MONROE - BIBB COUNTY, GA - HISTORY   Monroe Boundary

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The Monroe Advertiser March 13, 1941

MONROE BOUNDARY LINE IS DEFINED

That imaginary line dividing Monroe and Bibb counties is to be stripped of the elusiveness it has possessed since 1877 if efforts of Bibb County engineers are successful.

While other county lines have wavered and jumped from place to place under various legislative enactments, the line between Bibb and Monroe has been altered only once. But, the ambiguity of the act making that change has resulted in confusion confounded.

When Bibb county was established by the General Assembly in 1822, the line was to start at Torrentine's Ferry, on the Ocmulgee River, and then run to the prescribed point on the Crawford County line.  This line was as straight as the proverbal string.  Thus it remained, definite, clear and unquestioned, until Dr. Lee Holt decided he wanted to live in Bibb instead of Monroe County.

Doctor Holt persuaded the legislature of 1877 to so alter the line to include his residence in the boundaries of Bibb.

The act simply provided that the "residence" of Doctor Holt should be in Bibb.  Dr. Holt lived three quarters of a mile from the Ocmulgee River, but owned, all the land between his house and the river, in addition to other land.

When the new line was drawn that triangle of land owned by Dr. Holt, which included almost all of land lot 285 and then something else happened.

What this was, is not clear, but Torrentine's Ferry was located several yards down the river from the starting point of the present county ling.

Recently the County Engineer of Bibb County asked the Historical Records Survey to give him assistance in finding the location of Torrentine's Ferry, which had been abandoned so many years ago that no trace of it could be found.

A member of the Survey staff obtained an ancient map of the territory comprising Monroe, Bibb, Crawford and Houston counties.  The map antedated the counties. On this ancient tracing he found "Torrentine's Road" which crossed the Ocmulgee River at a designated point.  There, must of necessity have been located the ferry.

Then an aerial map of the region was secured and, sure enough, vegetation along the line of the old road was different from that surrounding it.

Edwin Leonard, assistant county engineer of Bibb County and the Historical Records employee, steered a course to the ferry ; using the nearest road which is the one leading into the dairy farm of George Burch.

Out of the car an into the thick woods went the pair, guided by Burch.

When they found unmistakable remains of the ancient road.

The road was traced to where it had crossed the river. A line of trees was sighted on the Jones County side which definitely must have been along the sides of that old road.

Torrentine's old ferry road had been found.

After it was found that it would be an easy matter to trace the original line of the counties, the Engineer was up against considerable difficulty. The first would be the matter of interpreting the language of the act of 1877.  When the legislators used the "word" residence" did they mean simply the house, with of course a strip of land connecting it to Bibb County, or did they mean the entire farm? If they meant the entire farm, the line was still wrong, for Dr. Holt owned other land that is still in Monroe County. If they meant just the house and a strip of land for a lane leading into Bibb, the line again is wrong for it took in the section between the house and the river, making the line straight.

When more facts are available the Bibb County engineer plans to submit his material to the proper authorities, probably the Secretary of State, and have a line that you can put your finger on established.

Before this is done, however, there will probably be a conference with Monroe County officials.

In the meantime, residents of this land along the line still do not know if they are "Monroe-ians" or "Bibb-ites".