Washington County GaArchives History .....History of Washington County - Part 1 1924 ************************************************ 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: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 July 15, 2004, 3:22 am History of Washington County By Ella Mitchell Published by Byrd Print. Co., Atlanta, 1924 DEDICATION TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS FROM 1882 TO 1924 WHO HAVE BEEN TAUGHT BY ME THE FACTS RECORDED HERE THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED That the history of the men and women who made Washington County may be kept for future generations, the Washington County Federation of Women's Clubs have had this book written and published. The officers of the Federation at this time are as follows: President MRS. ARTHUR A. RAWLINGS, Sandersville, Ga. First Vice Pres MRS. MACON WARTHEN, Warthen, Ga. Second Vice Pres MRS. JOHN F. TANNER, Sandersville, Ga. Secretary MRS. WILLIAM BRANTLEY, Tennille, Ga. Corres. Secretary MRS. FRED B. RAWLINGS, Sandersville, Ga. Treasurer MISS LOUISE BROWN, Tennille, Ga. Parliamentarian MRS. C. D. HARDWICK, Tennille, Ga. Editor MRS. H. M. FRANKLIN, Tennille, Ga. Advisory Committee MRS. DAN C. HARRIS, Sandersville, Ga. MRS. THOS. A. WICKER, Sandersville, Ga. MISS ALICE SMITH, Tennille. Ga. Membership in the Federation whose labor of love made possible the printing of this book are the SANDERSVILLE WOMAN'S CLUB SANDERSVILLE TRANSYLVANIA CLUB SANDERSVILLE ROUND TABLE CLUB SANDERSVILLE SOROSIS CLUB SANDERSVILLE MUSIC CLUB TENNILLE FINE ARTS CLUB TENNILLE WOMAN'S CLUB SISTERS COMMUNITY CLUB WARTHEN WOMAN'S CLUB The Federation acknowledges with gratitude the assistance of the Kiwanis Club of Sandersville, in this work. PREFACE In November of 1922, at a conference of the High School Superintendents and the School Superintendents of the Counties of the Tenth District, Mrs. E. R. Hines, President of the Federation of Women's Clubs of this District, brought before the conference the matter of having a history of each- County written to be taught in the schools. The motion was made and unanimously carried that such should be done. Some weeks ago, I was appointed by Mrs. A. A. Rawlings, President of Washington County Federation, and her Advisory Board, to, compile Washington County's history, and was asked to make it simple so that it could be enjoyed by pupils in the Grammar Grades. Realizing that patriotism is fostered by a knowledge of who our ancestors were and what they accomplished, I have endeavored to tell as much as possible in this little book. However, it is a difficult task to put into a condensed volume the history of a County as old as ours, and one so replete with events of interest. But for the sponsoring of this work by Mrs. A. A. Rawlings and the Chairman of the Advisory Board, Mrs. Dan C. Harris, my task could not have been accomplished. They have been tireless workers, using much valuable time in obtaining facts, and in searching records of the past. With the hope that what we have done will be found useful, my faithful co-worker, Miss Louise Sullivan, and I present this brief history of our County. We are under obligations to many friends as well as to the Histories of Georgia for information. ELLA MITCHELL SANDERSVILLE, GA. January, 1924. MISS ELLA MITCHELL 1855-1924 "She Is Not, for God Took Her." FRIEND-CO-WORKER---TEACHER MY FRIEND-Whose life passion was to give. She gave with lavish hand beautiful blossoms from her garden, and she gave with generous heart the priceless blossoms of a rare personality. MY CO-WORKER--Who was a constant inspiration toward high thinking and honest living. Willing to co-operate in anything that would further the interest of the school, no matter how much extra work devolved on herself. She had no place in her theory of life for a shirker. Duty was one of the great words in her calendar. MY TEACHER-Miss Ella found her life work in the school room. A wonderful work, for forty-three years to influence, with an inspiring, up-lifting, ennobling touch, more than. three thou-sand young lives. The finest tribute to her and to her work are the men and women who have gone from her class-room to take places of leadership in state and church. She left the school room to "enter into the life eternal." This history of the people and of the County she loved is the last gift, the last "labor of love." MARY TARBUTTON FREEMAN. September, 1924. Los Angeles, Calif. CHAPTER I. Original Location. In 