What's mainly wrong with society today is that too many Dirt Roads have been paved.
There's not a problem in America today, crime, drugs, education, divorce, delinquency that wouldn't be remedied, if we just had more Dirt Roads, because Dirt Roads give character.
People that live at the end of Dirt Roads learn early on that life is a bumpy ride.
That it can jar you right down to your teeth sometimes, but it's worth it, if at the end is home...a loving spouse, happy kids and a dog.
We wouldn't have near the trouble with our educational system if our kids got their exercise walking a Dirt Road with other kids, from whom they learn how to get along.
There was less crime in our streets before they were paved.
Criminals didn't walk two dusty miles to rob or rape, if they knew they'd be welcomed by 5 barking dogs and a double barrel shotgun.
And there were no drive by shootings.
Our values were better when our roads were worse!
People did not worship their cars more than their kids, and motorists were more courteous, they didn't tailgate by riding the bumper or the guy in front would choke you with dust & bust your windshield with rocks.
Dirt Roads taught patience.
Dirt Roads were environmentally friendly, you didn't hop in your car for a quart of milk you walked to the barn for your milk.
For your mail, you walked to the mail box.
What if it rained and the Dirt Road got washed out? That was the best part, then you stayed home and had some family time, roasted marshmallows and popped popcorn and pony rode on Daddy's shoulders and learned how to make prettier quilts than anybody.
At the end of Dirt Roads, you soon learned that bad words tasted like soap.
Most paved roads lead to trouble, Dirt Roads more likely lead to a fishing creek or a swimming hole.
At the end of a Dirt Road, the only time we even locked our car was in August, because if we didn't some neighbor would fill it with too much zucchini.
At the end of a Dirt Road, there was always extra springtime income, from when city dudes would get stuck, you'd have to hitch up a team and pull them out.
Usually you got a dollar...always you got a new friend...at the end of a Dirt Road!
~by Paul Harvey~
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Quote
"Take care to get what you like or
you will be forced to like what you get."
(George Bernard Shaw)
you will be forced to like what you get."
(George Bernard Shaw)
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Stone Mountain Natural History
Natural History
Stone Mountain sits on the western edge of a large belt of Lithonia Gneiss granite although the younger intrusive granite that comprises the mountain is entirely different from Lithonia granite. Rising to a height of 1,683 feet above sea level (roughly 650-750 feet above the surrounding Georgia Piedmont, depending on where it is measured), it is visible from Kennesaw Mountain to the west, Amicalola Falls State Park to the north and Mount Yonah to the northeast.
Technically known as a pluton, the mountain was formed during the complex folding and faulting that created the Blue Ridge Mountains, although Stone Mountain is not part of that range. The magma that created Stone Mountain was formed deep inside the earth, then forced its way out of the earth's molten center. Before the molten rock hit the air it stopped, initially forming the west side of the "pluton." Successive attempts at eruption (breaking through to the surface of the earth) also failed, but added to the size of the dome from west to east. Once the pluton was formed it began to cool. This occurred during the Alleghenian Orogeny, a massive collision of tectonic plates perhaps 350 million years ago.
Geologists, however, are stumped as to how this enormous rock (the largest known granite formation) became exposed. Some believe that the entire Georgia Piedmont region was higher than the mountain and over time, erosion simply wore the dirt and metamorphic stone surrounding the mountain away. Others believe that the area was flooded after the formation of the mountain and the water eroded the surrounding material. A third theory includes post-formation geological events (primarily earthquakes). Analysis of the rock reveals that the magma that created the pluton was comprised of quartz, feldspar, microcline and muscovite with smaller amounts of biotite and tourmaline. Embedded in the granite are pieces of biotite gneiss and amphibolite
There are many ways that rock changes over time. The two most commonly associated with Stone Mountain are exfoliation and erosion. Granite is normally exfoliated in sheets, along the same natural lines that it is quarried. These lines, known technically as joints, run throughout Stone Mountain. They are expanded the erosive forces of heat, cold, weather (mostly wind and rain), gravity and plant life or any combination of these elements. Once a sheet on the surface as been exfoliated and the sheet of rock beneath it is exposed the process begins again.
