner of South Decatur Street and Garner Street near Oconee High School.  Stanley sold it to the Association for $4,000.00.  Fairs were held on the site until the early 1960s.  By that time the fairs were almost exclusively for entertainment only.  Mid-ways with games and rides had replaced the agricultural and cultural exhibits.  Once integrated fairs began on the lot behind the County Agricultural Center, the South Decatur fairgrounds were abandoned.

The county fair, a symbol of Fall, is long gone now. The smells - hay, animals, cotton candy, candied apples, and popcorn.  It was a time when the county fair was one of most anticipated and favorite events of the year.

  

98-8

GEORGE LINDER, 

Gentleman

George Linder, born into slavery, grew up in Laurens County in the last three decades of the pre Civil War South.  Over the next eighty years or so, George Linder, through his determination to learn and his dedication to hard work, rose to become one of the most respected men in 19th century Laurens County.  In the process, he established at least three churches and served as Laurens County's only Black legislator.  At the same time, Linder maintained a farm and raised and educated a large family. 

George Linder was born in February of 1834.   He grew up in the Buckeye District in the 1830s.    George was probably named for George Linder, one of the original Linders who settled along the Milledgeville-Darien Road in the 1810s.  He had at least one brother, Jerry, who was two years his junior.  George's master named the boy after himself and saw to it that he had the best education available, teaching little George how to read and write.  George Linder entered the ministry of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.  

Rev. Linder founded Strawberry A.M.E. Church, the oldest African-American church in Laurens County, in 1859 on the old Cooper Plantation.  The church is still in existence on Country Club Road.  During the second year of the Civil War,  Rev. Linder and Ezekiel Pullen founded Mt. Pullen A.M.E. Church on the Wrightsville Road.  The church was composed of former members of Boiling Springs Church.  Seven years later, Revs. Linder and Pullen organized New Bethel A.M.E. Church on the Buckeye Road.  

During the days of Reconstruction, the Republican Party and the Federal Government governed the state of Georgia.  Rep. Linder was one of twenty four black representatives elected to the Georgia Legislature in 1868.  They were not independent.  They had a voice, but the Republican Party was controlled by a few white outsiders.   Representative Linder was one of many A.M.E. Ministers in the Georgia Legislature.  Of those whose occupations are known, eighty percent were A.M.E. ministers.  

George Linder was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1868.  Linder was one of thirteen black men who served in the Constitutional Convention and Georgia Legislature.  He was the only black man in our area to be elected.  The closest others were Daniel Palmer of Washington County and Isaac Anderson of Houston County. Linder, known as "Uncle George Linder," was respected by both races in Laurens County. Rep. Linder and all of the other black Republicans were unseated on September 9, 1868.  Rep. Linder was   replaced by E.D. Barrett, who doesn't appear to have been from Laurens County.  Racism was tearing Georgia apart.   The Klu Klux Klan, was turning more violent, getting away from its original purpose of protecting white "victims" of the Civil War and Reconstruction.  Each member was given one hour to speak before being expelled from their seats.  George Linder, while not to the point of threatening war with the white population, said "Roust us from here and we will roust you!"  Racial incidents, while few in number, broke out in the state.  Some of Linder's colleagues were threatened with violence.  One was killed and a few were injured. On October 22, 1869, Congress enacted the Congressional Reorganization Act of 1869, through which Linder and the other black representatives were reseated.   George Linder served the remainder of his term until the legislative election of 1870, when the Democratic party gained control.

George Linder was a family man.  He married his first wife in the mid 1850s.  Since census records did not enumerate slaves by first names, the first Mrs. Linder's name will probably never be known.  She appears to have died in the mid to late 1870s.  George and his first wife had at least six children, namely, Charlie, Annie, James A., William, Isabelle, and Martha. A seventh may have been George W. Linder.   Rev. Linder married again in 1880 to Mary, who was twenty seven years younger than he.  George and Mary had ten children, namely John W., David B., Sarah J., Hansel, Alice, Mary D., Thomas, Joseph, Kathi, and Etta M.  Rev. Linder, like so many other farmer-preachers, always had a ready made group of field hands, who would go a long way to filling up the Church on Sundays.  George and Mary made sure that their children received an education.  Sarah was teaching school at the age of seventeen.  John W. Linder was a successful physician in the city of Atlanta.

In 1874, Rev. Linder began to accumulate a large farm just above the old Blackshear Mill Pond.  His good friend, David S. Blackshear, sold him forty six acres on Parrot's Creek, which fed the mill pond, now Ben Hall Lake.  In 1883, Rev. Linder bought the home of David S. Blackshear, which was surrounded by seven hundred  acres of land on the waters of Big Creek.  Over the next twenty-five years, Linder purchased another five hundred acres or so.  It appears that he had to sell most of his lands, either to pay the bills after bad crops years or to support his large family.  In 1907, Rev. and Mrs. Linder moved to Dublin.  He bought a house near the southwest corner of South Jefferson Street and Rowe Street.  The house, 803 S. Jefferson Street, still stands and is currently owned by Carrie Moss.

Rev. Linder served the Lord until his death on the last day of January in 1915. When he died, he had only his home and a one hundred and nine acre farm in Buckeye.  His property had to be sold to pay the debts of his estate.  Much like another George, George Bailey of "It's a Wonderful Life," he was one of the richest men in Dublin.  He was loved and respected by thousands.  Rev. Linder is buried in the Linder Cemetery north of Ben Hall Lake.  It is disappointing that Rev. Linder's grave remains unmarked - a woefully lacking tribute to a man who meant so much to his community - a man like, George Linder, Gentleman. 

98-9

THE DEXTER HORNETTES

The Queens of Georgia Basketball

They were pretty good basketball players.  Actually they were more than just good.  They were some of the best girls teams ever to play high school basketball in Georgia.  One Dexter boy basketball player commented, "they could even beat us sometimes."  From 1959 through 1963, George Lindsey led his Dexter Hornettes to four consecutive region championships and two consecutive state championships.  Along the way, the lasses from Dexter accomplished a record winning streak of sixty-eight games.  The streak began with the first game of the 1961-2 season and ended in the fifth game of the 1963-4 season with a last second, two point loss to arch rival Dodge County.  Dodge County had already stopped another long winning streak of the Dexter girls in 1959. That sixty eight game streak held the record until it was broken in the 1970s by Taylor High School.

In his first season, George Lindsey's girls won their region and lost in the state tournament. The 1960-1 team repeated the feat losing for the second straight year in the state tournament.  The first team to win the state title was the 1961-2 team.  That year the Dexter girls went undefeated - thirty wins and no losses.  In the state tournament they defeated Stewart County, 69 to 47; Crawford County, 73 to 52; Screven County, 80 to 58 to reach the finals.  In the finals, the Hornettes defeated Butler High School by the score of 68 to 52 to win their first state championship.  The members of that team were Jackie Kitchens, Sue Whittle, Janet Register, Rhetta Daniels, Linda Howard, Caroline Russell, Peggy Estes, Dianne McLeod, Bertie Mae Evans, Colleen Butler, Kay E. Lord, Joette Hobbs, Pat Jolly, Judy Bryant, Connie Warren, Yvonne Mullis, Kay Tipton, and Venita Lord.  

The next year the Hornettes kept on winning. During that season they beat their perennial nemeses, the Dodge County Girls, in both games.  The margin of victory was ten points in both games.  That was impressive considering that the Dodge County girls were defending State Class "B" champions. Closer to home, the Hornettes defeated the Lady Cardinals of Dudley three times and the Tigerettes of Laurens High four times. One highlight of the 62-63 season was the homecoming game.  Connie Malone was crowned Queen of the Homecoming Court.  The girls responded with a 50 to 31 thrashing of the Dublin Irishettes, who weren't that bad of a team.  By the way, both teams wore green and white.

The Hornettes went into the 5-C Region tournament undefeated.  On their homecourt, the Hornettes demolished the girls from Dudley with a  final score of 67 to 34.  Five girls posted scores in double figures - an unusual feat, considering that in those days girls played a different style of basketball.  Three forwards played offense and three guards played defense.

In the sub-region finals, the Hornettes defeated the Tigerettes from Laurens High.  The Tigerettes, coached by the legendary Lester Farr, were pretty fair ball players too.  They had lost a close game to Doe Run High School in the 1962 state tournament.  The Tigerettes were led by forwards Loren White, Sandra Bedingfield, and Vondell Ballard.  Since they finished second in the sub-region, the Tigerettes were seeded in the Region finals.  Imagine how powerful the team would have been if the two nearby schools had been consolidated.

The fast and furious action then shifted to Abbeville - the site of the Region 5-C tournament.  In the first game, Caroline Russell scored thirty points and Judy Bryant dropped in 18 more to lead the Hornettes to a 54 to 36 victory over the host Abbeville team.  When Laurens High won its first game, a rematch with the Hornettes was assured.  The Tigerettes managed to hold the Hornettes to fifty two points, losing 52 to 38.  Caroline Russell put up twenty-one points, and Yvonne Mullis nearly matched that total with nineteen points.

Both teams were headed to the State Tournament in Columbus.  For several years before, the state finals were held in Macon.  Going into the tournament, the winning streak stood at sixty.  As good as the forwards were, the guards were just as good.  Kay Lord, Diane McLeod, Kay Waldrep, and Kay Tipton were unrelenting in their defense - stealing passes and errant dribbles and passing them back down the court.

In the first game, the Hornettes defeated Norman Park 60 to 40.  Caroline Russell turned it up for the finals.  She scored twenty nine points, nearly half of the team total.  In the second game, Caroline scored thirty to lead the Hornettes over Putnam County, 55 to 43.

Cave Springs High School was the opponent in the semi final game.  The guards of Cave Springs held Yvonne Mullis and Judy Bryant in check.  Caroline Russell came through with thirty two points and running her tournament total to ninety two points.  The Hornettes had one point leads at the end of the first three quarters.  In between, Cave Springs surged to three and four point leads.  In the last quarter the defense tightened up - allowing only seven points in the final stanza-  while forwards scored eleven to win the game 43 to 38.

Their opponents in the finals were the Deer from Doe Run High School.  Yes, that was their name.  The Deer were led by Mary Fincher, the coach's daughter, who scored an amazing forty points in the other semi-final game.  Russell was held to seven points in the first half, but came back strong with sixteen in the second.  Diane Fountain came into the game and hit two long distance field goals to keep the girls in the game. At the end of regulation play, the score was knotted at 40 to 40.  Kay Lord, Diane McLeod, and Kay Waldrep tightened up on the defense and allowed only two points by the Deer, both by Fincher.  The forwards, Caroline Russell, Yvonne Mullis, Judy Bryant, and Diane Fountain scored four points to take a two point win.  The Hornettes had won two consecutive state titles, a record for the 18 year old classification.  The Hornettes kept on winning.  Coach Lindsey retired to enter private business.  All six Dexter starters were among the best in their class.  Bryant, Mullis, Waldrep, and Fountain returned, but missed the chance for a third championship when they lost to the Red Bud of Calhoun in March of 1964.  They were simply the best, the Queens of Georgia Basketball. 

98-10

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 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 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.

98-11

THE SAINT PATRICK’S FESTIVAL 

30 Years Ago, 1968

The year 1968 was a tumultuous one in our country's history.  It was the third year of the St. Patrick's Festival.  It is known by some as one of the best festivals.  At least, it was one of the more publicized. Laurens County's towns were saluted on each day.  The festival gained national and even world attention.  William P. Fay, Ireland's ambassador to the United States, sent his greetings and wishes for a successful festival.  Late night talk show host, Joey Bishop, was named as Official Leprechaun of the festival.  The recognition was presented to him on nationwide television by his side-kick, Regis Philbin.  Ed Shanghnesey awarded Bishop a shillelagh.  Dublin was mentioned during several of the shows throughout  the week of the festival.

After two years of running the festival as a private promotional event, festival founders Ed Hilliard and W.H. Champion asked Chuck Billings to be General Chairman for the 1968.  It was a year of beginnings.  The festival was on its way to becoming self-sustaining. Active members of the 1968 committee also included Thomas Kellam, Judge Harold E. Ward, Mayor William R. Smith, Mayor Hugh Wood, Com. James H. Perry, Travis Higginbotham,  Charles Manning, Roy Hammond, Billy Brown, Willis Denny, Jim Willoughby, Hugh Lord, Rev. Arthur Cody, Margaret Hill, Mildred Leavitt, and Emmett Black, Jr.

In the early days, the festival only lasted one week, from March 11th through St. Patrick's Day.  Pre-festival activities began with a dance at the V.F.W. Club on the Macon Road.  A dance was held for pre-teens at the Shamrock Shanty in front of the old High School.  Kids paid 75 cents to get in and were encouraged to wear "something green."  A dance for the teenagers and college students was held at the American Legion with the group "The Love Street Light Circus" playing.   Eighty-four persons participated in the St. Patrick's Duplicate Bridge Tournament headed by Fletcher Cater at the Holiday Inn.

Many events were held that year which are no longer held.  The Dublin Association of Fine Arts brought back the popular sidewalk art show.  Art lovers were treated to musical entertainment by folk singers Jackie Colter, Pete Tyre, Denise Daniel, and Catherine Chestnut.  A bulletin board contest was held at the V.A. Hospital.  The Dublin Youth Council challenged the members of the Dublin City Council to a bicycle race from the courthouse down toward the city hall.  Alderman J.Y. Lee edged out Willie Beasley and Allen Jones of the youth council to take the title.  Junior Scarboro and Mayor William Robert Smith lost out when the chain on their “bicycle built for two" broke just before they reached the finish line.  Maybe that is one event we could bring back.  Imagine the sight. 

One new event was the Pancake Feast.  The Dublin Exchange Club, chaired by W.E. Woodard, sponsored what has become one of the most popular events of the festival today.  Tickets went for a dollar for adults and fifty cents for children.

The Rev. Bob Harrington, the sometimes humorous and inspirational "Chaplain of Bourbon Street," captivated a capacity crowd at the Joint Civic Luncheon held at the Holiday Inn. Rev. Harrington launched his "Wake Up America" crusade in the City Auditorium with three performances.  During the luncheon sponsored by the Lions Club,  W.H. Lovett was presented the award as the Senior Citizen of the Year.  Dr. John A. Bell and Mrs. Carl K. Nelson, Sr. were selected as the man and woman of the year.

The Little Miss and Mr. Dublin contest was then held in the auditorium of the City Hall.  Robin Johnson and Hank Davis were selected for the title.  Festival organizer and radio personality, Dick Killebrew, served as master of ceremonies. Claudia Griggs and Stephen Exparaza were selected as Miss and Mr. Leprechaun.  Andrea Curry, Ray Barrentine, Kim Pullen, and Donnie Vinson were runners-up in the contest,  which was also held in the City Auditorium.  

Sporting events were becoming a major part of the festival.  The largest bowling tournament  to date was held at the Laurens Lanes on East Jackson Street.  June Blake and Ed Pierce directed the successful event.  Eighty five teams participated in the event in which Reba Coleman received national recognition for bowling 100 points above her average score.  Sixty golf teams competed in a four ball tournament at the Dublin Country Club.  A basketball game was played between the Dublin Tip-Off Club and the Dexter All-Stars.

The Dublin-Laurens Chamber of Commerce, an integral part of the festival from its beginning, opened its new headquarters in the rear portion of the city hall, now occupied by the police department.  

In the days before the Miss St. Patrick's crown, area high school homecoming queens reigned over the festivities.  In 1968,  they were:  Joby Stafford of Dublin High, Wanda Mullis of Dexter High, Celeste Lawson of Dudley High, Kay Darsey and Vicki Collins of East Laurens High, Lorena Pearson, Betty Jean Moore, Betty Christian, and Gloria Lowery of Oconee High, B.D. Perry High, Mary Fleming High, and Millville High,  and Sheryl Avant of Laurens High.  

Marching in the parade was the nationally known Continental Air Command Band.  They were one of the oldest and largest musical organizations in the Air Force and one which had played for many of the world's leaders. The Dublin Irish Band was cited for a superb performance.  Washington County's band dressed colorfully to salute Dublin and were awarded a special recognition by the judges.  The perennial favorite Oconee High and B.D. Perry High bands put on their usual crowd pleasing performances.

The panel of judges gave the award for the best non-professional float to the Laurens County Library, which edged out the Lions Club.  The Dublin Association of Fine Arts won the most original float prize. 

The 1968 festival signaled the acceleration of the festival into the success it remains today.

98-12

SHEEP HERDING  IN LAURENS COUNTY

For most of the Nineteenth Century the pastures of Laurens County and its neighboring counties  were covered with sheep.  The sheep came to this area as a result of the influx of Scottish Highlander families into east and southeast Central Georgia in the decades following the War of 1812.   While no records of the numbers of sheep exist prior to 1850, many sheep grazed on the Wiregrass lands along with the cattle brought in by the Scots.  

While cotton was a major cash crop of our area, wool production continued to grow until the beginning of the Civil War.  Most of the uniforms of Georgia's Confederate soldiers were made from wool and not cotton.

In 1850, the United States began taking a census of agricultural activities for the first time.  During that year there were 7606 head of sheep.  Forty one farmers had over fifty  head.  Sixteen of those owned more than one hundred.  The largest sheep farmers were those men who owned the largest plantations.  Samuel Yopp had five hundred sheep on his plantation between Dublin and Dudley.  That year, the sheep produced a half ton of wool.  Nathan Tucker, a large plantation owner in the extreme northeastern corner of the county had 366.  Freeman H. Rowe and Gov. George M. Troup had over two hundred head each.  Other farmers who had over hundred head were David Harvard, James Stewart, E.H. Blackshear, Reuben Warren, A.C. Hampton, Henry C. Fuqua, Samuel Miller, James Barlow, James Stanley, James White, and Josiah Gay.    

In 1860, there were slightly over one-half million sheep in Georgia.  In Laurens County the number had declined to just over six thousand.  The number of men who had one hundred head  remain about the same.  While large sheep herds were scattered all over the county in 1850, a shift had already occurred by 1860.  The largest sheep owners were Nathan Tucker, James Stewart, Freeman Rowe, and Samuel Yopp.  The major sheep herds were located in three areas.  The first area was located along the northeastern line of the county from the current day Highway 80 northwest to the Buckeye Road.  Large sheep farmers in this area were A.J. Hilburn, Dougal Stewart, Alexander Graham, Aaron Odom, C.S. Guyton, Nathan Tucker, and E.H. Blackshear.  These seven men owned twenty seven percent of the sheep in the county.  Another concentrated area was along the southwestern line of the county from the Cadwell area northeast toward Montrose.  Large sheep farmers in this area were John White, Benjamin Burch, Robert Faircloth, Alcy Faulk, Allen Thompson, Hayden Hughes, Samuel Yopp, and John W. Yopp.  These men owned twenty percent of the county's sheep.  One other large sheep farmer was Freeman H. Rowe, whose farm was located at the southern tip of Dublin from the Oconee River west to Telfair Street. 

During the Civil War and its aftermath, the number of sheep in Georgia plummeted to sixty percent of its pre-war level.  On the other hand, the number in Laurens County rose to 8502 in the 1870 Census.  Slightly more than eleven tons of wool was clipped in the year preceding the census.  The number of sheep was only slightly less than the number of cattle and swine.

Nineteen men and one woman, Mrs. Nathan Tucker,  owned over a hundred head of sheep in 1870.  The largest farmers in the county were James Stewart and John White who each owned five hundred.  James Stewart clipped fifteen hundred pounds of wool, while John White reported that he had not clipped any.  Aaron Odom was the third largest farmer with 450.  Sheep farmers who were increasing their herds were Vaughn Hilbun, Josiah Gay, J.T. Rogers, U.G.B. Hogan, Samuel Roach, David Alligood, J.G.F. Clark, John Wynn, Benjamin Burch, Wright Nobles, Rachel Robinson, and James Herndon.   

In 1880, another dramatic shift began to occur in sheep farming in Laurens County.  Only Warren Carter, Duncan Graham, and John Holmes had more than seventy five sheep in the northeastern part of the county.  Production in northwestern and southeastern Laurens County was minimal.  Hardy Alligood of Hampton Mills District had thirteen hundred head with nearly four hundred lambs being born during the year.  Most of the large sheep farms were then located in the Pinetuckey District which encompassed the southern quadrant of the county.  Alfred Burch had slightly over one thousand  head while William Burch had seven hundred head.  Other large farmers were Benjamin Burch, Ben Burch, Hardy Gay, James B. Gay, Wm. B.F. Daniel, John McLendon, John White, John G.F. Clark, John Grinstead, Jasper Gay. 

 

Sheep herding became more profitable than cotton farming, despite the ravages of dogs who killed many of them.  Sheep thrived on the grasses in the open ranges of southeastern Central Georgia, known as "The Wiregrass."  The prime range stretched westerly from Bulloch County toward Telfair and Laurens and thence southwest toward Worth and Berrien Counties.  In 1890,  there were four hundred and forty thousand sheep in Georgia.  Thirteen thousand one hundred of them were in Laurens County.  The number of sheep outnumbered the total number of cattle, including milk cows.  It may have been a poor year since the wool clip had dropped to nine thousand pounds.  Within ten years,  the numbers of Georgia sheep decreased by forty percent.  

Laurens County finished a close seventh in the number of sheep in Georgia in 1890 coming within seven hundred of fifth place.  Laurens County's position was mainly due to its tremendous size.  The leader was Emanuel County which had nearly twenty thousand and clipped over two and one half pounds per sheep compared to the three quarters of a pound produced by Laurens County's sheep.  Other counties ahead of Laurens were Bulloch, Berrien, Tattnall, Worth, and Telfair.  The forty two hundred sheep of Johnson County produced over two pounds of wool each.

The number of sheep began to steadily decline in the 1890s.  With the clearing of timber lands in southern Laurens County and the improved use of fertilizers, farmers turned to cotton which became more profitable than wool.  The practice of sheep herding  disappeared in our area.  Although long forgotten, it was a major part of the agricultural activity in our county for nearly six decades.

98-13

CATCH A FALLING STAR 

AND PUT IT IN YOUR POCKET

You may have heard the old song with the verse "catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day."  Never has that phrase become more applicable than today.  Through the examination of meteorite, N.A.S.A. scientists have recently discovered the possibility of life on Mars.  Since then, the practice of collecting meteorites has exploded across the country.  The Zagami meteorite which fell in Uganda in 1962 has been proven to be a part of the red planet.  Scientists believe that ages ago the meteorite was blown apart from Mars after a collision with an asteroid. Samples are being sold for $5000.00 per gram.  Yes, I said $5000. One-tenth of carat flakes are selling for $50.00.  I've got mine, do you have yours?  Other meteorites sell for ten to twenty dollars a gram and up.  Remember there are a little over 450 grams in a pound.  Museums and universities, as well as private collectors, have been cashing in on the craze and selling small samples of their collections of meteorites.

Meteors and meteorites are true pieces of our past - our most distant past.  The origin of most meteorites go back to the beginning of our solar system, four and one half billion years ago. Many come from asteroids and comets, as well as some planetary sources. There are three basic types.  The iron or octahedrite -hexahedrite -ataxite is the most common.  An eight hundred pound iron meteorite fell in Sardis, Ga. in 1940.  That meteorite is in the U.S. National Museum.  Other meteorites which fell in our area were the Pitts Meteorite which fell in Wilcox Co. in 1921, the Twin City Meteorite in 1955, and the Pulaski Meteorite which fell in Pulaski Co. in 1955.  Another type of meteorite is the stony or aerolite.  Some meteorites, which are a combination of both, are known as siderites.   Over the years about three dozen confirmed meteorite finds have been documented in Georgia.  It is likely that over the last several million years there has been at least one to strike our area.

Meteor showers occur about eighteen times a year.  In Laurens County, November 16, 1833 was long known as "the time the stars fell."  Meteors filled the sky for hours.  Superstitious citizens knew "Judgment Day" had come. Scientists are predicting a similar "Leonid" shower  in the next three years.  Other major showers are seen on August 12-13, October 20-23, and December 13-14.

Southwestern Laurens County is located on the northwestern edge of the center of one of the more unique places on the Earth.  The area lying between Houston, Washington, Treutlen, and Telfair counties is one of ten areas in the world where tektites are commonly found.  Tektites, or Georgiaites, are small green-black meteorites.  Most of the twelve hundred tektites found in Georgia are concentrated near the Dodge, Bleckley, and Laurens County lines.  Through 1996, thirty have been reported found in Laurens County. In 1968, Sylvester and Edward Gainey of Chester, found a two ounce specimen in western Laurens County.  At the time, it was the largest ever found in Georgia. 

Ninety two percent of the five hundred or so of all tektites ever found in central Georgia have been found in an egg shaped pattern centered around Empire, Georgia.  The major concentration is bounded by Eastman and Jay Bird Springs on the southeast, Roddy and Empire on the southwest, and Plainfield, Dexter, and Chester on the northwest.   Scientists have been dated them to be as old as thirty-three million years.  In all probability, there are more tektites located in the south western portion of Laurens County, south of Dexter.  

Tektites have been found along the Atlantic Coast from Cuba to Martha's Vineyard. Others have been found in Czechoslovakia, the Ivory Coast, Australia, and China. Their origin remains a mystery to scientists.  Some scientists believe that they are of lunar origin.  Others believe that they are cooled specimens of volcanic material.   Some theorize that when the tektites fell, this area was a part of the Atlantic Ocean.  Other classify them as a fourth type of meteorite.  

Before you go out to hunt meteorites or tektites, how do you know what you are looking for?  Meteorites are all dark in color.  Recent ones have a fusion crust on the exterior.  Iron meteorites show a bright metal on the inside.  It has a high specific gravity and will weigh more than a earth rock of the same size.  Most contain nickel and are magnetic, even the stony ones.  Stony meteorites contain some metal and have veins running through them.  Reputable testing sources can be found all over the country.

Tektites look like smoked glass and resemble another natural glass, obsidian.  They have a greenish-black color and are often confused with burned man-made glass.  They come various shapes such as dumbbells, teardrops, bars, and disks.  With a bright sun at your back they stand out in the lightly colored soils of our area.   The many iron pebbles in this area's soil are thought to be unrelated to the tektite, although a similar pebble is found around the Henbury Meteorite Crater area.  They are very rare.  It has been estimated that one has to walk one hundred sixty five  miles before finding a Georgiaite. One of the benefits of hunting tektites is that you will average about one Indian artifact for each hour of tektite hunting. Georgiaites are particularly rare as tektites go.  Some whole samples sell in the thousands of dollars.  

If you find a falling star or tektite, put it in your pocket, but seriously think about letting a local museum save it for a rainy day for all of us to see. 

98-14

NAME THAT STREET

The Origin of the Street Names of Dublin

One might call Dublin the "Presidential City."  When the town began naming its streets, it first honored the presidents.  Other patriots such as Benjamin Franklin, Francis Marion, and Col. John Laurens (changed to Lawrence) were honored.  There were generic names like Columbia, Union, and River.  The remaining streets were named for military heroes of the early 19th century.  Gaines St. may have been named for George Gaines, an early ferry owner.  However, it is most likely that it was named for Gen. Edmund Pendleton Gaines who served in the War of 1812 and was one of the leaders in the defense of Georgia during the Indian Wars of 1818.  The tradition continued during the early years of the 20th century.  Streets in Dublin have been named for George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, U.S. Grant, James Garfield, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt.  There was a Cleveland St. which was later rerouted and became Mary St.  Academy Ave. had its name changed to Wilson Ave. for a few days following World War I.  Hester Dr. was formerly known as Roosevelt St., which was named in honor of Theodoore Roosevelt. ( There are Kennedy, Carter, and Clinton Streets, but none of them are named for the presidents. )

Truxton, Bainbridge, Rodgers, and Decatur are not really household names.  These Dublin streets were named for naval heroes of the early 19th century.  Commodore Thomas Truxton brought the American navy on a par with the French and the British navies during the naval battles with the French in the Caribbean around the turn of the 19th century.  Truxton, commanding the "Constellation," captured the French frigates "Insurgente" and "La Vengance" and won the hearts of the American people.  William Bainbridge was a one time commander of the frigate "Constitution.”  Bainbridge gained fame for his bravery and gallantry in the war with Tripoli.  Commodore John Rodgers served as executive officer of the "Constellation" under Truxton.  He captained a ship in the War of 1812.   Rodgers served as President of the Navy Board of Commissioners from 1815 to 1824 and 1827 to 1838.   Stephen Decatur, a commodore in the navy, was a hero of the War of 1812 and became even more famous after his death in a duel with a fellow officer.  Schley St., which runs into West Moore St., was named for Admiral Winfield Scott Schley, hero of the Spanish-American War.  Dewey St., was named in honor of Adm. George Dewey, another hero of Spanish-American War.

In the Scottsville neighborhood of northeastern Dublin, Streets were named after late 19th century presidents and several of the United States.  State streets which lined the old grounds of the Dublin Furniture Manufacturing Company are Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio, and Tennessee.

Many Dublin streets are named after well known Dublin residents or national figures.  Akerman St. was named for Alex Akerman, former Dublin lawyer and federal prosecutor.  Arnau St. was named in honor of Dublin banker, Albert R. Arnau.  Brantley St. was the street which ran by the home of banker and businessman, C.W. Brantley.  Calhoun St. was named in memory of John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, who served in Congress and as Vice President of the United States in 1820s.  Joel T. Coney, planter and state representative was honored with a street bearing his name.  Dudley St. is probably named for H.H. Dudley, the leading businessman of the Black community in the 20th century.

Fred's Lane is named for Fred Bell, the developer of the subdivision.   Garner Street is probably named for John Garner, Vice President in the administration of Franklin Roosevelt.  Geffcken St. is named for area resident W.F. Geffcken.  Mary St. is named after Mary Wolfe, the wife of John B. Wolfe and the woman who developed the land in the area.  Moore Street is named after the family of Freeman and Mary Moore, who owned the land in that area.  Outler Street was named for one or both Outler Brothers, J.M. and W.B..  Prince and Mincey Streets are named after J.D. Prince and James Mincey, members of the family who developed that area of town.

The Rev. W.S. Ramsay was honored with the naming of the street (the street sign is wrong) which adjoined his home.  Rev. Ramsay was a former Confederate officer, founding Laurens County School Superintendent, and long time Baptist minister. Rice Ave. is named for Capt. W.B. Rice, renowned planter, banker, and businessman, who owned the farm where the V.A. Hospital now stands.  Rowe St. was named for planter, merchant, legislator, and Confederate Captain T.H. Rowe.  Rutland St. is named after the Rutland family who lived in the area.