1783, when Benjamin Franklin and others went to Paris to sign the Treaty of Peace with England and George Washington was President of the Colonial Congress, the Assembly of Georgia divided that immense territory from Liberty County northward to the mountains into two portions; one to be named Washington, the other Franklin, in honor of General George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. Early in 1784, the demarcation of Washington County was made: "All that land lying between the Oconee and the Ogeechee Rivers, from. Liberty County on the South to the Cherokee nation on the North." Settlement of Washington County. Washington County was the ninth county in the State. The purpose of its being formed was to give homes to Patriots who offered themselves and all they possessed in the defense of Georgia during the Revolution. Soldiers from the Carolinas and Virginia, besides men direct from Ireland and Scotland aided in driving the British and their sympathizers, the Tories, from the then sparsely settled territory of Georgia. p. 10 Grants of 250 acres were issued to all soldiers who desired to settle in Washington County. This land was to be free from taxation for a period of years. Much of this land was of the best quality and many people came to make homes. The long list of grants found in White's and Smith's history of Georgia does not show the settlers alone, but names of many who never came at all, but sold their grants. Those who really took up their grants in 1786-1787 were: Alexander Irwin, William Johnson, Jared Irwin, William Irwin, Elisha Williams, John Rutherford, Jacob Dennard, J. Bedingfield, P. Franklin, A. Sinquefield, Joseph Avant, John Sheppard, John Thomas, John Daniel, John Martin, B. Tennille, J. Burney, Hugh Lawson, M. Saunders, George Galphin, Jacob Dennis, J. Nutte, D. Wood, W. Warthen, Jacob Kelley, William May, Robert Wicker, Col. Francis Tennille. Many of the first settlers were of Scotch origin. These came from North Carolina. However, there were settlers from Burke, Effingham, and Wilkes Counties and a few from Virginia. Representatives to Convention. Georgia ratified the Constitution early in 1778. Washington County's representatives in the Convention were Jared Irwin and John Watts. While they were in session, they revised the State Constitution. p. 11 The representatives in 1786 were: David Gresham, John Watts, William Grier, William Daniel, Thomas Bush, Robert Christmass, Abraham Barnett, Hugh Irwin, Andrew Irwin, and Thomas Harris. Another Convention of the Legislature was called in 1794 to revise the Constitution which was drawn up in the spring of 1795. The representatives from Washington County were John Rutherford, George Franklin and R. Wilkinson. In 1798 the largest and ablest Convention that had at that time assembled met, its purpose being another revision of the Constitution. In this Convention were John Watts, George Franklin and Jared Irwin from Washington County. For Twenty Years after the settlement of Washington, there was little to induce wealthy people to immigrate to it, but the land was so cheap and so fertile that those, who came into the woods poor, soon became independent and were rich in flocks and herds. Mere was no market nearer than Augusta. However, there was but little to be bought and but little to be sold. The houses were log cabins and the people were chiefly dependent on their own labor. Cotton Raising. After the invention of the cotton gin, one was brought to the county and cotton planting began on a considerable scale, then a tide of p. 12 settlers came rushing in. Many brought slaves with them and opened large plantations. This was true, however, only of the rich lands, as much of the county was in pine woods and settled by poor people. New Counties. The immense area of Washington was gradually diminished by different counties being made from it, among them Greene, Montgomery, Johnson, a part of Hancock, Laurens, Jefferson, Glascock, Baldwin, and Oglethorpe, but the account that we now give refers only to that part which now bears the name. It is very nearly in the center of the State and is still one of the large counties, containing 680 square miles. The population is 28,147. Location and Topography. Its altitude is 540 feet above sea level. It lies between 32 1/2 and 33 1/2 north latitude and between 82 1/2 and 83 1/2 west longitude. It is bounded north by Hancock and Glascock, east by Jefferson, south by Johnson, west by Wilkinson and Baldwin. Its shape is an