The same erosive elements that open the joints in the rock work on the surface as well, but at a much slower rate. Erosion, for example, creates the vernal pools which form on level surfaces of the mountain. These pools are the indentations up to a few feet wide that fill with water during the spring (vernal is another word for spring). Many will remain damp or filled with water well into the summer, especially larger pools. A little shade from a scrub pine helps the pools hold the water long as well. Vernal pools are one type of weathering pits on the mountain. Watch for larger indentations, several feet wide, where trees and schrubs have taken hold and grow, adding their pressure to the eroding mountaintop.
Vernal pools play an important role in life at the top of the seemingly barren mountain. Just as in a desert, life at the top of Stone Mountains depends on the water available in the vernal pools. When the summer is wet the pools, ranging in size from several inches to several feet, may hold water most of the year. During drought years the pools can be dry from June until October. While larger mammals like squirrel and fox rely on the water for drinking other flora and fauna depend on the water for life. Two types of shrimp frequently inhabit these pools, fairy shrimp and clam shrimp, as well as a unique variety of red moss.
Water that falls on the mountain that is not captured in these pools also plays a role in the evolution of the mountain. On the sides of the mountain lichen and moss come to life after a rain, but create a treacherous environment for hikers, especially on the Mountaintop Trail. As the water cascades down the sides of Stone Mountain it forms small streams near the base, creating a cooler, more diverse forested environment.
Stone Mountain's slopes offer a haven for a variety of birds (including migratory species in the Spring and Fall) and various small animals. Among the common birds are Hoot Owl, Red-tailed Hawk, Wood Ducks, Mallard, Great Blue Herons and various egrets. One overlooked species is the peregrine falcon, sometimes called a duck hawk, now off the endangered species list and an occasional visitor to the mountain. Mammals that inhabit the mountain include red fox, bobcat, grey squirrel, rabbits and deer.
Tucked in the crevices and outcroppings of rock that make up the majority of Stone Mountain's surface, a wide range of plant life makes its home. Most famous is the Stone Mountain Yellow Daisy (also known as the Confederate Daisy), found by Reverend Thomas Porter in 1846. The plant lends its name to the Yellow Daisy Festival, one of the most popular events in the Southeast United States. Flowering yucca is also found on the mountain, as well as other flora including various species of pine tree, especially stunted loblolly, cactus, and a few small hardwoods.
by Larry Worthy, Editor-in-chief
exclusively for About North Georgia
Stone Mountain sits on the western edge of a large belt of Lithonia Gneiss granite although the younger intrusive granite that comprises the mountain is entirely different from Lithonia granite. Rising to a height of 1,683 feet above sea level (roughly 650-750 feet above the surrounding Georgia Piedmont, depending on where it is measured), it is visible from Kennesaw Mountain to the west, Amicalola Falls State Park to the north and Mount Yonah to the northeast.
Technically known as a pluton, the mountain was formed during the complex folding and faulting that created the Blue Ridge Mountains, although Stone Mountain is not part of that range. The magma that created Stone Mountain was formed deep inside the earth, then forced its way out of the earth's molten center. Before the molten rock hit the air it stopped, initially forming the west side of the "pluton." Successive attempts at eruption (breaking through to the surface of the earth) also failed, but added to the size of the dome from west to east. Once the pluton was formed it began to cool. This occurred during the Alleghenian Orogeny, a massive collision of tectonic plates perhaps 350 million years ago.
Geologists, however, are stumped as to how this enormous rock (the largest known granite formation) became exposed. Some believe that the entire Georgia Piedmont region was higher than the mountain and over time, erosion simply wore the dirt and metamorphic stone surrounding the mountain away. Others believe that the area was flooded after the formation of the mountain and the water eroded the surrounding material. A third theory includes post-formation geological events (primarily earthquakes). Analysis of the rock reveals that the magma that created the pluton was comprised of quartz, feldspar, microcline and muscovite with smaller amounts of biotite and tourmaline. Embedded in the granite are pieces of biotite gneiss and amphibolite
There are many ways that rock changes over time. The two most commonly associated with Stone Mountain are exfoliation and erosion. Granite is normally exfoliated in sheets, along the same natural lines that it is quarried. These lines, known technically as joints, run throughout Stone Mountain. They are expanded the erosive forces of heat, cold, weather (mostly wind and rain), gravity and plant life or any combination of these elements. Once a sheet on the surface as been exfoliated and the sheet of rock beneath it is exposed the process begins again.
