USA > Georgia > Tift County > History of Tift County > Part 10
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51
In 1915 Tift County had a signal honor. At an educational meeting in Atlanta, a resolution was passed for the association to try to stamp out illiteracy in Georgia. As a preliminary step there was to be selected a county in which to blot out completely adult illiteracy. After much dis- cussion Tift was selected on account of its progress in rural education.
Closely allied to the progress in education was another improvement, the Tift County Hospital, which opened on May 21, 1915. The equipment
2. Ibid.
84
HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY
was among the best in this section of the state. It consisted of nine rooms, including an operating room and maternity ward.
Tift County not only progressed in education during these peaceful days, but discovered itself as an agricultural center. The blast of the long whistle at the H. H. Tift mill on June 23, 1916, announced not only that the employee's work was over for all time, but that a new era had dawned -the era of agriculture. In relation to this last whistle the Tifton Gazette said, "It sounded its own requiem and bid Tifton farewell. All of the timber in this section has been cut.
"H. H. Tift established the mill in 1872. It was burned in 1887 and soon afterwards rebuilt. Except for the interval and a short period from the summer of 1915 until early in the present year, the mill has been in constant operation.
"The mill will be dismantled, the best parts sold and the remainder scrapped. The tram road will be taken up and the rails sold. The planing mill will be retained for a while, the machinery operated by electric motor."
As early as 1912 farsighted lumber brokers left Tifton. During June of that year a farmer's institute was conducted in the courthouse by the State College of Agriculture. At the conclusion of the program the 'Tift County Agricultural Association was organized with J. W. Hollis, pres- ident, and C. V. Martin, secretary.
Two months later Henry Tift announced his intention of building a thirty-six foot boulevard, eight miles in length to encircle the city. It was finished in 1914, and the entire cost, $10,000 was borne by H. H. Tift. Land bordering on the boulevard was placed on sale, inside land being put into city lots and outside land into five-and-ten-acre lots.
The presenting of the second exhibition of the South Georgia Land and Agricultural Exposition was an accomplishment of 1912. The prizes won by Tift County farmers were: cotton, W. H. Willis $50; J. T. Mims, improved corn and cotton planter with plates, valued at $15; hay, W. L. Harman, $25; peanuts, G. R. Denby, $10; cotton, corn, and peanut planter with roller, valued at $13.50; cane, W. H. Ponder, $15.
Early in 1913 the State College of Agriculture offered a two-day course for farmers of Tift County. Experts in every phase of farm work, includ- ing soil selection and preparation, seed selection, fertilizing, cultivation, harvesting, and marketing, together with stock and poultry raising and dairying gave free lectures.
At this time there were a number of large farms near Tifton, including the following: the J. D. Cook farm with 702 acres in cultivation; the W. A. Greer farm with 900 acres in cultivation; the J. H. Young plantation with 1,800 acres in cotton alone. The most money, however, was made by small independent farmers. An indication of a modern trend in farm- ing was the organization of a truck growers' society with two hundred
85
HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY
acres pledged. In 1914 P. D. Fulwood had on his truck farm twelve acres in cabbage seed which expected to yield ten million plants.
In 1915 Tift County won first prize for the best county exhibit at the Georgia-Florida Fair. The exhibit of the Tifton Farm Tool Manufactur- ing Company won five blue ribbons. Foremost among Tift County's indi- vidual competitors was R. S. Kell, whose cotton exhibit won three prizes. The following Tift County Corn Club boys won trips to Atlanta Harvest Festival: Warren Walker, Mike Tucker, John Barnes, R. A. Griffin, Butler Hollis, Joe Cravey, Jeff Mickle, Hunter Royal, Joseph Blount, Colin Malcolm and George Conger. The following received a scholar- ship to the Boys' Corn Club short course at Athens: George Conger, Johnnie Conger, Sim Stewart, and Richard Drexel.
A distinct sign of progress was Tift County's donation of $1000 to secure a farm demonstrator ; an equal amount was to come from the State College of Agriculture and the National Department of Agriculture. Of Tift County's share, three hundred dollars was to be paid by the A. and M. School, and the remainder secured by private subscription. L. S. Watson was appointed the first farm demonstrator in the county.
The climax of the period was the introduction of a bill in the legisla- ture to provide Tift County with an experiment station. The author of the bill, R. C. Ellis, was also the author of the statewide sanitation bill. His arguments were so convincing that much sentiment was attached to his proposal.