irregular pentagon. It is well watered by the Oconee in the west and southwest, the Ogeechee east, the Ohoopee south. Large creeks are tributary to the rivers, among them Buffalo, Keg Creek and Williamson's Swamp Creek, Buckeye, Lamar, and others. The relief is from level to rugged. The soil is rotten limestone, clay, grey and sandy loam. p. 13 CHAPTER II. Among Minerals found in our county are opals, hornblende, flint, agate, chalcedony, marl, talc, and a very valuable burrstone. White says: "There is no region of Georgia more interesting geologically considered than Washington County." Kaolin is found in great quantities in the western part of the county. It is of the finest variety, said by leading chemists and geologists to be as fine as the best of English clay and of a finer grade than the celebrated Pike's Peak Kaolin. It is in such large strata that it is almost inexhaustible. On digging a well on one of Dr. Hollifield's places, the men had to dig through a layer sixteen feet deep. When the Government and State highway roads are built, the owners of that land will be independent of boll weevils. Gritless White Chalk is found in several sections of the county that under the microscope shows myriads of tiny shells. This is used in frilling cloth. It makes excellent crayons. Flora and Fauna. Washington County is second to none in its hard woods, certainly it leads in production of pine and other soft woods. P 14 Of native blossoming shrubs we have a great variety, the azalea, honey suckle, laurel, sweet shrub, elder, alder, nudiflora are a few; then the flowering trees, old man's greybeard, dog wood, red bud, tulip tree, maple, magnolia and bay are known by every one; and the flowers, violets, phlox, verbena, eglantine, sensitive plant and myriads of others. Audubon says there are 373 species of birds in Georgia, many of which were with us all the time until of recent years they were so slaughtered that many kinds have been exterminated. In a garden and around a home where birds are not allowed to be molested, it is an easy matter to count a dozen varieties, and all of them, save the English sparrow, friends of ours. When our forefathers came here, they found not only wild savages, but bears, wolves, wild cats, cougars, and skunks, then the deer, fox, weasel, mink, otter, squirrel, rabbit, beaver, and of course, rats and mice too. Snakes of many kinds abounded, the most deadly were the rattlesnake, copperhead, adder and water moccasins, lizards, frogs and toads were abundant. In the water courses were all kinds of fresh water fish. The Ogeechee was famous for shad. There were turtles and terrapins. Sometimes in the Oconee and Ogeechee were seen the dreaded alligator. p. 15 CHAPTER III. Antiquities. Our county is rich in traditionary lore from the stories of Indian raids, to the mounds found in different sections of the county. It is difficult for children of this generation to imagine that where our towns and farms now stand once there were dense woods, the home of fierce wild animals, and worse still, skulking savages. In the vicinity of Davisboro lived a cruel tribe of Indians. One day the father of a white family went to Saunders Cross Roads (Sandersville) to trade. On his return he found his home in ashes, his wife and children dead, scalped. I remember an old lady who lived in Sandersville when I was a little girl. She had been scalped in the raid made by the Indians on the border of Baldwin and Washington. For a wonder, though left by the savages as dead, she survived and lived to be very old. What attracted us children was that she always wore a cap to hide the fact that she had no hair. The Lime Sinks was quite a show place eighty years ago. Then there were lime biscuits, really star fish that had been petrified, sharks' teeth, deep-sea p. 16 shells, all to prove that this section had been raised by some convulsion of nature and had become dry land. As late as 1875, the place was very attractive, a wooded pathway led from Sandersville to the Sinks or Caves, great oaks, black gums, sweet gums, and hickory trees grew on the tops of the caves. Within were miniature stalactites, a few stalagmites and many shells. Mr. Joseph LeConte, the great scientist, visited these peculiar formations and those that lie to the west of Tennille. The property on which were these curiosities changed hands several times after the war. It was all cleared and now nothing of much interest remains. One geologist has said that the Lime Sinks near Sandersville