The
morning began with coffee on the patio overlooking the beautiful J Strom
Thurmond Lake. The US Army Corps of Engineers' J Strom Thurmond Lake is a
man-made lake bordering Georgia and South Carolina on the Savannah, Broad, and
Little Rivers. The lake is created by the Thurmond Dam, located on the Savannah
River about 20 miles above Augusta, Georgia.
The lake extends 40 miles up the
Savannah River, 30 miles up the Little River, and 8 miles up the Broad River in
Georgia, and 17 miles up the Little River in South Carolina. At full pool
elevation, Thurmond Lake comprises nearly 70,000 acres of water and 1,200 miles
of shoreline. The Thurmond Project was designed for flood control, hydropower,
fish and wildlife, water quality, water supply, downstream navigation and
recreation. It's one of the top 10 most-visited Corps lakes in the nation!
Speaking of wildlife, this little guy or girl has created quite a little piece
of work! I would hate to walk into this web! With more than 30,000 documented
species of spiders in the world, they are broken down into two categories: Web
spinners and Hunters. The type of web each spider spins depends entirely on the
spider’s way of life. I believe this is an orb web, because it is suspended
between trees. These spiders are not typically dangerous to humans. Orb webs
look like a wagon wheel. See the hub to be in the center of the web. Orb
spiders will either reside in the center of the hub, or off to a side and hidden
while waiting to catch prey. Orb webs are almost completely invisible. The best
way to spot one is when it is covered in morning dew or when the sun catches
it. We looked for this one at different angles and times of the day, but we
can’t see it.
Today, we decided to take a walking tour of Thomson, Georgia. Thomson is a
little Southern town just minutes away from Augusta. It is home to unique
events, like the Blind Willie McTell Music Festival, and Belle Meade Hunt
Opening Meet. It’s also an ideal setting for outdoor activities, thanks to
Clarks Hill Lake. Clarks Hill Lake is what the locals call J Strom Thurmond
Lake. Many feel he is no longer a man to be revered.
The
wall of the Wilson Building at the corner of Main and Railroad streets is home
to a new mural. There was an old mural there once. It had become tattered and
faded and was painted over, ending a history of many years in the community. The
group Go Georgia Arts project painted and paid for part of the new mural.
Most
of the images in the new mural were in the old mural. Among the inclusions on
the center panel are Blind Willie McTell, camellias, Hickory Hill, the Rock
House, J. Edgar Thomson and R.L. Norris. One panel represents Wrightsboro, and the
other panel will represents Dearing.
John
W. Christian painted the mural in Thomson and it is part of the Georgia Mural
Trail, a public art trail that spans across Georgia. The Georgia Mural trail
started as a five years commitment to paint fifty murals in fifty cities in
five years. They focus is on smaller cities under 10,000 people. Their goal is
to get other artists, organizations, and sponsors on board to help with the
painting, funding, and marketing of the trail. John W. Christian has been an
artist his whole life. Now, he is hard at work in various small communities
across Georgia. The Georgia Mural Trail first mural city was the city of Cave
Spring.
We
took a tour of the McTell’s 12 String Strut. Which are painted Stella guitar
replicas. It took more than two years of planning and collaboration, to take
the McTell’s 12-String Strut art project from idea to reality.
Local
artists from around the county were used to design and create their 7-foot
Stella guitar replicas, in honor of blues music legend Blind Willie McTell.
Each guitar, which were given their own names, including Traveling Blues, Blind
Willie’s Blues, Three Women Blues, Bluestrings, Georgia On My Mind and more.
Blind
Willie McTell, one of the pioneers of country blues guitar, was born just south
of Thomson, Georgia, in the area known as Happy Valley in McDuffie County. One
of his most famous songs, “Statesboro Blues”, has been a staple for blues bands
for decades.
Many
musicians consider McTell an influence, including Bob Dylan, who paid tribute
to him with his song “Blind Willie McTell”. There is an annual event in Thomson
that is a celebration of roots music and the blues. The kind of musical event
Blind Willie himself would have really enjoyed. Many past performers have been
American Music Award winners and Grammy nominees.
