We did have a great week with some awesome friends!
Our view this morning as we drove along US 29 to US 77 to US 17. Looks like the rain is here to stay with us for a while, but we can’t complain … it has been a nearly perfect weather week for us!
The Elberton County Fair is scheduled for October 15th - October 25th, 2020. It is the longest continual running fair in Northeast Georgia. Let’s hope that the fair board can figure it out, so COVID-19 does not ruin it’s “continually running” status!
We spent a great deal of time in Elberton, while we were at Richard B Russell State Park. We passed by this building several times and it always intrigued me. This Coca-Cola bottling plant was built in 1929. It closed sometime in the 1970s. The building was being used by a Safehouse Ministries, as a Resource Center, but it might be vacant. It sure looks vacant.
The town of Tignall is working one step at a time toward revitalizing the small town, the North Wilkes Steering Committee created a mural that would highlight an important turn-of-the-century building. The students at the Lamar Dodd School of Art completed the mural.
In Wrens, we passed these cute colored buildings. When we headed up, there were a few older guys sitting on the porch. Today, it is all quite over there. Nita's Look In Nooks, is an unique clothing, antique and what nots kind of store. I am not sure if it is open anymore or not … the other pictures on the web, show much more juntique on the porch and in the windows, but those chairs look pretty good!
Louisville was the first permanent capital of Georgia. Louisville, the county seat of Jefferson County, also served as Georgia's third capital from 1796 until 1807. The town grew as the result of both large-scale immigration to the Georgia upcountry after the American Revolution (1775-83) and the desire of many Georgians to enhance the state's commercial prosperity. Why is Louisville no longer Georgia's capital? The press for new Indian lands continued unabated, and Louisville would serve as the Georgia state capital for only ten years. Reportedly, the desire to move the capital also arose out of a concern about malaria in the Louisville area.
The name Lyons was given to the proposed town by Colonel Sam Hugh Hawkins of Americus, president of the railroad company. Hawkins had recently returned to the United States from a European business trip and suggested a number of European names for towns to be established along the new line. Lyons was named for Lyons, France. In 1905, the Elberta Hotel was built and served as the social center of Toombs County. In the 1920’s, the creation of U.S. Highway 1, the first highway built in the United States that runs from Maine to Key West, Florida, brought a tourist boom to Lyons. Some of the most famous guests to stay at the Elberta were Margaret Mitchell, who penned “Gone with the Wind” as well as the gangster, Al Capone.
Did you know there is a town in Georgia called, Santa Claus? Yes, there is! Santa Claus, GA is a small community near Vidalia and just south of Lyons, GA. The town was established in the 1930s. It started as a clever marketing ploy by a local farmer named C.G. Greene, who wanted to lure people off the highway to shop at his pecan stand. Greene was reportedly “a real jolly fellow with a red complexion and roly-poly figure who was always laughing and smiling” (sound familiar?) and had a real mind for business. To that end, he knew he needed to choose a name for the town that would make people laugh and then hopefully exit the highway to buy his farm goods. Naming the town Santa Claus did the job nicely. Thomas F. Fuller, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, helped get the new Toombs County town of Santa Claus incorporated in 1941. Greene served as the town's first mayor and streets got names like Noel Street, Reindeer Drive, and Candy Cane Lane.
There is a great mural in Baxley, Georgia. It is along US 1 and very busy location. I tried to learn more about it, but no luck.
At least the weather has cleared for us and it is getting warmer!
The Appling County courthouse in Baxley has an octagonal domed clock tower that ornaments the exterior of the Appling County courthouse. Originally the county seat was located in Holmesville, Georgia until 1873. The current courthouse was designed by H.L. Lewman. It was built between 1907-1908 in the Neo-Classical Revival architectural style. It is on the National Register of Historic Place
We passed Fat Daddy’s ATV Park. It looks so interesting! It’s a 500 acre UTV / ATV park on the Satilla River. They have miles of ATV trails and UTV trails, both sand and mud for riding. They also have some awesome sand hills. They only offer primitive camping … sorry, I like my creature comforts!
Arrived at our home for the night in Folkston, Georgia. Tomorrow, we arrived in Rockledge and see our newest great-grandson and our granddaughter and her husband!
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