USA > Georgia > Greene County > History of Greene County, Georgia, 1786-1886 > Part 30
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Producers liked high prices so well that they hid their products after O. P. A. was removed, and many commodities reached a higher price level than they were during the war. Everybody, who had anything to sell, were, and are still on the "grab", people have gone money-crazy. Greensboro, like the rest of the towns and cities, is suffering from house shortage and there is not a vacant house, of any kind, to be found. (1946)
The abandoned, sub-marginal lands grew up in short-leaf pines, and saw mills have cut millions and millions of board feet of lumber. Our forefathers would not have used such lumber to build a hog pen, but it is being processed and shipped to all parts of the country. What about the price of this low grade lumber ? If you are able to buy it, you will have to pay from $60.00 to
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY
$100.00 per thousand board feet. This old field timber has been the salvation of Greene County. Some of these abandoned farms that were sold for three or four thousand dollars ten years ago, have netted their present owners fifty or more thousands of dollars, and the same is true all over the South. All wars have made millionaires and paupers; those who profit like an occas- ional war, it is the poor people who hate wars.
Inflated prices does not mean that there is a scarcity of food and many other commodities ; but just so long as the people are willing to plank down their money and pay ridiculous prices just so long will inflation continue. Periods of depression al- ways follow orgies of spending; and we might as well prepare ourselves for the worst panic this country has ever seen. When that little "nest-egg" the common people have been laying up has been exhausted in reckless spending, and the obligations they have assumed fall due, and salaries and wages drop to normal levels-which they undoubtedly will, we will wake up to the fact that we have done many unwise things and many of us will suf- fer. Those who bought high priced homes and land, on credit, will be unable to meet their payments, mortgage-foreclosures will follow, the property will be sold to the highest bidder and will not bring enough to satisfy the debt. The rich will grow richer by buying in mortgaged property for a song, and the poor will have to live in rented homes and struggle to feed and clothe their families.
I realize this is a dismal picture; and the only way to pre- vent it is to immediately begin sane living and keep out of debt. Our older citizens have not forgotten what followed World War I; but the younger generations will not, in all probability, believe that the same thing may happen to them.
The first part of this article told of Greensboro as it appeared in the mid-1880's; but it presents an altogether dif- ferent appearance in 1946. Handsome stores and homes, paved streets and sidewalks, several manufacturing plants, two banks, paved highways to Atlanta and Augusta, many new homes being built and old ones remodeled; automobiles occupy every avail- able space in front of the stores and many parked in the residen- tial section; a handsome theater, splendid Public School Build-
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY
ings, a beautiful, commodious City Auditorium, modern Voca- tional Building and Freezer-Locker and Cannery, handsome brick churches, a number of school buses that bring High School children from all parts of the county, a splendid Dial Telephone system, and last but not least, the Georgia Power Company sup- plies our little city with ample electric facilities at a very reason- able price.
Almost every home has electric lights, electric refrigera- tors, cook stoves, fans, radios and many other conveniences that our fore-fathers never dreamed of. Yes, these improvements have come to us step-by-step until we have within our reach al- most every convenience that only large cities could afford only a few years ago.
MURAL IN THE GREENSBORO, GA. POSTOFFICE
(By T. B. Rice )
The picture showing the mural in the Greensboro, Geor- gia Postoffice is explained as follows :
When the new Greensboro Postoffice was being built, about the year 1838, T. B. Rice, the Greene County Historian, was asked to suggest a subject for the mural to be put in the Postoffice. I suggested the burning of Greensboro by the In- dians in the summer 1787; proof of the event was furnished and my subject was approved. An artist was sent from Danburg, Virginia to confer with me, he returned to Virginia, made a sketch and sent it to Washington for approval; the sketch was sent to me for my approval, which I could not give, but made several suggestions for changes to be made. The second sketch was allright except the artist had the soldiers dressed in blue yankee uniforms. I had him strip off the uniforms and dress them in leather breeches and coon skin caps. When this was done I approved the picture.
The picture shows the new Postoffice, the mural, the pic- ture of Peter Williamson standing with a gun in his hand and a group of Indians standing between him and Sam Dale mounted on his horse. This represents Williamson's return from fol- lowing the Indians, giving them battle and bringing eight pri-
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY
soners back to Greensboro and turning them over to the autho- rities. Sam Dale was his guide. The Indians were located at Little Ocfuskee, now in Alabama, in what is now Chambers County.