Saxon St. was named by T. H. Rowe in honor of his wife's middle name. J.D. Smith named a street in his own honor when he developed his "Quality Hill" Subdivision in southern Dublin.  Stonewall St., which was originally known as Stanley Ave., was named for the beloved Southern general, T.J. "Stonewall" Jackson.  Thompson St., the narrowest street in Dublin, was named for Rev. George C. Thompson, long time Methodist minister and the building architect of the Golden Era of Dublin. Tucker St. was named by the children of Ella Tucker Stubbs in honor of their mother. Wheeler St. is probably named after another Confederate general, Joseph Wheeler.  Wolfe Street is named after the Wolfe family who developed the area in northeastern Dublin.

Some street names were chosen from books or just from the developer's fancy.  Some like Brookwood and Hillcrest are named for the topography of their area.  Bellevue is a contraction of a phrase meaning "beautiful view."  Over the years, street names have changed.  In the celebration  following man's landing on the moon, the City came close to renaming Shamrock Drive to Armstrong Drive in honor of Neil Armstrong.   Future streets were going to be named for crew mates, Aldrin and Collins.  There will be more articles on our street names and roads to come.

98-15

PLEASANT SPRINGS BAPTIST CHURCH  

 AND THE JOHNSON COMMUNITY

Situated near the far eastern corner of Laurens County lies the 19th century community of Johnson.  Life in the Johnson community centered around Pleasant Springs Baptist Church and the mill pond of community founder, Israel Johnson.

Israel Johnson was born in Georgia in the years following the American Revolution.  He spent most of his early adult life in Washington County.  About the year 1851, Israel and his wife Rachel moved their home to the sandy fields along the Beasley Branch of Pughes Creek where it crosses the Old Savannah Road (Ga. Highway 86.)  Two years prior to the move, Johnson purchased three hundred acres of land.  Shortly after he arrived in Laurens County, Israel Johnson purchased eight hundred acres of land for five hundred dollars and obtained land grants from the state for another three hundred fifty acres.  The Johnsons moved into a community which was already occupied by the Beasley, Mimbs, Flanders, Graham, Pope, and Hilbun families.

Israel Johnson established his mill seat on a branch of Pughes Creek.  There he set up a saw mill and grist mill.  Antebellum mills were considered centers of the community.  A store was usually nearby to provide area residents a place to purchase the necessities of everyday life.  Farming was tough in those days.  Augustus, the youngest son, came with his parents, Israel and Rachel to Laurens County. The older boys, John A. and James, remained in what would become Johnson County.

  When war broke out with the North, Israel's sons returned to Washington County to enlist in the Confederate Army.  The Johnsons were probably like most of the folks who lived in their area.  They had no desire to fight a war or to secede from the Union over the issue of slavery. However, when the security of their state was threatened, they sided with Georgia.  John A. Johnson was Captain of Co. H. of the 28th Georgia Infantry.  The 28th Georgia participated in the battle at the Cornfield at Sharpsburg/Antietam and figured prominently in the battle of Olustee, Florida.   Augustus F. Johnson never made it through his first six months of the war.  He died in Winder Hospital in Richmond, Virginia in September of 1862 and was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.   When the news of his death reached home, the men of the community built a home for his widow and his seven children.  The home still stands today on the Old Savannah Road.  John and  James returned home to a land devastated by the ravages of war.  They still had their land and their families, but there was little food and even less money.  The Johnson boys moved to Laurens County.  Old man Israel Johnson divided his land among his children and grandchildren and died in the early 1870s.

In 1860, just before the beginning of the Civil War, the residents of the Johnson community came together and formed a church.  They named their new church "Pleasant Springs" for the spring near where it was first located.   Church congregations often chose areas with springs.  They came in handy on hot summer Sundays.  It is not known exactly where the first church was.  It was about a half mile from the present church on the old John A. Johnson Place.  This puts it in the vicinity of the Israel Johnson Mill Pond.

Pleasant Springs Church was a mission station during the war.  After the end of the war, the church was reorganized and joined the Mount Vernon Association under the leadership of Rev. James Raiford Wood.  In the less than a year, the anti-missionary members of the church voted to leave the Mount Vernon Association to join the Ohoopee Primitive Baptist Association.  After four years, the church rejoined the Mount Vernon Association in October of 1870.  

C.T. Smith was the first known minister of the church.  He was followed by pioneer minister, the Rev. James M. Donaldson, and L.J. Harrison.  They were followed by W. Jasper Johnson, a grandson of Israel Johnson.  Rev. Johnson served the church from 1875 to 1877, 1879-1880, and 1883-1889.  Other ministers in the early years of the church were T.B. Winham, W.A. Harrison, J.T. Chipley, J.A. Webb, M. Davis, J.Z. Bush, G.R. Watson, J.R. Harvey, H.T. Smith, S.D. Walker, T.A. Smith, W.W. Pierce, D.P. Ussery, G.W. Smith, D.E. Palmer, and Z.W. Wilkes.  Many of these men served in the Confederate Army.  Rev. G.W. Smith served as a 1st Lieutenant in the company commanded by John A. Johnson.  Rev. Smith and his family were among the founders of the Mount Vernon Association.  Rev. J.M. Donaldson, also a founder of the Association, moved to Laurens County and established the community of Donaldson, later Manning, between Brewton and Lovett.  Rev. J. Raiford, another Washington Countian and founder of the Association, served Pleasant Springs in its formative years.  The venerable Rev. C.E. Vines served the church in 1934.  Services were held once a month until 1950.

The old Israel Johnson mill pond remained the center of the community.  Baptisms were held in the pond, which is located a little over a half mile from the church.  On March 19, 1881, an election was held at the mill pond by the residents of the newly constituted Oconee Militia District.  The  purpose of the election was to select a Justice of the Peace and two constables.  The Oconee District encompassed all of southeastern Laurens County southeast of Pughes Creek and included the present day Rockledge District.

A second and more substantial building was finished in 1879.  It was located on the James Johnson Place at the site of the current church.  Membership began to increase and new families like the Pullens, Youngs, Grahams, and Wynns became members of the church.  This church, with its high ceiling, stood until 1941.  That old church was torn down and the materials were used to build a smaller one-room building.  In 1950, a new brick church was built.  The old church was sold and became the home of Sam Bailey.

During the latter years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century, the members of the community maintained a school at Pleasant Springs.  Among the teachers in the 1890s were James M. Bryan and Dr. Benjamin Braswell.  

The community of Johnson is typical of small communities in Middle Georgia in the years following the Civil War.  It was a place where families banded together to worship, to learn, and to work together for the good of the their friends and neighbors.  

98-16

FIFTY YEARS AGO IN TREUTLEN COUNTY - 1948

Fifty years ago, Treutlen County was just recovering from World War II.  Some of its young sons were still serving in the armed forces halfway around the world.   Some of them were just being brought home from temporary graves for a fitting burial. 

The Class of '48 had quite an active year.  Senior Class officers were Durden Mullis, President; Bill Gillis, vice-president, and Billie Stewart, Sec./Treasurer.  Tiny Maud Knight was voted the prettiest girl at Soperton High.  Durden Mullis was selected as the handsomest boy. Leecy A. Williamson and Durden Mullis were chosen as the best all around, Madlyn Meeks and William Durden as the most intellectual, and Leecy A. Williamson and Arthur Evans, the most athletic.  The school colors were red and black.  The class motto was "Find a Way, or Make One."  Carolyn Giles and C.M. Lively were the most popular kids in the school.  Joann Bridges, Joan Phillips, Betty Williamson, Billie Stewart, and Betty Giles were chosen to the all state orchestra which performed in Atlanta.  The band won a superior rating at the District Band Festival.  By the beginning of the fall term, school enrollment has swelled to an all-time high of 775, due mainly to the consolidation with the Junior High School at Gillis' Springs.

The members of the Senior Class put on the play "Give Me Credit."  Mary Reeves directed the action performed by Bill McGowan, Margaret Warnock, Durden Mullis, William Durden, Carolyn Giles, Marilyn Thigpen, Lady Darley, Tiny Maud Knight, Gene Darley, Grace Gillis, and Junior Claxton. Madlyn Meeks was the class valedictorian and Margaret Warnock was selected as salutatorian.  The outstanding class of seniors was awarded a senior trip to Washington, D.C.. The trip also included side trips to the U.S. Naval Academy, Williamsburg, Monticello, Luray Caverns, the Shenondoah Valley, and Myrtle Beach.  Wow!  All I ever got was two days at Lake Sinclair.

Highlights of the year included Dr. Thomas J. O'Conner's opening of a veterinary hospital in Soperton, the increase of farm property values to 1.7 million dollars, and the opening of a Studebaker Auto Agency by C.E. Gillis, Frank Graham, and Charles Gillis.  Charles Ricks opened a new dry goods store.  In March, "Gone With the Wind" played to overflow crowds at the Pal Theater.

The largest new business was the Freezer Locker Plant, which opened with five hundred lockers.  A modern feed and seed store was erected on the Swainsboro Highway.  The Soperton Shirt Factory celebrated its second anniversary with a payroll that soared to sixteen hundred dollars  per week.  The Bank of Soperton, in its forty fifth year, saw its assets rise to 1.63 million dollars.  The Courson Floral Shop completed its new greenhouse and shop.  The phone and water systems were modernized. The Altamaha Bridge opened in Uvalda and made trips to South Georgia that much easier. The Boy Scouts were reorganized by the Lions Club.    The year ended with a move to build a modern hospital in Soperton.  

Treutlen County residents were continuing their tradition of serving others.  James Lawton was chosen to head the March of Dimes Campaign.  Charles Ricks served as chairman of the Red Cross Drive.  Jim Peterson, the mayor of Soperton, was reappointed to the State Board of Regents.  Mrs. Gertrude Proctor became the new Home Demonstration Agent.  J. Wendell Moore began his term as County Agent.  Wm. M. Bates was chosen as the managing editor of the University of Georgia student newspaper, "The Red and Black."

Elaine Hatcher represented the State of Georgia at the National 4-H convention in Kansas City.

Civic organizations were flourishing.  The ladies of Soperton organized the Order of the Eastern Star with Alma M. Harris, Worthy Matron, Louise C. Thigpen, Associate Matron, Rubye M. Barwick, Secretary, and Mrs. Fagey T. Estroff, Treasurer.  Other officers included Helen Mixon, Mrs. R.D. Perry, Kathleen Barwick, Lava Barwick, Bessie Barwick, Elizabeth Warnock, Nora Avery, Sadye Stewart, Pearl Wheeler, and Mildred Hilton.  The Woman's Business and Professional Club was organized with Malleye Johnson and Mrs. Clifford Thigpen as the two top officers.

The new officers of the American Legion post were Carlton Warnock, Commander; Delmas Wheeler, Adjutant; Will Peterson, Jr., Vice Commander; Alton Brinson, E. Blount, and Roeldon Mosley, Vice Commanders.  I. H. Hall, Jr. was the Finance Officer.  Mrs. A.O. Brinson was President of the Ladies Auxillary. Lewis Moxley, Commander; John P. Smith, Past Commander; Andrew Posey, Lieutenant; and Harvey Spivey, Banker, were the officers of the Woodmen of the World.  D.Z. Lindsey was President of the Lions Club.  Other officers were Will Peterson, Sec./Treasurer and Jim Peterson, Publicity Director.

Politics were a big as ever in 1948.  Herman Talmadge gave a non-political speech at the courthouse during the May Day Festival. He spoke on patriotism and the need to stop the communist movement in America.  After the speech,  the faculty of Soperton High staged a woman-less wedding at the Pal Theater.  Former Governor E.D. Rivers came to speak at the Courthouse on behalf of Gov. M.E. Thompson.  Rivers chided the Talmadge family for only paving 2.5 miles of Treutlen County roads during the Talmadge regime, while Thompson boasted seventy five  miles of paved roads in the county during his term in office.  The plan didn't work.  Herman Talmadge won the governor's race and carried Treutlen County by a margin of four to one.  One Treutlen County man reaped the benefits of supporting the new governor.  James L. Gillis, Sr., was appointed as the new head of the Highway Department by Gov. Talmadge shortly after he was sworn in.  "Mr. Jim" Gillis went on to become a legend in the Department of Transportation.

This column is dedicated to my friend, the late Judge Clayton Stephens, who dearly loved Treutlen County.  In 1948, Clayton had one of the best times in his life when he celebrated his 7th birthday with all of his friends at a party given by his grandmother Stephens.

98-17

THE EARLY SPANISH EXPLORATIONS

INTO EAST CENTRAL GEORGIA

Following the maiden voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492, Spanish explorers eventually made it to what would become the United States.  The recorded history of the Indian in North America begins with the coming of the Spanish Explorers.  In early March of 1540, Hernando de Soto led an expedition from northwestern Florida in a northeasterly direction toward the Augusta area.  For most of this century, historians have debated the true route of de Soto.  It is generally accepted that his destination was Cofitachiqui near Silver Bluff on the Savannah River, which was located near present day Augusta.  The route he took to Augusta has never been conclusively proved.  There are two basic theories as to the route.  One theory holds that De Soto crossed the Ocmulgee at Macon and then proceeded northeast to Augusta, crossing the Oconee along the Upper Uchee Trail in lower Baldwin County at Oconee Old Town.

Dr. John Swanton and others drew a different conclusion. Swanton believed De Soto took a more direct path to Cofitachiqui on the Savannah River.  A direct line from Tallahassee to Augusta runs through Laurens County.  Swanton theorized that De Soto traveled through Dougherty and Crisp counties and crossed the Ocmulgee in the Abbeville area.  From there, he turned north for a short distance up to Hawkinsville.  He then followed a trail, later known as the Lower Uchee Trail, to Carr's Shoals on the Oconee River.  Carr's Shoals is located a quarter of mile east of Blackshear's Ferry.  The river at the shoals was filled with rocks and would have made an ideal crossing place.  Swanton claims that the description of Carr's Shoals matches the description given by Rodrigo Ranjel, De Soto's secretary.   Ranjel described the crossing as very rough, but thankfully, only a few pigs were lost.  The weary Spanish spent the night on a hill not far from the river.  Is this the hill which for the last two centuries has been known as Carr's Bluff?  From Carr's Shoals,  he would have followed the trail on to Silver Bluff on the Savannah River.

On April 4, 1540, DeSoto and his men came to the Ocmulgee River.  The name of the place was known to the Indians as Allapaha or Altamaha.  The name "Altamaha" may be a derivative of "To Tama."  Luys Hernandez De Biedma, one of DeSoto's men, recounted "that after traveling three days, we came to the Province of Allapaha.  Here we found a river with a course not southwardly, like the rest we had passed, but eastwardly to the sea."  If this account is to be believed,  the crossing of the Ocmulgee could only have been below Abbeville, where the Ocmulgee turns from a southerly direction to an easterly direction.  

Although its location is conjectural, many place the Indian province of Ocute in Laurens County.   Ocute is the Hitchitee word for "place of the green frog."  If Ocute was located within Laurens County, all signs of the province have been obliterated.  DeSoto reached Ocute on the 10th of April.  Upon reaching Ocute, DeSoto was met by nearly two thousand Indians carrying presents, corn, turkeys, birds, and dogs.  The Spaniards spent two days there.  It is said that in Ocute DeSoto astounded the people by pointing a cannon at a tree, and with two shots, cutting it down.  Before leaving he presented the cannon to the chief, because it was too heavy to carry across the river.

The debate over DeSoto's route will never be settled.  It seems likely that he would have followed the direct route as shown on a map included in Arrendo's "Historical Proof of Spain's Title to Georgia." Then again, he may have been guided by the trails leading to the well populated area of the Macon plateau.  Another possibility is that he traveled over the Lower Uchee Trail and then turned north crossing the Oconee at Old Oconee Town, or Cofaqui, as it is sometimes called.  In any event, it seems likely that DeSoto passed through or on the outer edges of what was once Laurens County.

After DeSoto's visit, more expeditions were made into the Georgia coastal plains.  The Yamassee village of Tama, or Altamaha, is said to have been at the forks of the Oconee and Ocmulgee Rivers, in or near what was once the lower portion of Laurens County. In 1597, Fathers Pedro Fernandez Chozas and Francisco Velascola made an eight day horseback journey to the villages of Tama and Ocute and returned with tales of the Diamond Mountain.    Some authorities believed that Tama was located at the mouth of the Oconee River, and Ocute was located in northern Laurens County.  Modern authorities tend to believe that the two towns were located further north in Baldwin County and above.  

On the trip they carried thirty infidel Indians to protect against an attack by other Indians.  The Spaniards described the area as poor, much like DeSoto had called the area a desert.  Chozas,  in an effort to impress the Indians, would usually bring out a cross to each tribe’s Chief and have him plant it  in a plaza.   On one occasion, after Chozas preached to the tribe, the rains came and the Indians were converted to Christianity.    The Indians showered Chozas and his men with gifts to show there gratitude.    On the return from Ocute to Tama, they were attacked and narrowly escaped with their scalps.  Only a volley of gunfire saved the priests.  According to a map of Spanish expeditions, Chozas and Velascola traveled from a Guale mission opposite Sapelo Island on the Georgia coast and crossed the Oconee about ten miles below Dublin.  From there, they headed west for several miles before striking a trail supposedly taken by DeSoto a century earlier.    Another theory is that Chozas traveled in a virtually straight line to Tama and then returned along the eastern banks of the Oconee River until they reached Cumberland Island. That path would have taken them through eastern Laurens County.     The exact route of the expedition will never be truly known.    It appears that a second mission planned in 1600 was never made.

Five years later in 1602, Father Juan de Lara was sent out from St. Catherine's to investigate reports of survivors of previous expeditions in the Yamassee lands between the Oconee and Ocmulgee.    One map shows that  De Lara  followed Chozas's trail to the Oconee but turned north along the western limits of Laurens County and moved north to the Wilkinson/Baldwin County area.   Upon reaching Ocute and Tama, De Lara discovered no evidence of any Spanish missionaries or explorers being killed.   They carried some of Chozas’ stones with them in an effort to find veins of gold and silver.    The expedition made it about two hundred miles into the interior to Tama and thence sixty more miles to Ocute.   Lara described this land as fertile,  with many chestnuts, plums, and persimmons.  He noted that the men wore no gold, silver, or pearls and that the women wore shawls made of hemp.   On the return trip, Lara probably traveled down the banks of the Oconee River through Laurens County. 

Throughout the 17th Century, the Spanish contemplated establishing a mission at Tama.  A mission was established in 1680 but was shortly closed.  By this time, Tama was located at the forks of the Oconee and Ocmulgee Rivers.  Further expeditions were never as successful; and eventually, the interior of Georgia fell into the hands of the British government. 

98-18

BAD DAY AT BAKER’S CREEK

This week marks the one hundred thirty-fifth anniversary of the Battle of Baker’s Creek (also known as the Battle of Champion’s Hill to Southerners.)   As Civil War battles go, it doesn’t rate near the top of the list of the most important battles.  You probably have never even heard of it.  Before the day ended, it would be the most bloody and vicious battle of the war for more than one hundred and fifty Laurens County men of the 57th Georgia Infantry .  More men in the regiment  were killed on that one day than in the entire war.  Almost as many men in the 57th were wounded that day than in the four years of fighting.  The date was May 16th, 1863.  The place was Baker’s Creek near Champion’s Hill in Hinds County, Mississippi.  Ironically the battle took place within a few miles of U.S. Highway 80 between Jackson and Vicksburg and also runs through the heart of Laurens County.   

The 57th Georgia was organized in May of 1862.  Company B and Company C of the regiment were formed in Laurens County.   Some of the soldiers, like the Garnto brothers, were residents of western Johnson County.  Company I was formed by soldiers from Laurens and Wilkinson County.  Lt. Col. Cinncinatus Saxon Guyton of Laurens County was second in command of the regiment.  

Vicksburg, Mississippi, according to most military authorities, was the key to entire Civil War.  Its commanding heights allowed Confederate artillery to control shipping up and down the Mississippi River.  On the 13th of May, Gen. Johnston, C.S.A., decided to unite his forces in one concentrated attack on the forces of U.S. Grant.  Johnston ordered Gen. Pemberton to attack the Federals at Clinton, east of Vicksburg.  The plan failed.  The Confederates began a retreat toward  Vicksburg.  On the night of the 15th, Pemberton’s forces were camped at a crossroads south of Champion’s Hill.  Federal forces were surging ahead, moving by their right flank.   The Confederates did an about face and turned toward what they thought was the rear of the Yankee column.   Before the maneuver could be completed, Pemberton’s men ran head long into the advancing Federal troops.  

The 57th , under the command of Gen. Stevenson, took the left.   His mission was to protect the wagon trains on the Clinton Road.   Just as the 57th had formed in their lines, the skirmishers of Hovey’s Division engaged them near the foot of the hill on the Champion plantation.    About 10:30, the Federal skirmishers began their advance up the hill.  Two  more brigades, McGinnis’ and Slack’s, were thrown into action against Stevenson.   By noon, Federal forces were attacking Stevenson’s entire front.  The Confederates were forced to retreat for six hundred  yards.  Three hundred prisoners were taken and eleven artillery pieces were lost.   With their backs in the woods, the Confederates rallied and forced the Federals back down the hill.   

As the afternoon progressed, fresh Union troops were brought in.  The 57th and the other regiments under Stevenson’s command were falling, one after another.   The Union forces advanced and took the hill.   Stevenson and his men were forced further to the right.  Stevenson reported that he was outnumbered nearly ten to one.   Years after the war, John L. Keen of Brewton wrote. “In this battle, our First Lieutenant was killed and several others of our regiment.  The color bearer was shot down, and the next man hoisted the flag;  he was suddenly shot down until the third man was killed .”  The men found themselves cut off from the main body of the Confederate  army.  The tide of the battle began to turn.  On the north side of the battle field, elements of Logan’s division had advanced to the top of the hill.  Stevenson found his entire division cut off from the main body.   He was forced to make a long sweeping detour to the South.  They arrived the next day with no baggage, cooking utensils, or wagons at Crystal Springs.  

The Union Army was victorious.  The battle at Baker’s Creek or Champion’s Hill was devastating to the 57th.   The casualties totaled forty killed, ninety-six wounded, and forty- eight prisoners of war.    It was the worst day for any Laurens County company in the war.  The carnage was more savage than their fellow Laurens Countians had suffered at Gettysburg, Spottsylvania, and Fredericksburg.  1st Lt. Virgil C. Manning of Laurens County was the highest ranking officer killed in the battle.   5th Sgt. Washington Hobbs, and privates, Wilkinson C. Price, John L. Stewart, Jordan Surmons, Alonzo Walker, John Walker, and James R. Witherington were also killed.  

Fielding J. Bass, John English, Fielding Fordham, Thomas Garnto, Martin Hightower, John Hobbs, Larry Hobbs, Thomas Holmes, Aaron Hutchinson, Joshua Hutchinson, David Maddux, Alfred L. Morgan, Moses L. Pope, Sr., F.J. Ross, Samuel F. Scarborough, Richard N. Smith, Wingfield B. Smith, William M. Snellgrove, Joshua J. Underwood, Wingfield W. Underwood, Thomas B. Winham, and Green S. Young were wounded.  Some of these men, like Thomas Garnto, had limbs amputated.  Garnto’s amputation was performed by a Union surgeon after he was captured and while he lay dying on the battlefield along side privates Ross and Richard Smith.   Smith was taken to Ft. Delaware and died there in prison.   Thomas White and Elbert Underwood were also captured. 

With the news of the battle and its toll, the citizens of Laurens County went into mourning.  A memorial service was held at Boiling Springs Methodist Church. The church is still located across the road from the old muster grounds where Company B trained in preparation for war.  The members took it especially hard, since James Boatright, a member of the community had been killed.  

  The Battle of Baker’s Creek proved to be the turning point in the Vicksburg Campaign.  Federal Forces had tried for over a year to capture the strategic port city.  The seven week siege of Vicksburg  was about to begin.   On July 4th, the city of Vicksburg fell,  just one day after Lee’s defeat at Gettysburg.   The tide of the war turned in favor of the United States.  All 342 remaining members of the 57th Georgia, along with all of the defenders of Vicksburg, were captured.  The men were paroled after a couple of months.  They returned to Georgia, disheartened and demoralized.  The 57th was sent to Savannah where they fought a battle on Whitemarsh Island in February, 1864.   From there they were transferred to Andersonville, where they served as prison guards until the spring.  The 57th also participated in the battles of the Atlanta Campaign, seeing the most action at Kennesaw Mountain, Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, and Jonesboro.  In the last major engagement of the Army of the Tennessee, they lost fifteen men at Bentonville, North Carolina.  

On April 26, 1865 the 57th Georgia,  now part of the 1st Georgia Consolidated Infantry surrendered at Greensboro, North Carolina.  The long journey home began.  The fighting, the dying, the starving, and suffering was over - finally.  The bodies of the dead never made it home from Baker’s Creek.  They lie in unmarked graves somewhere between the creek and Vicksburg, known only to God.  

98-19

JOHNSON COUNTY - 80 YEARS AGO - 1918

Johnson Countians began the year of 1918 fearing the oncoming war in Europe.  By the end of the year, they were thanking God that the war had ended and praying for those who had died during the influenza epidemic that struck the entire country.

The year began on an unusual note.  There was one light snowfall followed two days later by a heavier one.   The fifty fifth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation was celebrated in the Black churches  throughout the County.  Although it was an quiet year as  far as news goes, there were some highlights.  The Duff Brothers Company bought 776 acres of land at the unheard of price of forty dollars per acre, making a record sale price of thirty- one thousand dollars.  Sam A. Woods, the popular president of the Bank of Kite died.  Lou Ella Hall finished the year with a one hundred average at Liberty Grove School.  The Vivola Theater in Wrightsville under the management of E.A.W. Johnson and J. Frank Jackson featured a week long performance by the Anderson Gunn Comedy Troop.  In December, a special showing of “Birth of a Nation” was shown at the Vivola.   At the time, it was the greatest movie ever made.    A highlight of the political season was a speech by William Schley Howard.  Howard, a four term congressman, was seeking a seat in the United States Senate.  Howard began his law practice in Wrightsville in the office of Alexander Daley.   Capt. Thomas W. Kent, Co. F. 48th Ga. Infantry,  a member of the “Immortal Six Hundred" Confederate Prisoners of War, died on the first day of summer.  His comrade and fellow captain in the 48th Ga. , Capt. Alexander C. Flanders, survived him, and from his sick bed near Kite  remained a patriotic and religious inspiration to many folks.   Uncle Henry G. Wheeler of Kite, a veteran of the Civil War, and his wife celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary.   The Mt. Vernon Baptist Association held its general meeting at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church just after Christmas. 

World War I was on the minds of all Johnson Countians.   Many of the county’s young men were volunteering or being drafted into service.    One of the reasons for our country’s success during the war was the support of private individuals through the War Savings Program, Liberty Loans, and the American Red Cross.  All of these programs were extremely successful in the county.   Johnson County led the entire twelfth Congressional District in War Savings Stamps contributions.  Joe H. Rowland led the campaigns in the third and fourth Liberty Loan Drives.   Liberty Festivals were held in Wrightsville, Kite, and Scott.  Among those leading the drives were Mrs. S.P. Rice, Mrs. E.E. Daley, Mrs. Frank Sinquefield, Mrs. Millard Daley, and Mrs. R.P. Hicks.   In the third drive, Johnson Countians donated $161,000.00 which was nearly $22,000.00 above their quota.   Dr. J.G. Brantley served as Fuel Administrator of the County.  Judge William Faircloth served as Food Administrator of the County.   A war relic train, full of relics from the war in Europe, was parked near the depot to promote the campaign.   As a part of the war effort, the Federal government took over the operation of the Wrightsville and Tennille Railroad.  An essay contest was held among Johnson County students.   The winner of the contest, Ruby Smith, was awarded the grand prize three year subscription to the Wrightsville Headlight.  Cited for special achievements in their school were Jerradine Brinson of Wrightsville High and Stella Haines of Spann High.  The leaders of the Red Cross in Adrian were Col. T.P. Stephens, Mrs. L.D. Bradley, Mrs. G.E. Youmans, and Mrs. S.H. Lynch.   Membership in the organization approached 500.

Hundreds of Johnson County men served in the Armed Forces during the war.  Isaac H. Archer, Guy A. Faircloth, David Morgan, Arthur Bryan Rowland, and Wade Gordon Sanders served as officers in the United States Army.      Service records of these and other veterans of the war can be found in the World War I book in the Johnson County Clerk’s Office. 

Seventeen men lost their lives during the war.  They were: Metford Broxton, William Cain, Henry C. Collins, Obie Davis, Scola Davis, Claude L.  Dela, Reason Walden Downs, Tommie Dudley, Charlie Hicks, Ushill Hurst, Leland Hutcheson, Sandy Irwin, Louis Morris, Zeffoe Peeples, Boston Reese, Lonnie Steptoe, and Verdie L. Tapley.  Tapley and Morris died on pneumonia at Camp Gordon near Atlanta - five weeks before the end of the war.     

Fifteen men enlisted in the United States Navy.  They were Eugene Attaway, Remus Fulford, William M. Hawes, William L. Holmes, Henry H. Holt, Thomas E. Jenkins, John C. Logue, Ellis H. Mayo, Stephen F. New, June M. Price, Thomas J. Renfroe, Wesley H. Sheppard, William M. Snell, James R. Tanner, and Lonzie T. Williams.

Just before the end of the war, a nationwide influenza swept across the nation.  Johnson County was particularly hard hit.  It was said that so many people were sick, that there wasn’t enough help to bury the dead.    The deadly disease struck everyone from infants to Civil War veterans.  In a couple of weeks young adults  Don Kent, Ben Martin, Mrs. Oscar Daley, Mrs. S.L. Powell, Bishop Price, (the latter two being sister and brother) all died.  Price survived his 3 year old daughter by a day.  His wife and another child were also sick.  Uncle John W. Snell, a veteran of the Civil War, died two days short of his 81st birthday.  Buried in Liberty Grove Cemetery on the same day were Mrs. C.H. Kinnon and William Riley. 

The tradition of good times at Idylwild continued.  A singing convention with religious singing groups from all of the state was held there in April.  On July 4th, the Farmers Union put on a big event.   Leading agricultural and political figures turned out for the event.  Two Georgia Agriculture Commissioners, Charles Barrett and J.J. Brown, spoke to large crowds who came out for a day of good eating, swimming, baseball, and political speeches.  