The same erosive elements that open the joints in the rock work on the surface as well, but at a much slower rate. Erosion, for example, creates the vernal pools which form on level surfaces of the mountain. These pools are the indentations up to a few feet wide that fill with water during the spring (vernal is another word for spring). Many will remain damp or filled with water well into the summer, especially larger pools. A little shade from a scrub pine helps the pools hold the water long as well. Vernal pools are one type of weathering pits on the mountain. Watch for larger indentations, several feet wide, where trees and schrubs have taken hold and grow, adding their pressure to the eroding mountaintop.
Vernal pools play an important role in life at the top of the seemingly barren mountain. Just as in a desert, life at the top of Stone Mountains depends on the water available in the vernal pools. When the summer is wet the pools, ranging in size from several inches to several feet, may hold water most of the year. During drought years the pools can be dry from June until October. While larger mammals like squirrel and fox rely on the water for drinking other flora and fauna depend on the water for life. Two types of shrimp frequently inhabit these pools, fairy shrimp and clam shrimp, as well as a unique variety of red moss.
Water that falls on the mountain that is not captured in these pools also plays a role in the evolution of the mountain. On the sides of the mountain lichen and moss come to life after a rain, but create a treacherous environment for hikers, especially on the Mountaintop Trail. As the water cascades down the sides of Stone Mountain it forms small streams near the base, creating a cooler, more diverse forested environment.
Stone Mountain's slopes offer a haven for a variety of birds (including migratory species in the Spring and Fall) and various small animals. Among the common birds are Hoot Owl, Red-tailed Hawk, Wood Ducks, Mallard, Great Blue Herons and various egrets. One overlooked species is the peregrine falcon, sometimes called a duck hawk, now off the endangered species list and an occasional visitor to the mountain. Mammals that inhabit the mountain include red fox, bobcat, grey squirrel, rabbits and deer.
Tucked in the crevices and outcroppings of rock that make up the majority of Stone Mountain's surface, a wide range of plant life makes its home. Most famous is the Stone Mountain Yellow Daisy (also known as the Confederate Daisy), found by Reverend Thomas Porter in 1846. The plant lends its name to the Yellow Daisy Festival, one of the most popular events in the Southeast United States. Flowering yucca is also found on the mountain, as well as other flora including various species of pine tree, especially stunted loblolly, cactus, and a few small hardwoods.
by Larry Worthy, Editor-in-chief
exclusively for About North Georgia
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
In 1917, a salesman for Chattanooga Bakery’s Mountain City Flour Mill was visiting the stores on his route in the coal mining country of Kentucky. He asked them what kind of snack they’d like and the miners told him they wanted something filling. When he asked how big the snack should be, one of the men pointed to the rising moon and said “That big.”
Thus was born the Moon Pie, a sweet confection made of chocolate covered graham crackers and marshmallow filling. They come as single deckers, double deckers, mini Moon Pies and even have a fruit-filled variety.
In 1905 in neighboring Georgia, a pharmacist named Claud Hatcher developed a drink to supply to his family’s grocery store. His first beverage was called “Royal Crown” or RC for short. By 1940, RC was available in 47 of the 48 states due to aggressive advertising and endorsements by such stars as Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.
RC was the first company to distribute soft drinks in aluminum cans and produced the first low-calorie diet cola called Diet Rite.