are the terminus of the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, that a ridge of limestone can be traced directly through to the caves there. Just before the outbreak of the War Between the States, lime of an excellent quality was burnt at the Lime Sinks near Sandersville and also near Sun Hill. The lime used in the constriction of the Court House that was burned in Sherman's raid was made near Sandersville. The kiln was in excellent condition as late as 1870. Fine mineral springs are located in our county. In White's history is mentioned one near William- p. 17 son Swamp. The water from the artesian wells in both Davisboro and Sun Rill is strongly impregnated with iron and sulphur. Brooks' Spring is asserted by certain chemists to contain nearly, if not all the elements that make Indian Springs famous. p. 18 CHAPTER IV. WARTHEN The First Court in Washington County was held near Warthen at the home of a Mr. Benjamin Tennille. Soon it was decided that a County Site should be fixed. County Site. In 1796, a Mr. Saunders, one of the first settlers owned a large tract of land, which included the site or spot selected for the county lot. It was near the center of the county in the oak woods. It was first called Saunder's Cross Roads, because Mr. Saunders operated a store where the roads cross at the corner now occupied by Sandersville Drug Co. The name was soon changed to Sandersville. At first the town grew slowly. It is situated on a ridge between the Oconee and Ogeechee Rivers, 480 feet above sea level. It was incorporated in 1812, and by an Act of the Legislature it had an academy. This academy was endowed by the State with an income from one thousand acres of land and afterwards by an annual appropriation. New Settlers. From the time it was incorporated, many new settlers came from different parts of the p. 19 country, among them physicians, lawyers, merchants, and mechanics. There was a great influx of settlers, among them the Brooks, the Burnetts, Bells, Joiners, Barksdales, Brantleys, Bullards, Rawlings, Cullens, Davis, Flukers, Harris, Kelleys, Robinsons, Sparks, Smiths, Tuckers, Wickers, Walters. As early as 1804, the stage road was extended from Louisville to the new capitol in Milledgeville. This road had at stated intervals stations or relay houses. Sandersville was the station to the west of Louisville. Washington Hall. Another relay was established one and one-half miles on the Washington side of the county line between Baldwin and Washington. The Inn was named "Washington Hall." Up to sixty years ago, this house stood somewhat removed from the road. Over the gateway was an arch bearing the name of the Inn, beneath this was the name of the proprietor, David Grier. Mr. Grier was the grandfather of Judge Robert L. Rodgers, a well known writer. At this Inn, many notables were entertained, among them Governors George M. Troup, Lumpkin, Gilmer, McDonald, Crawford, Towne, Cobb, Johnson., Judge McPherson, Judge Berrien and others. p. 20 Education. In the early days of the county, camp grounds and academies were established by the Legislature. As early as 1830, there were incorporated four academies in the county, Bethlehem, Davisboro, Union, and Gum Spring. By legislative act, a cause-way was built over Buffalo Creek. From the earliest settlement of the county there was an Indian trail that passed through it near Poplar Springs Church. This road began in the Cherokee nation and extended to South Georgia without once crossing a water course. There is still in the section of the county near Warthen a road that bears the name of Indian Trail. The land on which Warthen stands was granted to Robert Wicker in 1787. He was the great grand-father of Mr. George D. Warthen and his brothers and sisters. The Warthens came from Maryland and took up claims between the Big Ogeechee and the Little Ogeechee. Richard Warthen, the pioneer, built at what is now Hamburg, the first mill in the County. Near the Shoals was a trading post, to which came all the Indians on both sides of the river. The place was named Georgetown. Warthen lay on one of those p.21 trails which led through this section to North Georgia. First Jail. Very soon after the laying out of Washington County, it was found necessary to have a court ground. The place selected was a settlement that had been begun by the grandfather of Richard and Thomas Jefferson Warthen. Already it had been named for the landed proprietor, Warthen. From that time, until 1796, Court sat there. A small