Among the businesses in Wrightsville that year were Butterly Brothers Feed and Seed, Jacob Kaplan Gen. Mdse., Buckeye Grocery, Idle Hour Ice Cream Parlor, Otho Tanner, Mgr.,  J.H. Rowland Lumber Mill and Oakland Autos, Idle Hour Rest., City Garage and Maxwell Autos, Wrightsville Pressing Club, Brinson’s Drug Store, J.O. and B.B. Tanner’s Overland Autos, H.C. Thompkins Dept. Store, W.H. Paul Cash Grocery, J.M. Burris Cash Junk Co., Lovett Hotel, Union Grocery, Jenkins Pharmacy, A.L. Hatcher Loan Co., Faircloth and Claxton Loan Co., Southern Bell, Jack Robinson-watch maker, J.M. Layton Shoe Store, H.M. Kandy Kitchen, B.B. Hayes, Mgr., Stephens and Sumner Mechanics, Mrs. J.V. Snell’s Chickens and Eggs, J.F Henderson Groc., Grady Cox, Mgr., L.A. Lovett Tires, Grafanolas and Bicycles, C.D. Kavakos and F.C. Lord’s Busy Bee Restaurants John J. Duff Optometry, Wrightsville and Dublin Furn. Co., H. Caneega Gro., and  Otis Sumner and D.O. Young Gro.  Among the professionals were attorneys C.S. Claxton, Al Hatcher, and B.H. Moye; physicians J.W. Brinson, Sr., and J.G. Brantley.   

98-20

THE MARTIANS ARE COMING!

The thought of life from other worlds has intrigued and mystified us for over half a century.   Since the radio broadcast of “War of the Worlds” in the late 1930s, we have wondered about what aliens would look like.  What would their spacecrafts look like?  What would they be like?  Would they be friendly?   These questions and many others were on the minds of Laurens Countians in the early 1950s.   Hardly a week went by that there was no mention of someone spotting a “flying saucer.”

The beginning of the sightings began in 1947.  The most famous was the reported landing and recovery of a flying saucer and its crew in Roswell, New Mexico.  For the next two years, governmental agencies were flooded with reports of unidentified flying objects.  The Air Force issued a report at the end of the 1940s, discounting the sightings of three hundred seventy five UFOs.  The report termed the sightings as “misrepresentations of various conventional objects as a mild form of mass hysteria or simple hoaxes.”  They were often  identified as weather balloons or airplanes.  Those who saw them knew they were more than that - at least they were some sort of secret government project.   Prof. Giuseppe Beluzzo, of Rome, told reporters that Hitler and Mussolini began the development of “flying saucers” in 1943.

In February of 1950, the U.S. was testing high altitude V-2 rockets over White Sands, New Mexico.  As Spring approached, sightings began coming in from all over the country.  The reports were not coming from some yahoo looking for attention.  They were coming from reliable sources.   Six members of the “Orangeburg Press” saw a saucer which hovered over Orangeburg, S.C. for fifteen minutes before taking off at a high rate of speed.  The reporters spotting a large vapor trail behind the object.  Capt. Jack Adams of Chicago Airlines had been skeptical of flying saucers.  One night while flying over Arkansas, Adams and his co-pilot spotted an usual object flying near their plane.  Adams described it as a peculiarly colored object with windows, shaped like a Chinese “coolie” hat.  Adams stated that the object had an intensely bright blinking light on top of it.  He followed it for a short time before the craft speed away at speeds in excess of five hundred miles per hour.  Bertram Tottin, a veteran pilot, spotted a saucer, forty feet in diameter, while flying over Fairfax Co., Va.   Actor Reed Hadley and friends, observed a saucer  through Hadley’s telescope in Van Nuys, California.  They estimated it was fifty feet in diameter. 

Suddenly, “UFO fever” started sweeping the nation.  One radio show host penned this humorous poem:  “Bridget O’ Toole was nobody’s fool, for no man could boss her.  Her husband tried, but suddenly died, killed by a flying saucer.”  More and more sightings were reported through the wire service.

On the 31st of March, the sightings of “flying saucers” came a lot closer to home.  In the late afternoon several persons spotted a mysterious object over Dublin.  They all swore it was a “flying saucer.”  The witnesses described the object as an arc of white light running diagonally across Jackson Street.  The object sailed across the sky from south to north.  All of sudden, it darted upward,  leaving a large vapor trail.   Vapor trails in those days were not as common a sight in the skies as today.  The sighting was very similar to the one three weeks earlier in Orangeburg, South Carolina.  It was a mere coincidence that the version of the sightings appeared in the April 1st edition of “The Dublin Courier Herald.”  It was no April Fool’s Joke.

 

Sightings continued through out the month of April.  At this time, Air Force officials were still denying the existence of alien spacecraft.   Many aviation experts stated that they must be a type of flying disc being developed by the U.S. Navy.   Still others thought the crafts might actually be the top secret XF-5U-1 plane, known as “The Flying Phantom.”  Still another “flying saucer was seen in the Hawaiian Islands in early April.

David Lightfoot, a twelve year old boy from Amarillo, Texas, found a craft lying on the ground.  As he reached out to touch it, he told  authorities that it sprayed him with some kind of gas.  The boy claimed the gas caused severe skin irritations to the his arms and legs.  The same day Deputy Sheriff Ted Cross of Monterrey, California spotted a saucer.  Another reliable report came  in from Buffalo, New York, when Daniel Williams, a reservist in the U.S. Army observed a brightly lit saucer in the sky.

Eventually the frequency of the sightings began to decrease.  Although there are still reports of flying saucers today - many of which are now being video taped, they are nothing in comparison to  the frenzy which swept across our nation in the late 1940s and early 1950s.   There was one other reported U.F.O. over Laurens County in the early 1970s.   It turned out to be a weather balloon.   Many people saw another series of objects in the early 1970s which they thought to be from outer space.  The objects were multi colored and appeared in the southwestern sky of Laurens County  right before sunset.  The were not solid objects at all, but a mixture of different gases, which were ignited aloft for observation of wind currents.  Sometimes when the light is just right and the space shuttle or the Soviet Space Station Myr is in the right orbit, one can see it flying overhead.   Although no one saw it because the entire flight was made during daytime, Astronaut John Glenn, passed over lower Laurens County in his third orbit of the Earth in 1962.  

The true identity of these mysterious objects will probably remain a mystery for decades to come.  Some of them were indeed military craft or weather balloons.    The magnitude of the sightings has to raise some presumption of the existence of objects from other worlds.  The sightings led to the making of several cult science fiction classic movies in the early 50s.  Movies like “War of the Worlds,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” “When Worlds Collide,” and “The Man from Planet X” were big hits at the box office.   The popularity of “aliens on earth” movies continued in the 1970s with “Close Encounters of the Second Kind,” “E.T.,” and “Independence Day” are among the top grossing films of all time.

Man’s  need to gather knowledge and to explore the most distant celestial objects has led to a multitude of scientific advances.  The sky is the only limit we have.  Out of the billions of galaxies, intelligent life is likely to exist.  The barrier between us remains the vast distances between solar systems.   Consider how far we have come in the last fifty years.  Remember when some scoffed at the square shaped computer discs and hand held communicators on “Star Trek” over thirty years ago.  Just imagine.

98-21

KEWANEE 

The Largest Peach Orchard in the World.

In the month of June, we all look forward to our first taste of that delicious Georgia delicacy, the peach.  One hundred years ago, Laurens County boasted that within its borders was the largest peach orchard in the world.                             

Kewanee, in its prime, was a bustling community in Laurens County, although it never had a railroad or a bank.  Kewanee sprang up along the banks of Rocky Creek in the community centered around Rocky Creek Baptist Church.  Today Kewanee is located on Highway 338 south of Dudley, along the northern banks of the creek.   Rocky Creek Church was established in 1812 by Alexander Stringer, Simon Stringer, and Richard Barlow among others.  The store of Andrew Hampton thrived in the area during the 1830's.  Kewanee was also situated on an old road, commonly known as the "Chicken Road."  The name of the road may have been derived from the Chickasaw Indians.  The road runs from Old Hartford, east of present day Hawkinsville, through Kewanee and on to Dublin passing through or near Sumpterville and down the present day Moore's Station Road to Bellevue Road.

In the latter quarter of the 19th Century, two railroad barons, Col. John M. Stubbs of Dublin and Dudley M. Hughes of Danville purchased large tracts of land in northwestern Laurens County between Montrose and Kewanee.  Part of those lands were located on Rocky Creek in the area where it intersects the Chicken Road.  Both Stubbs and Hughes were fascinated by orchards.  They planted several thousand trees on the sandy rolling terrain near Montrose.  In the late summer of 1897, an Indiana company approached Hughes about participating in a venture to establish a large peach orchard.  Hughes, along with Ervin L. Dennard and Carrie H. Hill, sold 1019 acres to the Georgia Fruit-Land Company on September 19, 1897.  The price was ten dollars per acre for this tract and all of the other lands to follow.  The company purchased 1013.5 acres on March 31, 1898.  A year after the original purchase,  the company purchased another tract of 1112.5 acres from Hughes and his family.  The company purchased its final two tracts of 976 acres and 685 acres on April 7, 1899, from Hughes, et al and from Thomas H. Rowe on December 5, 1899.  J.J. Hale, head of the U.S. Census Horticulture Department, praised the growing conditions in the orchard, comparing them favorably to the orchards of southern California.   

The Georgia Fruit-Land Company was capitalized with $100,000.00 of capital stock.  The goal of the company was to develop several thousand acres of Elberta peach trees divided into twenty acre tracts.  Investors could purchase a tract for twelve hundred dollars.  The investor would pay $10.00 per month for no more than sixty months.  The balance of the purchase price would be paid from the tract's profits.  The company assumed the responsibility of planting and caring for the trees.  On average, one hundred and thirty four trees were planted on an acre of land.  Under ideal conditions, the trees would begin to bear fruit after three years. The promoters promised an annual income up to two thousand dollars on each tract.  With the aid of Dudley Hughes, the residential manager, the company planned to build spur tracks to the Macon, Dublin, and Savannah railroad to the northwest and to the Hawkinsville Division of the Wrightsville and Tennille Railroad to the southeast.  The company envisioned a canning plant, a crate factory, and an evaporator.  To utilize the waste products from the canning plant, the company planned to erect a vinegar plant.

Mr. Cunningham of Chicago served as president of the company as well as President of the American Fruit Grower's Union.  Vice President C.F.W. Neely and Secretary Fred L. Dresser worked at the company's headquarters in Muncie, Indiana.  J.R. Preston was assigned to superintend the orchard at Kewanee.  In the company newsletter, Preston described Kewanee as a virtual garden, with wild flowers, flowering trees and vines, and numerous kinds of fruit trees.

Almost overnight, a community of orchard workers arose.  A post office was established on June 21, 1898, with Carrie B. Rude as postmistress.  The post office operated until May of 1904.  The old Rocky Creek Baptist Church was revived.  A hotel was built to accommodate visitors.  Col. Stubbs erected a large canning plant in anticipation of the first crop.

As many as eighty thousand trees were planted in the first year. A freeze killed many of the young trees within a year.  In the winter of 1899, nearly three hundred fifty thousand trees were planted, making the Kewanee orchard the largest peach orchard in the world. Just as the trees began to grow, they were infested by San Jose scale insects.  These little insects sucked the juice out of the trees destroying over a hundred thousand dollars worth of trees.  The owners could not recover.  The project was abandoned and the property was sold for taxes.

Almost a soon as it began, the Kewanee orchard faded into obscurity.  Today, a few peach trees remain scattered throughout the woods and fields. They are the only surviving signs of the world's largest peach orchard in Kewanee, Laurens County, Georgia.

98-22

50 YEARS OF GOLF AT THE DUBLIN COUNTRY CLUB

Today marks the 50th anniversary of golf at the Dublin Country Club.  Several million rounds have been played on the historic course.   Golf began its rise in popularity in our community in the years following World War I.  Today it is at the top of individual sports in Laurens County.  Our county is home to four golf courses at Dublin Country Club, Riverview, Green Acres, and Forstmann.  

On October 23, 1921, the Dublin Country Club, Inc., was incorporated by H.G. Stevens, E.G. Simmons, and F.B. Reins.  The group built a nine hole course along Hillcrest Parkway between Kroger and Brookhaven Drive.  A commodious clubhouse was built by the pond which is now in St. Andrews Subdivision.  The course featured greens which were actually not greens at all.  The were constructed out of sand, which had to be raked level after playing the hole.  

After the end of World War II, the golfers of Dublin sought to build a new country club.  The old club had served them well for a quarter of a century but had fallen into poor repair during the war.  Theater magnate, Roy Martin, guaranteed all funds necessary to build a new club.  Martin built the nine-hole course and clubhouse and leased it back to the Country Club until 1950.  The new club was located on the Blackshear's Ferry Road just above the amusement park at Sessions Lake.  Al Leacoy, a nationally known golf pro, was in charge of the course construction.   Of the originals holes, No. 1 was the longest at 525 yards.  No. 7 was the shortest at 132 yards.   Nos. 2,4, and 6 had water hazards.  The charter meeting was held on January 4, 1946.  Membership was limited to fifty men and women.  The original course had nine holes, a putting green, and a driving range.  Marshall Chapman, J. Felton Pierce, and Paul W. Alexander were the members of the Golf Course Committee.  The club house featured complete showers, locker rooms, a dining room, a club room, kitchen, and workshop.  The officers of the club were Blue Holleman, president; Earl Hilburn, vice-president; Cecil E. Carroll, 2nd vice-president; J.H. Winn, secretary;  and Grady Hansen, treasurer.  H.C. Tharpe, Marshall A. Chapman, J. Felton Pierce, and Paul W. Alexander were the directors.  A dance was held to christen the clubhouse on June 23, 1948.  The course was opened  shortly after. In the fall of 1965, nine more holes were added, giving Dublin an eighteen hole course.   

Charlie Weir was a typical thirteen-year old of the 1950s.  He had never played golf in his life.  His friends, R.L. Tindol, III, and Ed Caldwell invited him to come out and try the game at the Country Club.  When it came time to tee off at the par three, seventh hole, Charlie took a three wood since he knew nothing of clubs and their average distance per swing.  Charlie sent a high arching shot in the direction of the hole and all of a sudden it came down right in the cup.  The young boy achieved the golfer's ultimate goal, a hole-in-one, in his first game of golf.  Charlie was quoted as saying, "I am sure why the grown folks around the club can't score better; they just don't use enough club."

Hole in ones are relatively rare on a golf course.  Consider the odds of two brothers, one playing just behind the other on the same course making a hole in one on the same day. On  May 19, 1960,  Clayton Cordell was playing with Ed Bateman, Paul Alexander and Don Riley on the par three, seventh hole at the Dublin Country Club.  He lifted a high arching seven iron shot, which rolled into the cup one hundred thirty yards away from the pin.  His brother, Howard, was playing on number three.  Howard, playing with Jim Allgood, Bill Davis, and Ed Caldwell put the ball in the hole with one stroke of his wedge.  The Cordell brothers, both lefties, got the course's golfers pumped up when four men scored aces at the Club in the month of July.

Who said Friday the 13th is unlucky - certainly not Woody Sullivan.  Sullivan shot a fine 69 on a cool autumn afternoon in 1967.  His round included one birdie, an eagle on No.7, and a hole-in-one on No. 17.  By the way, it was his birthday too. 

Legendary lady golfers, Kathy Witworth and Carol Mann, put on a golf clinic at the Dublin Country Club on March 4, 1965.  The ladies were on a national tour sponsored by Wilson Sporting Goods.  Following the luncheon and clinic, Witworth and Mann played a nine hole exhibition round against Jeanelle Lovett and Mary Birdsong of the Dublin Ladies Golf Association. Jimmy Orr, star receiver of the University of Georgia and the Baltimore Colts, finished third in the fifth flight of the annual St. Patrick's Golf Tournament at the Dublin Country Club in 1972.   

Patty Berg's golf career took off in 1935, when she won the Minnesota State Amateur Tournament for Women.  Patty turned pro in 1940.  Over her career she won 57 tournaments.  Sixteen of her tour titles were major championships, more than any woman has ever won.  She was the Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year in 1938, 1943, and 1955.  She won the first U.S. Women's Open in 1946.   Patty won seven U.S. Titleholder titles as well as seven Western Open titles and one U.S. Amateur title.  On November 10, 1965, Patty Berg held a golf clinic at the Dublin Country Club.  After the clinic, Patty played a nine-hole exhibition round with several of Dublin's best women golfers.  She was once known as “The Bobby Jones of Women’s Golf.”  

Bert Greene, son of local golf pro Herb Greene,  who called Dublin home and won his first P.G.A. tour event at the L&M Open in 1973.   In 1978, J.P. Stevens began making the cloth for the famous "Green Jackets,"  which are awarded to the winners of the world's most prestigious golf tournament, the Masters.  Maury Beasley was a state golf champion in 1991 and 1993 and in between, defeated the legendary Tiger Woods in the Rolex Junior Classic. Bill Brown and Maury Beasley, both of whom have played as pro golfers, hold the course record of 61.   

       Dublin High Golfers during the period from 1962 to 1965 dominated their region.  In their first year of competition in 1961,  Coach Williams's foursome finished third in its region.  During the second year, Ritchie Cummings, state AA medalist, led the Irish to the state crown.  Playing with Cummings were Spec Hall, Robert Swinson, and Tom Perry.  In 1963, with Swinson out of commission, the team finished seventh in the state.  Playing on that team was Robbie Hahn, Tom Perry, Spec Hall, and Boyd Anderson.  In 1964, the Irish came from behind, making up eleven strokes in the last nine holes to tie Lovett High School.  On the first hole of the playoff, the Dublin boys, blew the Lovett boys off the course, capturing their second championship.   The Irish foursome, now under the leadership of Coach Marvin Tarpley and led by Swinson and Hall, saved their best for their last match.  In the 1965 final round, Swinson won the medalist honors with a five-under-par sixty seven.  Spec Hall, Robert Brown, and Robert Dunn shot good rounds, leading the Irish to a total score of 294, a school record at the time.  Swinson and Hall finished their careers with three state championships.  Swinson, known to his friends as "Rabble,"  was named the Middle Georgia Prep Golfer of the Year by The Macon News.   This column is dedicated to my friends who play the game.  I retired in 1974 with my best round, a 69.  That was on nine holes.  That’s why I retired.  Fore!

98-23

THE STORY OF CAPT. WILLIAM MCLEOD

 AND HIS JOURNEY HOME

Gen. Robert E. Lee decided in June 1863 that the only way he could defeat the Federal forces was with a strike into the North.  Lee's men, triumphant in victory after Chancellorsville, marched north through the cover of the Valley of Virginia into Pennsylvania.  Lee ordered a portion of his men to go to the crossroads town of Gettysburg to look for shoes for his men.  They had orders not to engage.  Little did they know that Gen. John Buford's Federal cavalry was moving toward them. What followed was  three of the most horrific and defining days in our country's history.

General John B. Gordon's Brigade was moving from Heidlersburg south to Gettysburg.  In mid afternoon, Lt. Col. William McLeod of the 38th Georgia anchored his regiment on Gordon's left along the Harrisburg Road.   As Gordon's men moved up, their lines broke while they were fording Rock Creek.   Col. McLeod led the charge up the slippery and rocky creek banks.  As McLeod was crossing the fence, he was struck in the right temple by a Federal mini ball and fell to the ground.  The fatal shot may have come from Pvt. Rich of the 153rd Pennsylvania.   The wound was mortal.  He was just twenty one years old.  The assault continued.  The Federals retreated.

Meanwhile back in McLeod's home of Emanuel County, his mamma and daddy, Mary and Neill McLeod, were sitting on the porch of their home.  It was a hot day - like most July days in the South.  Mary turned to Mr. McLeod and said, "I feel very sad today.  I have the feeling that William is not coming home."  Moments later the McLeods noticed a white dove fly in, landing on the fence rail in front of their home.  Mary turned again and said "I believe William is dead."  

Col. McLeod and the other wounded men were carried back to a field hospital on the Kime farm.  Moses, Col. McLeod's body servant, heard the news that the Colonel had been shot.  Moses searched among the dead and the dying and found Col. McLeod with blood streaming from his head.  Moses knew the end was near and tended to the Colonel in his last hours.

Moses gathered the Colonel's lifeless body and wrapped it in a blanket.  He then began the arduous work of burying his friend.  Many of the servants had a special relationship with their masters.  Moses buried Col. McLeod beside a peach tree on the Kime farm.   Moses remained with the brigade until after the battle and eventually made it back to Swainsboro.

Neill McLeod began to lay out a family cemetery about a quarter mile from his home.  There had never been a death in his immediate family before and no need for a burying ground.  When the war ended, Neill McLeod contacted Moses and hired him to take his son in law back to Gettysburg and retrieve his son's body.  Moses found the body right where he had left it.  Moses gathered the Colonel's remains and placed them in a casket fashioned from an Emanuel County oak.  

The casket was placed in the family parlor.  Family and friends came to pay their respects.  William's mother Mary sat up with William’s body all night.  Mrs. McLeod came to an unbelievable decision.  It was her command that William would not remain in the ground any longer without a member of the family being buried along his side.   William's burial would have to wait until the next family member died.  Every day, for nearly seven years, Mary placed fresh flowers or green plants on top of the casket.  

In 1872, John R. Prescott died.  He was the son-in-law, who had accompanied Moses to Gettysburg to bring William home.  Funeral services were held in the McLeod home for William and John.  John's wife, Sarah, sat at the top of the stairs in a red dress holding her six week old child in her lap while she sang.  William's grave was elaborate for the times.  Today the top of the shaft leans, broken, against the base of his monument.  

The whole story of Col. McLeod may have been lost for eternity if it not for the determined investigation of Gettysburg policeman, Michael W. Hofe.  On the morning of November 30, 1993, Corp. Hofe answered at burglary call at the Adams County Historical Society in Gettysburg.  A collection of Civil War items had been taken.  Hofe received permission to investigate the theft, a matter which is usually left to the detective division.  Within two months all of the missing items, except one, were found.  The missing item was Col. McLeod's prayer book, "Flowers of Piety."  Apparently before McLeod was buried, the prayer book was given to Sarah Ellen Kime, the daughter of the farm's owner.  Corp. Hofe speculated that Sarah may have stopped to read a passage to the Colonel while she was carrying water to the wounded.  Despite the viciousness of the war, most people on both sides openly showed their compassion for the wounded.  The prayer book was passed down through the family and eventually made it to the museum of the county historical society, until some idiot decided to take it.  

Hofe made it his mission to find out as much about Col. McLeod as he could.  He read battle reports.   He read books about the battle and consulted experts from all over the country.  Corp. Hofe contacted Col. McLeod's descendants in Georgia. Swainsboro's "Forest Blade" published articles on the effort to put the story together.  Hofe published the results of his research in a forty eight page booklet he named "That There Be No Stain Upon My Stones."

There are hundreds of thousands of stories about that terrible war.  It was a war that changed our lives forever.  This story, which happened 135 years ago this week, is worth remembering.  Keep in mind what Gen. Robert E. Lee said after observing the carnage his men had raked upon eight thousand dead and wounded Federal soldiers at the base of Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg, Virginia.  "It is well that war is so terrible, for we may grow too fond of it." 

Source:  That There Be No Stain Upon My Stones, Michael W. Hofe, Gettysburg, Pa., 1994.

98-24

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF 

THREE LAURENS COUNTY CHURCHES

The year 1998 marks the one hundreth anniversary of three Laurens County Churches.  Each of the three, Bay Springs Baptist Church, Dudley United Methodist Church, and Pinehill United Methodist Churches, had modest beginnings.  The first two were established as a result of the coming of the Macon, Dublin, and Savannah Railroad.  The last two are linked by a common thread; their founding minister, the Rev. Charles A. Moore.

Bay Springs Primitive Baptist Church, located in Montrose, Georgia, was established on May 14, 1898 under the leadership of Elder James P. Barrs.  The founding members were Elder and Mrs. J.A. Taylor, Mr. and Mrs. John D. Faircloth, Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Powell, Mr. and Mrs. Tom English, Lafayette Allen, Anna Allen, John Arnold, Mollie Arnold, Matilda Allen, M.C. Scott,  and S.M.  Fowler.  The charter members came from Cool Springs Church which was located ten to twenty miles away.  

    

Among the long serving elders of the church were J.A. Taylor, who served from 1901 to 1928; J.F. Dykes, who served from 1928 to 1940; and  J.B. Lord, Jr., who served from 1946 to 1980. Charles F. Powell served as deacon for twenty five years from 1898 to 1923.  T.J. Lord served as church clerk from 1917 to 1955.  Marvin Powell served as clerk from 1966 to 1986.   D.O. Lord began over four decades of service as a deacon in 1945.  Thompson Lord began his service as a deacon and treasurer in 1954. 

When the community of Dudley was formed in 1891, there was no Methodist Church.  By 1897,  area residents saw the need to form their own Methodist Church.  At the South Georgia Conference held in Savannah on December 1, 1897, the Dudley Mission Church was established.  The first church was erected at Haskins Crossroads near the residence of H.D. Joiner on the Cochran Road.  In 1902,  the church building was dismantled and moved to Dudley, where it was built on a lot donated by I.J. Duggan.  That building, located on First Street, was sold to Oliver Lord in 1951.  The present brick church building was completed on the corner of Second and Field Streets in 1952.

The first pastor was Charles A. Moore.  He was followed by E.E. Rose, G.M. Kendrick, Guy D. Moses, I.C.B. Rabun, W.M. Kitchens, R.A. Sowell, A.J. Hutchinson, Walter Harris Ketchum, E.W. Gray, Charles Walter Littlejohn, B.C. Mattheson, W.C. Culpepper, Embree Sutton, William Johnson, Thomas Murray, Cornelius Boland, Charles Herrington, Walker Whaley, Sr., Carl T. Lawhorne, Thomas Gardner, Whyte Smith, James Buchanan, Robert Moreland, Robert Woodall, Jack Key, Ernest Seckinger, Marvin Whitmer, Ramus Freeman, John Hays, James A. Callahan, Gordon Bell, Luther Lancaster, Ted Bass, Harold Hankins, Lowery Brantley, Russell Elder, Robert Herrington, William Smith, Paul Bell, Larry Bird, Howard McCrary, W.L. Tipton, Jr., William Nance, Thomas Wertman, Lewis Wise, Steven Lloyd, Derek McAleer, Dale Thornton, Carl McDonald, Gordon Goodwill, and Edward Ellington, Jr., the present pastor.   Jack Key, twenty one years old,  was asked to fill in during the summer of 1943 when Robert Woodall went into service as a chaplain in World War II.   During his career, Ernest Seckinger pastored in every district in the conference except Americus.  Thom Werthman was a former Jewish Rabbi before converting to Christianity.  The present pastor, Edward V. Ellington, Jr., was a certified lay speaker when he began to preach.  One month ago he was licensed to preach by the Conference.

Pinehill Methodist Church, like Dudley Methodist, began organizing in 1897 and in 1898 became a church of the South Georgia Conference.  Rev. W.J. Thomas organized the church, whose charter members were: Mary Burch, Lula Clark, Mae English, Lula Green, R.T. Greer, Daniel Hall, T.H. Hall, Dora Lyles, J.K. Lyles, Arthur Moye, Irene Moye, Lucion Moye, Margarette Moye, William Moye, Mrs. M.A. Rhodes, Emma Ryles, R.F. Ryles, Bessie Stinson, D.S. Stinson, J.H. Stinson, Lucrenda Stinson, Mammie Stinson, Sarah Stinson, Stella Stinson, W.T. Stinson, Carlton Stuckey, Mattie Stuckey, James Taylor, E.R. Veal, J.B. Veal, Lillie Veal, Mae Veal, Mrs. M.C. Veal, Sam Veal, Carrie Warren, Mary Wilder, Alex M.B. Wood, Lizzie Wood, and Maggie Stinson Wood. 

Rev. C.A. Moore was the first pastor.  The church building was constructed in 1898 by Hamp Williams on land donated by R.E. Hall.  The citizens of Pine Hill Community erected a schoolhouse on the church grounds, a common sight in those days.  In 1899, the school building burned and classes  were held in the sanctuary.  After a massive consolidation in 1920, Pinehill School closed.  The church building was moved to its present location in 1954.  It was renovated inside and out.  Later the church was bricked.  Despite its outward appearance,  the interior of the building is the original church.

Following C.A. Moore as pastor were E.L. Tucker, M.B. Watkins, C.T. Bickley, C.M. Weeks, S.E. Greenfield, J.L. Scruggs, J.W. Bridges, I.K. Chambers, O.S. Smith, L.E. Bray, P.T. Holloway, J.F. Ford, R.L. Harris, G.R. Stephens, H.C. Taylor, W.E. McTier, Ruben Harris, C.J. Mallette, C.C. Long, Monroe Yarborough, George Clary, Jr., Zephoe Belcher, Fred Carter, C.B. Studstill, W.L. Sutton, W.L. Tipton (a native of Laurens County), Monroe Yarborough (2nd term), Billy Wicker, Ralph Haywood, Bert Alexander, Jack Bentley, Irene Tos, and Gary R. Carter. Rev. Irene Tos, who served Pinehill in 1977 and 1978, was the first woman pastor in the South Georgia Conference.  

Dudley Methodist and Pinehill Methodist churches have in common their first pastor, Rev. Charles A. Moore.  Rev. Charles A. Moore was born in Campbell County, Georgia in 1833.   He began his ministry in Dalton in 1859.  In 1860,  he moved to Dublin, where he became one of the first pastors of the First Methodist Church.  It was in Dublin, where he married Nancy Hicks.  He served for four years there and returned to Dublin at the end of the Civil War.  Rev. Moore returned to Dublin for a two year term in 1878.  Rev. Moore remained close to Laurens County.  He served at Marvin Methodist Church in 1895 and at Lovett Methodist Church in 1896 and 1897.  In 1898 he became the first pastor of Dudley Methodist Church in 1898.   Rev. Moore was assigned to pastor Pine Hill Church that same year.  In 1900, ill health forced him into semi-retirement.  Rev. Moore, described as “The War Horse of Methodism in this section,” died in January of 1913.

The churches of Laurens County and their histories form the backbone of our county’s history.  May each of them continue to prosper in times when rural churches are facing difficult times.  Happy 100th Anniversary!

98-25

THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF 

THE SPANISH - AMERICAN WAR

This week marks the centennial of the climax of the Spanish-American War.   The combat in Cuba lasted only a few weeks.  Consequently, only a few Laurens Countians saw any action during the war.  The origin of the war goes back to the early 1890s  when Cuban political parties were formed to seek independence from Spain.  Before it was over, the United States would spend four years fighting a war which did not officially end until July of 1902, when hostilities in the Philippines finally ceased. 

