Winter 2021

Description

WINTER 2021 • VOLUME 20, NUMBER 4 | TABLE OF CONTENTS

4
Along the Backroads: Murmurings and Pestilence
Investing in calamities paid a dividend in beauty on the Pinhoti Trail, north of Snake Creek Gap.
BY DANIEL M. ROPER • WALKER & WHITFIELD COUNTIES
7
Vanishing Georgia: Opera Houses – What Will You Show-Loving People Do?
Whether Americus would get its new opera house depended on impassioned campaigning by the local press.
BY RACHEL CHRISTIAN • SUMTER COUNTY & STATEWIDE
14
Grappling with Gravity
A monument to the perils of gravity adorns a prestigious university campus.
BY CLAYTON H. RAMSEY • DEKALB COUNTY
19
Ghosts, Laughter, Tears
The miller at the old Townsend place vowed that he was there “to grind corn, not to ask questions.”
BY IRMA FLANAGAN • TOWNS COUNTY
23
The American Dream Never Tasted So Sweet
Savannah’s landmark Leopold’s Ice Cream shop has a sweet story to tell.
BY FRANK RICCI • CHATHAM COUNTY
27
Miracle on Oneta StreetDevelopers are transforming a derelict Athens industrial site into a thriving multi-use campus.

BY KEITH PROPST • CLARKE COUNTY
33
Historic Rural Churches of Georgia:  Penfield Baptist
Like many other churches across the state, this one is rooted deeply in America’s Second Great Awakening.
BY CLAYTON H. RAMSEY, PHOTOGRAPHY BY GAIL DES JARDIN • GREENE COUNTY
40
Jack Daniels, Tampa Nuggets and the Wool Hat Boys
When the governor-elect suddenly died, three men claimed the office, throwing the state into a tizzy.
BY MARIA BOLING • TELFAIR & FULTON COUNTIES
42
The Voice of a Race at Last Unloosed

During a time of national crisis, Susie Baker Taylor led a life of distinction.

BY DONNA L. SHRUM • COASTAL GEORGIA
48
Regaling the President with Stories & Anecdotes

George Washington’s 1791 tour of our young state featured warm tributes and spirited celebrations.

BY JOHN K. DERDEN • SAVANNAH RIVER VALLEY
53
Soul of a Southerner
A southerner fondly writes her memories of growing up and living in the South.
BY MARY ANN ANDERSON • GEORGIA
55
Genuine Georgia Backroads:  Clarkesville to Cleveland

Northeast Georgia is a region of quaint churhces, lovely houses, covered bridges, rich history, and a famous hospital for baby dolls.

BY DAVID B. JENKINS • NORTHEAST GEORGIA
59
Let Their Shadows Be Preserved

In remembrance of Georgians who perished in France while serving their country in World War I.

STATEWIDE

61
Civil War Portrait

Private Harry Cook of the 23rd Battalion Georgia Infantry came from a prominent military armaments family.

BY DAVID W. VAUGHAN • CLARKE COUNTY