Wednesday, May 11th, 2022 … Two Lane Adventures Continue!

I told you we were coming back to the town of Harlem. We visited the Harlem Museum and Welcome Center, Home of the Laurel & Hardy Museum. The Harlem Museum and Welcome Center opened October 5, 2019 at the Oliver Hardy Festival in Harlem, Georgia. 

The Harlem Museum provides the history of the city and a bit about Columbia County. The beginning of Harlem was a dream of two men who wanted a liquor-free town. When the Georgia Railroad was built from Augusta to Eatonton, Georgia in 1835, Saw Dust was a main stop.  Saw Dust was the booming lumber town, founded in 1840, situated a mile from where Harlem is today.  Travelers often stayed overnight in the town, which sold liquor and bore a reputation of being a little wild.

In 1857, Andrew J. Sanders – one of the first graduates of Medical College of Augusta – moved to the area.  Hoping to increase the population, Dr. Sanders sold his land for a dollar an acre. He also donated land to build Harlem Baptist Church, Harlem High School (now the Middle School) and Harlem Methodist Church.  He was the first mayor of Harlem and served in that role for nine years.Around 1865, railroad engineer Newnan Hicks decided to quit his job when he was asked to work on a Sunday.   He wanted to start a town that didn’t sell liquor – unlike Saw Dust – and decided to build a house near Mr. Sanders. So Harlem was founded on October 24, 1870.  It was named by a New York resident visiting relatives who thought the town resembled Harlem, New York, the elite artistic area near New York City. Lined with big oaks and blessed with good drinking water, the town was a haven for many Augustans, especially during summer outbreaks of smallpox and cholera, said Patricia Moore, whose ancestors were among the first residents. Saw Dust was absorbed by Harlem in 1887, and nearby Cerlastae, another settlement, did the same in 1906.

In 1913, Harlem had about 500 residents and boomed with an oil/fertilizer plant, the Columbia Opera House, Hicks Hotel, electric lights along the road and in homes, two drugstores, three meat markets, two gin mills, a cotton warehouse, three hardware stores, two grocery stores, two clothing stores, a newspaper and ten passenger trains daily, according to the Columbia Sentinel. But on August 24, 1917, a fire of unknown origin destroyed the plant, Opera House and several buildings.  The blaze caused $60,000 in damage. The town tried to regain its vigor through the Georgia Railroad.  In 1933, the community of Berzelia merged with Harlem. But Harlem remained small and family-oriented, and people could tell if a family had money by whether the street in front of its house was paved. Until 1940, all the streets weren’t paved.  The Columbia Theatre ran the latest movies from 1949 to 1963.  The Georgia Railroad Depot that was built in 1896 was torn down around 1965.  The last passenger train came through Harlem on May 6, 1983. 

Harlem today has about 3000 residents, and the first weekend in October each year draws tens of thousands of people to visit the downtown area and celebrate the life of the portly comedian who was born in Harlem in 1892, Oliver Hardy. Oliver Norvell Hardy was an American comic actor and was one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his comedy partner Englishman Stan Laurel in 107 short films, feature films, and cameo roles.

The Laurel and Hardy Museum of Harlem, Georgia opened in 2002 and is the ONLY museum in the United States dedicated to comedians Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Harlem, Georgia is the birthplace of Oliver Hardy. Admission is free, and visitors can see a variety of Laurel and Hardy memorabilia, view their favorite Laurel and Hardy films, and purchase souvenirs.

Dedicated to the one of world's greatest comedy duos, Laurel & Hardy, the museum contains artifacts, memorabilia, and a theatre room to watch any of the 106 movies they made together. The display items have been donated by fans from around the world, and each year thousands come to Harlem to pay homage to "The Boys." Harlem is the birthplace of Oliver Hardy, the portly half of the world-famous duo. We hung around and watched a short or two.

This was the third time we had tried to get to this museum and we were finally successful! The first time we tried, the old location was closed and they were moving to the new location. The second time we tried, the museum was relocated to the new location, which is the old theatre, but it was closed due to COVID. I was stoked to be able to finally make it inside!

After Harlem, we headed to the northeast side of Augusta to Good Earth. What exactly is Good Earth? Easy! They are an enclosed farmers market offering fresh produce, unique local products, seasonal plants, and more for all year round. They find produce and plants that are grown locally according to the seasons, and they make them available to the community. They do business with local farmers who provide the highest quality products and hire local people to be a part of their team. 

Let me tell you about our Corps of Engineer campground. Modoc Campground is a popular campground on J. Strom Thurmond Lake, just 5 miles from the Thurmond Visitor Center and Dam. It’s about a 70,000 acre lake with more than 1,000 miles of shoreline. The lake provides excellent boating, water skiing, swimming, fishing, hiking and picnicking. 

Modoc campground is one of the only COE facilities on J. Strom Thurmond Lake that only offers camping and no other facilities to anyone who is not camping there. For those that are camping at Modoc, you have access to a private beach, dock and boat launch. The sites are spacious, tiered and most provide water access. All of the campsites are on both sides of peninsulas. Some of the peninsulas are almost a mile long from the main park. I used this fact to create some great walking routes during our 3 days here!

Of course, we had a fire with hot dogs roasted on it!

Stay tuned as we travel along!