On the day after Valentine’s Day in 1898, the U.S.S. Maine exploded in Havana Harbor.  After an investigation determined that the explosion had been caused by a mine, cries for war and “Remember the Maine!” were heard over the entire country.   U.S. Naval Forces under the command of Commodore George Dewey began moving toward the Philippines.  On April 19th, 1898, Congress approved a resolution declaring war against Spain.  After months of training, U.S. Marines landed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on June 10th.   Ten days later, the main U.S. force arrived in Santiago Harbor.   

On July 1st, the battle for control of Cuba took place in the heights of San Juan.   Col. Henry K. Carroll commanded the 3rd, 6th, and 9th (Colored) Cavalry regiments.   Colonel Leonard Wood commanded the 1st and 10th Cavalry regiments together with the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, known as the “Rough Riders.”   Gen. Joseph Wheeler, namesake of Wheeler County, Georgia and a former Confederate Cavalry General, was originally in command of the American Cavalry in Cuba.  Wheeler fell ill early on in the fighting.  It was said that, at the sight of the retreating Spanish soldiers  dressed in their blue coats, Wheeler yelled “Hurrah!  We’ve got the d... Yankees on the run!”    

Along the Santiago Road near the San Juan River Valley, Carroll’s Cavalry was waiting to attack.  The 9th Colored Regiment held the right.   Their objective was Kettle Hill.  Behind the 9th, the “Rough Riders” were in held in reserve.   As the lead elements began to tire, the Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th Cavalry became entangled with the “Rough Riders.”   The 9th made it to a depression about half way up the hill.   Col.  Roosevelt told the commanding officer of the 9th to charge or get out of the way.  As Roosevelt galloped ahead, the soldiers of the 9th took to their feet and their horses and followed him.    The Spaniards were falling back, from one line of defense to another.  The cavalry swarmed to the top of the hill to plant their colors.  

Spanish soldiers concentrated rifle and artillery fire on the victorious Americans.  The battle swung back and forth.  Roosevelt took four men and charged the Spanish line.  After their officers had deserted them, the men of the 9th  jumped into action and followed Roosevelt, who led the men to victory and became immortal in American history.

One Laurens County man was a member of the Buffalo Soldiers of the United States Army.  William Little was born in Baldwin County, Georgia on April 4, 1875.  Little enlisted in the army in 1898.  He was assigned as a cook in Company F of the  9th U.S. Cavalry.  Little remembered Col. Roosevelt as "a great fighter who would get on his horse and say 'follow me' which the men gladly did."  After the war, Little  re-enlisted on April 11, 1899 in the 1st Cavalry.  On September 16, 1900,  he was shipped overseas to the Philippine Islands.  Private Little was assigned as an orderly to Governor-General Arthur MacArthur.  

Arthur MacArthur has served as adjutant of the 24th Wisconsin Infantry during the Civil War.    At eighteen years of age, MacArthur led his regiment up Missionary Ridge and won the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism.  He was promoted to major and then to Colonel at nineteen  years of age.  Col. MacArthur was promoted to Brigadier General during the Spanish American War.  He was appointed military governor of the Philippines in 1900.  Small insurrections took place until 1902.  He was subordinated to a civilian governor, William Howard Taft,  in 1901.   MacArthur was described by one colonel as “the most egotistical man I have ever seen until I met his son.”  His son was the legendary General Douglas MacArthur.  

After three years and twenty three days of service, Little was discharged from the service. Little returned to Dublin where he was living at 606 South Jefferson Street in 1946.  At the age of eighty five, Little was living alone but he loved piddling around in his garden and going to church.

The war continued in Cuba for a few more weeks.   President William McKinley signed a resolution annexing Hawaii as a territory of the United States on July 7th,  1898.  On July 17th, Cuban and Spanish forces surrendered at Santiago.  A month later U.S. forces occupied Manila,  the capital of the Philippines.   The Treaty of Paris was signed on April 11, 1899.  Some Spanish forces continued to resist until June.

  Those Laurens County men who did serve during the Spanish-American War saw much less action. Laurens County men actually began their training in the early 1890s when the Dublin Guards were formed.  The guards mustered in the hall of the Stubbs-Leitch Building during the Spanish-American War.  The building was located at the southwest corner of West Jackson Street and South Jefferson Street.   Most of the men joined units in Georgia.  William W. Ward, a river boat captain of wide repute, joined the Macon Hussars which were mustered into the U.S. Army as the 1st Georgia Regiment.  The Hussars trained at Fort Oglethorpe at Chickamauga Park, Georgia.  From there, the Georgians were sent to Puerto Rico in anticipation of a full scale battle in the Caribbean.  The war ended so quickly that Ward never saw any action.

Other Laurens Countians who served in the armed forces during the Spanish-American war were John D. McDaniel, William Lingo, Jule B. Green, Andrew J. Bass, “Pet” Pritchett, Neal Jones, J.E. Burch, Wesley Kea, and “Windy” Williams.  It is a shame that the newspapers of the era have not survived.  They would add many more details to our knowledge of the activities of our county’s men during the war. 

The Spanish-American War was one of the shortest, but also one of the most important, wars in our country’s history.  It established the United States as a world power.  America began its territorial control over the islands of the Pacific Ocean.  Within forty years the control of the Pacific Ocean would become one of the main focal points of World War II.  The lasting reminders of the war in our community are streets named for some of the war’s most well known participants.  Grateful Dubliners named streets for Gen. Joseph Wheeler, Adm. George Dewey, Adm. Winfield Scott Schley, and Col.  Theodore Roosevelt.  Roosevelt Street was renamed in the 1940s.  After  Lawrence Street was named in honor of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the city council changed Roosevelt Street in southwestern Dublin to Hester Drive.  That portion of North Calhoun Street north of West Moore Street was originally named Sigsbee Street after Charles Sigsbee, captain of the “ U.S.S. Maine. “  The Dublin Guards, who intensified their training during the war, became Company A of the 121st Georgia Infantry and the first National Guard company in the southeastern United States.

98-26

     SHOOT OUT ON MAIN STREET. 

July 21, 1880 -  It was a typical early summer afternoon.  Dublin was known statewide as a lawless and dangerous town.  In the 1880s, there was as many as six barrooms in downtown Dublin.  There were only a few hundred people living in the town.  Half of those were women.  A large percentage of the remainder were children and Blacks who were not allowed to drink.   When you do the math, it amounts to one barroom for every fifteen to twenty men.   Shootings and fights in the barrooms and streets were common place. Dr. R.H. Hightower and Dr. Charles Hicks were returning from a dinner at the Hightower house at the western end of downtown Dublin.  Hogan Fountain was lying in wait for Dr. Hightower.  With a peculiar squeal, Fountain bolted from Jones's store on the northwest corner of West Jackson and North Lawrence Streets.   He took up a position about fifty yards in front of the doctors. 

     Hardy Smith, Clerk of the Superior Court, was standing by the tree opposite the new building of Stanley and Lassiter on the southwest corner of West Jackson and South Lawrence Streets.  He watched as the men approached Fountain who began to curse Dr. Hightower.  "Dr. Hightower, you are a g-d d-d, cowardly s-n of a b-h!"  Fountain was enraged over Dr. Hightower's driving his father out of Hightower's house.  Fountain claimed his father had been beaten with a stick by Dr. Hightower.  Dr. Hightower did drive the elder Mr. Fountain out of his home.   Fountain was ejected from the home because he had been drinking and refused to leave after several warnings.  Hightower lost his patience with the man who had swindled him on several prior occasions.  Dr. Hightower grabbed Fountain by the hand and gave him only a slight rap with a stick.  

     Sidney Bush, standing near the men, recounted that Fountain drew and cocked his gun and moved around Dr. Hicks, aiming to shoot Dr. Hightower in the chest.  Dr. Hightower, pushing Dr. Hicks out of the way, dove into Fountain.  Fountain fired from his knees striking Dr. Hightower in the center of the left thigh.  Fountain jumped up and retreated.  Dr. Hightower attempted to pursue but couldn't overtake him due to the nature of his wound.  Fountain, seeing Hightower could not reach him with his stick, turned and fired,  striking Dr. Hightower in the left breast.  Dr. Hightower  drew his pistol as Fountain was preparing to fire again.  The men fired almost simultaneously with Dr. Hightower delivering a shot to Fountain’s body.  Fountain ran to the rear of Jones' store and climbed in china berry tree.  Dr. Hightower, with Fountain within his aim, chose to not shoot again.  

     Dr. Hightower turned to check on the condition of Dr. Hicks.  No sooner had he turned his back when Hightower heard Fountain firing again.  Hightower fired at Fountain's head as he poked it back and forth from behind a limb of the tree.  Sidney Bush took cover behind a wall choosing to see no more of the action.   Both men fired three shots each.  Dr. Hightower, realizing that he had only one shot left, made a dash for the tree.  C.B. Orr, standing on South Lawrence Street, saw Fountain jump from the tree and run into the store barely escaping Hightower's final shot.  Fountain hid in the store and it was assumed that he was unhurt.

     Dr. Hightower was taken back home with an announcement that his wounds were not serious.  It was later discovered that Hightower's first shot had pierced Fountain's chest near the heart.  Dr. Hightower suffered from a swollen leg and a high fever.  The wound to his breast was slight but the doctors were concerned over the thigh wound.  Hightower began recovering from his wounds,  but within a week his condition grew worse.  Hogan Fountain died around four o'clock the next morning.

     Coroner W.B. Hester conducted an inquest into the matter on the following day.. The coroner's jury ruled that Fountain's death was a result of a gun shot wound from the hand of Dr. Hightower.  The offense was that of involuntary manslaughter, but no charges were ever lodged against Dr. Hightower.

     Dr. Hightower survived the assassination attempt.  He went on to practice medicine for nearly 25 years.  In the late 1880's,  he formed the Oconee Bridge Company and built the first bridge over the Oconee River in Dublin.  The wooden bridge was washed away by the first large flood.  His office building, the first brick building in Dublin, survived a late 1880's fire which devastated a large portion of the business area of downtown.  Dr. Hightower's wife, "Miss Genie" was the first businesswoman in Dublin. Mrs. Hightower owned and operated the Emerald City Pharmacy, The Emerald City Palace, and a music store.  In 1905, she established the first motion picture house, "The Theatorium".  In 1913, she established the Crystal Theatre, the longest lasting movie house of the silent picture era in Dublin.  These businesses were located in the buildings now occupied by the Peppercorn Restaurant and Deese Appliance.   Her son, Bob Hightower, Sr., was well known as a theater operator for four decades.   

Source Material "Dublin Post", July 28, 1880, page 3.

98-27

ADRIAN’S LITTLE GENERAL 

The Story of Gen. Alonzo Drake

Alonzo Drake, Adrian’s Little General, was a man of small stature at five feet five inches tall.  However, he was a giant among the military material officers of the United States Army Air Force.  Drake was born on August 12, 1894 in the community which became Adrian, Georgia.   His Drake family’s roots  run deep into the history of southern Johnson County.  He possessed a rich heritage of military service, with ancestors fighting in the Civil War and the American Revolution.  The family traced their ancestry back to Thomas Drake of England, a brother to the legendary explorer of America, Sir Francis Drake.   In his nearly  four decades of service, Alonzo Drake was highly regarded by his peers as a man who could get things done.  His career spanned the development of fighter planes from bi-planes to jet aircraft.  

Drake entered the United States Army at Egmont Key, Tampa, Florida in 1915.  Ironically, his first basic training assignment came as a trainee in the aviation section of the Signal Corps at Old Fort Drake.  Airplanes were in their infancy in the United States Army.   There were only a few trained pilots.    Army officials knew that when the United States entered World War I, aircraft would be the key to victory.   After three months, Private Drake was promoted to corporal.  Drake was again promoted - this time after only five months - to staff sergeant of the 162nd Coast Artillery.  Drake learned to fly a Curtiss Jenny at Mineola, Long Island, New York - quite an amazing feat for a young man who came from a town, that had only a few automobiles.  

As the United States entered the war, Drake continued his flight training.  On October 26, 1917, Drake earned his wings and a commission as a second lieutenant.  His first assignment as an officer was with the aviation section of the Signal Corps in France.  Just a few weeks before the end of World War I,  Lt. Drake was promoted to Captain.  He was only twenty three years old. Drake served a brief stint as Adjutant of the American Expeditionary Forces in Tours, France.    It was in France where Captain Drake met and married Alice Roberts,  the daughter of a French Army officer.  The couple were married for over fifty years. 

After the war, Capt. Drake remained in France for several months on occupation duty.  Drake returned to Georgia, where he served as commander of the Aviation General Supply Depot in Americus from 1919 to 1921.  In 1921, he transferred to the 81st Service Squadron at Mitchell Field in New York, where he served for three years.  Drake was promoted again - this time to a desk job in the office of the Chief of Staff’s Operation Division.  During his two year stint in Washington, Drake developed a talent for the business side of the Army Air Force.  From 1926 to 1933, he served in the Air Material Command at Dayton, Ohio.  In 1934, Drake was sent to Panama to command the 80th Headquarters Squadron in the Panama Canal Zone.  

During 1936, Drake attended the Army’s Industrial College in Washington.  The brass began taking notice of his uncanny ability to manage the daily operations of the Air Force.  His first assignment after graduation was as director of Air Corps Procurement in Detroit, Michigan.  Shortly after, he was again promoted to Director of the Central Air Force Procurement District in Dayton, Ohio.  Drake kept advancing up the ladder and was named director of procurement for fourteen states.  Drake commanded hundreds of officers who were resident agents in aircraft and parts plants around the country.

When the Japanese invaded Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, our country was not prepared for war.  Many of the war planes we had were outdated.  The biggest war machine in the history of the world was about to be born.    Now a colonel, Drake worked with manufacturing plants all over the country.   During the late 30s, Drake gained an acute knowledge of the problems of operation and production of aircraft.    His knowledge of Industrial Mobilization Programs brought him acclamations from his superior officers.  In his years in Detroit, Captain Drake won the praise and admiration of the automobile magnate, Henry Ford.  Ford described Drake this way: “The Little Colonel is really a big fellow.  He fights his way through red tape.”  During the first years of World War II, Drake was directly responsible for the quality and quantity of the aircraft from the production lines and for the internal security of our country’s aircraft manufacturing plants.  

Col. Drake began his service overseas the day before the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944.   On March 23, 1945, Lt. General Baker awarded the Bronze Star to Col. Drake for meritorious achievement in the performance of his services in 1944.  Gen. Baker cited Col. Drake for outstanding initiative and zeal in his untiring efforts to establish a comprehensive inspections procedure.  

Drake was named as Inspector General of the Air Force in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations after the end of the war.  Drake was nominated for a Distinguished Service Medal for his services during the period.    A new staff section was created at the headquarters of the U.S. Air Forces of Europe in June of 1948.  The new position was patterned after the Inspector General  of the Air Force in Washington.  Col. Drake was the natural selection for the position since he had been serving as Inspector of the U.S.A.F.E. since January of 1948.  In his new position, Col. Drake supervised the staff sections of the Air Inspector and the Provost Marshall.  It was in 1948 when the United States Air Force began the airlift to help the citizens of Berlin.  Col. Drake was admired by his staff officers, who dubbed him “The Little Colonel with the big eagles-” referring to silver eagle insignia denoting his rank.  

In June of 1951, Col. Drake joined the Tactical Command of General John K. Cannon.  On March 7, 1952, Col. Drake’s promotion to brigadier general was approved by Congress.  He served until his retirement on August 1, 1953.    He was one of the few officers in our country’s history to be awarded two Legions of Merit.  Among his other decorations were  World War I and  World War II victory medals, a Army of Occupation medal, a Humane Relations medal, a Berlin Airlift medal, an Army Commendation medal with one cluster, an American Defense Service medal, and a Europe-Africa-Middle East campaign ribbon with two battle stars.

After his retirement, Drake and his wife returned to her homeland in France.  Mrs. Drake had lost homes in both wars when the Germany army invaded France in 1914 and 1940.  The Drakes returned to the United States.  General Drake lived the last 18 years of his life in Sarasota, Florida.  After a prolonged illness, the “Little General” passed away at the Extended Care Nursing Home in Sarasota on March 6, 1971.  Funeral Services were held in St. Paul’s Catholic Church.  Gen. Drake was honored by his country, which he loved so much, with his burial in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.  Known as “Ducky” to his closest friends, Drake never ducked when it came to serving his country.  He made sure our planes were built right and kept them flying.  He was just a good ol’ country boy, who, when his time came, served his country to the best of his ability.

98-28

JOHNSON COUNTY’S OLDEST CHURCH

A History of Oaky Grove Primitive Baptist Church

Tomorrow, August 5, 1998 marks the 180th anniversary of Oaky Grove Primitive Baptist Church, the oldest church in Johnson County and one of the oldest in east Central Georgia.  On August 5, 1818,  settlers of the upper Little Ohoopee River founded Gum Log Baptist Church.  Jordan Smith and Benjamin Manning were the founding elders of the new church, which was located about 10 miles east of Wrightsville.  At the time of its formation, the church was located in the northwestern corner of Emanuel County, which had only five years before  been carved out of Montgomery County.   When it began as a church, Gum Log was the only organized church for miles around.  

The charter members of the church were Hardy Johnson, Lewis St. John, Sampson Powell, Sr., James Johnson, Michael Lightner, Ely Yates, Isaac Norris, John Taylor, Joseph Brantley, Thomas Fennel, Abner Sandford, Allen White, Milly Johnson, Rebecca Swain, Catherine Yates, Charlotte Johnson, Patience Powell, Susannah Davis, and Lucy St. John.  The list of families reads like a “who’s who” of northeastern Johnson County.    The primary families of the church were the Andersons, Beasleys, Brantleys, Colstons, Davises, Hatchers, Johnsons, Kights, Mannings, Mixons, Norrises, Powells, Prices, Smiths, Swains, Tapleys, Townsends,  Webbs, and Yates.

The church members built a new church in 1820 below the public road on the north side of the river.   This church appears to have been located south of the road known today as Highway 319 and east of the Ohoopee River.   This building was built of hewed logs and was approximately twenty two feet by thirty feet.  At the same time, services were moved to the fourth Sunday.  By the end of the decade,  Gumlog Church joined the Hepzibah Baptist Association.  When a dispute arose over the questions of missions, Gumlog and other churches decided to form a new association, which they named “The United Baptist Conference.”  The name didn’t last long.  The conference became the Canoochee Baptist Association, named after the next river to the east. The members of the church soon changed the name of the church to Oaky Grove, doubtless a reference to the surrounding oak trees along the bank of the Ohoopee. In 1847, the association grew so large that it was split into two groups, the Upper and Lower Canoochee Associations.  

In 1866 a dispute over the issue of baptism in the church led to the formation of a new Association.  Four Johnson County churches, Oaky Grove, Philadelphia, Sardis, and Providence, withdrew from the Canoochee Association and formed the Ohoopee Association.  Eventually Oaky Grove Church returned to the Canoochee Association.  In July of 1874, Lanier Powell gave the church a tract of land near the Ohoopee River just below the mouth of Hurricane Branch.   The church was built adjoining what appeared to be the family cemetery of Sampson  Powell.  Other early burials include W.W. and Mary Ann Mixon, Nancy Davis, Eady Anderson, Silas Powell, Litha Powell, and Millie Powell.   Just beyond the northeast corner of the cemetery lie the remains of the slaves of the church families.   The present church building was completed in 1907.  In 1958,  a two story annex was added.  In the 1970s,  church members voted to have services on each Sunday, except the fifth Sunday.  A pastorium was completed in 1979 and another addition to the annex was made in 1987.

Among the pastors serving Oaky Grove Church were Benjamin Manning, Jordan Smith, Isaac Norris, David J. Lamb, William Norris, Edward Riner, Daniel Tyson, Swain Norris, Henry Meeks, Joel Anderson, J.N. Smith, W.J. Brown, Joseph Kersey, W.A. Lamb, T.E. Sikes, W.B. Screws, W.H. Crouse, S.M. Claxton, A.L. Brannen, Jr., Eugene Price, Maurice Riner, H.C. Stubbs, Huey Glisson, Jerry Newsome, Audley Nichols, and Tom Akins.  Many of the pastors, especially the early ones, were Johnson Countians.   Reverends Isaac Norris, Joseph Brantley, William Norris, J.J. Steptoe, Woodrow Beasley, and Lee B. Price.  Isaac Norris served the church for many years.  Two of his son-in-laws, Lanier Powell and Andrew G. Townsend, were long time members, deacons, and clerks  of the Church.  Townsend was a son of Henry Townsend, a full blooded Indian who settled in the area.

Among the deacons serving the Church are: Ely Yates, Hardy Johnson, Andrew Townsend, Lanier Powell, Shadrick Kight (namesake of Kite, Ga.), Lloyd Price, Samuel Beasley, J.L. Hatcher, W.A. West, Marion Powell, C.E. Colston, Grady Brantley, Robert Powell, P.C.  Price, M.F. Hatcher, Jr., J.R. Brantley, C.T. Colston, Silas L. Powell, Marvin Brantley, Will H. Kenyon, Burt L. Price, Jimmy Hatcher, Jim Roe Brantley, Harry Powell, Leon Powell, and Lavon Anderson.  Church clerks have included Lewis St. John, Richard Lock, Benjamin Webb, Andrew Townsend, Lanier Powell,  T. Page, John Tharpe, H.J. Kight, J.M. Anderson, W.A. Page, W.D. Hatcher, Manning Anderson, C.E. Colston, Mrs. Burnice Price, and Deborah L.  Brantley. 

One member of the Oaky Grove Community became one of the most influential members of the Georgia Legislature.  Stephen Swain came to the area in the early 1790s with his father, Stephen Swain, Sr.   At the time the Swains settled in what was then Washington County on a branch of the Little Ohoopee that became known as Swain’s Creek.  Within a couple of years, the land was shifted into the new county of Montgomery.   Swain was elected the House of Representatives in 1809.  In 1812, Stephen Swain, Jr. was elected to represent Montgomery County in the Georgia Senate.  The area around Oaky Grove Church was moved again in 1813 - this time to Emanuel County.  The citizens of Emanuel County elected Swain to the Senate in 1813.  Swain was also elected as Justice of the Peace in the 55th or what became the Kite Militia District.  Year after year until 1831, Swain was elected to represent Emanuel County in the Senate.  After a two year respite, Swain was elected to the Senate in 1833 and served until 1836.  

During his term in the Senate, Swain became known as the “Governor of Emanuel.”  Swain was somewhat of a frontier character, often compared to Davy Crockett.  As a senator, he was responsible for the creation of Emanuel County.  When the county seat of Swainsboro was established, it was named in his honor.  He was the political boss of the county and was known for his tall tales, like “the day it rained alligators in Montgomery County.”  Swain led the fight to keep every county in the state represented in the Senate.  Larger counties complained that it cost more to have a state senator than the county collected in state taxes.  Consequently, Swain promised not to take any state money for lodging and food while the Senate was in session.  He walked back and forth to the capital in Milledgeville.  He hunted and fished for his food.  While in Milledgeville,  he camped out in the woods or stayed with a friendly family. On one occasion, Swain was entering the area of the capital.  He spotted an eagle atop of the capitol building.  He took out his trusty rifle and fired at the still bird.  Nothing happened.  Onlookers, who couldn’t help laughing, told the befuddled Swain that he had shot an ornamental eagle on the capitol.  When he retired in 1836, Swain had served longer than any legislator in the history of Georgia.  It was said that Swain was kept in office by Emanuel County voters, most of whom were his kin.   Swain moved to Decatur County, Georgia where he died in 1852.

98-29

TO THE HIGHEST COURT IN THE LAND

Lauren’s County Only Supreme Court Case

There have been millions of legal causes of action in Laurens County over the last 190 years.  Only one case ever made it to the Supreme Court of the United States.  It was a case where the little guy won out over the big corporation.

Rockledge, Georgia was a station at the intersection of two railroads, the Macon, Dublin, and Savannah and the Wadley Southern.  Adrian, Georgia was the nearest town on the Wadley Southern Railroad, which was owned by the powerful Central of Georgia Railroad.  Adrian was ten miles from Rockledge and twenty seven miles from Wadley, the terminus of the Wadley Southern where it intersected the Central of Georgia main line.  

The Wadley Southern Railroad’s directors decided it was in the best economic interest of the company to route freight from Macon to Adrian, via Wadley, instead of the 10 mile route from Rockledge to Adrian.  To entice shippers to ship goods to Adrian, via Wadley, the Wadley Southern required no prepayment of freight charges.  On the other end of the road, Rockledge merchants and others were required to pay freight charges in advance before shipping their products to nearby Adrian.  The merchants of Rockledge and other local shippers protested to the Georgia Railroad Commission.  It was impractical for them to ship their goods into Dublin and then to Brewton, Wrightsville, and Tennille on the Central of Georgia Railroad and then to Wadley and Adrian.

The railroad commission held a hearing in Atlanta.  After careful consideration of all of the evidence, the commission entered an order mandating that the Wadley Southern desist from the discriminatory practice.  They were required to afford shippers over the Wadley Southern through Rockledge the same rights as those persons shipping to Adrian from Wadley.  

A month later the Wadley Southern notified the commission that it would not comply with the order on the grounds that it was void.  On May 26, 1910,  the commission brought a lawsuit against the railroad seeking penalties for the violation of its order.  Georgia law provided that the commission could fine violators up to five thousand dollars for each offense.  The law further provided that every violation of any order would constitute a separate and distinct offense.  In the case of any continued violations  every day the violation took place it shall be deemed a separate offense.  In other words, the railroad could be forced to pay up to five thousand dollars a day. 

From the 1870s throughout the 1910s, railroads were king in Georgia.  Their power and influence was substantial, and in most cases, the railroads prevailed in court.  In all of those cases the railroads followed the law.  When they lost in a lower court, they duly filed an appeal to higher court.  In the present case, the railroad chose to ignore the railroad commission’s findings on the grounds that the order and the statute were void because they denied the railroad the rights of due process of law.  The lawyers for the railroad argued that in the penalty phase of the case,  the statute took property of the railroad without due process of law.  The railroad was denied the right to collect pre-paid freight charges at any location along their railroads.  In the penalty phase of the case, evidence was produced to show that Rockledge shippers.  These damages were a result of the requirement of pre-paid freight charges and the resulting delays while arranging for the payment of the charges.

The jury returned a verdict for the state of Georgia.  The judge imposed a fine of one thousand dollars .  The court chose to impose a single daily fine and not fines for the several daily violations of the commission’s order.  The railroad, in order to prevent a precedent from being set, appealed the case to the Supreme Court of Georgia.  Georgia’s highest court affirmed the decision of the trial court.  The attorneys for the Wadley Southern Railroad immediately sought a writ of error from the Supreme Court of the United States.

The Supreme Court heard the case and delivered its opinion nearly a year later on January 11, 1915.  Justice Lamar wrote the court’s opinion, which appeared to be unanimous.  The court held that as a general rule any railroad has the option to demand payment of freight in advance or upon delivery.  While some courts allowed prepayment charges from some locations while not from others, the court strictly construed the Georgia statute, prohibiting any discrimination. The court found that the statute did not prohibit the Wadley Southern from requiring prepayment of goods when the goods were not equal in value to the freight charges.  It also did not prohibit the Central of Georgia railroad from encouraging shipments to Adrian via Wadley.  What the Supreme Court did find was that Georgia law  prohibited any discrimination in charging for freight shipments.

The railroad also argued that the statute’s maximum penalty of five thousand dollars per day was arbitrary and unreasonable and should be set aside.  That argument seemed carry little weight with the court.  The fine was only twenty percent of the maximum fine and that the trial court had ultimately chosen to fine the railroad for only a single violation.

You have heard the phrase, “a day late and a dollar short.”   The Supreme Court affirmed this old saying when it ruled “If the Wadley Southern Railroad Company had availed itself of the right to challenge the constitutionality of the statute and with reasonable promptness had applied to the courts for a judicial review of the order, and if, it had been found to be void, no penalties could have been imposed for past or future violations.  If, in that proceeding, the order had been found to be valid, the carrier would thereafter have been subject to penalties for any subsequent violations of what had been judicially established to be a lawful order and that prior violations could not have been punished.”

The Supreme Court found that the Wadley Southern failed to resort to a safe, adequate, and available remedy to test the validity of the statute in the courts.  The railroad chose to attack the statute at the time the penalty was being assessed.   The court, without stating it directly, said the railroad acted as if it were “high and mighty” and could decide which commission finding were legal or not legal.   The case affirmed the old maxim that no one is above the law.

Unfortunately for both Rockledge and the owners of the Wadley Southern Railroad, the railroad ceased to be profitable.  After the death of Capt. T.J. James, it was only a matter of time before the railroad would no longer be in operation.  Before 1920, the Wadley Southern, known in the trade as a short track railroad, was shut down.  The tracks were removed.  The towns of Tom, Ethel, and Odomville along the route basically ceased to exist.  In the long run, both parties lost out.  Rockledge had lost one of its two railroads and the Wadley Southern went out of business.   Sources:  (Wadley Southern Railway Company vs. State of Georgia, 235 U.S. 651, 137 Ga 497, 73 SE 741)

98-30

KOREAN WAR P.O.W.s WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN

Forty five years ago they were coming home.  The Korean War officially ended on July 27, 1953.  They were prisoners of war in the so called “Forgotten War.”  Under the truce agreement, prisoners of war were to be returned.   Decades later it was revealed that about a thousand American POWs were never returned to their country.  This is a story of three  who made it back home, and one who didn’t.

 

Master Sergeant Wesley Hodges had been in a war before.  In World War II, Hodges was a member of the 38thMechanized Cavalry Recon Squad that repelled German counteroffensive in Monscham, France in Dec. 1944.  He was a bantam driver, and his squad was the first to enter Paris on August 25, 1944.  Hodges was awarded three bronze stars for actions in North Africa, Normandy, and France.   On Nov. 2, 1950, Sgt. Hodges was with the First Cavalry group at Unsong.  All of his battalion, including the commanding officer, were taken to Pyoktong, where they were held until August, 1951.   From there they were moved to Camp No. 3, Chansong.  Hodges remained at Chansong until he was moved to Wervon.

Sgt. Hodges told of a terrible life in ten by ten huts. “We were crowded and slept on mud floors.  We had no haircuts, no shaves, and few clothes.  We did get some trousers and jackets in July, 1951. ” When asked about medical treatment, the sergeant just shook his head.   While in the prison, Hodges dropped from one hundred seventy one  pounds down to 90 pounds.   Hodges and thirty three hundred other POWs signed an appeal for peace, and act for which he and others were later chastised by the American government.  Of that group, half made it out.  One thing that kept him going were the letters which starting coming from his wife in October, 1951.   Hodges, who had three brothers in the service, said “I’m just happy to put my feet under mama’s table in Dublin.” 

