Jones COUNTY GA Towns Fortville File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives : Copied by permission from "History of Jones Co., GA by Carolyn White Williams Written by Louise Morton FORTVILLE Among the old landmarks of Jones County is the "Old Fort," sometimes called "The Fortification," the site of an early Indian trading post or fort. Now referred to locally as Fortville, it is located in Pope's District, Military District No. 358. It was located at the crossing of the upper stage road from Milledgeville to Macon by Clinton and on the Garrison Road to Blountsville and Eatonton. It was also the crossing of two old Indian trails between Ocmulgee and Oconee Towns on to Eagle Rock in Putnam, "Choctaw Trail." At intervals through this section and up near Cedar Creek were large Indian mounds said to have been built for giving signals. Now demolished through years of cultivation of the land, traces of these mounds are still distinguished. Arrowheads abound in this vicinity. A fine spring in a sheltered spot at the foot of a steep drop off of thirty or more feet near one mound made it an ideal spot for an Indian camp or village. An act incorporating Fortville Academy was passed on Dec. 9, 1822. The trustees were: Robert HUTCHINS, Chr., John W. GORDON, Thomas JEFFERSON, William HARRIS, and Robert BROWN. Children were taught here before the day of free public schools. Almost opposite the Indian mounds a Methodist church was established in 1832 on land given by John W. GORDON. For many years this church was the largest and mot progressive rural church in middle Georgia. In 1879 the old church was torn down and replaced by a comfortable chapel, later moved to Haddock. Trustees of the church property as named in the deed made 2 Sept. 1879 were: B.F. ROSS, W. A. CHAMBERS, John R. BONNER, James FINNEY, J.L. WHITE, James D. GODARD and John S. LEWIS. Some of the settlers here were the following families: HUTCHINGS, PRATT, SINGLETON, BROWN, LESTER, MOUGHON, STEWART, PITTS, DAVIS, MERCER, GORDON, CATCHING, MORRIS, LOW, LAMAR, JARRETT, BLANDFORD, WRIGHT, TUFTS, WOODALL, BONNER, MOORE, MILLER, BARFIELD, BULLINGTON, ROBERTS, GODARD, BLOW, HOLT, WRIGHT, CLARK, MASTERSON and SMITH. When Sherman's forces marched from Round Oak to Milledgeville, they stopped at Blountsville and divided into two groups, sending one by Fortville where they camped in the yard of the Robert HUTCHINGS' home and foraged on the land. Several hundred bales of cotton were burned that night. Mr. HUTCHINGS was owner of the local store which housed the post office and the stagecoach station Robert HUTCHINGS' son became the noted mental specialist of Ogdensburg, N.Y. Judge LeRoy SINGLETON married Ellen HUTCHINGS, daughter of Robert HUTCHINGS and lived in the beautiful old HUTCHINGS home near the Moughon place. Judge SINGLETON had a daughter Harriett by a former marriage who married Thomas MORRIS and is the grandmother of Hon. Carl VINSON, M.C. from the 6th District who is affectionately referred to by his associates as, "The Admiral." Dr. Francis TICKNOR, father of Francis Orray TICKNOR, author of "Little Giffen of Tennessee," lived near Fortville. Daniel PRATT the famous architect married Miss Esther TICKNOR, the sister of Dr. Francis TICKNOR while he was living in Fortville, which was his residence for twelve years. PRATT came to Milledgeville in 1821, built Lowther Hall in Clinton in 1822, the John W. GORDON house near Haddock in 1824-28 (known as the Bowen-Blount house) and Westover near Milledgeville for Benj. S. JORDAN around 1830. He bought John W. GORDON's home site in Fortville in 182 and soled it to Thomas MOUGHON in 1828. Thos. MOUGHON was a cousin of Benj. S. JORDAN and John W. GORDON and the three vied with each other in building their stately homes. In 1885 there were five nice homes still standing in Fortville, where today there is little to remind one of its splendid prosperity of a bygone century and unless posterity is careful to preserve records and mark locations, the historic places will not even be a memory. Typed by Barbara S. ======================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other presentation. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access.