The picture at the bottom, left, is Robert M. William- son, ("Three-Legged-Willie"), son of the man who went af- ter the Indians. The other picture is that of the Greene County Historian, who is a g, grandson of the man who captured the Indians, and the grandson of "Three-Legged-Willie."
Sam Dale was a noted Indian fighter and the man who carried the message from the War Department to General Andrew Jackson during the Battle of New Orleans. The ori- ginal messenger reached Milledgeville frozen and had to be lifted from his horse; volunteers were called for and Sam Dale offered his services and made the trip, on the same horse, in record time .
The Shoulderbone Treaty of 1786, is said to have arous- ed the Indians and they showed their disapproval by making a raid on Greensboro, burned the village and massacred a num- ber of citizens. Historian Pickett, one of Alabama's early histor- ians and a friend of Peter Williamson, recorded this event as he got it from the lips of Peter Williamson.
The Augusta Chronicle published the story of the burning of Greensboro and Williamson's pursuit of the culprits.
The general presentments of the Greene County Grand Jury shows where Jonas Fauche who was in charge of Military operation in Greene County, was indicted for riot, in that, he drove the guard from around the jail. The indictment was quashed at the next term of court. I interpret this to mean that, when the Indians were lodged in jail the authorities placed a guard around it to protect the prisoners; and that those citi- zens whose homes had been burned, and whose families had been murdered, went to the jail and demanded that the pri- soners be turned over to them. The Sheriff saw that trouble was brewing. Fauche and his men appeared at the jail and, fearing trouble, he drove the guard away and turned the Indians over
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY
to the tender mercies of those who had gathered for the pur- pose of dispatching the guilty Indians.
No record of the trial of the Indians is recorded in the Court minutes.
Greensboro, Georgia, November 6, 1945.
GREENSBORO'S FIRST WATERWORKS AN ACT
To amend an act, entitled, "An act for the better regula- tion of the town of Greensboro etc. etc."
Sect. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Georgia, in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That the commissioners of the town and corporation of Greensboro, for the time being, and their successors in office, shall have full power and authority to impose such tax and taxes on the inhabitants of said town and corporation as they deem necessary for the purpose of improving and keeping in good order the springs within the limits of said incorporation, com- monly called and known by the name of Rucker's spring, Armor's or Rock spring, and Park's spring: Provided, that such tax shall not exceed the sum of one dollar on each and every person liable by law to pay a poll tax, or who shall be the head of a family without be- ing so liable, within the term of one year.
Signed by Benjamin Whitaker, Speaker of House, and William Rabun, President of the Senate.
Assented to, 16th December 1815.
D. B. Mitchell, Governor.
Who can identify these springs in 1934?
It is highly probable that one of them is now being used in connection with our present water system, and is known as Love's spring. The location of the other two springs mention- ed is somewhat doubtful; but the writer believes that one of them was near the old Baptist church site and near the Ice plant, and that the other is near the Mary-Leila Cotton Mills.
The campaign that was put on by the Mayor and Alder- men of Greensboro just prior to the election held to authorize a bond issue for the purpose of providing money to build the water works, was fast and furious.
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY
The opposition to the bond issue came almost entirely from the old people who had lived in Greensboro all of their lives. Many of them were men of influence, and their opposi- tion were hard to overcome. The business men and the younger men of the town were almost unanimous in wanting this public improvement, and many of them were related to those who op- posed it. Fortunately for the progressive element; there were several fires in town just a few days before the election. These fires emphasized the importance of fire protection. One of them occurred on the eve of the election, and bonds carried over- whelmingly.
There public meetings that were held at the court house, proved a great benefit to a crop of young lawyers that came along about that time. It gave them an opportunity to practice speech making before large crowds of people. And there was enough "pep" in some of the speeches to put them on their metal. In fact-several fist-fights occurred, but nothing worse than a few punches and hair-pulling ever took place.
Men were not cowards in those days. And did not go around with pistols in their pockets looking for somebody to shoot like they do now. When a man called another a liar, or other uncomplimentary things; they went for each other in the good old fashioned way with naked fists, and when the "scrap" was over, it was over.
All of the wounds that were made during the bond elec- tion healed without leaving scars, and the friends who took op- posite sides were soon reunited. Other bond elections for Muni- cipal improvements followed a few years later with little op- position. The affairs of the town were honestly administered, and the people began to realize that in order to have the con- veniences that added so much to the pleasure of living, they must cooperate with their influence and their means.