Emerson Burns  left Adrian, Georgia at the age of eighteen  when he joined the Army in 1949.  Burns was sent to Korea on August 4, 1950.  While in Korea, Sgt. Burns worked as a radio operator and truck driver.  In November 1950,  Burns and his unit barely escaped capture when the Chinese Army overran his division.   A member of HQ Company, 38th Regiment, 2nd Division, Burns was in Wanju in January of 1951 when he and seven hundred fifty other soldiers were taken prisoner.    Burns and his unit had gotten through the roadblock at Kunure, where many of the 2nd Division troops had been killed.    Burns’ six by six truck had its gas tank shot out.  The men were forced to march for three months.  On the seven hundred mile march the men were given twelve total days of rest.   One in five of the men would live to see the end of the war.  Burns and the others were taken to Camp Number 1 near Chonwon.  When they first arrived,  the prisoners were fed twice a day.  Their diet mainly consisted of soy beans and millet.   Later the meals were changed to dry fish and rotting eggs.  They had to eat it.  It was their only food.  

Temperatures in the Korean winter often fellow to thirty degrees below zero.  Burns recalled that the men were allowed to have a fire in a home-made furnace for about an hour a day.  The men lived in mud huts with mud floors.   Eventually Burns was stricken with beri-beri, a disease caused by vitamin deficiencies.    When truce talks began in 1951,  the prisoners were allowed to write letters home.  In the long days in the mud huts, Burns dreamed of living in Dublin.  He did not know that his parents, Mr. and Mrs. R.D. Burns, had already moved to Dublin.  Burns wrote home several times, stating that he was doing as well as could be expected.

Tyrois Odom, another Adrian boy who eventually moved to Laurens County, was a cannoneer in Battery C, 555th Field Artillery.    On the night of July 13, 1953, Odom was wounded in the hip during fighting between Kumhwa and Kumsong.  “We had been firing pretty regular.  We had been hit quite a bit in return.  About 1:30 a.m. we got a direct hit.  We had to leave our guns and take cover on the side of the mountain, ” Odom said.   Odom remembered hearing bugles, but had no idea that his position was about to be attacked.  His battery was surrounded.  All that didn’t surrender were killed.  The Associated Press called the action “one of the worst massacres of Americans in the Korean War.”   The artillery was providing support for the South Korean army when three Chinese divisions smashed the U.S. lines from three directions.

Odom was lying down when the attack came.  He sat up and saw a Chinese soldier firing.  The shots were coming toward him.   The little puffs of dirt were getting closer.  He whirled around.  A bullet hit him in the hip, causing Odom’s leg to double up.   Odom decided to lay motionless, what he learned as a child as “playing possum.”  It worked.  The Chinese soldiers kept moving, leaving Tyrois lying dead, or so they thought.  Two other Americans were dead, each within fifty feet of Odom.   Odom and another soldier, Austin, who wasn’t wounded,  “played possum” for sixty hours.   Austin had his helmet kicked off, but didn’t move a muscle.  The pair survived on a case of c-rations and creek water for eight days.   They may have never been detected until  an American bomb blast buried them in dirt.  “Then we had to move and they captured us,” Odom explained.   Unable to walk, he was carried by stretcher and truck for several days.  He spent only a few days in a camp before the war ended.

After the war, POWs were being released daily.  The members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars,  under the leadership of R.T. Peacock, Jr., W.M. Towson, Johnny Floyd, Lamar Thornton and W.G. Hanley, and the American Legion, represented by H. Dale Thompson, Harold E. Ward, Murray Chappell, and Horace Hobbs,  began plans to honor the hometown heroes with a welcome home parade.    A large banner welcoming home the trio was placed downtown.  Merchants displayed American flags prominently throughout the downtown area.  

A celebration was held on October 2, 1953.  It was one of the largest crowds ever assembled in Dublin.  Bill Courson was the master of ceremonies.  Speaking that day were W.W. Jordan, mayor pro tem  whose only son was killed in World War II, and Guy Stone, National Executive of the American Legion.  The families of the three men were honored guests at the event. 

Albert A. Lewis, of Laurens County,  served for six years in the United States Army through all of World War II.  When the United States entered into the Korean War, Lewis re-enlisted in the Army.  Sergeant Lewis fell into the hands of the North Koreans and was sent to a prison camp.  Word was sent to the American government that Lewis died of pulmonary tuberculosis.  Nearly three years after his death the truth was revealed about the his death.   Lewis did not die from tuberculosis, but from malnutrition.  He starved to death.  There were no parades for Sgt. Lewis.  His name on the war memorial on the courthouse lawn and a short story in The Courier Herald are the only public memorials to the fallen soldier.

This is the story of four unforgettable men of the so called “forgettable war.”  They are reminders of what we are, or what we should be, as Americans.  Let them never be forgotten. 

Postscript: 

Tryois Odom died on the very day this article was published in the Courier Herald.

98-31

MARY MCCLUSKEY, NURSE

Mary McCluskey always knew she wanted to be a nurse, even if it meant she had to do things that girls shouldn't have to do.  From those very first afternoons she spent volunteering at the East Tennessee Public Health Office, Mary knew she wanted to help people.  In September of 1933, Mary began her nursing studies at Erlanger Hospital Nursing School in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

She took great consolation in comforting patients with warm baths, extra blankets, fresh sheets, and hot water bottles. Surgery was a challenge - no room for error.  The hospital was very poor in those days.  Remember, it was in the middle of the Depression.  Mary and the other student nurses spent their free time making bandages and folding gauze.   The nurses even made their own cotton balls and saline solutions.  Rubber gloves were patched and IV needles were sharpened.  The most dreaded chore was the preparation of plaster of paris casts.  Mary and the other nurses enjoyed the hospital nursery the most.  The Emergency Room was the most exciting, especially on the weekends.  The worst part of the hospital, other than the sickness, was the Operating Room Supervisor, who was extremely tough on the student nurses.  In her first year of school, Mary was allowed eleven dollars a month to spend for non necessities.  Every morning the nurses stood inspection, just like in the military.

Mary passed her Nurses Board examination.  She was assigned as Supervisor of the Colored Wards at Erlanger Hospital.  Her salary skyrocketed to sixty dollars a month.  Mary joined the American Red Cross as a Red Cross Nurse.  While with the Red Cross, she was assigned to Camp Forest to aid Mississippi flood victims.  She earned eight dollars  for a twelve  hour day.  Mary was looking for a "place to land."  After working for a summer at the  Philadelphia Graduate Hospital, she landed at Peerless Woolen Mills in Rossville, Georgia.  It was in Rossville where she met her future husband, Roy McCluskey.

As the United States became more involved in World War II, Mary decided that she wanted to be an Army Nurse.  She left home in September of 1942 for Stark, Florida.  Roy joined the Navy.  Mary spent 26 months at Camp Blanding in Florida.  It was the 2nd largest infantry training camp in the United States.  She volunteered for duty in a field hospital overseas, but never got the chance to go.  Mary was assigned to surgery and then to the Chief Nurse's Office.  As a day supervisor, Mary had charge of thirty-two hundred beds.  The beds were arranged in two rows of sixteen hundred each.  The rows were so long one could not see from one end to another.

When her boss, Col. Maley, was transferred to the China, Burma, India Theater of operations, Mary and a friend were invited to go along with her.  Mary was sent to Brigham City, Utah, where she trained in the 172nd General Hospital.  From Utah, Mary was flown to Bermuda.  The conditions aboard the plane were very uncomfortable.  Mary spent a few days in Casablanca, North Africa, before arriving in Karachi, India in December of 1944.

Mary’s assigned hospital was in a desert.  When anyone went outside, they had to wear sunglasses and head scarves.  One night Mary was invited to go jackal hunting with two male officers.  Mary's job was to shine the light.  The trio didn't kill any jackals that night.  They did kill a dog, a rabbit, and a vulture.  The two men chased a poor pregnant cat, but Mary turned off the light, refusing to let the trigger happy officers shoot it.

While off duty, Mary and the nurses enjoyed shopping in the Indian shops.  She met many officers of the famed "Merrill's Marauders," who were building "The Burma Road."  The food wasn't that good - certainly not like her mamma's.  In February of 1945, she was transferred to New Delhi.  She never forgot the sight of the Taj Mahal in the Indian moonlight.  In April of 1945, Mary and her fellow nurses participated in a memorial service for Franklin D. Roosevelt.  As the end of the war drew nearer, the action became more intense.  Twenty nurses were killed in a plane crash.  

By April of 1945, the nurses were moving closer to China. After a stop in Calcutta, the nurses found that there was no hospital as they were told.  To their disappointment, the nurses were put on detached service.  It seemed that the commanding general had taken materials which had been intended to be used to construct a hospital.  The general built a palatial home for himself, much to the dismay of the physicians and nurses.

With the aid of General Chenault's "Flying Tigers," the medical crews began building a hospital on their own.  Chinese women and children made bricks out of clay and straw.  Despite it being the rainy season, they worked all day to get the hospital built as soon as possible. Life in the hospital was getting better.  One night,  while dancing to music, Mary heard the announcement that the war with Japan was over.  "Everyone stood still.  We were unable to believe our ears.  Then everyone started screaming and crying.  We kissed like it was New Year's Eve," Mary wrote.  The male officers ran to retrieve bottles of liquor, which had been secreted away in anticipation of the end of the war.  After a short celebration, the medical crews were evacuated back to Shanghai.

Mary and the other nurses took advantage of their liberty and went into Shanghai to go shopping.  Mary did a little Christmas shopping.  She even bought her wedding dress.  Mary left China in November of 1945.  On December 6, 1945, nearly four years to the day after the beginning of the war, Mary saw the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. After a short stay in Des Moines, Iowa, Mary returned to Chattanooga, just in time for Christmas.  She had been all the way around the world in the service of her country.  Mary had a Merry Christmas that year, grateful for all her blessings.  On January 3, 1946, Mary and Roy were married.  Roy and Mary moved to Dublin when Roy came to work with J.P. Stephens and Company.  Mary wrote of her experiences in a book that  she called "We Have Come A Long Way."  Her story, like that of every nurse, is a story of untiring and devoted service to their community and their country.

98-32

COLONEL LUCIAN A. WHIPPLE

Georgia’s Oldest Lawyer

On Friday, September 4th, Col. Lucian A. Whipple, would be one hundred and twenty years old.  If he was alive and healthy, he would probably still be practicing law.  Next to his family and his community, it was the love of is life - and a long life it was.  When Col. Whipple retired, he was the oldest practicing attorney in the United States.  He was 98 years old.

Lucian Adolphus Whipple was born on September 4, 1878 on the Whipple family farm on Turkey Creek - a few miles east of the present city of Dudley.  When the M.D. and S. Railroad came through in 1891, the community was given the name of Whipple's Crossing.  Whipple's father, Stephen Bennett Whipple, was of New England stock.  The elder Whipple served as an officer in the Confederate Army during the first year of the Civil War.  Whipple and his brother Allen were awarded a contract to furnish salt to the Confederacy for the duration of the war.

After the war, Whipple went west to California to seek a fortune.  Within a year, he returned to Georgia.  He bought the James Thomas Place about ten miles west of Dublin.  Whipple and his wife, Sarah Holliman Whipple, knew the value of an education.  Whipple himself had attended Mercer University before the War.  Whipple and his neighbor David Ware built their own schoolhouse.  Whipple and Ware chipped in to supplement the teacher's small state salary.  Whipple decided to move to Cochran where the New Ebenezer Baptist Association was located.  Whipple left the farm and became one of Cochran's most influential businessmen. Stephen and Sarah raised eight sons.  William was a physician.  Ulysses V. was Judge of the Cordele Superior Court circuit and a legislator.  Allen P. was a teacher and a farmer.  Robert L. practiced medicine for fifty eight years and died while administering care to a patient.  Clifford was a practicing pharmacist for more than fifty  years.  Stephen T., the oldest son, never married and worked in the family business for many years.  Oliver J. practiced dentistry for more than fifty years.

Lucian A. Whipple was eight years old when his family moved to Cochran. He attended New Ebenezer College for six years.  Whipple transferred to Gordon Institute in Barnesville where he was elected senior class president.  In 1895, he again transferred, this time to the University of Georgia, where he was again elected senior class president.  Whipple graduated with first honors in 1898.  From Georgia, Whipple returned to the homeland of his paternal ancestors and enrolled in Harvard University Law School. He graduated from the prestigious school in 1901.

Whipple returned to Cochran to set up his law practice.  Before he was through, Col. Whipple would practice law for seventy-two years.  The title of Colonel was honorary.  It was a tradition in the South to give a lawyer the title, which was derived from the days when counties were divided into militia districts.  Before and during the Civil War,  the militia district provided military security to the county,  as well as providing justice of the peace courts and election precincts.

In 1907, Col. Whipple formed a partnership with a Cochran printer, Royal A. McRae.  The duo founded the "Cochran Journal."  Whipple served as editor of  Cochran's first weekly newspaper.  Ironically, after only a short period, he moved his law practice to Hawkinsville.  Col. Whipple served his country in World War I as a second lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps. After the war's end, Whipple taught one year at Mercer University in Macon.

Whipple decided it was time to come home to Cochran. When he came back, he brought his new bride with him. On the last day of the 1919, Col. Whipple and Lella Jackson Dillard were united in marriage.  Mrs. Whipple's father, the Rev. Miles Hill Dillard, was a well-known minister in the North Georgia Conference of the Methodist Church.  Mrs. Whipple was well educated in the arts.  She taught school in Sparks, Oglethorpe, Jackson, and Hawkinsville.  Mrs. Whipple was the first principal of Druid Hills High School.

Col. Whipple, in addition to his love of the law, valued the importance of education.  He served as Superintendent of the Bleckley County School System from 1921 through 1925 and from 1929 to 1933.  Whipple was appointed by the governor to the State Board of Education in 1931.  He served until 1937, when he was elected to the General Assembly of Georgia.  Representative Whipple served in the legislature until 1945.  He was responsible for the law allowing non jury trials in Georgia.

The First Baptist Church of Cochran was the beneficiary of Whipple's leadership and generosity.  During his life, Col. Whipple served as deacon, church clerk, church treasurer, Sunday school teacher, and Sunday school superintendent.

The Whipples had four children.  Lucian, Jr. served as a decorated B-24 gunner in World War II and this year celebrates his fiftieth year in the office machine business in Dublin.  Fielding served in the U.S. Navy Reserve in World War II and as an officer during the Korean War.  Stephen also served his country during the War in the Army Air Corps.  Anne followed in her mother's footsteps, graduating with honors from Wesleyan College and making teaching her career.  She married Louis Alderman, well-known educator and former President of Middle Georgia College in Cochran.

In September of 1976, Col. Whipple decided to make that last trip to the courthouse.  He had been going there for the last seventy five years.  He had witnessed a radical change in the way lawyers tried their cases.  Cases were tried faster and lawyers and judges were much better educated.  Fittingly, Col. Whipple won his last case.  He was ninety eight  years old and his health was beginning to fail.  During the last two years of his life, he was honored as the oldest alumnus of Harvard School of Law, Middle Georgia College, and the University of Georgia, and the oldest former member of the Georgia House of Representatives.  Col. Whipple passed away on August 24, 1979, eleven days shy of his 101st birthday.

98-33

THE DUKE OF DUBLIN

The Football and Business Career of “Breezy” Wynn

Herman D. Wynn was a star footballer for the Dublin Green Hurricanes in the mid twenties.  His friends called him "Breezy."  "Breezy" was highly sought after by college coaches.  He was an all-around athlete, starring in football, basketball, and track.  The 1926 edition of the Hurricanes were champions of the 12th Congressional District.  After a 5-2-1 season, the Dublin team played Eastman for the district title.  "Breezy" intercepted an Eastman pass at the Dublin three-yard line and ran it back ninety-seven yards for the lone score of the game.  Ed Hall kicked the extra point.  Wynn, along with George Scarborough, Lester Jackson, and Nat Lease were dubbed  the "Four Horsemen" of the Hurricanes.  After football season, "Breezy"  led the Green Hurricanes to a second place finish in the district with a record of 13 and 2.  Both loses came at the hands of Cochran, by a total of three points, and only after "Breezy" fouled out in the championship game.  Highlights of the '26-'27 seasons were a 68 to 6 victory over Lyons High, a 56 to 18 victory over Emanuel Co. Institute, and 23 to 8 victory over Sigma Nu Fraternity of Mercer University. 

"Breezy" played at Georgia Military College in 1928 and at Richmond Academy in 1929.  He enrolled at the University of Tennessee where he played from 1930 to 1934.  He broke his leg in the first game of the 1933 season - an injury which cost the Volunteers three defeats according to their legendary coach, Bob Neyland. Before then, the Volunteers had not lost a game when "Breezy" was on the team.  When he arrived at college, he was driving an Essex without a top and had ten dollars in his pocket.    He was considered one of the best fullbacks in the Southeastern Conference in his time.  In addition to his duties as a running back, "Breezy" kicked for the Vols.   During his career at Tennessee, Wynn played with all time greats, Beattie Feathers, Herman Hickman, and Bobby Dodd.   Wynn was the recipient of the Amateur Football Award from the National Football Hall of Fame.   In 1958,  "Breezy" was nominated for "Sports Illustrated's" Silver Anniversary Collegiate Football All Star Team.  The team was chosen to honor those athletes who had distinguished themselves in their chosen fields of employment. 

"Breezy" became more famous for his career as an industrialist.  While at Tennessee, "Breezy" began his business career operating Vol Dry Cleaners, a pool room, a barber shop, a meat market, and a collection agency.   After graduation, he opened an athletic equipment company, The Southern Athletic Company.  "Breezy" hired a few women to sew and borrowed some money to finance the business.  He developed uniforms and equipment that  were much lighter than the "old-fashioned kind."  The idea caught on.  Orders came in from high schools and colleges all over the country.   At one time, Wynn controlled twenty-three plants, which employed thirty five-hundred employees and had contracts totaling more than twenty-five million dollars.

When World War II began, Wynn shifted his production line to manufacture barracks "duffle" bags.  He proclaimed himself as "The King of Barracks Bags."  More than nine million of them were turned out, usually about fifty thousand a week.  Wynn's company also made the M-65 jacket.  By 1945, Wynn's business had expanded to ten factories in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, and New York.  Wynn's company shipped more than a million garments to eleven foreign countries.  His company was making more than a million pairs of pants for the Lend Lease program.  After the war, Wynn hoped to get into the army salvage business.

Wynn's business holdings also included the Southern Aviation Manufacturing Company, and Salvage Company of Tennessee.  Southern Athletic continued to make sporting goods but also made all weather coats for the military and civilian customers.

Wynn was a top organization man in the Knoxville area.  He served as a founder and president of the Knoxville Quarterback.  He was President of the Knoxville Symphony Society. He organized an annual charity football game to benefit children with Cerebral Palsy.  He also served as a director of Church Street Methodist Church, the Boys Club of Knoxville, the City Club of Knoxville, and the Tennessee Manufacturer's Association.  While he was in college, "Breezy" picked up laundry for dry cleaning.  Later he bought a dry-cleaning business.  "Breezy" was generous with his money.  When dogwood trees were needed to plant along trails, he donated a thousand trees.  He solicited three million dollars for a hospital for children, one hundred thousand of which he gave himself.  He brought the Symphony out of financial ruin.

In 1964, Wynn sold his remaining interest in the Southern Athletic Company to Diversa, Inc. of Dallas.  Wynn remained President of the company until his retirement in 1965.   At the time of the sale, the company was grossing fifteen to twenty million dollars a year.   

After a short retirement, Breezy formed Wynn Industries, which took over the idle Apparel Corporation of America.   Breezy put hundreds of persons back to work.  The company manufactured clothing for men and women and boys and girls.  In 1970, the company announced a 20 year contract worth forty million dollars.  Wynn was a prominent member of the Republican party and a close friend of President Richard Nixon.  

A disastrous fire in the Wynn Building destroyed all of his personal papers in February of 1977 - depriving all of us of more detailed accounts of his careers in sports and business.  All the pictures, clippings, and memorabilia were gone.  An entire lifetime of mementos was history, lying among the ashes.   Breezy looked at it this way.  "Look ahead.  Yesterday is history, but tomorrow will always offer new challenges to be conquered.  I can't wait until tomorrow."   The legend of "Breezy" Wynn, "The Duke of Dublin," lives on, and no fire will ever take it away.  

98-34

THE NANCY HART HIGHWAY

A Memorial to a Revolutionary Heroine

Who was Nancy Hart?  Did you know that she has a highway named in her honor which passes through Laurens, Johnson, and Wheeler  Counties?  The highway is marked by a small granite marker.  Millions of people have traveled by it and never noticed it.  Thousands of people pass by it daily.

On February 26, 1930, the John Laurens Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution joined other chapters  in marking the Nancy Hart Highway.   In Wrightsville, the marker stands on the northwest corner of the courthouse square.  The highway ran from Elbert County down U.S. Highway 319 through Johnson and Laurens Counties and thence southward through Glenwood, Lumber City, Alma, and Waycross before it ended at the Florida border.  The Laurens County marker was placed on the south side of U.S. 80/319 at the western end of the Oconee River Bridge.  The small granite marker was unveiled by Thomas Kellam and Blanche Coleman, who were dressed as George and Martha Washington.   A dedicatory service was held at the courthouse.  Entertainment was provided by the Georgia Power Company band and a squad from the Dublin National Guard Company. Afterwards a tea was given by Mrs. Izzie Bashinski in honor of the Georgia State Daughters of the American Revolution officials.  

Nancy Morgan Hart was born a little more than two hundred and fifty years ago in North Carolina, possibly in Pennsylvania.   Nancy married Benjamin Hart, a native of Hanover County, Virginia  who moved to Caswell County, North Carolina.   Five or six years before the beginning of the American Revolution, the Harts moved to the Edgefield District of South Carolina.  They settled on the Broad River in what became Wilkes County, Georgia.   

During the American Revolution, the residents of Georgia and South Carolina were deeply divided in their loyalties to the King of England and the colonial government.  In reality, the war that followed became America’s first civil war.  Colonials and Tories developed a bitter hatred toward each other.   Neighbors began harassing and even killing neighbors.   

Women were drawn into the fray.  Women served in various capacities in the Continental Army and State Militia.  While most women served as cooks and nurses, it was not unusual to see a woman pick up a musket when her husband had fallen.   Some women disguised themselves as men and took active roles in the fighting.  Some experts estimate that by the end of the war, a substantial number  of the soldiers in the field were women.  Those women who stayed at home took on the role of defending the homestead and the local community.

Nancy Hart became a legend in northeast Georgia during the Revolution.  Hart, a woman who stood six feet tall with flaming red hair, was known to have been a marksman.  One legend is that one side of her cabin was covered with antlers from deer she had killed.  Nancy was known to have been a doctor and a midwife.  She maintained a herb garden, which she used for treating ordinary ailments and the pains of childbirth.  The Harts maintained a large apple orchard on their place.    It has been said that to the Indian, she was known as “Wahatchee,” a name which meant “war woman.”   A creek near her home bears that name today.   That name probably refers to an Indian name for the creek, since “hatchee” is the Creek Indian word for creek.   

The legend began one day when five or six Tories came to her home.  Various accounts of the story have been told.  The men came into Nancy’s cabin to interrogate Nancy concerning her aiding and abetting in the escape of a Whig rebel from the loyalists to the King.  The Tories alleged that Nancy had allowed the man to ride through the doors of her house into the swamp to escape his pursuers.   Nancy Hart laughed at the men for their foolish speculations.  The men, who were rapidly becoming incensed at her insolence, demanded that she cook a turkey for them.  They boasted that they had just killed her neighbor, Colonel John Dooley.

The legend states that one of the men went out and shot the turkey, despite Nancy’s objections.  Nancy rarely hid her hatred of Tories.  In an effort to save her life as well as those of her family, Nancy treated the men to a feast, with plenty of pre-meal liquor.  Nancy sent her daughter to the spring to fetch a bucket of water and to alert neighbors of the danger by blowing on a conch shell.  As they waited on their meal, the men became increasingly imbibed and stacked their arms.   As the men were feasting, Nancy would slowly push their weapons through a hole in the wall of the log cabin.  Her plot was discovered.  As the men attempted to stop her, Nancy pointed her gun, daring any of them to move.   One version of the story states that Nancy was extremely cross-eyed.  One man, thinking she was looking away from him, went for his gun.   Nancy kept her promise.  The first one who moved was shot and killed.   Another man is said to have made the same mistake.  When the neighbors arrived, the survivors were hung.

The Colonial Army used Nancy’s services on several occasions.  One story has her dressing as a crazy man and gaining critical information on troop strengths and movements from the unsuspecting British.  At another time, a volunteer was needed to cross the Savannah River to obtain information.  Nancy fashioned a raft out of logs tied together with vines to cross the river.  Still on another occasion, she dressed as a peddler to disguise her true identity. 

These stories and even the existence of Nancy Hart was called into question by some historians.   Descendants and relatives wrote letters to editors of newspapers that she did truly exist and that she was a heroine of the Revolutionary War.   In 1912,  when work crews were doing grading work on the Elberton and Eastern Railroad, the graves of six men were found near the Hart home.  It was all the believers of the story needed to prove the legend of Nancy Hart was true.  

In 1932, the Elbert County Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution built a replica of her cabin on the home site.  Original chimney and hearth stones were used in the construction of the one room log house.  The cabin and land were made into a state park in the late 1940s.  However in the 1970s, the state gave the land to Elbert County, due to statewide budget cuts.  Today the cabin is open on special occasions.  

The Georgia Legislature honored Nancy Hart in 1853, by naming a new county in her honor.  The all male legislature refused to set a precedent and give the new county the name of Nancy Hart County, although it made two exceptions to that rule in the early 1900s with the naming of Ben Hill and Jeff Davis counties.   Hart County remains the only county in Georgia named for a female and one of the few in the United States.  Where did this remarkable and legendary woman get her pioneering spirit and undaunting fortitude?  She may have inherited it.  A first cousin, who lived in Kentucky, is known nationwide as America’s most well known pioneer hero.  He is, of course, the legendary Daniel Boone.

98-35

SEVENTY FIVE YEARS OF THE DUBLIN LIONS CLUB

This Friday, September 25th, 1998, the second oldest Lions Club in Georgia celebrates its seventy-fifth anniversary.  The Dublin Lions Club, Laurens County’s oldest civic organization,  was founded by twenty three-Dublin men.  The first officers of the Club were President Carl D. Hilbun, 1st Vice President Roy A. Flynt, 2nd Vice President J.R. Powel, 3rd Vice President P.M. Watson, and Secretary-Treasurer E.H. Langston.  The Board of Directors was composed of T.A. Curry, Sr., S.V. Sconyers, R. Hill English, and  J.O. Collier.  J.E. Beales was chosen as the tail twister and Marshal A. Chapman as the lion tamer.  The other charter members of the club were Guy V. Cochran, H.P. Phelps, W.P. Roche, Fred Lee Brown, T.J. Trammell, Clarence V. Burch,  J.E. Bedingfield, A.W. Gragg, Emmett L. Black, T.J. Pritchett,  C.D. Bailey, and Paul W. Alexander.The organization received its charter from the International Lions Club in May of 1924.  P.M. Watson, Sr. was promoted to second vice president.  C.N. Raney was elected as chaplain of the club.  Marshal A. Chapman and H.P. Phelps were added to the board of directors in place of Messrs. English and Collier.  

The first Lions Club was founded by Melvin Jones, a Chicago insurance agent, in June 7, 1917.  Jones organized the club as a way for business and professional people to help those less fortunate than themselves.   The association’s motto “We Serve” totally explains its mission.  The name Lions is an anagram for “Liberty, Intelligence, Our Nation’s Safety.”  For more than seventy years,  the Lions Club has been associated with the fight to prevent blindness and to aid those who are vision impaired.  The club accepted the challenge of blind, deaf, and dumb author Helen Keller, who challenged the members of the 1925 Lions Club national convention to become "knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness."  Today the Lions Club International sponsors Sight First, the world's largest blindness prevention program. 

One of the most successful Lion’s Club projects ever was the sponsorship of Homecoming Day in Dublin.  A day was set aside around the first of April for those who had left Dublin and Laurens County during the depression years to come home for a day of festivities.  The club chose that time in order to accommodate the two visiting baseball teams.  The first Homecoming Day was held in 1933.  The Lion’s Club invited the electrifying Eugene Talmadge who spoke to several thousand supporters in front of the Laurens County Courthouse.  The afternoon event was a baseball game between the Petrels of Oglethorpe University and the St. Louis Cardinals, known as the legendary “Gas House Gang.”  After the game, the club sponsored a dance at the Dublin Country Club.  Following the success of the 1933 game, the Lion’s Club invited the Cardinals to return again in 1935.  By a stroke of luck, the legendary Dizzy Dean pitched for the Cardinals against the University of Georgia Bulldogs.  The second game was also a success and led to the attempt to establish a semi-pro baseball league in Middle Georgia.  In the two games, six Hall of Famers:  Dizzy Dean, Frankie Frisch, Joe Medwick, Jesse Haines, Leo Durocher, and Rogers Hornsby played on the old 12th District Fairgrounds on Telfair Street.

During the first decades the club sponsored a Better Lawn and Garden Contest, as well as  many other activities in the Dublin area.  The club helped to organize Boy Scout troops, collected food baskets for the needy at Christmas, and aided in many charitable efforts. From 1925 to 1960,  the Lions Club sponsored an empty stocking children’s fund at Christmas.    The Lions, always being civic minded, promoted the economic development of the county, especially in the “hard times of the twenties and thirties.  Many members of the club were instrumental in the location of J.P. Stephens Company in East Dublin in 1948.  The coming of J.P. Stephens Company began the shift of the local economy away from a total dependence on agriculture to a mixture of agriculture and industrial economies.  Over the years, Lions Club members were active in securing the location of and improving the local airport. 

Among other projects sponsored by  members of the Lion’s Club in the last three decades are fairs, agricultural programs in local schools, the St. Patrick’s Award’s Banquet, the Lighthouse for the Blind, and the Leader Dog School.  One of the most successful projects was the raising of thirty two-thousand dollars for the establishment of an Intensive Coronary Unit at the Laurens County Hospital.  The club purchased the magnificent and unique green neon shamrocks which adorn the marquee of Theatre Dublin.  The club sponsors the broom and mop sale, the spirit run, yard sales, and White Cane Day to raise funds for charitable projects. 