jail of hewn logs was built. This quaint building still stands. In 1804, the notorious Col. Aaron Burr spent one night in the jail. He was under a military guard of United States troops. They were en route from New Orleans to Richmond, Va., where Aaron Burr was to be tried for treason. Just before night-fall the party reached Warthen, the troopers placed their prisoner in jail, detailed -sentries, then the others spent the night in the home of Richard Warthen, Esq. Growth. From a small village, Warthen has grown to be one of the important towns in this section. It has a large trade in cotton. The Georgia & Florida Railroad passes through the town; there are several stores, a bank, and a large warehouse. The homes p. 22 are attractive and well kept. The school is a graded one, including a High School and a Music Department. There are two churches, a Methodist and a Baptist. The Baptist Church, Bethlehem, is one of the oldest churches in this part of the State. It was organized in 1791. The Academy of Bethlehem was chartered by the State in 1832. Warthen has ever been noted for its hospitable homes. The stranger within its gates always feels a cordial welcome. The women of Warthen are very progressive. The Georgia Federation of Women's Clubs is well organized and is one of the best clubs in the county. Jefferson Davis. An interesting bit of history is that Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, and his escort camped on the outskirts of Warthen, when trying to reach Mobile to ,escape arrest by the Federal soldiers. He hoped to get passage to Cuba, thence to Europe. p. 25 CHAPTER V. SANDERSVILLE Although selected as the county site in 1796, Sandersville remained a small village for a number of years. In fact, until after the War Between the States it did not grow very much. There were a few handsome houses, the homes of wealthy citizens, but the majority of the dwellings were small unpainted structures. The First Court House, Masonic Temple, and the hotel were of brick. All three were erected after the fire of 1855, which almost swept the town out of existence. Central of Georgia Railroad. The great mistake made by the inhabitants was the determination that the Central of Georgia Railroad should not come through the town. Therefore it skirted Sandersville and made Tennille a station instead. Had the people given a right of way and encouraged the promoters to come through, unquestionably the town would have increased ten-fold in importance. Short Line R. R. Until 1875, when Mr. C. R. Pringle, Col. R. Lee Warthen, Dr. H. N. Hollifield, p. 26 Judge R. L. Rodgers, Mr. E. A. Sullivan, and others advocated a short line connecting Sandersville with Tennille, the only means of transportation was a hack line for passengers. Express and freight were conveyed by wagons. The short line began where the east lawn of the Baptist Church now is, and ended in Tennille, going down the middle of Harris Street until it turned to the left just below the Carter home, now owned by Jeff A. Irwin, Sr. There were the blowing of whistles, ringing of bells and shouts of men and boys when the engine came over from Tennille the first time. Judge Rodgers stood on the boiler and made the dedicatory speech. After some years, the stock holders sold it to the Augusta Southern. Then Mr. Louis Cohen built the Sandersville & Tennilie Railroad that now exists and that comes into town near the cotton warehouses. Major William Hodges owned much of the land Sandersville is built upon. He cut it up into lots, sold them cheap in order to attract settlers. The Northeastern part of the present town was all under water as late as 1862. It was called Hodges Pond. Major Hodges' son-in-law, Captain Ben Jones, had it drained and after the war it was sold to different purchasers. p. 27 A second fire was prevented by Rev. James D. Anthony and Dr. James R. Smith, Methodist ministers, who prevailed upon Gen. W. T. Sherman to spare the town, even after he had given the order to apply the torch. The Court House, jail, and factory, a large building that manufactured saddletrees and buckets for the Confederacy, were all burned. Sherman's Raid. Much has been said about the suffering for food during the war. Neither Sandersville, Tennille nor the county had a shortage of good, wholesome food until after Sherman's raid. It is true that tea, and sometimes sugar, could not be procured, but wheat, corn, and rye were abundant. There were milk, butter, chickens, eggs, hog meat (both fresh and