Whether by design or by fate, these two items have become a pair. Filling and affordable, a Moon Pie and an RC are a southern tradition. And in another pairing, they are celebrated annually on the third Saturday in June at the RC and Moon Pie Festival in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Located in Tennessee Walking Horse country, this historic town’s population of 400-odd swells to over twenty thousand as folks pour in for an early-morning 10K race followed by the RC-Moon Pie Parade featuring the newly crowned RC-Moon Pie King and Queen. Food and craft booths abound and include such specialties as southern barbeque and fresh lemonade. There’s live entertainment with country music and bluegrass bands and local cloggers. The RC-Moon Pie Madness games commence after lunch and include the Moon Pie toss and watermelon seed spitting contest. After the games, the world’s largest Moon Pie is cut and served to the crowd.
The highlight of the day’s events is the Synchronized Wading, which parodies the synchronized swimming event in the Olympic Games. As a matter of fact, this event was inspired by the 1996 Olympic Games held in not-too-far-away Atlanta, Georgia. Viewers sit on hay bales set up on the town square and follow a scripted story, acted out in a wading pool and accompanied by music and sound effects.
This was the event that drew me and two friends to the festival in June of 2004. One drove from Louisville, Kentucky and the other from a suburb of Nashville and we met up on the crowded town square. After roaming the shops lining the square, all of which featured festival t-shirts, we treated ourselves to a snack of – you guessed it – RC’s and Moon Pies. When we passed a wagon advertising deep-fried Moon Pies, my friend Annie rolled her eyes and quipped a la Frasier Crane, “I can almost hear my left ventricle slamming shut as I speak.” Then we made our way to the square to find ourselves a choice viewing spot and waited for the synchronized wading to begin. By the end of the performance, we’d laughed til we hurt.
Bell Buckle is located about fifty-five miles southeast of Nashville and is an easy day trip from Music City. It boasts several antique shops and the Bell Buckle Café & Music Parlour, which features live music on weekends along with a menu full of down-home cooking. It is also home to the Webb School. Founded by William Webb in 1870, it is the oldest continually operating boarding school in the south.
Next summer, when you’re looking for an outing suitable for the entire family, check out the RC and Moon Pie Festival and enjoy a day of sweet treats and good old-fashioned fun. It's indeed a "southern thing."
Photos courtesy of the Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce 2007
Labels: Bell Buckle, Moon Pie and RC Cola, TN
Thus was born the Moon Pie, a sweet confection made of chocolate covered graham crackers and marshmallow filling. They come as single deckers, double deckers, mini Moon Pies and even have a fruit-filled variety.
In 1905 in neighboring Georgia, a pharmacist named Claud Hatcher developed a drink to supply to his family’s grocery store. His first beverage was called “Royal Crown” or RC for short. By 1940, RC was available in 47 of the 48 states due to aggressive advertising and endorsements by such stars as Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.
RC was the first company to distribute soft drinks in aluminum cans and produced the first low-calorie diet cola called Diet Rite.
Whether by design or by fate, these two items have become a pair. Filling and affordable, a Moon Pie and an RC are a southern tradition. And in another pairing, they are celebrated annually on the third Saturday in June at the RC and Moon Pie Festival in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Located in Tennessee Walking Horse country, this historic town’s population of 400-odd swells to over twenty thousand as folks pour in for an early-morning 10K race followed by the RC-Moon Pie Parade featuring the newly crowned RC-Moon Pie King and Queen. Food and craft booths abound and include such specialties as southern barbeque and fresh lemonade. There’s live entertainment with country music and bluegrass bands and local cloggers. The RC-Moon Pie Madness games commence after lunch and include the Moon Pie toss and watermelon seed spitting contest. After the games, the world’s largest Moon Pie is cut and served to the crowd.
The highlight of the day’s events is the Synchronized Wading, which parodies the synchronized swimming event in the Olympic Games. As a matter of fact, this event was inspired by the 1996 Olympic Games held in not-too-far-away Atlanta, Georgia. Viewers sit on hay bales set up on the town square and follow a scripted story, acted out in a wading pool and accompanied by music and sound effects.