We
found a unique store called, Aunt Tique & Uncle Junk’s. You can be like an
"American picker" and forage for treasures. Aunt Tique & Uncle
Junk's, specializes in unusual antiques, stained glass, iron fencing, folk art
and everything in between! Sometimes there is nothing more rewarding than
diving headfirst into treasures from the past and present. Spending weekends
antique shopping is a favorite pastime for many Georgians, especially those who
know exactly where to go. If you’re looking for an antique shop that has a
little bit of this and that—something for just about anyone—then this is the
place to go.
The
shop first opened in December 2000 and has been serving the residents and
visitors of Thomson, Georgia with a dose of collectibles, antiques, and
treasure galore. From collectibles, furniture, odds and ends, musical
instruments, vintage signs, and more, you’ll never run out of things to see. The
best part of the whole experience at Aunt Tique and Uncle Junk’s is that you’ll
find vintage gems at low cost, with enticing bargains at every turn. This is
very true as Jackie found some items at great prices!
Later
in the day, Jackie and I ventured out to the old settlement of Wrightsboro. McDuffie
County’s roots go back to the 1768 settlement of Wrightsboro, the southernmost
point of Quaker migration in North America. The families who found Wrightsboro
came from the North Carolina Yearly Meeting groups. A split in the congregation,
possibly over slavery, caused a groups of Friends to leave North Carolina and
relocate to Georgia. Governor James Wright promised them 12,000 acres of land,
on which they built homes, gristmills and a meetinghouse.
It is
not known, exactly, when the land was surveyed for the town of Wrightsboro (the
plat has been lost) but in 1769 a petition was presented asking that "1000
acres of the reserve be laid out in a proper spot for a town", and the
earliest town lot allocations were made in July 3, 1779. The village was located on Town Creek (now
called Middle Creek) and named for Sir James Wright, the colonial governor of
Georgia. Town Creek formed the east and
south east boundaries of the town and the Augusta-Wrightsboro Road, completed
in 1769 ran through it. A re-survey of the town was made in 1807 and the old
lines and markers were found by the surveyed. Although the town encompassed
only 1000 acres, Wrightsboro township was much larger. A map drawn for the Governor in 1770 shows it
covering all of present-day McDuffie County and parts of Warren and Columbia.
Wrightboro
Church was built in 1810 by the selling of public subscriptions and land. The
Georgia General Assembly granted the commissioners of the town of Wrightboro
permission to sell three 50 acre lots and use the proceeds of up to $500 to
build a house of worship for all Christian Denominations to hold services. In
1877 the public church was deeded to the Methodist Church. The Methodists
asserted that they used the church most often, and that the property would be
best served if ownership was transferred to them.
The
community agreed and handed the church and two-acres over the Methodist Church
South. By 1964, the Methodists has disbanded after being active for over 125
years. Ownership reverted back to the public as McDuffie County became the
caretaker. Ancestors of prominent Georgia Families are buried at Wrightsboro
Methodist, including ancestors of Asa G. Candler – founder of Coca-Cola Company
any Mayor of Atlanta from 1916 to 1919. An early Quaker burial ground is about
a mile east of the church on a hill overlooking a small creek. Only rough
fieldstones mark the graves. While the town of Wrightsboro is no longer an
active community, the immediate area of houses some of the most interesting
historic structures and stories in the state.
The
Bicentennial Project of the Wrighstboro Foundation and the Kiokee Rifle Club
reconstructed a circa 1840 cabin from its original location in Dearing and
stabilized the 1918 Hawes General Store original to the location.
The
structures are located across Wrightsboro Road from the Wrightsboro Methodist
Church and if you plan on visiting, park across the road at the church. It’s an
interesting look back into an important period in Georgia’s early development.
The cabin isn’t included in the district, but the store is.
Our
cars were dirty from all our travels, Paul and Jack got theirs washed earlier
today while we were out. Jackie and I took ours to the car wash on the way back
to the campground. Jackie loved the tri-colored wax.
The
road into the campground is over 2-miles long and we found some locals before
we got back to the campground!
There
was 3 of them and they crossed right in front of us and then stood in the brush
and let us take pictures!
No comments:
Post a Comment