#
CHAPTER XI
"WORLD EARTHQUAKE"-WORLD WAR I
The Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in June 1914 at Sarjavo-then followed on July 28 the first tremors of the "World Earthquake"-Austria declared war on Servia. "The Archduke and his wife were assassinated in Austro-Hungarian territory by an Aus- tro-Hungarian subject."1 The Servian government had no responsibility in the crime. Austria, however, blamed Servian secret societies and indi- vidual Servians who influenced Austro-Hungarian subjects. When the Austrian government demanded that Servia denounce activities that in- cited such crimes as this assassination, the latter agreed, but refused to allow Austro-Hungarian officials a part in the punishment of the insti- gators.
Austria used this refusal as a pretended cause for declaring war. The genuine reason, however, was the former's desire for more territory. Austria wanted access to the Aegian Sea and the route through Servia was the most desirable.
These tremors grew into a quake that finally shook the entire world. Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy for a while stood together as the Triple Alliance ; England, Russia, and France, as the Triple Entente.
The quake shook cotton low and food prices high in Tift County. There was, on the other hand, a favorable effect. September 14, 1914 was an- other achievement day for Tift County: on that date in order to give quick service with war news, the Tifton Gazette appeared with a new name, the Daily Tifton Gazette. This change made Tifton distinctive; it was the smallest town in the United States with a daily newspaper.
About three years after the establishing of the Daily Tifton Gazette, April 6, 1917, bold headlines in the Gazette told a story: "United States Declares State of War With Germany." Crowds in front of the Tifton Gazette office, waiting for news; cheers of listeners in front of the court- house as the band played "Over There," "A Long, Long Trail;" moist eyes as the rhythm changed to "Keep the Home Fires Burning," "Till We Meet Again," "Smile the While"; school children knitting sweaters or making candles; liberty loan drives; war sermons from the pulpit ; service stars on the window; Red Cross activities; a whole town fasting and pray- ing for the tide of war-these pictures were true to the Tifton of 1917- 1918.
The large number of men who enlisted for military service through the Tifton station during the latter part of April and the early part of May attested a high degree of patriotism in Tifton. On May 18, people re-
1. Tifton Gazette.
86
87
HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY
ceived notice of President Wilson's proclamation that all male persons be- tween the ages of twenty and thirty-one years should register on June 5, 1917.
Patriotic citizens continued to volunteer for service from the county after the first registration. During this crisis the county and town were in accord with the nation. There were, of course, a few "slackers," but the blaze of patriotism outshone these sparks of dissension.
A Tift County negro, who was filing his questionnaire with the local board, exhibited a patriotic attitude. Although he had a wife and child, he requested no exemption. When asked if his wife wanted to file an ex- emption claim, the negro replied, "No, boss, she would if I wanted her to, but I don't. I was born and raised here and want to go along with the rest." In reference to this statement, J. L. Herring, editor of the Tifton Gazette, said, "Had this negro been a gifted orator and spoken an hour, he could not have said more. A hero could not say more."
According to Captain Heidt, Tift County sent to the army more men, in proportion to population than any other county in the state.
Despite the turmoil of war, there were various developments in Tift County. The Tifton Packing Company, Fulwood Park, Heinz Salting Station, and the new passenger station for Atlantic Coast Line and Georgia Southern and Florida, worth twenty-five thousand dollars, were completed during the war period. The Bank of Tifton moved into its new home on March 26, 1917.
During this year, too, the undergrowth on the land given by H. H. Tift for a park was cleared, trees trimmed, the banks of the big ditch, running through the grounds, leveled, and trees, such as magnolias, arbor vitaes, holly, dogwood, crepe myrtle, and weeping willows were set out.
The year 1917 was also important on account of an illustrious visitor to Tifton, William J. Bryan.
An innovation in the Tifton High School that year was the publica- tion of the first annual, the Talisman, which sold for fifty cents. Pat Fulwood was editor-in-chief.
The second issue, which came from the press in 1918, was dedicated to J. L. Herring, editor of the Tifton Gazette. One of its main fea- tures was its section honoring the boys in service. Mildred Slack was editor-in-chief.