About the same time that the water works was built, the Southern Bell Telephone Company put an exchange in Greens- boro. The first and only page devoted to Greensboro sub- scribers is reproduced below :
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY
Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company Greensboro, Ga.
T. B. Rice, Manager R. L. West, Supt., Atlanta, Ga. Report Trouble to Greensboro No. 50.
All subscribers' stations are equipped with Long-Distance Metalic Circuits.
December 1, 1902.
50 Central Office, Manager's of- fice
7-3 McCommons, R. L., Resi-
dence
17-2 Asbury, J. C. Dr. Residence 1-3 Moncrief, J. H., Residence
18-3 Bickers M. L. Dry goods 13-2 Orr, M. L., Grocer
13-3 Orr, M. L., Residence
7-2 Boswell & McCommons Gen. mdse. 1-2 Rice, T. B., Residence
21 Brooks, G. T. Grocer 25 Richland Hotel, Mrs. G. C. Arnold
8-2 Buchanan, S. T. Residence
50 Central office (Pay Station)
4-2 Rossman, M. J., Grocery
4-3 Rossman, M. J., Residence
10-3 Copelan, E. A. Residence
9-2 Shipp, F. B., Herald-Journal
17-3 Evans, J. W., Residence 9-3 Shipp, F. B., Residence
18-2 Fister, Julia M. Miss, Re- sidence
19-2 Southern Cotton Oil Co., office
11-2 Georgia R. R. Co. Office 5 Gheesling, J. H. Dr., Resi- dence
12-2
Torbert, J. E., Grocer
12-3 Torbert, J. E., Residence
11-3 Hall, G. W., Residence Hall, Guy, Residence
26
23-3 Hixon, E. C., Residence
2 Jackson, W. R., Residence
13-4 Wheeler, R. P., Residence
3-5 Williams, J. B., Residence
24 Jones, M. K. Mrs., Residence 3-2 Williams & Boswell, Hdw. & Gen. Mdse.
19-3 King, C. M., Residence
8-3 Mary-Leila Mill, Office 23-3 Wright & Hixon, Stables
The quickest way to get over ground is to stay at home and use the Telephone.
Not a single individual or firm that was in business in Greensboro in 1901 is in business here now. Of all the indivi- duals listed; only J. W. Evans, S. T. Buchanan, Guy Hall, T. B. Rice, J. B. Williams are now living. The firm of Wright & Hixon was composed of M. C. Wright, E. C. Hixon both of whom are still living in Greensboro, along with T. B. Rice. (1941)
In 1902 there were less than one million Telephones in the United States. Now there are practically twenty million. (1941)
10-2 E. A. Copelan, Bank
11-2 Southern Express Co., office
22 6 Vincent, L. A., Residence Water Works, Pumping Station
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY
Comer Vincent says that he and T. B. Rice are largely re- sponsible for Greensboro' water-works. He says his bar and Rice's soda fount drew so heavily on the town well, that the water supply just had to be increased, and that on circus days when the elephant had to be watered, and red lemonade had to be made, there simply was not enough water to go around. He also says that Rice drew very heavily on the old well for Aqua Pura for prescription purposes. And he tells a tale about a pre- scription that got on Rice's conscience. The story is as follows : He says that a man came into Rice's drug store one day with a prescription that called for 20 grains of Permanganate of Potash and one quart of Aqua Pura, and that Rice filled the prescription and charged the customer one dollar for it. And that Rice sent his porter down to his (Vincent's place to get an empty quart bottle to put it in and drew on the public well for the Aqua Pura, therefore, all that he actually furnished was the 20 grains of Permanganate of Potash, and that there are no fractions small enough to express the actual cost.
Rice admits that the story is partly true, and that after the customer had brought the bottle back five times to be refilled, and paid five dollars for it; that his conscience got the better of him, and that after that, he filled the prescription free of charge as long as the customer lived.
Well, it does not matter so much who is responsible for the splendid water works that furnishes the citizens of Greens- boro with an abundant supply of fine artesian water, and pro- tects them from fire hazard. And we will let the tablet at the base of the water-tower tell the story.