cured), beef and mutton all of excellent quality. On the plantation, the negroes worked under the direction of the mistress to supply the home needs, and to furnish food for their masters at the front. But after November, 1864, when Sherman and his horde swooped down upon the county, that portion through which his 15,000 troops, besides stragglers marched, there was nothing left-absolutely, nothing. Then there was suffering; black and white, bond and free, felt the pangs of hunger and knew want. p. 28 Conditions were bad for five years-no cotton left, gin houses burned, country homes destroyed, all animals killed, no implements left, no seed. People as a rule are helpful to those in need, so in the strenuous days of Reconstruction, those who had shared with those who had not, and in a few years, hard times passed away, and Sandersville and Washington County began to prosper. Open Barrooms Abolished. In Reconstruction days and down to 1886, Sandersville was handicapped by the curse of open barrooms. Drunken men lay upon the streets, rows were of daily occurrence, there was always danger of pistol duels, no woman or girl was supposed to be on the streets on Saturdays or court days, unless protected by some man, no woman without an escort risked going out at night. What a change occurred when such men. as Col. Pringle, Dr. Hollifield, Dr. Whitaker, Col. Evans, Col. Lee Warthen, Messrs. KA. Sullivan, B. E. Roughton, B. J. Tarbutton, E. H. Mitchell and dozens of others determined to rid not only the town but the county of the disgrace of being a liquor stronghold. By united effort, a new Sandersville was created. Out of evil, sometimes God permits good to result. p. 29 Brick Structures. In 1886, by the carelessness of a man throwing down a burning cigarette into a pile of shavings, the east side of the square was burned. The next year fire broke out on the north side, that whole line went down in flames. From the ashes, instead of wooden buildings, brick structures were erected, and a new Sandersville from a business standpoint was born. Cotton Warehouses. Until 1895, cotton was bought on the streets, there were no warehouses. Now we have two, and before the visit of the boll weevil, we stored many thousands of bales each season, besides the thousands shipped immediately. Organization of Public School System. Sandersville has always had good schools. Before the war, men and women noted for their culture, as well as education, conducted private schools. Later, after the war, Southern men and women, among them Miss Ella Brookins, Mrs. Keyes, and Miss Mollie Whitehead, began to teach. Thus when the time came, such men as Dr. A. C. C. Thompson, Mr. Ivy W. Duggan, Captain Hugh Lawson, with two gentlemen as assistants, made Sandersville an educational center. 1880 saw the organization of the Public School System. Mr. Harris Brantley, father of Mrs. C. R. p. 30 Pringle, gave the school lot to the city. Mr. Brantley and Mr. Pringle, with their servants planted the elms which still shade the campus. The wooden structure was replaced in 1897 by a brick building, now the Grammar School. The chairmen of the committee from the city and from the Board of Education were Messrs. Wiley Harris and W. A. McCarty. In 1910 the High School was erected. 1916 saw the completion of the Vocational Building, Chairmen S. G. Lang and William Hovey Smith. Our school buildings would do credit to a larger town, three large brick structures that aggregate a value of many thousand dollars. Boys and girls from our school who are graduates can enter any college in Georgia without examination. Sandersville owes much to her school and equally as much to her Sanitarium. From a village of 300 fifty years ago, she now numbers 3,000. So much for the past-now for what she is today. Rawlings' Sanitarium. We own an institution that makes people from large cities wonder, our Sanitarium. It has not only a State reputation, but is widely known all over the South. The celebrated Mayo Brothers of Rochester, Minn., have said that the head of the Institution, Dr. William Rawlings, is one of the best surgeons in America. p. 33 CHAPTER VI. SANDERSVILLE CONTINUED Industries. Our electric plant and water system are excellent. We have one of the few potato curing houses in the South. Until the death of Mr. Wiley Harris, we had an up-to-date flour mill and steam ginnery. Our cotton seed oil mill gave employment to many and was a success until it was destroyed by fire. Our banks are all first class and each