JONES COUNTY  GA   Towns	BLOUNTSVILLE

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BLOUNTSVILLE

Copied by permission from
"History of Jones Co., GA," by Carolyn White Williams


BLOUNTSVILLE

Blountsville is in Pope's District and Military
Distict No. 358 and was named for the James Blount
family of N.C., Georgia and Jones County.
Blountsville, a stage coach station and a post office
was a flourishing center of cultural and educational
training before the War Between the States.  The old
Blountsville Academy was chartered in 1834 with Allen
DRURY, William E. ETHRIDGE, John W. STOKES, Francis
TUFTS and John W. GORDON as trustees.

Blountsville is situated at a junction of roads from
Clinton to Eatonton and from Milledgeville to
Monticello, it is ten miles from Clinton and sixteen
and one-half miles from Milledgeville.  From
Milledgeville to Monticello are two roads the one by
way of Blountsville is best for it crosses no large
watercourses.  The other goes by way of Low's Mill on
Cedar Creek and Half Acre.

This village at the junction of two stagecoach
routes, had a buggy, carriage and wagon shop, a wagon
factory, stores and an outstanding Academy.  This
village was the center of a wealthy and aristocratic
citizenry.  Some of the families who lived here were:
BLOUNTS, TUFTS, MILNERS, DRUMAS, MILLER, McCULLOUGH,
HURT, CLARK, WILLIAMS, DRURY, GORDON, ETHRIDGE,
FARRARS, and SMITHS.

Rev. Benjamin MILNER, son of John MILNER of North
Carolina was one of the early Baptist preachers of
the County.  His daughter, Mary Parks MILNER married
Major John Francis TUFTS.  She gave the land for the
Baptist church and shared most of the expense of
building it, donating a large Bible for the pulpit.
Some of these MILNERS settled at Milner, Georgia,
which is named for them.

Thomas Bog SLADE, Baptist minister, and head of the
Clinton Female Seminary and later teacher at Wesleyan
married Miss Ann BLOUNT of Blountsville.  The late
Miss Alice McCULLOUGH of Round Oak, whose family
lived in Blountsville said that the married daughter
of the SLADES came to visit the BLOUNTS here and
their only child, a little girl became ill and died;
she was buried in the flower garden back of the
house.  The little marble slab may still be found in
the tall shrubs and bushes of the once beautiful
gardens.

There was an old tavern, a large two-story building
with an outside stair to the upper story where the
men travelers stayed.  This had no connection with
the lower floor where the ladies stayed.  The
building stood on high granite pillars with a
retaining wall of granite slabs.  In the yard was an
old well sweep.

Strange to say that at this writing (1957) there is
not a vestige of the once flourishing village, only a
nice State historic marker shows where the town was.


An Official Georgia Historical marker at the US 129
intersection reads: Blountsville - Near here was
Blountsville, an early stagecoach station and post
office until after the War Between the States.  It
suffered severely during the War and the town
disappeared. 

The home of many prominent families, Blountsville was
the site of Blountsville Academy, chartered in 1834
with Allen Drury, William E. Ethridge, John W.
Stokes, Francis Tufts and John W. Gordon serving as
trustees. 

Blountsville was named for the Blount family, pioneer
Georgians. A strong Baptist Church was here, first
led by Rev. Benjamin Milner.  The Tift, Dumas,
Miller, Williams, McCullough and Hurt families were
other pioneers."

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