The tablet reads :
Built in 1889 By Lombard Iron Works, Augusta, Ga. Walton & Wagner Contractors, Rome, Ga. Mayor, J. B. Williams, Aldermen T. B. Rice, E. W. Copelan, J. E. Armor Engineer, E. H. Davis
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY
Greensboro 1890
In 1890 Greensboro had a population of 1,313, and Greene county had 17,051. Many of the men who fought in the Con- federate army were still active, and the county was in a prosper- ous condition. Practically every farmer owned his farm and lived on it. The exodus from the farm to town did not begin until late in the 1890's and continued until a very large per cent of the once fertile lands became hills and gullies. The older people are practically all dead, and their children have been scattered to the four-winds. Some of them have become promin- ent and prosperous in Atlanta and other cities. Many of them have moved to other states and made good citizens, but very few have remained in the old homes.
The rise and fall of the population of Greene county since the first census was taken by the Federal government in 1790 as shown by the following table tells a pathetic story. And should cause us to reflect upon the causes and conditions that have prevented this historic old county from keeping pace with more prosperous sections of Georgia.
Greene county has many natural advantages that should be capitalized. Her fertile land, native grasses never-failing streams, good water, unexcelled climate and other resources should make her one of the leading counties of the state, and some man or men with vision is going to reap a rich reward by buying up and rehabilitating the cheap lands that are now idle.
The population of Greene county, Ga., and incorporated place therein, so far as shown by each of the Federal Censuses, from 1790 to 1930, both inclusive, as follows :
Greene Greensboro Penfield Siloam U-Point W-Plains Woodville
Census year. County.
city
town
town
town
town
town
1930
12,616
2,124
184
369
1,627
405
332
1920
18,972
2,128
315
243
1,126
479
458
1910
18,512
2,120
475
1,363
407
1900
16,542
1,511
375
290
1890
17,051
1,313
510
1880
17,547
1,621
576
459
1870
12,454
913
374
1860
12,652
....
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY
1850
13,068
1840
11,690
1830
12,549
1820
13,589
1810
11,687
1800
10,761
1790
5,405
No census is shown for Greensboro prior to 1870. The blanks for Union Point in 1890 and 1909 are not explained by the Census bureau, but the notation was made that it was incorporated in 1901, but the reason for showing a population of 576 in 1880 is not explained.
The above tabulation was furnished and signed by W. M. Stewart, Director of Census, Washington, D. C.
HOW GREENSBORO AND GREENE COUNTY APPEARED TO A TRAVELER IN 1839 (By T. B. Rice )
It is interesting to note how this part of Georgia appear- ed to an Englishman as he toured the "Slave States" one hun- dred years ago; and his experiences give an idea of the incon- veniences travelers had to endure-as well as the high cost.
The Stagecoach route from Greensboro to Athens, ran pretty much along the same route that highway No. 15 follows, that is, as far as Mr. De Forest Buice's Dairy Farm. Here, it turned left, and went to Daniel's Ferry, from thence to Wat- kinsville leaving Wrayswood to the right.
About halfway between Daniel's Ferry and Watkinsville, stood the village of Salem at that time, larger than Watkinsville, but no longer in existence.
"At six o'clock on the Torning of Friday, the 21st of June (1839) we left Augusta for Athens, in the northern part of the same State of Georgia, intending to go from thence through the mountains into North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, on to the mineral springs among the ranges of the Alleghenies, which are greatly resorted to by the opulent families of the Southern and Western States, during the hot summer months."
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY
"Our route from Augusta to Greensboro, was by railroad, for a distance of eighty-four miles, and being through an al- most continuous forest of pines, it offered nothing new to our observation. The rate of speed was about fifteen miles an hour while in motion, or twelve miles including stoppages, as we were seven hours going the eighty-four miles, stopping for break- fast, and several times to replenish fire-wood and water during the way; and the rate of charge was five cents a mile.