This was the event that drew me and two friends to the festival in June of 2004. One drove from Louisville, Kentucky and the other from a suburb of Nashville and we met up on the crowded town square. After roaming the shops lining the square, all of which featured festival t-shirts, we treated ourselves to a snack of – you guessed it – RC’s and Moon Pies. When we passed a wagon advertising deep-fried Moon Pies, my friend Annie rolled her eyes and quipped a la Frasier Crane, “I can almost hear my left ventricle slamming shut as I speak.” Then we made our way to the square to find ourselves a choice viewing spot and waited for the synchronized wading to begin. By the end of the performance, we’d laughed til we hurt.
Bell Buckle is located about fifty-five miles southeast of Nashville and is an easy day trip from Music City. It boasts several antique shops and the Bell Buckle Café & Music Parlour, which features live music on weekends along with a menu full of down-home cooking. It is also home to the Webb School. Founded by William Webb in 1870, it is the oldest continually operating boarding school in the south.
Next summer, when you’re looking for an outing suitable for the entire family, check out the RC and Moon Pie Festival and enjoy a day of sweet treats and good old-fashioned fun. It's indeed a "southern thing."
Photos courtesy of the Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce 2007
Labels: Bell Buckle, Moon Pie and RC Cola, TN
Jefferson, Georgia
Aerial View Of Jefferson, (circa 1950's)
The City of Jefferson's bountiful community has a rich and interesting history. Only an hour's drive from Atlanta, Jefferson was designated the county seat of Jackson County on November 24, 1806. The city, named for President Thomas Jefferson, was the site of a previous Indian settlement named Thomoccoggan. The city was then incorporated as Jeffersonville. Later, the name was changed to Jeffersonton and finally shortened to its current name on June 30, 1824. Dr. Crawford W. Long first used ether for surgery in Jefferson on March 30, 1842. Gently rolling hills and picturesque buildings provide the backdrop for this inviting city. The City's leadership is working to maintain Jefferson's small town character while strongly encouraging the development of new industries to employ the growing local workforce.
A Postcard View of The Martin Institute
Jefferson is a city in Jackson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,825 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jackson County. Jefferson is known for its superior recreation department. Jefferson Parks and Recreation was awarded the class "C" department of the year in 2006.
Jackson County History
On February 11, 1796, Jackson County was split off from part of Franklin County, Georgia. The new county was named in honor of Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel, Congressman, Senator and Governor James Jackson. The county originally covered an area of approximately 1,800 sq mi (4,662 km²), with Clarkesboro as its first county seat.
View of Jefferson downtown square looking north towards the Jackson County Courthouse
In 1801, the Georgia General Assembly granted 40,000 acres (160 km²) of land in Jackson County for a state college. Franklin College (now University of Georgia) began classes the same year, and the city of Athens was developed around the school. Also the same year, a new county was developed around the new college town, and Jackson lost territory to the new Clarke. The county seat was moved to an old Indian village called Thomocoggan, a location with ample water supply from Curry Creek and four large springs. In 1804, the city was renamed Jefferson, after Thomas Jefferson.
The Northside Of Public Square (circa 1910) same view as below
View of the north side of the square. (circa 2007)
Jackson lost more territory in 1811 in the creation of Madison County, in 1818 in the creation of Walton, Gwinnett, and Hall counties, in 1858 in the creation of Banks County, and in 1914 in the creation of Barrow County.
View of the south east side of the square with shops and parking.
The first county courthouse, a log and wooden frame building with an attached jail, was built on south side of the public square; a second, larger, two-story brick courthouse with a separate jailhouse was built in 1817. In 1880, a third was built on a hill north of the square. This courthouse was the oldest continuously operating courthouse in the United States until 2004, when the current courthouse was constructed north of Jefferson.
View of Main Street, If you turn left past the Firestation you will be on the Athens Highway. And if you kept straight you could go to Winder or Braselton.
Pendergrass Store
Pendergrass Store (Jefferson, Ga.)
Located at: Northwest corner of Sycamore and College Streets, Jefferson, Ga.
Two-story wood frame building with a basement, featuring a two-story portico with pediment supported by square Doric inspired columns. The building has one large room on each floor with service rooms in the rear. Soldiers used the upper story as a barracks. After 1936, the wood shingle roof was changed to composition, the wood floor was changed to concrete, and the stuccoed brick foundation was changed to stone.
Date of structure: 1858.