During those early years, the Lion’s Club met in the dining rooms of the New Dublin Hotel on South Jefferson Street and the Hotel Fred Roberts on Academy Avenue.  One day a frantic Dublin woman was in search of her husband who was a member of the Lion’s Club.  The desperate woman approached a couple of young boys who were coming out of the Hotel Fred Roberts.  She asked the boys “Did you see any Lions in the hotel?”  The puzzled boys answered, “No ma’am, there are no lions in there.”

During the last seventy five years, the Dublin Lions Club has been blessed with outstanding civic servants.  As a matter of practice, every Lion is an outstanding civic servant.   Among those Dublin Lions was Thomas A. Curry, Sr., who was given the prestigious honor of representing the state of Georgia as District Governor.  Curry served as District Governor from 1929 to 1930.  As District Governor, Mr. Curry attended the International Convention representing the state of Georgia.  Guy Cochran, a charter member, served for fifty-one years until his death in 1974.  C.U. Smith, President of Citizens and Southern Bank, served for fifty years.  The current members of the club with the longest terms of service in the club and to their community are Duggan Weaver with more than forty-five years and John Ross with more than forty years. Eugene Cook, a member from 1941 to 1943, served as Georgia’s Attorney General from 1945 to 1965, longer than anyone else in the history of our state. 

  

In the early 1990s, the Lions Club became the first of the all-male civic clubs to admit women to their membership.  Jean Perry, Anne Coleman, Linda Fowler, and Jan East were the first four women to join the club.

Over the last three quarters of a century more than five hundred members of the Dublin Lions Club have kept their motto to serve their community.  The Dublin Lions Club is typical of the civic organizations of our county.  Their continuing devotion to serving others is truly admirable.

98-36

ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF THE FIRST CHRISTIAN  CHURCH, DUBLIN, GEORGIA

The members of the First Christian Church of Dublin begin their celebration of the 100th anniversary of their church this month.  One hundred years ago, Dublin and Laurens County’s churches  were almost exclusively  Baptist and Methodist.   With the rapid influx of new citizens, new denominations of churches began to appear.  Among those new churches were the Disciples of Christ, who called their church the Christian Church.  

The Christian Church originated in Pennsylvania in the first decade of the Nineteenth  Century.  Rev. Thomas Campbell, a Presbyterian minister, founded the church, which was based on more acceptance of other denominations of the Christian faith.   Rev. Thomas M. Harris, who left the Methodist Church,  led the formation of several Christian churches in our area.

On August 1, 1898, a little more than one hundred years ago, those subscribing to the doctrines of the Christian Church met for a revival on the grounds of the old City Hall and old Masonic Lodge, the present site of Dublin’s City Hall.   Another written history of the church states that the revival was held in a tent in the area where the main office of the Farmers and Merchants Bank is now located.   The revival was led by Rev. E.W. Pease.  What followed was the organization of the First Christian Church of Dublin, which was led by Rev. E.L. Shellnut, who organized more Christian churches in Georgia than any other man.  E.J. Holland was chosen as the first Elder of the Church.  The founding deacons were N.B. Rawls and H.T. Jordan.  The charter members of the Church were Mr. and Mrs. E.F. Bailey, Mr. and Mrs. James B. Hicks, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Hicks, Mr. and Mrs. E.J. Holland, Mr. and Mrs. H.T. Jordan, Mrs. A.M. Prince, Lyda and Sherman Price, Mr. and Mrs. N.B. Rawls, Mrs. J.T. Smith, Mrs. M.A. Smith, and Mrs. A.T. Summerlin.  James B. Hicks was elected clerk,  and T.B. Hicks was chosen as the first church treasurer.

The first meetings were held in the then new Masonic Lodge, which was located in the second story of the building now occupied by Dublin Appliance Company.  Rev. S.P. Spigel served as a temporary minister.  Meetings were later held in the meeting halls on the second floor of the Henry Building at 101 W. Jackson Street and in Christ Episcopal Church.  

The members of the church began to look around for sites on which to build their new church.  They chose a prime site on North Jefferson Street at its intersection with Gaines Street on the very edge of the commercial downtown area.  Today the site is occupied by Knight State Bank.  In 1908,  a new church building was completed.  The new church (see picture) was constructed out of hydraulic stone.  While small in stature, it was a handsome structure.  Rev. Allen Wilson preached the first revival in the church.  Fifty seven-new members joined the Christian Church that day.   

The secret to the success of any church is dedication and hard work by its members.  Among the early members of the church, in addition to those mentioned above, were E.F. Bailey, H.T. Jordan, G.W. Johnson, B.F. Shepard, Grat Holt, J.J. Jordan, H.E. Williams, Dr. H.T. Hodges, Claude H. Jones, Otis Rawls, Jeff Proctor, T.H. Black, Dr. J.M. Page, J.F. Mullis, Doyle C. Knight, Joe Underwood, Dr. E.H. Maynard, L.O. Beacham, George L. Hughes, B.L. Collins, S.F. Coffin, J.D. Tharpe,  J.A. Rachels, Mary Smith, Mrs. John Williams, Mrs. J.A. Rachels, Winnie McPherson, Mrs. E.F. Bailey, Mrs. Tom Smith, Mrs. J.D. Tharpe, Mrs. Doyle Knight, Mrs. L.L. Porter, Mrs. M.A. Shewmake, Mrs. H.W. Jordan, Mrs. B.L. Tingle, Mrs. B.W. Johnson, Mrs. I.G. Prim, Mrs. C.H. Jones, Mrs. Gratt Holt, and Mrs. T.K. Tharpe.   

The church was blessed early and for many years with faithful and hard-working women.  Mrs. Margaret Rowe Hicks, wife of T.B. Hicks, was the first deaconess of the church.  Mrs. James J. Jordan,  the former Miss Mary Will Rachels, was the second deaconess of the church and the first woman in Laurens County to exercise her right to vote when women were first allowed to vote in the 1920s.  Other women serving on the board of deacons during the early years of the church were Mrs. T.K. Tharpe, Mrs. H.T. Hodges, Miss Florie Mae Hodges, Mrs. H.H. Ervin, Sr., Mrs. H.B. Wimberly, Mrs. I.G. Primm, and Mrs. M.A. Shewmake.  In 1909, Mrs. H.M. Kirke and Mrs. J.J. Jordan were the first women from the church to serve as delegates to the Georgia state convention.  Dorothy Hicks Ross, granddaughter of two of the church’s founders, Mr. and Mrs. T.B. Hicks, has been a member of the church for nearly eight decades.  

The first permanent pastor of the church was Dr. Thomas L. Harris of Wrightsville.  Dr. Harris, son of pioneer minister Thomas M. Harris, was a remarkable man. He practiced law and medicine and served as a minister, all at the same time. Following Dr. Tom Harris, the pastors of the Christian Church have been P.H. Mears (1901-3), B.H. Morris (1903-5), George W. Mullins (1905-6), Virgil W. Wallace (1906-8; the first full time pastor), W.A. Cossaboom (1908-11), Charles S. Jackson (1911-12), W.F. Mott (1913-7), John W. Tyndall (1918-21), W.E. Abernathy, E.W. Sears, James A. Moore (1922-1925), Dr. E.L. Tiffany (1925-26), W.F. Mott (1926-29), James Lawson (1930), E.E. Sharpe (1931), Robert Bennett (1932-43), Olin E. Fox (1946-49), Edward S. Reese (1949-51), Barney L. Stephens (1951-53), J. Gordon Hooten (1953-57), Robert A. Ferguson (1957-62), O.G. Gilbert (1962), Maurice Byers (1962-63), James Sitton (1964-69), William I. Jordan (1969-1983), Carl J. Brame, Jr. (1983-89), Mark Poindexter (1989-91), Emmett T. Carroll (1993-94), and William W. Glasson, Sr. (1994- to the present.)   O.G. Gilbert, a native of Dublin preached for fifty years before coming to Dublin to serve as an interim pastor in 1962.  Rev. William I. Jordan, a former chaplain in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, served as pastor for fourteen years, the longest service in the history of the church. 

During the pastorate of Rev. Mears,  the Ladies Aid Society and the Christian Women’s Board of Missions was organized.  During the pastorate of Dr. John W. Tyndall, membership soared to eight hundred and twelve.  It had only been one hundred and fifty at the beginning of the decade.   The little church was packed nearly every Sunday.  

In the late 1950s, the church building became outdated and too small.   The first service at new church on the corner of Mimosa and Woodrow Streets was held on November 27, 1960.  Rev. Charles L. Newby of Columbus was in charge of the services.  One part of the beauty of the old church was the stained glass windows.  Two of the old windows were saved and installed in the new church building at the back of the sanctuary, facing the pulpit. 

98-37

STUBBS PARK

This past Saturday, October 10th, 1998, was the 90th anniversary of the establishment 

of Stubbs Park as Dublin’s oldest park.  The origin of the Stubbs Park goes back to the centennial year of Laurens County in 1907.   Until that point, the city of Dublin had no real park.  There was a small pavilion and park at the lower end of East Madison Street near where the water plant now stands.  Dublin was becoming one of the most progressive communities in the state.  The city council decided to include $5,000.00 for park construction in a bond issue election to be held on December 9, 1907.  Just before the election, the park and paving projects on Jackson and Jefferson streets were cut out in favor of increased funding for a fire alarm system and improvements to the light and water plant.  Funds for another colored school were cut out in favor of street improvements.  Apparently, the council decided that physical improvements were necessary before quality of life improvements could be funded.  G.H. Williams, an out-spoken  civic-minded attorney and a former park area resident, offered to pay for the cost of building the park if the city decided not to fund the project.

The area chosen for the park was located along the banks of Stubbs Mill Branch between North Church Street and North Calhoun Street.  The stream provided the water for a grist mill located at the far eastern end of the park.  J.T. Pope, a pioneer miller in the Dublin area, built the first combined grist mill and cotton ginnery for Col. John M. Stubbs on the property in 1901 following a fire which destroyed the old mill.  The new mill contained two sets of grist rocks, three seventy-saw cotton gins, and a planing mill.  

Despite the failure of the bond issue, the city fathers moved ahead with the plans for a park on the Stubbs's property.  The Stubbs family signed the deed giving the park to the city on October 10, 1908.  M.J. Guyton, the first city engineer, set out to survey the park in October of 1908.  The initial estimate of the cost was five thousand dollars, with two fifths of the cost being paid by private citizens.  P.J. Berckmans of Augusta was hired to design the park.  Berckmans, a former colleague of Col. Stubbs, was president of the Georgia State Horticultural Society for twenty-five years and was highly regarded as one of the world's leading plant experts.   Berckmans's initial plan called for the draining and filling in of the lake with seats and fountains placed throughout the park.  The city of Dublin agreed to accept the donation of the land for the park in April of 1909. The city appropriated three thousand dollars for the construction of the ten-acre park in May of 1909.   One of the first improvements would be a small pavilion located just north of the Catholic Church in the area now known as the Grady Wright section of the park.  

Construction began in April of 1910.  By the end of summer, the park was beginning to take shape.  An artesian well was dug by Thad Bostick at the western end of the park.  The well began to flow in February of 1911 at the rate of fifty gallons per minute.  The area at the western end of the park was set aside for athletic courts.  The newly formed basketball 

team of Frank Grier, Currell Daniel, Leon Bush, Edgar Hodges, Sam Daniel, and Lee Smith played their first games on the outdoor court in the late winter of 1911.  Tennis courts were added shortly,  as well as the usual benches and tables.  Electric lights were installed and other improvements made in the summer of 1916.  The city council appointed Rev. T.W. Callaway to head the Parks and Playground Commission.  The commission's goal was to establish more parks and playgrounds in the city and to continue the improvements made at Stubbs Park.

The park soon became a gathering place for social and even political events.  The Farmers Union held a rally in the park in July of 1915.  State President J.J. Brown spoke to a crowd, which numbered in excess of one thousand.  Brown served ten years as Georgia's Secretary of Agriculture from 1917 to 1927, when he was defeated by Eugene Talmadge of McRae.  One of Georgia's most colorful and popular politicians, Thomas E. Watson, spoke from the stump during his Senatorial campaign on July 31, 1920.  Watson was finally elected to public office after suffering several defeats as a Populist candidate for President of the United States.  In May of 1920, Col. James A. Thomas secured the state reunion of Georgia Confederate Veterans in Dublin.  Thousands of veterans and their family members ate at a barbecue held in the park.  Nearly seven decades later the local heroes of Desert Storm were honored with a picnic in the park.  On July 31, 1935, four hundred and fifty West Point Cadets stopped for lunch at Stubbs Park in Dublin.  They were on their way to Fort Benning for training.  The meal was served in shifts at the Hargrove Gymnasium.  One of the senior cadets that year was the future general, William Westmoreland. Walter F. George, one of Georgia's most powerful and respected senators, spoke to a large crowd in the park during the political campaign of 1938.

During the 1950s and 1960s the Jaycees sponsored a public pool in the park near the western end.  A smaller kiddie pool was located at the eastern end.  That pool was located along the northern bank of the creek east of the stage and is lined by shrubs.  The city built a gymnasium at the far western end of the park in the late 1920s.  The gym, named after School Superintendent A.J. Hargrove, was located opposite Calhoun Street School.  After the school burned, the gym was torn down.  A new and modern gym now occupies the old gym site.   

During the Roosevelt administration, the Works Progess Administration rebuilt the physical structures of many communities, giving employment to those who suffered throughout the Depression.  In 1939, the W.P.A. constructed a forty four foot by eighty two  foot outdoor skating rink, which featured shuffled board courts in the corners.  Picnic tables, which doubled as ping pong tables, were built. The tennis courts were lighted.  Barbecue ovens were built.  The park was generally leveled and "spruced up." Dublin teenagers raised funds to build a club house in the early 1950s.  They built a Quonset hut building known as "The Shanty" at the far western end of North Drive.  For nearly two decades, the Shanty was a recreation center for the young people of Dublin.

The Dublin Parks and Recreation Department was formed in the 1960s and took over management of the park.  A tennis court was built on the site of the old pool in the 1970s.  Other courts were built at the western end of South Drive as the sport's popularity increased.  A basketball court now occupies the old pool site.  One of the most popular events of the St. Patrick's Festival is the Arts and Crafts Show in the park.  In 1980, Dr. Billy Dodd started "Music in the Park."  Dr. Dodd brought in some of the finest jazz musicians in the country.  The Arts and Crafts Show joined with the music festival and today draws thousands of visitors on the last two days of the festival.

Stubbs Park is one of Dublin’s greatest treasures.  It was named for Col. John M. Stubbs, a quartermaster in the Confederate Army. Col Stubbs was one of the leaders in bringing Dublin and Laurens County out of the depths of the post Civil War era to become one of the more successful medium sized cities in Georgia.  Stubbs founded the first local newspaper, rejuvenated steamboat traffic on the Oconee River in the 1870s, and secured the location of the M.D. and S. Railroad to Dublin in 1891.  His home, Liberty Hall, was located on the former site of Claxton Hospital on Bellevue Avenue.

98-38

SIX MAN FOOTBALL IN LAURENS COUNTY - 1940

Most football fans know that there are eleven men on each team.  Quite a few don’t remember the days when a football player had to play on both offense and defense.  In the small towns of Georgia before World War II, high schools had a hard time getting enough boys to outfit an eleven-man team.  County School Superintendent Elbert Mullis first began organizing football teams in the county high schools in 1938.  The first two teams were Brewton and Cedar Grove.  In 1939, Rentz, Cadwell, and Dexter began to organize their teams.  In 1940, the Laurens County - Oconee  League went into full swing.

The boys played what was called six-man football.  There were no guards nor tackles on the offensive line - only a center and two ends.  In the backfield,  there was a quarterback and two running backs.  In some games there was only one referee, who obviously had to be in good shape to cover the entire field  - there was no instant replay.  Sometimes coaches from other teams officiated. 

The first game of the 1940 season was held in Cadwell.  Mayor C.J. Bedingfield declared the day, October 3rd, a town holiday and urged all businesses to close for the team’s first football game ever.  Cadwell, coached by Bob Shuler, destroyed the Dexter Boys, coached by Raymond Smith, by the score of 40 to 7.  Five hundred spectators showed up for the game.

The second game of the season was between Brewton High School and Cedar Grove.  This game was much closer.  Warren Sapp scored the first touchdown for Brewton and Keiver Jordan threw a touchdown pass to Victor Moye.  Cedar Grove scored a safety early in the game and scored once on a touchdown by right end Manus.  Brewton held on for a 12 to 8 game.  Neither team converted an extra point.

While all of the teams played full schedules, many of the reports of the games  were never published.  Cedar Grove had one of its best games of the season when it defeated Darien High School by the score of 39-13.  Lamar Lowery was the hero for Cedar Grove that afternoon.  Cadwell, led by a return of an interception by Wyman Mullis, defeated the heavily favored Peacock School from Atlanta, 24 to 12.

Brewton continued its undefeated season on Oct. 20th with a 30 to 14 victory over Dexter at the latter’s home field.  Warren Sapp drove through the center on the second play of the game for the first score.  Moye scored on a pass from Jordan. Jordan who scored a few minutes later on a quarterback run.  Jack Sapp returned an interception for a touchdown for Brewton.  Moye ran nearly the entire length of the field, dodging several Dexter tacklers.  Frost and English scored for Dexter.

Cadwell defeated the powerful Brewton team 14 to 12 for their only defeat of the season.  Bedingfield and Daniell gained a measure of revenge for their 24 to 0 drubbing by Brewton in the first game.  The two teams would play again before the end of the season.  

Brewton smashed Dexter 41 to 8.  Frost scored the only touchdown for Dexter, while Jack Sapp, Victor Moye, Swinton Walker, Keiver Jordan, and Warren Sapp, all scored for Brewton.  Brewton, led by Swinton Walker and Warren Sapp,  followed with a solid 25 to 13 victory over Rentz. Bracewell scored two touchdowns for the losers.  In a second game against Rentz, on their home field, Brewton won 15 to 12 over the Rentz Yellowjackets, coached by David Frazier.  Jordan passed to Maddox for the final score of the game.

Cadwell earned a spot in the title game with a 20 to 13 defeat of Rentz.  C.J. Wynne and T. Bedingfield led the Cadwell comeback with one touchdown each in the second half.  Wyman Mullis and Wallace Collins were outstanding on defense for the Cadwell Bulldogs.  Bracewell, Grinstead, and Mackey played a good game for Rentz.

The county championship came down to one game.  It would be played on a neutral field in Dublin.  Coach Eugene Heckle’s Brewton boys and Coach Bob Shuler’s Cadwell Bulldogs had split their season series, 1-1, with each team winning their home games.  The winner of the game would meet the champion of the Southwest Georgia Football Association for the state championship the next Friday night. 

Brewton’s offense exploded in the first three quarters.  Victor Moye ran back and forth across the field for a forty yard run down to the Cadwell one yard line.  When the game ended, the score was Brewton 61, Cadwell 19.  Scoring for Brewton were Moye, 3 touchdowns, Walker, Jack Sapp, and Jordan, with two touchdowns each.  Warren Sapp kicked three extra points and Moye caught one pass for an extra point.  With the score 43-0 at the start of the fourth quarter, Cadwell’s Bedingfield tried to catch up all by himself.  He scored three touchdowns and one extra point in the final stanza, but to no avail.  

Brewton met Cuthbert High in Cuthbert for the state title on December 5, 1940.  During the season the Brewton team were eight and one.  They scored 261 points to their opponent’s 106.  Brewton’s lineup in the title game was: Keiver Jordan, at quarterback; Jack Sapp, at halfback; Warren Sapp, at fullback; Roy Graham, at center; Victor Moye, the team captain at right end; and Swinton Walker, at left end.    The reserves were made up of Junior Watson, at quarterback; Donald Tipton, at end; Roger Green, at halfback; Stacey Lake, at end; Truett Fort, at fullback; and Albert Garnto, at halfback.  Playing quarterback for Cuthbert was Charlie Waller, a former Dublin boy and an All-American candidate.  Waller, who was a star footballer for Dublin in the two previous years, led in his league, the So-we-ga, in many offensive categories. 

Waller showed why the University of Alabama had given him a football scholarship.  He nearly collapsed from exhaustion after running for seven touchdowns.  Brewton’s only score came in the second quarter when Victor Moye returned a Cuthbert fumble for a touchdown.  Cuthbert scored 14, 24, 30, and 22 points in the quarters to take a 90 to 6 victory, a new high all-Georgia scoring record.  Cuthbert’s fullback scored four touchdowns.  The Brewton boys spent the night in a Cuthbert hotel that night.   It was a long ride back home to Brewton that Sunday.

Their comrades at Dublin High played Monticello for the regular eleven-man district championship two days before.  Dublin, leading 13 to 12 in the fourth quarter, was driving for a victory clinching score.  Morgan intercepted a Dublin pass which he took back for a touchdown,  giving Monticello a 18 to 13 victory.   In 1941, the Cadwell Bulldogs, led by C.J. Wynn, came from behind to defeat Cedar Grove 38 to 21 to win the county championship.  The game was played on Friday night, Dec. 5th.  I think you know what happened the next Sunday.

98-39

150th ANNIVERSARY OF 

LAURENS LODGE NO. 75  F. & A.M.

This Sunday, November 1, 1998, marks the 150th anniversary of Laurens Lodge No. 75 of the Free and Associated Masons.  Laurens Lodge, the oldest fraternal organization in the county, was chartered on November 1, 1848 during a session of the Grand Lodge of Georgia held in Macon.  The number 75 designates that the Lodge was the 75th lodge founded in Georgia.

Freemasonry began nearly twelve hundred years ago in Europe.  Any man engaged in the building crafts was known as a mason.  The term Freemason was comparable to what we call an architect today.  The Freemasons began to organize into a fraternity.  There was no central ruler. Members followed the code of the society.  Other men became interested in the activities of the freemasons.  These men had no particular skill in building and were known as associated Masons.  The first Grand Lodge was established in England in 1717.  The creeds and doctrines of the Masonic fraternity have always included  beliefs in God, family, and country.  While the Masons use secret codes, their existence is anything but secret.  The Masons, while seeking to do deeds for the public good, do not seek public acknowledgment of those deeds.  The locations of their lodges is not a secret.  Their members are known to the public.  There is a saying that “Freemasonry is largely invisible.”  It cannot be found totally in one place or any one time.  It is found within the heart and soul of each individual member.  One can not demand membership into the Masons. He must petition the lodge members for their approval to become a Mason.  

The Laurens Lodge was temporarily organized on August 17, 1848.  The officers of the Lodge were Phillip Ketterer, Worshipful Master; W.R. Steely, Senior Warden; and Jacob Cohen, Junior Warden.  One day after the Lodge was chartered,  Charles B. Guyton was elected as Senior Warden Pro Tem.  Jacob Cohen remained as Junior Warden.  T.N. Guyton was elected Secretary of the Lodge.  The first regular election was held in December and the following officers were added: Francis Thomas, Treasurer; Freeman H. Rowe, S.D.; John W. Yopp, J.D.; and  John M. Dasher, Tyler.  Other charter members of the lodge were William R. Steely, B.H. Horn, James M. Shepherd, Thomas G. Westfall, C.J. Horn, T.G. Hudson, J.M. Hall, J.J. Salmons, J.C. Ray, James A. Thomas, C.L. Holmes, and Edward Sheftall.  The Lodge was incorporated on March 5, 1856.

The members of the Lodge were among the elite in the government and business community in Dublin.   The first Worshipful Master, Phillip Ketterer, came to America from Alsace, France.  He fought in the Black Hawk war in Illinois and was educated as a physician. Dr. Ketterer moved to Appling County, became the first postmaster of Baxley, Georgia and had the honor of naming the town.  Charles Brutus Guyton, the second Worshipful Master, served in the state legislature for seven years and a term as postmaster of Dublin.  The next Worshipful Master, Freeman H. Rowe, was Dublin’s most prominent merchant.  Rowe represented the Bank of Savannah and operated a freight boat on the Oconee River.  Rowe served as the first Judge of the Court of Ordinary, now known as the Probate Court.  In May of 1865, Judge Rowe invited Confederate President Jefferson Davis to dine in his home on Academy Avenue.  The next day Rowe misdirected Union cavalry troops who were in pursuit of Davis and his band.  Rowe’s home still stands on the lower end of Rowe Street.  The home, Dublin’s oldest, was built about the same time the Lodge was established. Ironically, the home stood near the southwest corner of Academy Avenue and Rowe Street, the current location of Laurens Lodge which was established nearly fifty years ago.

  In the mid-1850s, the members of the Lodge constructed their first permanent lodge hall.  It was a two-story wooden structure and was located in what today is the front parking lot of the Dublin City Hall.  The Lodge allowed the children of Dublin to attend school in their lodge.  Eventually the lodge building became the City Hall of Dublin.  The building was leased to the city in 1892.  It remained on the site for ten years until the city built a school on the site.  That school still stands but was remodeled to become the City Hall in 1959.  It was moved across Church Street to the site of the Dublin-Laurens Museum.  The building was moved again in 1904 to the northeast corner of Roosevelt Street and West Gaines Street, where it was used by J.M. Reinhardt as a residence and furniture storage warehouse.  The building was demolished, probably in the 1940s.  The columns from the home were kept by John C. Pitts and his sons and used to adorn their car lots.  

Rowe was succeeded by William B. Moorman, a Methodist Minister and founder of Boiling Springs Methodist Church.  Dr. Jacob T. Linder, the owner of a large plantation on the east side of the Oconee River, followed his neighbor, Rev. Moorman.  By the beginning of the Civil War, membership had nearly tripled.  As one might expect, the activities of Lodge were limited to routine matters, and no substantial activity took place since the lodge members thoughts were hundreds of miles away.  Judge John B. Wolfe, one of Dublin’s most respected and admired citizens of the period, served as Worshipful Master during the difficult years following the Civil War.  Wolfe was succeeded by a series of former Confederate soldiers like B.B. Linder, J.T. Chappell, and  W.E. Duncan.

  

During the late 1880s and early 1890s, Rev. Whiteford S. Ramsay, a former Confederate colonel, the pastor of First Baptist Church, and founder of the Dublin and Laurens County school systems, served as Worshipful Master.  Rev. Ramsay served for eight years, longer than anyone else in the one hundred fifty-year history of the lodge.  During this period, new lodges were being formed in the county.  The Reedy Springs Lodge was established in 1885.  It was followed by the Dexter Lodge in 1890.  Eventually, nearly every small town in Laurens County would have its own lodge.   It was also during  this period when the members of the lodge voted to build a new lodge above the main floor of the Lanier Building on the northeast corner of South Jefferson Street and East Madison Street.  Today the site is occupied by Dublin Appliance Company.  As Dublin and Laurens County were beginning to grow, so was the membership of the lodge,  which reached one hundred  in 1902.  By 1919,  the membership totaled two hundred thirty two.  Membership peeked in 1927 at two hundred ninety three.  Around the turn of the century, the Lodge was led by W.A. Wood, W.W. Bush, J.H. Witherington, E.J. Fuller, Capt. W.C. Davis, Ira S. Chappell, W.B. Rogers, and J.Y. Keen, all influential “movers and shakers” of Dublin and Laurens County.

In 1904, the Lodge agreed to accept an offer by C.W. Brantley to furnish the Lodge with a meeting room on the third floor of his new building on the northwest corner of West Jackson and North Lawrence Streets.  The Lodge was located on the front right corner of the building which is today known as the “Lovett and Tharpe Building.”  At the time, it was Dublin’s tallest building.  Despite the fact that the room hasn’t been used as a lodge hall for many years, the Masonic symbols inlaid in gold still remain in the pressed metal ceiling of the hall.  During those years, the lodge consisted of  J.J. Flanders, Carl Hilbun, W.W. Ward, W.B. Adkins, J.G. Patton, A.H. Grier, C.C. Crockett, M.A. Chapman, Coke Brown, Farrell Chapman, A.T. Duncan, C.I. Hilburn, C.E. Baggett, W.B. Bryans, George Currell, Brigham White, W.W. Walke, R.L. Webb, D.Z. Lindsey, J.W. Long, W.W. Brinson, J.L. Bracewell, E.E. Hansen, R.L. Powell, and  T.C. Garner.   More details on the history of the Lodge can be found in a book written by George Currell in 1948 and in the two volumes of Laurens County’s History.

The ancient traditions of Masons are still followed.  You don’t see it.  There is no need to see the actions of the Masons.  Masons have served in professional, business, religious, and military capacities.  You only need to know that they are there - working toward the betterment of our community -  just as they have for the last one hundred fifty years.

98-40

80 YEARS AFTER “THE WAR TO END ALL WARS”

Eighty years ago, “The War to end all Wars” was nearly over.  The American Expeditionary Force fighting with the British and French had brought the mighty German Army to its knees.   Many of the Laurens County’s finest young boys and men had gone “over there” to defeat the Kaiser’s army and save the world.  The Europeans called them “yanks”, a term not so endearing to grandson’s of Confederate veterans.  They were also called “doughboys.”   The war ended when an armistice was signed on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  That date, November 11th, was celebrated for many years as “Armistice Day” and later became known as “Veteran’s Day.”

Dublin and Laurens County furnished nearly eleven hundred men to the armed forces in World War I.     Laurens Countians began supporting the war effort in 1915 when they sold their old and fat mules to agents of European governments for use in the war effort.   Three sons of Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Smith, Robert, Theron, and Vernon,  enlisted in the Army.  The W.F. Schaufele family also had three sons in the armed services; Turner, Will, and Chris.   Dubliners and Laurens Countians also raised tremendous sums of money through bond sales.  Local units of the Red Cross flourished during the war years.  

A Draft Registration Day was held on June 5, 1917.   What was described as “a monster parade” was held with the Home Guards, school children, The Red Cross Society, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and a band or as many of the older members of the band  who could be found.   The parade route ran from Stubbs Park to the courthouse where an impressive flag raising ceremony was held  Early L. Miller, Alva D. Rozar, R.C. Dawkins, Herbert T. Pullen, and Charles Payne were the first to be drafted.  James Tillman Wyatt and Howard Blackshear were the first men to enlist.  The second Dublinite to graduate from the United States Military Academy was Charles Quillian Lifsey. Col. Lifsey was a graduate of Dublin High School and attended Gordon Military College.  At the end of World War I,  he was hand picked by General Pershing to be a part of the occupational force in Germany. Lifsey graduated with the class of 1918 along with Gen. Lucius D. Clay.  Col. James A. Thomas, Jr., formerly of Dublin, commanded the 121st “Gray Bonnet” Infantry.  Col. Thomas died aboard his ship just before it docked in France.