Another innovation during the period was the introduction of day- light saving. On the first night after this change Tifton people, for- getting that the hands of the clock had moved up, yawned and stretched, when suddenly observing that it was ten o'clock. Then realizing that ten o'clock was just eight by the former time, these citizens laughed at themselves.
88
HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY
Along with daylight saving came fasting according to the following lines :
"Monday is wheatless. Tuesday is meatless. Wednesday is wheatless. Saturday is porkless. Every day one meal wheatless. Every day one meal meatless."
This kitchen theme for 1918 was as important as the liberty loan drives. Tift during April of 1918 led all Georgia counties except Fulton in the organization of war savings and thrift stamps. Every school in the county organized for the sale of stamps and for other phases of war aid. Students of the junior high school in Tifton made in two weeks four- teen hundred trench candles for our "Doughboys" and "Sammies," pseudonyms for the United States soldiers. ("Boches" was the nick- name for German soldiers. The term was derived from Coboche. French word for head, big thick head.) Tift went over the top with the fourth liberty loan drive.
For women there was in 1918 an amendment to the Constitution that was almost as significant as the liberty loan drives. For the first time women in Tift County, as well as those in the entire nation, had the privilege of voting.
An important literary achievement for Tift County in 1918 was the publication of J. L. Herring's "Saturday Night Sketches," which re- ceived enthusiastic applause from all groups of people. Herring was hailed as "the prose laureate of the Wiregrass."
These signs of progress, material and literary, were the rifts in the clouds of war. Every home in Tift County was touched by the horrors of this "storm and stress" period. Then finally one day anxious mothers, wives, and sweethearts welcomed a calm.
On November 11, 1918 there was great rejoicing in the world, and Tifton joined other towns and cities in celebrating peace. In the absence of Mayor Hargrett, Mayor Pro Tem. McLeod issued a proclamation, clos- ing all business houses at 1:30 and declaring the day a holiday.
Whistles screamed for thirty minutes. Cars filled with merry noise- makers paraded the streets all the afternoon and part of the night. Young and old with tin pans, bells, horns, tomato cans, and crackers kept the vi- brations going. A long procession marched to the rhythm of Herbert Moor's drum. Over a hundred Packing Plant employees marched into town, carry- ing large American and British flags. Trucks from the Central Grocery and other companies carried at intervals different loads of people, who were giving joyous yells. The Red Cross Chapter filled one impressive float.
89
HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY
Many cars were attractively decorated. The town band in fantastic cos- tume added to the colorful parade.
The fighting had ceased, but the effects of the upheaval could not cease. The struggle for normal conditions was active for years after the Armis- tice. During this struggle, however, Tift County again achieved. In 1919 came the announcement that Tifton had secured the experiment station. Long blasts of the fire whistle gave the good news.
At a meeting of the board of trustees of the Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Waycross, Tifton and Tift County's bid for the station was ac- cepted. Tifton's cash offer was raised to $25,000 to meet that of Savannah, her nearest rival. Furthermore, such articles as the following from "Cairo Messenger," no doubt, had a strong influence in the selection of Tifton.
"By all means, and by all that is right and fair, the Experiment Station should be located in Tifton.
"When the bill was passed at the last session of the Georgia Legislature, creating an experiment station for this portion of Georgia, it was intended that it should be placed where it would be of best service to the greatest number of farmers. This being true, then Tifton is the logical and proper place for it."
At the first meeting of the board of trustees in Savannah, they inspected the site offered by Chatham County. A few days before their final decision, they came to Tifton to inspect the site here. Later the trustees inspected the sites offered by Worth, Ware, and Appling Counties. Not until 1922, however, did Spooner and Cauthen receive the contract for erecting the administration building.
Tift County was acquiring the habit of "building, bonding, and boom- ing." (Fred Shaw's manuscript on Tift County History.) In the Spring of 1919 the county floated a $300,000 bond issue for the improvement of the roads. This bond issue was followed by smaller issues in every town in the county.
In the industrial division of Tifton an important change came when Armour and Company of Chicago bought the plant of Tifton Packing Company. Another important phase of industrial progress in 1919 was the establishing at Tifton of the first tobacco market in Tift County.
Along with material progress Tifton did not forget to pause for tributes to some of its citizens. The Twentieth Century Library Club dedicated a program to mothers, Mrs. H. H. Tift and Mrs. J. C. Goodman, and presented J. L. Herring a loving cup. The town expressed its confidence in and appreciation of H. H. Tift by requesting him to serve as mayor of the city, and he responded to the request. The Board of Trade presented a silver loving cup to Mr. J. L. Herring.