Demographics
View towards the east side of the square showing the Confederate Memorial and the highway leading to Commerce, Georgia. This photo shows the Confederate Memorial in the median commemorating the American Civil War and the Crawford Long Museum can be seen in the background to the left. This highway connects Jefferson with Commerce, Georgia.
Downtown Jefferson, The Bank was on the right corner of the Square.
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,825 people, 1,415 households, and 1,047 families residing in the city. The population density was 201.6 people per square mile (77.8/km²). There were 1,522 housing units at an average density of 80.2/sq mi (31.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.44% White, 16.05% African American, 1.20% Asian, 1.15% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.21% of the population.
Jackson County Courthouse in Jefferson. GA
There were 1,415 households out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.0% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.15.
The Old Harrison Hotel, torn down and replaced with the Crawford W. Long Motel.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.0 males.
Aerial View of Graveyard, behind Ford Dealership
The median income for a household in the city was $41,146, and the median income for a family was $46,755. Males had a median income of $33,512 versus $25,250 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,456. About 12.5% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.8% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.
Bridge Over Curry Creek
Growth over the last 6 years has been incredible in the City of Jefferson. The overall population has grown 59% from 2000 to 2006 (6,456)
Marlowe's Cafe, this was one of the best places to eat in the 40's and 50's
Education
Etheridge-Stanton House (Jefferson, Ga.)
Located at: 186 Lee Street, Jefferson, Ga.
Two story wood frame house with two brick end chimneys on a stone foundation. The two-story high porch roof is supported by square Doric inspired columns. A Chinese-Chippendale lattice-type railing on the balcony over the entrance distinguishes the house. The original wood shingled roof was covered with metal before 1937 and recovered with composition shingles after 1937. The house was moved from 178 Lee Street and the brick chimneys were topped with concrete units before 1936. After 1937, the porch floor was converted to concrete, the column bases were converted to brick, and the house was covered with asbestos siding. Stanton purchased the house from Etheridge who lived next door.
Date of structure: 1836.
Presbyterian Church (Jefferson, Ga.)
Located at: 243 Washington Street, Jefferson, Ga.
According to Mr. J. C. Turner, at one time jointly owned by the Presbyterians and the Baptists, each of whom conducted services on alternate Sundays. It was built sometime prior to 1860. The frame church has clapboarding and a gable roof with classic pediment. The porch is recessed and has round wooden fluted columns. The gallery, removed after the Civil War, was replaced in 1972, and the spire was removed in the 1940s because of a lightning strike.
Date of structure: 1840.
Crawford W. Long
Crawford Long was a pioneering physician who is credited with discovering anesthesia.
Jackson County Courthouse
Photograph of the Jackson County Courthouse in Jefferson, Georgia. Cooper Carry Architecture designed this building in the Classical Modern style. Six white columns support a pediment sitting above the entrance to the courthouse. Completed in 2004, this is the county's fifth courthouse.
Jackson County School District
The Jackson County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of eight elementary schools, three middle schools, two high schools, and an alternative school. The district has 345 full-time teachers and over 5,472 students.
Benton Elementary School
East Jackson Elementary School
Gum Springs Elementary School
Maysville Elementary School
North Jackson Elementary School
South Jackson Elementary School
West Jackson Intermediate School
West Jackson Primary School
East Jackson Middle School
Kings Bridge Middle School
West Jackson Middle School
East Jackson Comprehensive High School
Jackson County High School
Regional Evening Alternative School
Jefferson City School District
The Jefferson City School District holds grades kindergarten to grade twelve, that consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 115 full-time teachers and over 1,525 students.
Jefferson Academy
Jefferson Elementary School
Jefferson Middle School
Jefferson High School
External links
City of Jefferson Website
City of Jefferson Parks & Recreation Website
The Jackson Herald - Local Newspaper
The Preserve at Jefferson - Fountainhead Neighborhood Website
Digitial Library Of Georgia
Commerce, Georgia
Downtown Commerce/Photo property of Shirley Alexander
Before white settlers arrived, the area around present-day Commerce was inhabited by the Creek and Cherokee. Two Cherokee settlements in the area were Yamacutah (Cherokee word meaning "to tumble," referring to a feature of the local shoals), situated near a now-lost sacred Stonehenge-like mound site; and Yamtrahoochee (meaning "Hurricane Shoals"). For the most part, this territory was a dividing line between the Creeks, who resided mostly to the South, and the Cherokees, to the North.