Laurens County physicians answered their country's call in World War I.  Fourteen physicians were recommended for service in the Army Medical Corps.  They were Dr. Murray of Dexter, Dr. Sidney Walker of Dublin, Dr. Spearman of Dudley, Dr. J.G. Carter, Jr. of Scott, Dr. M.D. Vickers of Lollie, Dr. W.R. Brigham of Dublin, Dr. Benson of Cedar Grove, Dr. W.C. Thompson of Dublin, Dr. J.E. New of Dexter, Dr. E.B. Claxton of Dublin, Dr. W.E. Williams of Rockledge, and Dr. J.J. Barton of Cadwell.  All of these men did not serve in the Armed Forces during the war. 

Corporal Walter A. Warren, of Dexter, was the second American aviator to be wounded in France.  Warren, son of Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Warren of Dexter, entered the aero service of the United States Army in the early months of 1917.  Warren was assigned to the 88th squadron which was sent to Europe at the beginning of our country's involvement in the war.  During the first few months of fighting, Warren was wounded by shrapnel when his plane was shot down.  He was the first Laurens Countian to be wounded in World War I.  After spending several weeks in the hospital, Warren returned to duty to participate in the Champagne Marne, Olse-Aisne, and St. Michiel offensives.  His bomber squadron cleared the way with a bombing run the night before the battle of the Argone Forest.  Warren spent a total of 21 months in Europe - well beyond Armistice Day.  Dublin's mayor, Peter S. Twitty, enlisted in the U.S. Army.  Twitty's successor, Izzie Bashinski, donated his salary to the Red Cross.  Cecil Preston Perry became the first Laurens Countian to die in action in the summer of 1918.  James Mason was the first Dubliner to die in action. He died in France on July 29, 1918.  

James L. Weddington, Jr., of the 6th Marine Corps Regiment was awarded the French Croix de Guerre on July 10, 1918 for his heroism in carrying many wounded men off the battle field. He carried them to field hospitals for several hours, risking his own safety in the process.  Lt. Col. Pat Stevens was awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre for extraordinary heroism in action south of Spitaal Bosschen, Belgium, on October 31, 1918.  Lt. Ossie F. Keen was awarded the Silver Star.   Thousands more of Laurens County's finest young men went "over there" for Uncle Sam.  Fortunately, the war was relatively short and only  fifty Laurens County men lost their lives.    Most of these men lost their lives to disease,  including William M. Coney who died in a stateside hospital just days before the end of the war. 

In February of 1918, a humorous event occurred in Laurens County.  A party of men training in a U.S. Army balloon from Macon passed over Laurens County and landed at the old school grounds in Scott.  This was the same balloon which Clem Clements of Dodge County admitted shooting at the balloon thinking it was a German balloon.  The balloon was named the "Cleveland". The men were given lunch in Scott and brought back to Dublin by S.P. Rice. After a short wait,  the men took a train ride back to Macon.

In the days and weeks following the war, a few city residents convinced the Dublin City Council to rename Academy Avenue to Wilson Avenue in honor of President Woodrow Wilson. When the avenue’s residents objected, the council rescinded its action.  After the war,  the Dublin Guards, a state militia unit, re-organized as Co. A. of the 1st Battalion of the Georgia National Guard.    The Dublin unit was the first National Guard unit in the southeastern United States.  The company's first captain, Lewis C. Pope of Dublin, served as Adjutant General of the Georgia National Guard in the 1920's. 

World War I's biggest hero, Sgt. Alvin York, spoke to a large crowd at the First Methodist Church in the early 1920s.  Also in the early 1920s the ladies of the United Daughters of the Confederacy placed a marker on the courthouse square to the memory of the known sons of Laurens County who lost their lives during the war.  The John Laurens Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution placed a marble bench at McCall’s point in 1926 to honor Laurens County men who lost their lives during the war.  The park is located at the intersection of Veteran’s Boulevard and Bellevue Road and is Dublin’s smallest park. 

Following the war,  the veterans of Laurens County organized Post No. 17 of the American Legion.  Roy A. Flynt, a local attorney, was elected Commander of the Post.  Stephen Parker New, a former naval officer and attorney, was chosen as Vice Commander.  A third attorney, J.A. Merritt was elected as Secretary.  Other officers were E.L. Maddox, Treasurer; Manning Z. Claxton, Chaplain; and William Brunson, Historian.  Other original members were F.W. Shepard, Marion Kendrick, Milo Smith, Prentis Adams, Joel Felton Pierce, Alex Burch, Sidney Walker, F.R. Powell, J.R. Mills, Ovid E. Cheek, Guy Alford, T.E. Burts, James Bennett, Marion Peacock, C.C. Youmans, C.C. Crockett, and Kendrick Moffett.  The post, which was organized in September of 1919, was dedicated to aiding the veteran  in job training, free medical care, support to his family, and charitable projects in the community.  

98-41

THE FIDDLING FULLBACK

The Story of Wex Jordan, Jr.

The story of Wexler Jordan, Jr. is a story of an all-American boy.  He was born on December 8, 1920 and grew up during hard times.  He lived most of his life in Dublin and was a star football player for the Dublin Green Hurricanes.   He was described by those who knew him as tall and handsome.  He loved to play the violin and was tagged with the nickname  “The Fiddling Fullback.”   “Girls swarmed around Wex, who always took time to play with his dozen younger first cousins,” remembered his cousin Marilyn Brown. 

Wex played football for Dublin High in the 1935 and 1936 seasons.  In 1935, Wex played guard for a Dublin team, which ended the season as District Champions.  In his senior season in 1936, Wex shifted to fullback where he did it all for the Dublin offense, passing and running for touchdowns and extra points.

After leaving Dublin High School, Wex played two seasons of football for Middle Georgia College.  The following Fall,  Wex enrolled at Georgia Tech.   He was determined to make the team despite his small size.  Weighing in at 175 pounds, Jordan tried out as a lineman.  Before the season was over, he had been tabbed by his fellow players and coaches as “Hardrock.”

In the 1940 season, Wex Jordan rose to the top as a guard for the Ramblin Wreck.  Georgia Tech was coached by the legendary W.A. Alexander.  The backfield coach was another legendary figure at Tech.  He was Bobby Dodd.   Tech started off the season with a romp over the lowly Howard University eleven.    Tech nearly came back to defeat the powerful Irish of Notre Dame in the second game.  Wex was the defensive star in a 19 to 0 defeat of the Vanderbilt Commodores.   Tech’s up and down season continued with a 9 point loss to Auburn.   The Yellow Jackets stayed down with a drubbing by Duke and Kentucky in successive games.   Following a one point loss to Alabama at home, Tech lost its fifth game in a row to Florida, followed by a loss to bitter rival the Georgia Bulldogs by a score of 21 to 19.    The Yellow Jackets earned some consolation when they defeat the California Golden Bears on Christmas Day.

The year 1941 would become the most important year in the life of Wex Jordan.  In fact it was probably the most important year in the lives of millions of other Americans.   Tech began the 1941 season an easy victory over Chattanooga.   Following a 20 to 0 loss to Notre Dame, the Jackets bounced back with a victory over Auburn.  The winning streak was short lived when the Engineers lost to Vanderbilt and Duke.  The Jackets defeated Kentucky before losing their last three games to Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.  Wex and other Tech defensive lineman gained one consolation from  their loss to the Bulldogs.  All American and Heisman Trophy winner, Frankie Sinkwich, was held  to only sixty yards on the ground.   Sinkwich praised the play of Wex and the other Tech guards.  Wex was cited by his coaches as having his best games against Notre Dame, Alabama, and Georgia.  He was awarded the Rhodes Trophy as the most valuable player for the 1941 Yellow Jackets. 

For his outstanding play at guard, Wex Jordan was named to the All - Southeastern team by  the sports staff of the “Atlanta Journal.”   The only other Georgian on the team was his rival, Frank Sinkwich.    The good news came on his 21st birthday.  The bad news in the paper that day was the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese air force.  The holiday game with California was never played, and things would never be the same again.

Wex, like all of the other male students at Georgia Tech, got their first taste of military life in R.O.T.C.    In his senior year of Army R.O.T.C. at Tech, Wex was chosen as Captain of Company B of the First Battalion.   He majored in Civil Engineering, attained honor graduate status,  and was a member of the Army R.O.T. C. fraternity, The Scabbard and the Blade.  Wex Jordan graduated from Tech in the spring of 1942.    Wex Jordan  entered the Army Air Corps and earned his wings in 1943.    

It was a Fall Thursday morning  - Veteran’s Day and the 25th anniversary of the end of World War I.  It was a day which in the past ten years, Wex would have spent preparing for the next football game.  It was a day to remember those soldiers and sailors who had given the last full measure of devotion. First Lt. Verne Yahne was leading a five plane formation at the Naval Air Station in San Diego, California.  Lt. Yahne’s oxygen supply failed causing him to black out.  The Lieutenant’s plane went into a steep dive and fell apart just as the pilot began to regain consciousness.  Jordan, the second pilot in formation, was unaware of the lead pilot’s fate.  He took his P - 38 fighter plane down following the leader’s dive.  Jordan could not pull his plane out of the dive and bailed out.  As he was parachuting to the ground the wing of his plane struck him, killing him instantly.  Lt. Yahne made a safe landing in the bay. 

B. J. Sessions, of Dublin friend of Jordan’s, was taking judo classes.  An air raid alarm sounded - a usual occurrence in the early years of the war.  Sessions ran outside in time to see to debris of the planes falling.  The remnants of Jordan’s plane nearly fell on the building where Sessions had been taking judo classes.   Sessions ran two blocks to the site of where Jordan’s body had landed.  One look told him that the man was dead.  Sessions didn’t get a close look and returned to his classes.  The class instructor asked Sessions if he knew Lt. W.W.  Jordan, Jr., who had just been killed in a air accident.  Sessions was stunned.  He had known Jordan all of his life and considered him a hero.   Sessions wrote the Jordans and told them of his witnessing the tragedy.

Major Victor Walton, commanding officer of the San Diego base, had the difficult task of informing Jordan’s parents that their only son had been killed.   The family was devastated.  Mr. Jordan suffered what was believed to be a minor heart attack.   Major Walton assigned Captain James Stevens to escort the body of the fallen hero back to Dublin for burial.  Funeral services were held at the First Christian Church with the Rev. Robert S. Bennett officiating.  A honor guard from Cochran Air Field in Macon performed the military rites during the services.  The Jordan’s selected  Wex’s high school buddies as pall bearers.  Mike Harvard, Johnny Morrison, George Hadden, and Frank Hancock were allowed leave from their military service to carry the body of their fallen comrade to its final resting place.  Also serving as pall bearers were friends Ed Harpe and Billy Hightower.  

One of Dublin and America’s finest young man was laid to rest in Northview Cemetery.  His life was all too short and his death, so senseless and tragic.  Jordan lived his life as an example of what is good about America.  He was a true - underline the word true - hero.  

98-42

WHEN THE LIGHTS FIRST CAME ON

The Early Years of the Electric Membership Corporations 

In our totally electric world, it is hard to imagine a world without electricity.  However, some parts of our area didn't have electricity until sixty years ago.  Cities like Dublin built their own power plants.  Dublin's went on line in 1895 and was sold to the Georgia Power Company in 1925.  Out in the country, electricity was still more than a decade away.  On May 11, 1935 Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order in Warm Springs, Georgia which created the Rural Electricfication Administration, "the R.E.A."

The farmers of our area knew what benefits electricity would bring.  Many doubted the feasibility of establishing a rural electric system in Laurens, Wilkinson, and Twiggs Counties.  But the farmers would not be denied.  After several organizational meetings the Oconee Electric Membership Corporation was chartered on November 18, 1938.  The first board of directors was composed of J.L. Allen, T.C. Waldrep, J.L. Whitaker, Paul J. Jones, Sr., M.B. Bell, Joseph R. Lord, and G.C. Ingram.  The directors chose Doyle Bedingfield of Dudley to manage the organization of the EMC.   After several months of discouraging efforts, the R.E.A. approved an application for a loan in the amount of $188,000.  The grant would fund 220 miles of line and would serve four hundred forty members.  G.C. Ingram took over the management.  O April Fool's day in 1940, the lights came on. It was no joke.  It was the greatest thing that had come to the country since peace and quiet.

Paul J. Jones, Sr. took over the management of Oconee E.M.C. in October of 1940 and served until June of 1957.  In the first few years the average electric bill was two dollars a month.  In the early Sixties,  the average "light bill" had risen to an astonishing $7.79.

Electricity brought on a revolution in the farming community.  Homes were warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.  Housewives cooked on electric stoves, much to the joy of all those boys who had to cut stove wood.  Pig and chicken farming was made much easier with electric facilities.  City folks started moving into rural areas.

Over a year before Oconee E.M.C. was chartered, the Altamaha E.M.C. was granted a charter to serve Toombs, Emanuel, southeastern Laurens, Treutlen, and Montgomery counties.  The corporation began in a small rented room on the upper floor of a building in Lyons.  Within twenty years the company's lines stretched for 1,653 miles. That's the same distance from Dublin to Rapid City, South Dakota.

The second E.M.C. to serve Laurens County was chartered on June 20, 1938.   The Little Ocmulgee E.M.C. was founded by R.F. Jordan of Shiloh, President; W.F. Whatley of McRae, Vice-president; and L.E. Tanner of Alamo, Secretary-treasurer.  The remaining board members were B.M. Pope and Mrs. H.R. Hill of Wheeler County, E.L. Evans of Laurens County and Hugh Jones, J.M. Wook, and Mrs. W.F. McEachin of Telfair County.  The service area was concentrated mostly in Telfair and Wheeler counties.  The first corporate headquarters was located in a vacant store.  J.W. Simmons, Sr., the first manager, was aided by bookkeeper Mary H. Martin and lineman Charlie Morrison.   

A federal loan was approved in November of 1938.  On April 7, 1939,  the lights came on for one hundred twenty-five families living along the first fifty-two miles of lines.  L.F. Jones took over the management of the company in 1940 and served for a year.  He was followed by J.R. Chambless, who served for over two decades.  At the first annual meeting held in the Wheeler County Courthouse, organizers had to go out and bring in enough members to establish a quorum to vote on the business of the company.  L.B. Chambers, W.C. Brown, and A.O. Cook came on to the board in the early Forties replacing Pope, Tanner, and Cook.  Mrs. Hill was elected secretary. When more members came on line in Laurens County, H.Y. Grant, Horace Robinson, and Cordie Joiner were elected to the board. This gave Laurens equal footing with Wheeler and Telfair counties.

Service kept expanding as the number of lineman and trucks grew.  In 1948 two way radios were installed in the service trucks and members began to get their first credits on their bills from the profits of the company.

98-43

THE CRANBERRY BOWL

Dublin’s Annual Thanksgiving All Star Football Game 

 1959-1966

For many years, the big game of the football season has traditionally been played  on or near Thanksgiving Day.  In 1959, the Recreation Dept.  staged a post season game to raise money to pay for one hundred  new uniforms.  The game, billed as “The Cranberry Bowl,” was originally an intra-league contest between the Midget League Champions and all-stars from the other teams in the league.  Over the years, Dublin teams played teams from other cities in Georgia, all centered around  the Thanksgiving holiday.  The games were played during the glory years of Dublin football, when the Dublin Irish were perennially one of the best teams in its class in Georgia.

In the first post season game, sponsored by the Touchdown Club, the Central Elementary Redskins played against all-stars from the Moore Street Eagles, Johnson Street Colts, and Saxon Heights Rams.   Johnny Floyd and Fred Middlebrooks coached the champion Redskins, while Joe Uliano, Ray Dunn, and Herb Arnett coached the all-stars.  Eddie Morgan, fullback for the undefeated Redskins, dove over from the two yard line to give ‘Skins the lead.  Benny Warren, of the Colts, stepped in front of a Redskin pass deep in all-star territory and ran it back for 50 yards.  Vic Belote passed the tying touchdown pass to fellow Moore Street Eagle , John Strickland,  with only minutes to play.  When no team converted their extra point try, the game ended in a “sister kissing” tie, 6 to 6.

In 1960, the Cranberry Bowl became an intra-state game.  The Dublin all-stars played the Howell all-stars of Atlanta at Battle Field.  Fred Middlebrooks and Don Tanner coached the Dublin boys.   Eddie Morgan and Bennie Warren scored two touchdowns each in leading  the Dublin team to a 38 to 18 victory.  One of Morgan’s scores came on a 60 yard touchdown run.  Also scoring for Dublin were John Smythe and Ron Hickerson, who scored on a 56 yard touchdown pass.  All of Howell’s points came during the last quarter of the game.

In 1961, the Dublin all-stars tuned up for the bowl game with a 13-6 victory over the Macon  all-stars.  Stanley Johnson ran around the end for the first score.  The Macon team tied the game in the third quarter.  Danny Forbes scored the winning TD when only a few seconds remaining.   George Lee’s Dublin all-stars played another  Atlanta team.   Stanley Johnson scored on a forty-yard run to open the scoring.  Atlanta tied the score, then Dublin never looked back.  Johnson took the ensuing kickoff and ran it back sixty yards for the go-ahead TD.    Johnson scored his final touchdown in the fourth quarter, giving the Dublin boys a 20-7 victory.    Coach Lee cited Johnson, Phil Dean, Teddy Jones, Joe Brown, Gary Oliver, Roy Bedingfield, Danny Forbes, and Moody Oliver for their outstanding play.

Al Jacobs and Johnny Floyd coached the 1962 team against the Commerce Midgets in the first Cranberry Bowl played in the Shamrock Bowl.   Dublin gave the game away with  fumbles of the opening kickoff and the first play of the second half.  Commerce won the game, 26 to 7.  Jerry Pinholster’s nine-yard run was the only touchdown.  Mike Rich, a future Florida Gator collegiate star and NFL draftee, plunged over for the extra point.  Cited for their outstanding play were J.C. Pitts, Edward Cox, Gary Oliver, Charles Lee, Steve Scarborough, Charles Williams, Bobby Clement, Chris Henry, Mike Rich, Bill Perry, Sam Griffin, Jerry Pinholster and Greg Crabb. 

The 1963 Bowl was a two-day affair.  In the first game, the Commerce all-stars came from behind in the last thirty seconds to win the game over Dublin Midget all-stars  by the score of 20-14.  Winds in excess of thirty miles per hour and temperatures below freezing hampered the game on both sides.  Billy Ayres scored after a Commerce fumble and passed to Bob Keene for the extra point.  Dublin scored twice before the end of the half to take a 14-0 lead.  In the second half it was all Commerce, who scored three touchdowns to win .  In the Mighty Mite game, the Dublin boys lost to Gresham Park Hornets of Decatur, when the Hornets recovered a Dublin fumble; and in five plays, took the ball over the goal line with only seconds remaining.  The second game, against Warner Robins, was the just the opposite of the  the first game.  It was the highest scoring game in the bowl’s history.  Dublin won 34 to 20.  Coach Roy Hammond cited the running of Eddie Strickland, Dee Smalley, Billy Ayres, and Joe Simpson; the receiving of Bob Keen and Paul Griggs; the blocking of Paul Bush, Bob Brewer, Larry Forth, Jimmy Fort, and Jimmy Price; and the defense of Danny Hooks, Steve Rawlins, Dale Miles, Johnny Howell, Juson Powell, Jimmy Bidgood, and Jim Whittle in gaining a split in the bowl.

In 1964, the Dublin Mighty Mites were overwhelmed by Warner Robins, 21-7.  Monty Hodges scored from fifty one yards out and Dee Cullen bulled over the line for the extra point to keep the Dublin boys from being shut out.  In the Midget game, it was much closer.  Warner Robins scored in the first half and again in the third quarter for a 12-0 lead.  George Walker scored on a fifteen yard run to close the gap.  Warner Robins held on to win when it stopped Dublin on the eleven yard line late in the fourth quarter.  On Saturday, the Dublin Mighty Mites and Gresham Park played to a 0-0 tie in regulation play.  Since no one kept an account of the deepest penetration, an additional quarter was played.   With hard running by Dee Cullens and Monty Hodges, the Dublin boys managed to win on penetration, 1-0.   In the Midget game, Dublin faced its old foe, Commerce, who broke the series tie with a 25 to 13 win.  George Walker, Jim Whittle, Ronnie Altman, and Jimmy Bidgood led a valiant effort by the Dublin team.

In the 1965 doubleheader, the Dekalb Hornets smashed the Dublin Mighty Mites 32 to 0.  Donnie Vaughn, Jeff Canady, John Rodriquez, Bruce Stinson, John Tanzine, Chuck Hughes, and Jeffrey Roberts were stand outs for the Dublin team.    In the second game, the Midget League Champion Eagles played the league all-stars to a 6-6 tie.  Wayne Fuqua’s Eagles were led by Clinton Thomas, Ben Dixon, Elton Dean, Mike Drake, Al Bell, Mike Fuqua, Ray Foskey, Larry Jackson, Bobby Andre, and Tony Haynie.  The all-stars were led by Jimmy Graham, Randy Stinson, Monty Hodges, Mike Kirby, Carl Joiner, Bill Mathis, Danny Dalton, Mike Fennell, Hal Scott, Tal Scott, Larry Williams, David Mathis and Allan Tindol and coached by Roy Hammond.

The last Cranberry Bowl was played on the Babe Ruth field in Hilburn Park in 1966.  The undefeated and once scored upon Vikings coached by Ray Prosperi, Bill Roberts, and Bob Potts defeated the Mighty-Mite all-stars 12 to 0.  Tony Prosperi caught a pass from Ed Griffith, who scored on a two- yard plunge for final score.  Also playing for the Vikings were Jeff Canady, Herschel White, Reese Stanley, Ricky Anderson, Brad Roberts, Patrick Roche, Lee Whitaker, Jim Wynn,  Nelson Carswell, Bo-J Claxton, Kelly Canady, Bill Adams, Jeffrey Johnson, Stan Stanley, David Smith, Bruce Wynn, Pat Hodges, Randy Graham, Eddie Smith, Malcolm Gore, Wayne Bridges, and Scott Thompson.   The all-stars were led by Stanley Jessup, Bruce Stinson, Jeffrey Davis, Jeffrey Roberts, Jim Townsend, Randy Gregory, Johnny Cox, John Tanzine, Billy Repko, Jeff Wainright, Andy Cullens, Lamar Harper, Jeffrey King, Billy Hinson, Mike Curry, Jerry Tindol, Willie Lester, Ronnie Mathis, Steve Manning, Matt Fleming, Randy Woodard, James Brantley, Joey Wilson, Jamie Daniel, Jerry Walker and Guy Cochran. 

98-44

SHIPWRECKED IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC

Frank Cullens, Henry Davis, and Olin Dekle met for the first time on May 15, 1942.  They were in Atlanta, not for a baseball game, or a business meeting, but at Fort McPherson.  The alphabetical proximity of their last names would bind the trio together for the next three and one half years.  The men had left their homes in Laurens, Grady, and Thomas counties to fight for their country in World War II.

After a brief period of basic training,  the boys were assigned to the 172nd Infantry Regiment of the 43rd United States Army Division.  In October of 1942, the 43rd division was ordered to support the naval and marine operations at Guadalcanal.  The division sailed on a fourteen-day journey to Espiritu Santo harbors in the New Hebrides Islands, now known as Vanuatu.  On board the ship were 5,440 men,  along with tons of ammunition, equipment, and vehicles.  Their transport ship was “The U.S.S. Coolidge,” named in honor of former president, Calvin Coolidge.

Before the war, “The Coolidge” was a luxury passenger ship, designed to sail from San Francisco to the Orient.  Panels of rare wood, silk drapes, and cathedral glass skylights adorned the interior of the ship, which was later stripped of its lavish furnishings and converted into a troop ship.

“The Coolidge” was completing its seventh mission when it entered the harbor near Luganville.  The division was scheduled to land at Santo to begin a staging operation for a relief mission at Guadalcanal.  First Lieutenant Web Thompson was standing near the bow.  As he was admiring the harbor, he noticed a blinking signal light in the distance.  The coded message was coming in too fast for him to understand.  Other lookouts also failed to understand the message that the ship was heading on a course which would take it directly into an allied minefield.  Some call it “the fog of war.”

Frank Cullens, a twenty five-year-old Laurens County farm boy, was standing on the promenade deck, not too far from the mahogany paneled dining room, which could seat up to five hundred men.  Frank soon noticed the horror of what was happening.  It as 09:30 hours.  An explosion rang out, followed by another.  The ship began listing to the port side after it struck two mines.  The second explosion killed fireman Robert Reid.  The Captain ordered “all engines stop.”  Below the deck, all lights and communications were out.  Oil began leaking into the water. The crew and passengers were ordered to their stations.  The Captain didn’t think the ship would sink.  Lt. Thompson went below to check on his men.  He found water rushing into a mass of darkness.

The captain ran the ship aground in an attempt to prevent her from sinking.  About twenty minutes later, the order came to abandon ship.  Every life jacket and floatation device was gathered up.  Two months of amphibious training helped the men to evacuate the ship in an orderly and disciplined manner.  Because the ship was listing to port, the starboard  ladders couldn’t reach the water.  Boats were beginning to drift away.  Frank Cullens was caught between a rock and a hard place.  He never learned how to swim.  He had no choice.  When his buddies yelled out for “Red,” Frank’s nickname,  he knew he would be safe.  Most of the men got out in the last twenty minutes.    An hour and twenty five minutes after striking the mine, the ship came to rest on the floor of the channel.  Just as “Red” and his buddies reached the shore, he saw the last part of the ship disappearing into the water.

Euart went down with his ship.  He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.  Capt. Warren Covill was on the ship when it slid off the reef.  He managed to come to the surface in what an air bubble.   Miraculously, only four soldiers and fireman Reid lost their lives.  Many were cut and bruised after jumping from the ship.  The men lost everything; their possessions, food, and equipment.  They managed to save the clothes on their backs.  Critical malaria medicine meant for the soldiers on Guadalcanal was under water, useless.  The Seabees on the island lent the soldiers what they could. When the 654 foot long “The U.S.S. Coolidge” sunk it was one of the largest ships in the world.  

The 43rd stayed on the island for six months of training.  The relief mission on Guadalcanal was delayed for weeks.  By the time Frank and his division reached Guadalcanal, the fighting was over.  The 43rd stayed there for another six months of training.  Their first battle was in New Georgia. Second  Lieutenant Robert Scott, a member of 172nd regiment, won the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism at New Georgia.  His platoon was beside Frank’s platoon.  Following twenty seven days of bitter fighting, Lt. Scott’s bravery in the face of heavy fire led his platoon to a strategic capture of a hill overlooking the Munda Airstrip.   After the battle, Frank’s regiment was sent to Auckland, New Zealand for four months of rest.  The 43rd left on Christmas Eve in 1944 for the Philippines.  In the winter of 1945, the division took part in the victorious re-occupation of the island chain.

Frank Cullens was later promoted to sergeant.  He lives in Laurens County today.  His buddies, Henry Davis and Olin Dekle, still live in Cairo and Thomasville.  They survived the ship wreck.  Ironically, the shipwreck actually might have saved their lives.  Had they reached Guadalcanal on time, Frank, Henry, and Olin may have been in the thick of one of the most violent and important battles in the South Pacific in World War II.

Today the wreck of the one-time flagship of the Dollard Line and American President line  lies in one to two hundred feet of water.  Tanks, jeeps, and tons of wasted military equipment are now home to hundreds of species of ocean life.  Rows of toilets make good habitats for small animals.   Scuba divers by the thousands come from all over the world to dive into “the world’s most accessible shipwreck.”

Sources: National Geographic, April, 1988; Interview with Frank Cullens, November 2, 1998,  “The Lady and the President.”

98-45

THE TREES OF LAURENS COUNTY

Laurens County is home to more than eighty species of native trees.  Trees play an important role in the ecology of our community, taking in carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen.  The tree, especially the pine tree, has played an important role in the economic history of Laurens County and her neighbors.  Many trees, much too often, are destroyed in the name of progress.

The most common trees in Laurens County are the oak and the pine.  Of the eighty species of trees which are native to Laurens, one-fifth are oaks.   Among the most common varieties of native oaks are the Post, Swamp Chestnut, Black, Willow, Water, Laurel, and Blue Jack, Black Jack, Shumard, Northern Red, Overcup, Southern Red, White, Turkey,  Chinkapin, and Cherrybark.    Oaks generally live longer than most other trees.  Some of the oldest oaks in Laurens County are located on Walke’s Dairy Road west of Dublin.  These live oaks were planted at Sumpterville, the site of the first permanent county seat of Laurens County.  While no hard evidence exists as to the date of their planting, local tradition suggests that they were planted circa 1810.   Obviously, these trees were not native to Laurens County, but were known to have been transplanted from the Georgia coast.   Another group of large oak trees that was transplanted from the Georgia Coast are the live oaks at the corner of Roberson Street and Bellevue Road.  These trees came from Wormsloe near Savannah. One of the most famous trees in Laurens County is the old oak on the corner of Bellevue Road and Oakhurst.  The tree stood in front of the old Henry Fuqua plantation home.  Some estimate that the tree may be well over two hundred years old.   

Oak trees were often used as memorial trees.  The largest surviving group of memorial oak trees can be found on Veteran’s Boulevard.  When the United States Navy established a hospital in Dublin in 1945, the city of Dublin changed the Old Macon Road in western Dublin into a four lane divided highway, the first of its kind in the city.  Dublin residents were especially grateful for the location of the hospital here and for those young men from Laurens County  who lost their lives in the war.  The trees were brought to Dublin from Florida in the winter. They were planted under the supervision of Mayor Flannery Pope, Dublin mayor and one of the founders of the 121st Infantry, Georgia National Guard.  While the exact number of original trees can’t be determined,  there were sixty five still standing in 1975.  Over the years, errant automobiles and commercial development have led to a loss of trees.   Today most of the oaks still standing.  They stand as a monument to those who gave the last full measure of devotion to their country.   

