Crisp-Sumter County GaArchives News.....Cordele Founder Funeral Firday December 1, 1950
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Clyde Watson clyde.nell@gmail.com November 5, 2008, 3:02 pm

Cordele Dispatch December 1, 1950
Cordele Founder Funeral Friday
     AMERICUS, Nov. 30
Funeral services will be held tomorrow for John Edgar Shipp, 93, former state
legislator who founded the city of Cordele.
Shipp died here yesterday after an illness of several weeks, He was a member of
the 1882-83 Legislature which authorized building the present state capital.He
had written numerous historical books and articles and owned one of the best
private libraries in the South.
     Shipp opened a law office at Cusseta in 1880 and eight years later founded
Cordele.
                         JOHN EDGAR D. SHIPP
     A personality which in years gone by wielded considerable influence upon
the patterns of the lives of Cordele residents has forever gone from among us
with the passing of Col. John Edgar D. Shipp at Americus. He was one of the
founders of our city.
     Cordele was named by Colonel Shipp and his associates for Cordelia Hawkins,
who was the daughter of Sam. H. Hawkins, a business partner.
     Col. SHipp was born in Chattahoochee County and moved to Americus in 1884,
just a few years after he received an A.B. Degree with honors from Alabama
Polytechnic Institute in 1879.     He became associated with the Americus
Investment Company which built and owned the Americus, Preston and Lumpkin
Railroad running west from Americus.
     It was a narrow gauge road and in time was extended eastward to Abbeville.
In the extension of the rail line, it was first planned to have it go through
Vienna, but later through the aid of the Clegg family, it was located through
Cordele.
     During the era of railroad building Sam. H. Hawkins, H, C, Bagley and Col.
SHipp bought up 2,000 acres of land which was to become Cordele. They formed the
Cordele Security Company, took over the investments of the Americus Finance firm
and Cordele was established in 1888.
     Thus, the Seaboard Railway route here may be traced back to the vision and
influence of Col. Shipp and his business associates. 
     Judge E. F. Strozier was an early new resident after the founding of
Cordele. He arrived March 1889. It was during that spring when the bank was put
up on the corner which is now Gainey's Drug Store.
     The Cordele Security Company also established the newspaper here which was
known as the CORDELEAN, Ir was published by R. S. Burton who was the father of
our fellow-citizen Lon Burton.
     Another local newspaper in the old days was the RAMBLER. This was published
by Charles Jackson Shipp, a brother of Col. Shipp, and the father of Nelson M.
SHipp of Atlanta, who is well known in Crisp County.
     There are endless pieces of local history which could be traced and
connected with the business and civic developments of the old days stemming from
the decisions made by the group of men of whom Col. Shipp was one.
     Through the years and decades, it is possible that the importance of events
a lifetime ago may fade somewhat in the tempo of modern living.
     And though but relatively few Cordeleans could be present during the final
honors for the memory of Col. Shipp, the spirit of the City of Cordele, its
officials and residents, was there.
     The exemplary deeds of our founder will live ever after him. 

 

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/crisp/newspapers/cordelef2699nw.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/

File size: 3.8 Kb