Photograph of a group of men riding in a wagon pulled by a team of oxen as other men stand nearby, Commerce, Jackson County, Georgia, 1904
Commerce Depot/Photo by R. Dundore
The Lacoda Trail, which extended from present-day Athens-Clarke County to the north Georgia mountains, was a significant Cherokee trade and travel route through this area. (GA Hwy. 334, which follows a nine mile section of this ancient trail, was designated the "Lacoda Trail Memorial Parkway" by the Georgia General Assembly in 1998.)
Harmony Grove, Jackson Co., Ga., Dec. 1895 / Sanborn-Perris Map Co., Limited
Around 1770, a complicated war between the Creeks and the Cherokee broke out in the area: in one sense, the war was to decide who had the rights to claim the territory between the Lacoda Trail and the Tishmaugu (now Mulberry) River, an issue exacerbated by English expansion from the East; in another sense, the battle was an extension of the conflicts between European settlement policy, the Creeks being loyal to the English and the Cherokees to the Spanish. According to local history, the battle began at Numerogo, north of present day Hurricane Shoals. The leader of the Creeks was Talitchlechee (other spellings: Talitcheliche, Taleache), who had fought against the Spanish alongside General Oglethorpe at St. Augustine. The battle was decided when Talitchlechee slew Amercides, the Cherokee king of noble Spanish birth. It is said that Amercides' wife, Elancydyne, rallied the retreating Cherokees by mounting her dead husband's white horse, and was herself killed in battle. The daughter of Amercides and Elancydyne was raised by the king's trusted brave, Umausauga, and later married a white settler named Johnson Josiah Strong; their marriage is said to be the first in the county.
Commerce, Jackson County, Georgia, March 1908 / Sanborn Map Company
Early White Settlement
The first permanent white settlement in Jackson County began near present-day Commerce on January 20, 1784, when the German immigrant, William Dunson, was awarded a land grant on Little Sandy Creek. The settlement was named Groaning Rock, supposedly because of a nearby hollow rock formation that produced a moaning sound when the wind passed over it. (Descendants of William Dunson were still living on the original tract of land in the early twentieth century.)
A trading post was established by Eli Shankle near Groaning Rock in 1808, named Harmony Grove. The common explanation is that the name is a play on his wife, Rebecca's, maiden name: Hargrove. There is also an old Appalachian hymn tune called "Harmony Grove," found in an 1830 book called "Virginia Harmony." This tune is popular today as the melody to "Amazing Grace."
Photograph of a group of men riding in a wagon, Commerce, Jackson County, Georgia, 1905
The Harmony Grove Female Academy, the first all-female school chartered in the state of Georgia, was chartered by the state legislature on December 20, 1824.
Harmony Grove (Jackson County), 1890. Mrs. W. C. Eckles (left) and Bashie Williams (right) pose for a photograph. The two were sisters. Note their dresses and the hats they are holding.
The Harmony Grove post office was established on October 14, 1825; Russell Jones was its first postmaster.
Commerce, 1910. Members of the Old Fellows participate in a parade.
On September 1, 1876, the Northeastern Railroad of Georgia opened its line from Athens to Lula, which passed through the heart of Harmony Grove. The railroad line had the most significant impact on the shape of the city, and it began expanding both directions along the line. These tracks are now owned by Norfolk Southern Railway.
Portrait of Lamartine Hardman. Shown here as a young man, he sits in a chair and wears a suit. He faces right. Hardman, a native of Commerce, Georgia, served as the governor of Georgia from 1927 to 1931.
City History
The Harmony Grove community was officially incorporated as a town on December 24, 1884, including all areas within one mile radius of the railroad depot, one half mile east, and 400 yards west.