The pine tree, without a doubt, is the most important tree in our county’s history.   There are four native varieties: the shortleaf, the longleaf, the loblolly, and the spruce pine.  Pine, one of the most versatile softwood trees, has been used to make everything from dollhouse furniture to coffins.  The greatest concentration of the virgin pine trees was located in an area stretching from the western end of the county southeast to the Oconee River.  In 1884, a government timber expert estimated that the amount of timber from the virgin yellow pines amount to one billion board feet.  That’s enough timber to construct a seven foot wall around the Earth at is equator or enough to build a four-inch plank all the way to the moon and back.    These timberlands and those to the south were virtually abandoned by the early settlers of this area.   Hundreds of thousands of acres went unclaimed.  Eventually after a series of financial failures, the lands fell into the hands of the Dodge Lumber Company.   With the coming of the railroad through Cochran and Eastman, timber cutters began to ravage the countryside.    Much of the timber was shipped out of Georgia.  Some went to Europe, while other trees were shipped to New York and New England.   Timbers from this area were used to build the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.   In the last fifteen years, pine timber has been very much in demand.  Despite the massive amount of trees harvested, the number of trees haven’t decreased significantly.   Landowners have re-planted their trees as a way of financial investments.  In fact, there are likely more pine trees now than a century ago, when farmers cleared the lands to plant field crops.

For the last one hundred years, Dublin has been home to several industries and factories which derived their income from the manufacturing of wood into products.  A hame factory was established near the river in 1899.  A barrel stave plant soon followed.  The first plywood mill was established at the river bridge in 1910 and operated for six decades under a variety of names.   One man remembered that some of the early major league baseball bats were turned from ash and hickory  blocks of wood cut in Dublin.

   

Other  common tree varieties in Dublin are two species of the maple, the red and the

Florida; three species of the hickory, the bitternut, pignut, and mockernut; two species of the dogwood, the common and the  swamp; the red cedar; two species of the magnolia, the common and the sweet bay; the white and the green ash, the river birch, the sycamore, the black walnut, two gums, the sweetgum and the blackgum, the beech, the bald cypress, the American holly, and the American elm.  

The native trees which bear edible fruit are the persimmon, crabapple, plum, mulberry, hickory, walnut,  and black cherry.   Other fruit trees like the peach and pear trees, while relatively common, are not native to Laurens County.  The roots of the sassafras tree have been used for centuries for making tea.   

Other native trees which are not so common are the cherry laurel, willow, cottonwood, palmetto, chinkapin, devil's walking stick, serviceberry, box elder, witch-hazel, sumac, tupelo, hoptree,  blackhaw, sparkleberry, basswood, snowbell, and possumhaw.

Two trees which are not native to this area, but are common, are the pecan and the catalpa.  Pecan trees were planted to harvest their delicious nuts for pies, candies, and cakes.  Catalpa trees, native to Southwest Georgia, were planted by farmers for building fence posts and the for the black caterpillars which devour their leaves, but make an excellent fishbait.  

Some unlikely uses of native trees include the use of dog wood and persimmon wood in the manufacture of golf club heads, the use of sassafras oil in perfuming soap, black walnut for airplane propellers, and the willow for artificial limbs.

The largest tree is the bald cypress, which can grow as tall as one hundred and fifty feet. However, some yellow poplars have been known to be as tall as two hundred feet.  The most fragrant tree, of course, is the magnolia. 

Trees have been an important part of our history in the past and will play an important role in our future.   Honor their beauty and do not take them for granted.  

98-46

           THE SAVIOR OF SANDERSVILLE

Rev. James D. Anthony

Rev. James Dannelly Anthony was one of the great Methodist ministers of Nineteenth Century Georgia.  He was dubbed “The Bishop of the Wiregrass” for his conversion of thirty thousand South Georgians to the Methodist faith.  His father, Rev.  Whitfield Anthony,  was a leader of the Methodist Church in South Carolina.  His son, Bascom Anthony, was a minister in the Methodist Church for more than fifty years and a former District Superintendent of the Dublin District from 1912 to 1915.  

Rev. J.D.  Anthony served as Presiding Elder of the Dublin District from 1879 to 1880.   He also served in that capacity in the Eastman District from 1881 to 1882 and 1891 to 1894.  Rev. Anthony died on January 26, 1899. The South Carolina-born minister was first licensed to preach on October 24, 1846, twelve days after his twenty-first  birthday.  He spent seventeen years in North Georgia.  While in North Georgia, he preached the gospel, farmed his land, and taught school.  During the darkest days of the Civil War in 1863, Rev. Anthony and his family were transferred to Sandersville, Georgia.  After the war, Rev. Anthony would serve as editor of Sandersville newspaper, “The Central Georgian.”

It was November 25th, 1864.  The left wing of General W.T. Sherman’s Union army was approaching Sandersville with its two corps and sixty thousand men.  The other wing was only a few miles away below Tennille.  Reports of explosions at Milledgeville, twenty-seven miles away, could be heard.  Judge Hook presided over a meeting of all the town’s white males.  With no defense against the oncoming hoard, the men decided it would be in the best interest of the town to surrender Sandersville to Sherman and beg for his mercy.  One by one, those appointed to be chairman of the committee to meet the Union Army, came up with an excuse to leave.  Rev. Anthony’s name was called.  He announced that he would remain in town, mainly on account of his invalid wife and his small children.  Anthony stated his acceptance of the mission was not out of bravery or foolishness, but because his wife was unable to feed herself or turn over in bed without his help.  Anthony became a committee of one.  A few hours later, a portion of Gen. Joseph Wheeler’s Confederate cavalry rode into town.  That afternoon, Wheeler’s horsemen skirmished with Union cavalry three miles west of town.  Thirteen Federal prisoners were brought into town.   During the night all but one of the prisoners were sent away.

The sole Union prisoner was a calvary lieutenant who had his forearm broken by a mini ball.  Captain Harlow told Rev. Anthony that the wounded prisoner would be shot on the outskirts of town.  Anthony plead for the life of the man.  A Confederate surgeon released the Union officer, who sprang to his feet and ran to Rev. Anthony.    Anthony took the man to the church parsonage.  The town doctor came by to comfort the lieutenant.   At that moment, Wheeler’s cavalry formed a line with two thousand soldiers near the parsonage.  After one volley, they galloped away.  Union forces fired back after a few minutes.  The parsonage was struck several times, but the inhabitants were unharmed.  In another few minutes, Union soldiers were swarming around the town and parsonage area.  As soon as they entered the home, the wounded lieutenant ordered them not to harm anyone or anything in the house.  The man’s colonel obliged and placed an armed guard around the home.  Word spread throughout the Union ranks of the rebel preacher’s deeds of kindness.

Union officers came in one by one to check on the wounded Illinois man.  One was an officer by the name of Thomas Morris.  Anthony told him he knew a Thomas Morris who was a former Methodist bishop.  Morris was astonished. He knew of the other Morris, who was a cousin of his.  Anthony said “ It always pays to do right. I was actuated by Christian principles.  The good Lord blessed that act to the good of my myself, my family, and my town.”

Late that afternoon, a division commander told Rev. Anthony of the plans to burn the town at sunrise.  The general suggested that Anthony go directly to Gen. Sherman’s headquarters to beg  him to save the town.  “Your house won’t be burned, because you saved Lt. Deason,” the general assured Anthony.  Sherman had been wrongly informed that the musketry fire came from local citizens.   The wounded man was carried away, telling Anthony of his eternal gratitude and promising  to see him again.   Anthony never heard from Lt. Deason.  He presumed that he died of his wounds. 

  

The general sent an escort to take Rev. Anthony to Sherman’s headquarters.  Anthony met Sherman and Generals Logan and Davis two hundred yards from Sherman’s tent.  Anthony was introduced as “the Rebel parson who saved one of our men from being shot.”   The Reverend handed the bearded Sherman his credentials as a minister of the gospel.  Sherman couldn’t decipher them, but took the authorization papers from the town government.  “Why didn’t you show me this before we entered the town?  I would have marched my men through the town and nothing would have been injured,” Sherman replied.  Anthony, a little befuddled at Sherman’s question, told the General that it was impossible for him to ride out and meet the charging cavalry.  Anthony asked Sherman if he planned to burn the town.  Sherman responded affirmatively.  Anthony asked if all of the towns in the path of the Union army were burned.  Sherman said, “no.”  “Then why treat us more differently than others,” Rev. Anthony said.   Sherman said that he had been informed that rebel citizens fired upon his men, a fact that was immediately denied by Anthony who stated, “There are only, besides me,  four adult white males in town, three of which are old men.”  Sherman intently stared the Reverend in the face.  Anthony stared back, trying to find a tender spot in the warrior’s heart.  Anthony told of the hardships to the women and children that a fire would bring.  Anthony tried to put Sherman in his place.  Sherman chastised Anthony and other Southern ministers for not seeking an early end to the war.  Anthony responded “that in the South, we ministers leave the politicians alone and preach the Gospel and the teachings of Jesus Christ.”    Anthony begged again for the women and children, stating that the Federals had already taken all food in the town. 

Anthony pleaded for Sherman to save the town for a fellow Mason.  Members of the Masonic brotherhood  rarely harmed the private property of other Masons unless in times of combat.  The three Generals conferred in secret.    Sherman said to Anthony, “Sir, upon your assurance that your citizens did not fire on my men, I will revoke the order to burn the town, but we will burn these two public buildings, viz., the courthouse and the jail.”  Anthony, silently thanking God, told the feared and dreaded Union general, “Since you spare our dwellings, I ask no more.”  Anthony left for home.

The next morning the elegant courthouse was torched and reduced to rubble by fire and artillery shells.  It had served as a firing platform when the Federal forces first entered the town.  Flames shot high the air.  Buildings near the jail caught fire from the flying sparks.  An Irish Federal soldier aided the townspeople in saving the buildings.  Anthony’s relief soon turned into fear.  Reports were coming in that former slaves and army stragglers would be following the Union army through town.  All of the buried guns were dug up.  The town’s five remaining men and young boys formed a small army.  They had twenty guns and patrolled the streets all night.  Foragers were sent out to recently vacated Federal camps to look for scraps of food.  The looting and burning never came.  Sandersville and its few remaining citizens were saved. According to Anthony, it was not by anything he did, but by the grace of God.” 

98-47

THE LAST CHRISTMAS 

Christmas in Laurens County in 1940

The year was 1940.  It would be the last Christmas before the war.  It was a Christmas when Dubliners and Laurens Countians put their differences aside and celebrated the birth of Christ in its true form. A little commercialism could be found, but the main focus was the religious aspect of the 25th of December. Many were worrying about the impending war in Europe.  More than a hundred local men and boys in the Georgia National Guard were training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina for a war they hoped would never come.

A county-wide celebration began on the courthouse square in the late afternoon of the 12th.   Several thousand citizens gathered in downtown.  Streets were blocked off for several blocks in all directions.  Late shoppers were serenaded by the bands of Dublin High School and the Laurens County Marching Band seated on a specially constructed grandstand.  Music filled the air -  broadcast from loud speakers in the courthouse tower.  The boys of Cadwell, Dudley, and Rentz vocational classes aided Georgia Power employees in stringing the lights on trees and the courthouse itself.  A manger scene was constructed on the grounds.  The lighting also included the traditional tree of lights on the Carnegie Library grounds (now the museum).  Another part of the display of lights was a new neon sign placed on the steel frame of the river bridge wishing new comers a “Merry Christmas!”  Later the sign was changed to read “Welcome to Dublin” for west bound travelers and “Thanks, Come Again” for east bound visitors on their way out of town.

Dr. C.H. Kittrell, President of the Dublin Lions Club, served as the master of ceremonies.  He hailed the gathering as the most impressive Christmas display our community has ever had.”  Dr. Kittrell praised the unity shown by members of the community and its significance in the Christmas season.  The Rev. Claude E. Vines prayed for world peace in his invocation.    Bob Hightower, chairman of the event, praised the spirit of cooperation by the business and professional men of Dublin, except the five “scrooges” who refused to donate to the program.  In all, Hightower and his associates raised more than fifteen hundred dollars.   Rev. W.A. Kelley, Superintendent of the Dublin District of the Methodist Church, called for a renewed observation of the spiritual significance of Christmas.  By then, children began tugging on their parents sleeves asking “when are they going to turn on the lights?”  Mae Hightower made her way to the stage where she threw the lights, just at the moment of dusk.  In eclectic voices, the crowd filled the air with “oohs”, “aahs”, and “wows.” 

The second phase of the celebration came five days later.  The ladies of the Dublin Garden Club, led by its president, Mrs. Carl Nelson, sponsored a city-wide outdoor Christmas lighting contest.  Mrs. Howard L. Cordell, Sr. and Mrs. Marion Peacock headed the committees which were able to secure out of town judges to evaluate the fifty-four contestants.  The judges made their decisions based on the suitability of the lights to the type of home, the size of the decorations in proportion to the size of the house, and the total artistic and color effect of the decorations.

Mr. and Mrs. O.L. Chivers, whose home still stands on Bellevue Ave. across from the Piggly Wiggly, won the first prize.  The George T. Morris home, now home to the Chamber of Commerce, finished in a second-place tie with “Green Acres,” the home of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Geeslin.  Third place was awarded to Mr. and Mrs. James F. Nelson, Jr.

Rev. Ralph Gilliam led an impressive and inspirational candlelight service at Henry Memorial Presbyterian Church on the Sunday before Christmas.  Participants in the program included Blanche Coleman, C.C. Crockett, Leah Kittrell, Charles Alexander, Sara Veal, Noble Marshall, and the music club of Dublin High School.  The choir of the First Baptist Church presented a cantata at the regular Sunday morning worship service. Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus came to Buckhorn Methodist Church for an “Old Time” Christmas.

The third major event of that Christmas was a county-wide Christmas Carol program on the courthouse square, just two days before Christmas.  A.J. Hargrove, the master of ceremonies, presided over a program which featured thousands of local school students.  The children assembled at the school building downtown (now the City Hall.)  One group, after another, formed on the school grounds and marched to the courthouse serenading parents, shoppers, and merchants along the way.  At the courthouse they did an about face and marched back down the other side of the street. At four o’clock,  many church choirs assembled at the courthouse for the main part of the program which featured the traditional songs of Christmas. Soloists Mrs. Annelle Brown and Blanche Coleman were featured.

An integral part of that Christmas in 1940 and of each one since then has been the giving of gifts, especially the toys for the children.  Smith’s Jewelry had special last minute gifts for momma and daddy or for the special girl or man.  Silverware sets sold from $15 to $150.00.  Bill folds and belt sets were popular at two dollars or so.  Bulova, Waltham, and Elgin watches were the most popular, all for less than forty dollars.  A solitaire diamond engagement ring sold for $49.75 with the matching wedding duet for only $24.75.  America’s finest glassware sold from 25 cents up to $12.00.  

Across the street at Lovett and Tharpe, shoppers could shop until 10:30 on Christmas Eve for the last minute gifts.  For the boys, Daisy air rifles were a dollar, Wilson basketballs were two dollars and seventy-five cents, and Wilson footballs sold for a dollar and twenty-five cents.  The Westfield  bicycle, the top of the line, went for the sum of twenty-eight dollars.  Tricycles were four dollars and wagons brought three dollars apiece.  For the lady of the house, a husband could pick up a new Frigidaire refrigerator, range, or water heater for $120.00 and up.  Tree light strings, the old-fashioned kind with larger light bulbs, sold for fifty cents to a dollar.

Santa Claus came that night.  Toy lead soldiers, baby dolls, comic books, and tea sets, along with the requisite new sets of clothes found their way under the trees.    For the last two decades,  the county and city had suffered through a long and dark economic depression.  Things were beginning to change.  As Charles Dickens said in his “Tale of Two Cities,” “It was the best of times.  It was the worst of times.”  Our country was about to enter into a world war that would change the course of the history of man forever.

That joyous season of Christmas had  two sad postscripts.   Homer Jordan and M.C. Kincey broke into McLellan’s Department Store.  The two men helped themselves to the contents of the store early on Christmas morning.  Otherwise, Sheriff I.F. Coleman and Chief J.W. Robertson reported that the day passed quietly, the only Christmas in recent memory that they didn’t have to lock up a few drunks.”  While all but ten local National Guardsmen returned home for Christmas, two Monroe Georgia soldiers were passing through Dublin on their return to Camp Stewart.  Just as Sgt. Roger Malcom and James Peters passed under the Merry Christmas sign on their way to Hinesville, they lost control of their car and crashed into the bridge.  Sgt. Malcom didn’t survive. It was his last Christmas.  

Christmas is a time to cherish with your family and friends.  Remember the true “reason for the season” and have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

98-48

COLONEL JOHN LAURENS

Unsung Hero of the 

American Revolution 

John Laurens was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1755.  His ancestors were Huguenots who came from France around the beginning of the 18th century.   John was sent to London for higher education.  The winds of war with Great Britain began to blow in 1775.  His father, Henry Laurens, was the first President of the Continental Congress.  Henry Laurens denied his son's repeated requests to leave law school at the Temple.  John desperately wanted to return home to join in the fight for freedom from English tyranny.  Laurens could no longer control his yearning for independence.  He made his way back to the colonies by sailing to France and thence to America aboard neutral ships.  

Laurens yearned for a field colonelcy position on the staff of George Washington.  Much to his dismay, Gen. Washington appointed him to be his personal secretary.  He was given the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.  Laurens participated in the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777.  Washington's forces had hoped to destroy the British at Germantown, Pennsylvania, on October 3, 1777.  The anticipated victory turned into a defeat,  with Col. Laurens being severely wounded.  While recovering from his wounds Laurens spent the bitter winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge.  In a letter to his father, he questioned whether or not the army should winter there and leave the surrounding countryside to the pillaging of the British.  In June of 1778, he participated in the decisive Battle of Monmouth.  It was at Monmouth where Molly Pitcher became the most famous woman soldier in American history.  The battle was also important in the relationships between Washington's generals.  General Charles Lee failed to act, causing the loss of many lives.  Col. Laurens recommended to his father, President of the Congress, that Lee be tried for misconduct.  Lee made insulting remarks about Laurens's best friend, Alexander Hamilton.  Laurens challenged Lee to a duel.  The honor of Laurens and Hamilton was upheld when Lee was slightly wounded in the fight.  Over two decades later,  Hamilton would lose his life in a duel with Aaron Burr.  

On August 30, 1778, Laurens took command of a regiment in the Rhode Island Campaign.  Early that morning Laurens and Livingston launched an attack on the head of the British column on the road between Butts Hill, Turkey Hill, and Quaker Hill.  Laurens and his men fought gallantly but were turned back by a superior British force.  The commanding general, Nathaniel Greene, complimented Laurens on his actions calling him a "general and a partisan."

During the second half of 1778, the British launched a second campaign to capture the Southern Colonies.  Savannah fell to the British on December 29, 1778.  Laurens was granted permission to leave Washington's army to defend his homeland.  He took part in the defense against Prevost's attack on Charleston in May of 1779.  On October 9th, 1779, Gen. Lincoln led an attack on Savannah.  His forces were supported by the French and by Count Casimir Pulaski's cavalry.  The main attack came from the southwestern section of Savannah.  Pulaski charged toward the British right.  He received a mortal wound.  The attack floundered.  Laurens, in command of the light infantry, led his South Carolinians against the British Springhill redoubt.  At the head of the attack, Laurens moved into the ditch and planted his flag in the berm.  The British relentlessly slaughtered the Americans in the ditch.  Laurens ordered his men to retreat.  The attempt to recapture Savannah failed.  The city remained in British hands until July 11, 1782, nearly nine months after the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown.

The Colonial army retreated inland and moved to defend Charleston, the next target of the British.    By February,  the British were making demonstrations about Charleston.  Laurens wrote to Gen. Washington asking for reinforcements.  He told Washington that it would be good if he himself would come and rescue the city of Charleston.  The British, with their superior naval power, were too much for the defenders.  The city fell on May 6, 1780.  Most of the Colonials were captured.  Col. Laurens was taken prisoner but was shortly exchanged for a British officer.

Congress realized that in order to defeat the British, more naval support would be needed.  The British had stopped the French fleet at Newport.  Gen. Washington recommended that Laurens be a special emissary to King Louis of France.  Laurens was described by a 19th century historian as "a born courtier and having polished manners, a figure that would grace the company of kings, and more over, he spoke French like a Parisian."  Laurens, being fearless and self reliant, was known to be a dominating presence among men.   Gen. Lafayette sent a letter to Count de Vergennes.  Lafayette described Laurens as "a man who, by his integrity, frankness, and patriotism, must be extremely acceptable to the government."   Laurens' mission was to convince the French to increase their support of the colonies with men, material, and especially money.  Lafayette concluded his letter stating that 10,000 Frenchmen would be appreciated.  By that time, Henry Laurens, the Ambassador to Holland, was held as a prisoner in the tower of London.  John Laurens returned to Boston.  His mission being a success, Laurens reported to Colonial government that European support was on the increase, and that he had secured a substantial amount of monetary support.

Col. Laurens once again was assigned to Gen. Washington's staff.  All of the criticism of Washington and his generals came to an end on October 19, 1781.  Lord Cornwallis and his grand army were captured on the Virginia peninsula at Yorktown.  Col. Laurens was appointed to arrange the terms of the surrender.  He was among the first to enter the British lines as a commissioner to receive the surrender. The surrender did not end the war.  The British were still in control of Savannah and Charleston.  Laurens was sent to aid Gen. Greene.  Laurens got out of his sick bed to lead a detachment against a British foraging party near Combachee, South Carolina. The day was August 27, 1782. Col. Laurens, leading the charge against the British, was struck by a musket ball.  He fell mortally wounded.

The story of Col. John Laurens doesn't dominate the history books.  Historians fail to mention his name among the heroes of the revolution.  His is a story of a young man who loved his country.  His actions in France during the "dark days" of 1781 directly led to the American victory at Yorktown and the eventual defeat of the British Army.  On December 10, 1807, the State of Georgia honored Col. Laurens by naming its newest  county, Laurens County, in his honor.  

98-49

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

The Real Teacher Heroes of World War II

In the movie Saving Private Ryan, Tom Hanks portrays Captain John Miller, a fictional high school teacher from Pennsylvania.  After surviving D-day, Captain Miller is given the assignment to find Private James Ryan. Ryan lost two brothers in the invasion of Normandy and his only other brother was killed in the South Pacific a week before.  Army regulations required that the sole surviving brother be sent back home.  Along the way, Miller and his squad have to keep fighting the war.  In the end, Captain Miller achieved his mission. Private Ryan was saved.

In real life, Laurens County had its share of teachers serving their country.  At home, the female teachers led the Victory Corps programs.  They worked with other women, adults and students alike in making bandages, sponges, and surgical dressings by the tens of thousands.   Teachers supervised the selling of war bonds and worked with their students in a variety of activities to help the effort to win the war. The male teachers, those young enough and fit enough to join the service

Some made it home like Clyde Greenway of Orianna, Georgia for example.  Greenway taught vocational-agricultural in Laurens County and  R.C. Jarrard, Dublin High teacher and coach, who left their comfortable positions and joined the Armed Forces.

Look at Lucien “Bob” Shuler, a former history and English teacher at Cadwell High School.  Shuler was an ace fighter pilot in the Pacific.  During his term of flying Shuler was awarded the Air Medal with eleven Oak Leaf Clusters, along with a Distinguished Flying Cross with ten Oak Leaf Clusters.  

Others, like Captain Miller,  didn’t make it home.  This is their story and how they gave the last full measure of devotion to save our country.

Henry Will Jones was born in what became Lanier County just as our country was entering World War I.  After graduation from Lanier High, Jones continued his education at Georgia Military College (1935), Abraham Baldwin College, and the University of Georgia, where he graduated in 1940.  With his bachelor of science diploma in his hand, Jones accepted a position as the first vocational-agricultural teacher at Dexter High School on July 1, 1940.  The school, in need of a coach for their six-man football team, asked Jones to be the head football coach.  On Sunday, Jones attended the Dexter Baptist Church, where he taught the Intermediate Boys Sunday School classes.   When he needed to rest and eat a fine meal, he boarded with Mr. and Mrs. W.G. Smith.

The fateful day of December 7, 1941 came.  America was at war.  Jones left his teaching position to enter the United States Marine Corps.  Jones reported to the Marine base at Quantico, Virginia, where he graduated as a second lieutenant on August 25, 1942.  From Quantico, Henry Will was sent to New River, North Carolina, where he completed his training as a paratrooper in October 1942.

Before he was transferred to San Diego, California, Jones spent a few days with his family and friends back in Georgia.  In December 1942, Henry Will was shipped from the west coast to the killing area of the South Pacific.  Holding the rank of first lieutenant, Jones was attached to the first Paratroop Division of the First Amphibious Division.  Lt. Jones was stationed at New Caledonia until September 1943.  He landed on Guadalcanal in September and from there went to Bougainville.  While in this zone, he saw service and suffered a slight wound.   Henry Will remained in Bougainville until January 12, 1944, when his paratrooper detachment was sent home to be organized into the 5th Marine Division.  As the war progressed, paratroopers were no longer needed.  Jones and his buddies were retrained to be regular infantry fighting Marines.

Captain Jones landed with outfit at San Diego on February 7, 1942.  Ten days later, he was back home in Lakeland on a well-earned leave.  The following day, Lt. Jones became Captain Jones.  Before his return to the Marines, Captain Jones drove to Dexter for one last visit.

Captain Henry Will Jones returned to the west coast and was assigned the Fifth Marine Division, which was stationed at Camp Pendleton, near San Diego, California.  The captain was given the chance to remain in the country for an indefinite time to participate in training of recruits.  Since he wasn’t married and had no children, Henry Will decided to go into combat and let someone with a wife and kids, stay in San Diego and train new Marines.

Captain Jones’ first new assignment was as commander of Company I,  3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Division.  He led his company in the invasion of Peliliu Island, the main island of the Palau Islands.  His last two letters were dated October 12th and 13th.  On October 18th, 1944, Captain Henry Will Jones was reported killed in action.

In honor of his admirable valor, the Secretary of the Navy posthumously awarded the Silver State Medal to Jones’ family.  On March 24, 1997, the State of Georgia honored Captain Henry Will Jones with the naming of a bridge in his home county of Lanier.   The resolution read:

WHEREAS, Captain Henry Will Jones of Lanier County was killed in action on October 18, 1944, while serving as a  commanding officer of a United States Marine Corps company in the South Pacific during World War II; and he was awarded  posthumously the Silver Star Medal by the Secretary of the  Navy in recognition of his exemplary valor; and 

WHEREAS, he had graduated from the University of Georgia and was an instructor in the Laurens County school system when he enlisted in the military following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor; and he completed officers candidate school, paratrooper training, and advanced military training with  the Marine Corps and was recognized as a distinguished officer with considerable potential; and 

WHEREAS, his fearless leadership, great personal valor, and  unrelenting devotion to duty in the face of extreme danger  contributed substantially to the success of his division in  capturing a vital stronghold; and his courage and determination upheld the highest traditions of military service; and 

WHEREAS, he enjoyed nature and had a strong attachment to the region in which he had spent his youth exploring the rivers, forests, and wildlife; and he often expressed his dream of returning to the Alapaha River in his letters home to his family; and 

WHEREAS, it is most fitting and appropriate to honor this  outstanding young officer who so gallantly gave his life for  his country. 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF  GEORGIA that the bridge on Georgia Highway 37 that crosses  that portion of the Alapaha River in Lanier County be  designated the Captain Henry Will Jones Bridge. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Commissioner of  Transportation is authorized and directed to place signs at  appropriate locations along the highway designating the  bridge over the Alapaha River as the Captain Henry Will  Jones Bridge.

Robert Arthell Colter, Jr. was a native of Laurens County.  Born in the Cadwell community in 1918, Robert chose teaching as his life’s profession.  He saw it as his mission to mold young minds.   A graduate of Rentz High School, Colter was a scholar student at the University of Georgia and a member of the honor society Phi Beta Kappa.  During his senior year of 1941-1942, Colter was president of the Gaffan Club.  Following his graduation, Robert was selected as one of four agricultural students to take park in new research program for the Vocational Education Department.   Colter, briefly taught at Toombs Central High School before he  was hired as the vocational-agricultural teacher at Cadwell High School.  

Just as the fictional Captain John Miller was landing on the beaches of Normandy, Colter was enlisting in the United States Army.  There was little time for long term training.  After a brief period of stateside training, Colter shipped off to Europe.  The invasion of France had gone a little better than expected, but no one thought the rest of the way to Berlin would be an easy task.  By winter time, the push across France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany slowed down, way down to a halt.  The Battle of the Bulge during the Christmas season was one of the most brutal of the entire war.  The going was slow - house to house, hedge row to hedge row, tree to tree, and fox hole to fox hole.  On February 20, 1945, just seven months and twenty days after Robert Colter went over seas to save the students he was teach, he was killed in action.    He left a young wife, the former Miss Jacquelyn Smith of Lyons, whom he met during his first teaching assignment. 

William A. Kelley (see page 187) taught school and coached football at Dublin High School in 1938.  Coach Kelley’s father was the Rev. W.A. Kelley, the Presiding Elder of the Dublin District of the South Georgia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.  Kelley, wanted to fly.  He joined the Army Air Corps.  As a pilot, Kelley’s job was often as dangerous as that of an infantryman.  Thousands upon thousands of airmen lost their lives during the war.  

In the fall of 1944, the United States began its first bombing missions against Tokyo with the powerful B-29 super fortresses.  Leading the first wave of bombers was The Dauntless Dotty.    The lead bomber was piloted by General Emmett O’Donnell, the 73rd Bombardment Wing Commander.  The plane was co-piloted by Major Robert K. Morgan, pilot the famed B-17, The Memphis Belle.  Major Morgan took over the command of The Dauntless Dotty and served until he accomplished the requisite number of missions to complete his term of service.

After flying his thirtieth mission in the Pacific, the first pilot in the Army Air Corps to do so, Kelley was given command of the Dotty.    In his haste and the haste of his crew and passengers to press forward without rest on their trip home, Kelley accidentally crashed the plane into the ocean off the coast of Kwajalein Atoll.  Three of the crew and the passengers survived.  Captain Kelley did not.  His remains lie in  the deep waters of the Pacific, where someday, an advanced diving team may find what is left of the plane and her crew.

In a sense, they were all saving Private Ryan - not the fictional Private Ryan in the movie nor the real life soldier the character was based on.  Stephen Speilberg’s movies often have a deeper meaning than first glance.  The Private Ryan that these teachers and millions of men and women were trying to save were the “Private Ryans” at schools in Dublin, Dexter, Cadwell and around the country and the allied world.   Their mission was to save the “Private Ryans” who had yet to be born.  Captain Kelley was trying to save is baby girl, who he never knew was born on May 29, 1945.  

They were saving us so that we could enjoy our freedoms.  They were saving the father of that one person who will one day discover a cure for cancer.  They were saving the next Mrs. Ryan from losing one or all of her sons in war.  Our mission, which the fictional Private Ryan accepted, is to carry on our lives in a manner which justifies the sacrifices these men and women made.