CHAPTER XII
THE TURBULENT TWENTIES
The active prosperity in Southwest Georgia lasted only a few years after World War I. Although there was little dire want in the early twenties, prosperity was bidding farewell to this section.
During the war, the thrifty packing plant, the meteoric cotton market, the successful Frank Scarboro Company, the success of all forms of busi- ness gave Tifton's business square the air of the nineties. The material progress of churches often gives an index to financial conditions in a com- munity: the Primitive Baptists of Tifton, though few in number, built at this time a seven-thousand-dollar church building.
Nineteen-nineteen was important for two developments, which eventual- ly gave Tifton and Tift County such distinctions as few things had given since the farewell blow of the whistle at the big Tift mill: the revival of interest in tobacco and the establishment of the Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Tifton.
A tobacco warehouse company leased the plant of the Tifton Compress Company, and made additions costing $3,500. A survey of the tobacco acreage within the county revealed that there were one thousand two hun- dred acres used for cigarette tobacco in Tifton. During that summer 539,735 pounds of tobacco was sold for $111,933.35 or an average of $20.74 a hundred pounds-a remarkable achievement. In 1920 the to- bacco stemming and redrying plant of Imperial Tobacco Company began operation.
The following year more than one hundred tobacco barns were built in the county. The greatest evidence, however, of the interest in tobacco was the construction of a $200,000 stemming and redrying plant by the Tifton Investment Company in 1920. The Imperial Tobacco Company immedi- ately took charge of the plant-a transfer that assured Tifton of large payrolls during the summer and fall when the plant was in operation, and of the employment of scores of white men and a hundred negroes. In 1922 the Investment Company sold its interest in the plant to the Imperial peo- ple and used the profit to erect a large tobacco warehouse.
Although the financial structure of Tift County was beginning to totter in 1920, Tifton enjoyed for a while the "hang over" from war-time pros- perity. Not realizing the financial uncertainty that they would encounter during the transitional period between the saw and the plow-this com- munity then was on the verge of the change to agriculture-Tifton people continued to build. The Imperial Tobacco Plant at $206,000, Southern Bell Telephone office at $35,000, L. E. Bowen building at $18,000, resi- dences and small business houses, $359,402, were constructed. In 1922
90
91
HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY
E. P. Rose gave the contract for a $5,000 edifice. The South Georgia Power Company built a cold storage plant in connection with local ice plant. Howell and Gibbs built a large refrigerator plant at their market.
Although this building program indicated prosperity, early in 1923 J. L. Herring wrote: "1922 was marked by more than the average of busi- ness worries, industrial distress, and financial uncertainty."
There were many proofs of a vital interest in agriculture. Governor Walker spoke at a county-wide rally, stressing cow-hog-hen week. Georgia Duroc Breeders Association was formed with headquarters in Tifton-a result of cow-hog-hen week. A livestock day was sponsored by the Tifton Board of Trade. A stock judging team from our county won first place in the district contest and second in the state contest. Through the agricul- tural committee of the Tifton Board of Trade, the Boys' Cotton, Corn, Pig and Calf Clubs were formed. About one thousand farmers attended the farm school in cooperation with County Agent Culpepper and Georgia State College for Men. Tift County shipped 2,000,000 tomato plants in 1923, and in 1929 shipped peanuts to Africa.
In addition to the building and agricultural program in the twenties there were other signs of progress: the opening of the Ritz Theater, the establishment of a bakery, printing shop, feed store, South Georgia Adver- tising Company, peanut shelling plant, a new furniture store, the first dry cleaning plant in the county, and eight new filling stations in one year. Cohen's Store was enlarged. The Tifton Garden Club organized and plant- ed shrubbery near the Bank of Tifton, Board of Trade, courthouse, and high school building. The first new industry in 1927 was an ice cream factory operated by Wilson Brothers, R. C., and I. E.
Conspicuous improvements in 1928 were: the completion of a whiteway described "as the largest and finest of any in any city of equal size in the state ;" the presentation of memorial columns at entrance to the Georgia State College campus, erected by members of the class 1928-29; and the receiving of official wave-length designation and broadcasting license from the Federal Radio Commission for Radio Station WRBI, operated by Kent's Furniture and Music Store. After operating for twenty-one years and twenty-one days the city court of Tifton closed in 1928. During the period 4,401 civil and 3,181 criminal cases were tried.