Photograph of a group of men sitting in front of Osborne Farm Implements resting and swapping tales, Commerce, Jackson County, Georgia, between 1903 and 1905
Harmony Grove Mills, Inc., was organized under the laws of Jackson County in April 3, 1893, for the purpose of processing and producing cotton textiles. It served various purposes over the years, including the manufacture of denim overalls and the earliest production of electricity in the city. The mill village created to house employees makes up a significant portion of the homes on the southeast end of Commerce today. The mill had been in operation under various corporations until the spring of 2004, when it closed mill operations and was sold; it has been used for warehouse storage space since, and is currently for sale. The building is still a major feature of the city.
Photograph of bales of cotton being hauled though a street, Commerce, Jackson County, Georgia, between 1903 and 1905
Near the end of the 19th century, many began to feel that the name Harmony Grove was too long to write and sounded too much like country village. In addition, many didn't like the fact that mail frequently went to another post office by the same name in Dawson County, Georgia. Harmony Grove was reincorporated and renamed "Commerce" on August 6, 1904, in an effort to address these concerns and reflect the city's commercial dominance in the north Georgia cotton trade.
Harmony Grove (Jackson County), ca. 1890. Etheleen Wood poses for a studio photograph. Note the elaborate backdrop used.
In 1959, a series of controversial town hall meetings were held to try and convince members of the federal Interstate Highway System to re-route the proposed Interstate 85, originally planned to go through Gainesville, Georgia (Hall County), through Commerce and Lavonia, Georgia. The proposal was changed, and the interstate was routed through Jackson County. Even more so than the railroad nearly a century before, this major transportation artery brought to Commerce tremendous commercial advantage, and at a time it desperately needed it.
Commerce, Aug. 8, 1954. Participants at the Telford Family Reunion. Note the pavilion in the background.
Photograph of weighing bales of cotton, Commerce, Jackson County, Georgia, between 1903-1905
Picture of Original Painting on side of P.Y. Waters Store
Methodist Church/ copy of picture S. Alexander
Aerial View of Commerce, GA/ copy of picture S. Alexander
Parham Motel/Photo copy/S. Alexander
Southland Motel & Threat's Restaurant/ Photo copy/S. Alexander
Old Commerce High School and Later became The Grammer School/Photo copy/S. Alexander
Claire Anderson's home/photo by Rocky Long
First Baptist Church Postcard
First Baptist Church Postcard (Backside)
Literature
* Wilson, G.J.N. The Early History of Jackson County, Georgia. Atlanta, GA: Foote and Davies, 1914.
General history of the county, includes some details about the early history of the city; much in need of updated content and language/methodology.
* Hardman, T.C. History of Harmony Grove-Commerce, Jackson County, Georgia, 1810-1849. Athens, GA: McGregor Co., 1949.
The definitive version of the city's history, also in need of update.
* Burns, Olive Ann. Cold Sassy Tree. New York: Ticknor and Fields, 1984.
* _____. Leaving Cold Sassy. New York: Ticknor and Fields, 1992.
These novels are set in the fictional city of Cold Sassy, based on early 20th century Harmony Grove/Commerce, Georgia. The first book became a made-for-TV movie in 1989, starring Faye Dunaway and Neil Patrick Harris, and an opera in 2000, composed by Carlisle Floyd. The sequel was unfinished due to the author's untimely death from cancer.
* Buffington, Mike, ed. Our Time and Place. Jefferson, GA: MainStreet Newspapers, 2000.
Much more up to date general history of the county, includes some details about Commerce in the last half-century
Famous Citizens
Terry Allen - NFL running back, 1991-2001
Spud Chandler - MLB pitcher, 1937-1947
Lamartine G. Hardman - Georgia governor, 1927-1931
Bill Anderson - Country Singer/Songwriter. Famous for "City Lights" written in Commerce.
Mary Hood - fiction writer
Links
Digital Library of Georgia
Commerce, GA ( A City On The Right Track)
City Of Commerce
Poems By Shirley Alexander
Tanger Outlet Centers
Atlanta Dragway
Commerce City Schools
Mainstreet News
Commerce News
Jackson Herald
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