does a fine business. There is not a vacant store or vacant dwelling in town. Goods can be bought cheaper in our stores than in the cities. The hotel and boarding houses are first rate. Stephens Ice & Coal Company makes pure ice and supplies a large territory. We have four planing mills. B. B. Lovett's Red Bird plant which has an output of two million feet per month, ships lumber to foreign countries. The I. B. Lieberman Company ships more than half a million feet a month, much of which is sent to Eastern markets. T. I. Harrison's mill has an p. 34 output of over half a million, so has the new firm of Beam Lumber Company. This enterprise gives employment to many. Lang's Variety Works was established over thirty years ago. It is the largest of its kind between Savannah and Macon. Everything necessary to building can be found in this establishment. Holt Bros. sale stables and J. D. Newman's sale stables bring fine mules and horses from the West. Shelnutt & Smith's business is one that helps the farmers dispose of their produce. Churches. We have five churches, all of which have regular services. Sandersville was the first in the county to have a church of the Disciples of Christ (Christian), and the Catholics built a church here in 1870. The Episcopalians had the first brick church in the town. The Methodists and Baptists were here from the early days, and at first used the same edifice. An incident in the history of the building of the new Methodist church. Some time about the year 1856 four young men, all of whom were dressed in linen clothes as was the fashion in that day, at-tended services at the old Methodist Church. It was located on the hi1l in the City Cemetery on the old Milledgeville road. The building was old and dilap- p. 35 idated and the red dust had sifted through the cracks and covered the seats in the church, and when these four young men came out they discovered that their clean linen suits had become much soiled from contact with the red dust. They began the agitation for the building of a new church, each making a cash contribution of $100.00, which was followed by contributions from others until a sufficient amount was raised for the building of the new church. The lot was given by Silas Floyd and the site selected was where the present brick church now stands. The singular thing about this incident is, that none of these four young men were members of the Methodist Church and only one of them became a member of it, the other three became affiliated with the Baptist Church. These young men were B. D. Evans, J. T. Youngblood, Thomas E. Brown, and J. U. Floyd. The County Officials have offices in the Court House, which was re-built in 1899. Library. We boasted of a library second to none in the State, until it was destroyed by fire in 1921. With untold energy, its sponsors have again accumulated two thousand volumes. W. C. T. U. Woman's work is second to none in the Tenth District. The W. C. T. U., organized here P. 36 in the early days of its existence in the United States, is the pioneer in good works. Its first President, Mrs. B. J. Tarbutton, labored early and late for its success. Year after year different departments of its work were taken up, until now with a membership of over a hundred active members, it does excellent work in every way. Child welfare is the latest department being operated. The Woman's Club was organized in 1919. Its first President was Mrs. C. D. Shelnutt. Everything required of a federated body it does. The various departments of works are in the hands of efficient committees. The Mary Ann Williams Chapter, Daughters of Confederacy, was organized in 1897 in Sandersville at the home of Mrs. S. M. Hitchcock. Miss Mary Mildred Gilmore was chosen as first President. Mrs. John Quinn is President at this time. One of the first services of love and duty undertaken by the chapter was the marking of Confederate graves. Crosses of Honor have been bestowed upon all veterans. One of the pleasant customs for the past twenty-two years has been the serving of dinner on Memorial Day to the veterans and their families, and for the past few years to the World p. 37 War Veterans also. The chapter has about one hundred members, making a representative in nearly every home in the city. These are loyal and true and as long as our Southland lives, just as long will there be found willing minds and hearts to teach the "story of the glory" of those who wore the gray. 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