Among the significant improvements in 1929 was the opening of the new bus terminal, which with two waiting rooms and two rest rooms, well heated or cool, according to season, satisfied all requirements of passengers. Complete telegraph service-day, night, and holiday-was effected in 1929 for Tift County citizens.
During the period Tifton was alive with new clubs and other organiza- tions. In 1920 a band, a local organization of the American Cotton Or- ganization, a Sweet Potato Growers' Association, and the Tift County
92
HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY
Post of the American Legion began. In 1921 the Tift County Masons, potato curers, retail food dealers, and watermelon growers organized. In Omega a woman's club was organized.
In 1922 group activity continued. Ty Ty organized a board of trade. The Kiwanis Club, three troops of Boy Scouts, and the Tifton Chapter of the W.C.T.U. were active. The Georgia Cotton Growers, Georgia Asso- ciation, Berry School alumni, Forestry Club, and Lions Club made their contributions to the progress of Tifton. The Ku Klux Klan made its ghostly entrance and quick exit that year.
Only the American Legion and the peanut growers joined in 1923 the organization unit. In 1925 the Tifton Country Club began with twenty members and subscriptions amounting to $1,500.
The activity of these clubs increased the morale of the town and county and created the appearance of prosperity, even if prosperity was in reality on the wane. In 1921, however, there was one support for the club im- pression : the first city manager, W. T. Hargrett, gave Tifton one of the best business administrations in its history. A summary of his record fol- lows :
"Tifton came out of 1921 $18,000 to the good. Besides this, $1.175 was spent in betterments; the tax rate on realty was reduced 5 per cent and there will be a substantial reduction of water rates this year."
"According to Mr. Hargrett's report, over $11,000 was paid on out- standing accounts brought over from 1920, including $1,600 for livestock, and $2,500 was paid on the bonded indebtedness of the city. There remains due the city on 1921 taxes $31,580.59. On the same date last year there was due $21,988.25, leaving a balance due this year above last of $9,492.64. Against these total assets there is an outstanding voucher of $2,600 and a difference in the stock on hand this year as compared with last of $1,371.42. This leaves the city $18,271.22 better off financially Jan. 1, 1922, than it stood on Jan. 1, 1921."
His hearers caught their breath when Manager Hargrett asked the commission to reduce his salary from $3,800 to 3,600.
A very interesting point about the commission form of government was that this type was introduced on the thirtieth anniversary of Tifton's or- ganization as a city. On the first of January, 1891, five councilmen were sworn in: H. H. Tift, E. P. Bowen, W. W. Timmons, John Pope, M. A. Sexton, and J. C. Goodman; two of these men, H. H. Tift and E. P. Bowen, were members of the first commission.
Late in October of 1922 Mr. Hargrett tendered his resignation as city manager to accept the position of president and general manager of the Live Oak, Perry and Gulf Railroad in Florida. R. E. Hall succeeded him as city manager.
Another phase of progress during the twenties was education. When M.
93
HISTORY OF TIFT COUNTY
L. Duggan, rural school agent, made a survey of the Tift County schools in 1918, there were in the county the following schools: Salem School, Old Ty Ty, Vanceville, Nipper, Pine View, Brighton, Bay, Omega, Excelsior, Oak Ridge, Brookfield, Harding, Ty Ty, Red Oak, Myrtle Camp Creek, El Dorado, Fletcher, Filyah, Hot Creek, Fairview, Chula, Ansley, Pearman, Midway, and Emanuel. In addition there were fourteen schools for negroes.
As the result of the consolidation program we have the following con- solidated schools : Brookfield, Chula, El Dorado, Excelsior, Harding, Ome- ga, Ty Ty, Emanuel, and Red Oak. In addition to the Tift County Indus- trial School there were several one-teacher negro schools in the county.
The school system of Tifton under the management of A. H. Moon progressed rapidly during this time. He raised Tifton .High School to group one in the state and Southern Accredited Association lists. In the late twenties the junior high school building was constructed at a cost of $45,000. A capable faculty with Mrs. Nan Clements operated this school. The grammar school under direction of Miss Annie B. Clark advanced rapidly. In 1927 there was new consolidated school in El Dorado.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.