"At Greensboro, which is an old, though very small place, not containing more than fifty houses, we dined at one o'clock, and here the road terminating for the present-though it is in- tended to carry it all the way to Athens-there were stage- coaches in waiting to convey passengers from the north, west, and south, to their respective destinations. Among the buildings pointed out to us at Greensboro by a gentleman of our party who was born there, and was now nearly sixty years of age- which makes Greensboro a very old settlement for this part of America-was the Methodist church, a rude building of rough planks, suited to a sect, who have the undoubted precedency of all other denominations, in pioneering the way for the Gospel in the wilds and woods of this continent. The class of preachers whom they send forth to "cry in the wilderness," are often as rough and rude as their churches, but not the less zealous or self-denying, because of their want of polish or refinement, though sometimes giving utterance to sentiments and expres- sions, which they would themselves find it perhaps difficult to explain. One of these pioneers of the forest was preaching in the Methodist church at a period when the country not far from this was possessed by the Cherokee Indians; and in the attempt made to eject them from their lands, they had to recourse to arms for resistance. The white settlers, accordingly, often felt the edge of the tomahawk and the scalping knife, as they con- tinue to do in Florida at the present moment. In addition to the usual means of defense adopted by the whites, prayers were put up in the different congregations for delivery from this scourge ; and at the end of an appeal of great fervour to the Almighty for protection, the preacher in this church exclaimed, "Spare us, good Lord, and deliver us from this evil; but if it be thy will to scourge us with thine afflictions, and chasten us with thy
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY
wrath-if, in short, it be they pleasure to let us fall into the hands of savages, O let it be into thine, O Lord!" To which the congregation, of which our informant represented himself as being one, responded in the fervent manner which charact- erizes the devotion of the Methodists, 'Amen, Lord, amen,' ---- their feelings being, no doubt, too adsorbed in the consideration of the perils that surrounded them, to admit of any rigid criti- cism of their pastor's language or meaning."
"From Greensboro we proceeded in a four-horse stage- coach, well appointed, and with an excellent driver; and hav- ing only six passengers inside, we had abundant room. Our journey to Athens was forty miles, and the fare ten cents a mile, just double the rate by the railroad, while our speed on the average was five miles an hour. The road became hilly within a few miles after our leaving Greensboro, and all the way on- ward we appeared to be ascending. The soil changed from sandy to a red indurated clay, and we soon lost the pine forests, and came into woods of red and white oak, which furnished better shade, and afforded an agreeable relief to the eye."
"On our way, about twelve miles from Greensboro, we passed over the Oconee river, which descends from hence till it joins the Ocmulgee, below Macon, and these together form the Altamaha, discharging itself into the Atlantic at Darien, below Savannah. The river was very low, in consequence of the scanty supply of water from above, no rain having fallen in this quart- er since the month of March. The stream was here about fifty yards broad, and we crossed it in a flat ferryboat drawn by a chain. We learned that on the banks of the river, rattlesnakes abounded, and one of our fellow-passengers stated that he had seen one caught or killed near this stream, which measured up- wards of nine feet in length."
"We were joined here by a communicative and intelligent planter, just from his plantation, from whom we learned that the excessive drought had been already fatal to a large por- tion of the crop of cotton now in the ground. Indeed, this was sufficiently visible to the eye, many fields exhibiting stunted plants, their color being hardly distinguishable from the dust of the earth that covered them. Some crops of oats were in a
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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY
similar condition; but many fields of wheat had been reaped, and the sheaves were now gathering in, the wheat harvest being generally over in the middle of June; and the maize or Indian corn was in a very flourishing condition. We learned from this gentleman that there had been lately introduced into this State, a new description of grain, called Baden corn, from its success- ful cultivator, a Mr. Baden, of Maryland, who had taken the pains to select the best ears of corn from his own fields, and plant them in the most favorable position; going from year to year in this manner, in the belief that he should thus greatly improve its quality, and increase its productiveness. For the first five years there was no perceptible difference; but in the sixth it became visibly improved; and this process being con- tinued for twenty-five years in succession, had produced a corn of such additional productiveness, that it now yields about 250-fold, while the ordinary rate of increase in the common corn, is not more than 100-fold, or 120 in the most favorable years. The buckwheat is also cultivated here and yields two crops of grain in the year. It was stated, that in the cultivation of the white and the brown cotton, in parallel ridges, which is sometimes done, it will often happen that from the mingling of the blossom-flowers, or the fine powder blown from them, a sort of mulatto-cotton, or mixed kind, will be produced by the amalgamation; and the same thing has been observed of the red corn and the yellow, each of which will give, by mingling, a portion of its tinge of color to the other. Of the brown or nankeen cotton very little is exported, as it is wrought up into nankeen cloth here, and is largely consumed in the apparel of the country-people for summer wear; none of it, we were told, had ever been sent to England, as far at least as our informant knew. It is somewhat dearer than the white cotton, and makes the most durable cloth; but by repeated washing, the color gra- dually grows lighter and lighter, and if washed and bleached often, it will fade away entirely, and become quite white."
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