USA > Georgia > Tift County > History of Tift County > Part 24
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Mrs. R. S. Dormiey-1942-1944
Attention centered almost entirely on war work. Cooperated with Ameri- can Red Cross in local departments, such as Production, Surgical Band- ages, U.S.O., Citizen's Defense Committees, and War Savings Council. Tift County Hospital grounds landscaped and planted to harmonize with the picturesque beauty of Fulwood Park, which the hospital faces.
Mrs. F. H. Corry-1944-1946
Continued to assist with all local civilian war work. Sponsored the plant- ing of 550 dogwood trees as memorials to the men and women from Tifton and Tift County who were in service for their country. An improvement program for the Tift County Hospital grounds and Fulwood Park in- cluded the purchase of new benches and a better lighting system.
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Mrs. W. A. Hodges-1946-1948
At the end of one half of the Club's fiscal year a rose garden at the Tift County Hospital was completed. The sole purpose of the garden is to keep fresh roses in the rooms of all patients during rose blooming season.
THE COUNTRY CLUB
In 1927 when J. S. Taylor was president of the Tifton Board of Trade, among the achievements of the year was the Cabin Country Club, now called the Country Club. After the members selected a location, J. L. Hoffman, a landscape gardener who had just completed Radium Springs, Albany, Georgia, laid out an eight-hole golf course. The site is its present location, two and a half miles southwest, just off the paved Tifton-Moultrie highway.
The tract of land acquired by thirty progressive Tifton citizens con- tained one hundred acres and a lake. This body of water, effected by engineers closing the old McInnis millrace, and the border of stately long leaf pines on the south banks of the lake make a beautiful setting for the clubhouse and golf course. This spot is one of the prettiest outings in South Georgia. Professional golf players assert that this location is ideal for golf. Old settlers say that the fishing there is the best in the county.
For the early settlement of this section pioneers used the water bor- dering this site for a grist mill, which ground meal for the early settlers. According to tradition, the owner threw up with an ox and spades dirt for one-eighth of a mile. Strenuous labor for several years was necessary in the completion of the millrace. One of the speakers at the initial club banquet facetiously commented : "It is a dam by a mill site; but not a mill by a dam site."
The present membership of this club has grown to about two hundred members. The club house is modern. The original building of logs is used for the caretaker, golf equipment, and lockers.
This location, one-half mile from paved route 50 and one mile from paved highway 41 is accessible to Tifton people.
This project started with an investment of $5,500, but the improve- ment on grounds, club house, and deep wells have increased investment : to $20,000. Jim J. Clyatt was on the grounds committee in the beginning ." and is still serving in many official capacities.
Mr. J. S. Taylor was the first president of the Country Club, and Mr. L. L. Kennedy is the president now. Mr. Warren Baker, Norman Park, Georgia, served as president and in many official capacities as well as be- ing one of the original stockholders. The late Dr. W. T. Smith, Dr. W. H. Hendricks, Dr. Pittman, the late I. W. Myers, C. A. Fulwood, and
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the late H. H. Tift, Jr., Cliff Parker, R. S. Short, C. R. Choat, L. E. Bowen, Sr., Ben Bowen, Paul Fulwood, Steve Mitchell, Sr., C. O. Eng- land, Sr., J. S. Taylor, Sam Lassiter, Ralph Puckett, and Billie Barlow were original stockholders. The late I. W. Myers, C. W. Fulwood, and H. H. Tift, Jr., helped to organize the club. L. E. Bowen, Sr., the second president, was one of the organizers. Fannie Kate Hollingsworth, former secretary of Board of Trade, rendered valuable assistance to the club.
GARDEN CENTER ESTABLISHED IN TIFTON
Through a generous offer made by the Tift County Chamber of Com- merce, the Tifton Garden Club and the Primrose Garden Club have been able to establish a Garden Center in the Chamber of Commerce Building.
The purpose of the Garden Center is to create interest in gardening and flower growing in Tifton and Tift County, and to create or provide a centralized source of information for interested gardeners.
The plan of the clubs is to have attractive furnishings of pictures "in color" of Tifton gardens, comfortable chairs and tables, seasonal flower arrangements at all times and bookshelves for the Garden library.
The clubs hope that Tifton and Tift County gardeners will enjoy and benefit by this public Garden Center. Visitors to our city are cordially invited to visit our gardens and enjoy the Center with us during their stay in Tifton.
TIFTON PARENT-TEACHER'S ASSOCIATIONS
The Tifton Parent-Teacher's Associaitons were organized in the fall of 1928. Mrs. T. A. Mitchell, Sr., Mrs. G. H. Clark, Mrs. J. L. Cochran, and a few ladies from Douglas helped with the organization of the asso- ciation. At that time a City Council was organized, which functioned until 1936. There was also at one time a City Council. The County Council reorganized in 1945 with Mrs. Earl Olson as president. The three Tifton associations are members of the County Council. The other associations making up the council are Omega, Brookfield and Chula.
No club in Tifton has done more effective work than the Parent- Teacher's Associations, which have sponsored lunch room programs, equip- ment for playgrounds and lunch rooms, for the high school an eighteen hundred dollar grand piano, which probably now would cost twice as much, furnishing of rest rooms, and suppers to make money for the schools. This year the High School P .- T. A. with Mrs. E. U. Holder president, helped to remove a large debt on the high school lunch room equipment.
Presidents of Tifton Parent-Teacher Associations :
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1937-1938-Grammar School, Mrs. E. U. Holder; Junior High School, Mrs. O. M. Sanders; High School, Mrs. W. J. Boyette.
1938-1939-Grammar School, Mrs. J. M. Carr; Junior High School, Mrs. Bob Herring; High School, Mrs. W. A. Rowan.
1939-1940-Grammar School, Mrs. J. M. Carr; Junior High School, Mrs. Bob Herring.
1940-1941-Grammar School, Mrs. Joseph Morton; Junior High School, Mrs. T. C. Tidwell.
1941-1942-Grammar School, Mrs. Joseph Morton ; Junior High School, Mrs. Baldwin Davis.
1942-1943-Grammar School, Mrs. Joe Kent, Jr .; Junior High School, Mrs. Baldwin Davis.
1943-1944-Grammar School, Mrs. Joe Kent, Jr .; Junior High School, Mrs. L. O. Shaw .. Mrs. Earl Olson was elected to serve the unex- pired term of Mrs. Joe Kent, Jr., and Mrs. J. E. Newton was elected to serve the unexpired term of Mrs. L. O. Shaw.
1944-1945-Grammar School, Mrs. Earl Olson; Junior High School, Mrs. J. E. Newton.
1945-1946-Grammar School, Mrs. Earl Olson; Junior High School, Mrs. O. J. Woodward. The County Council was reorganized with Mrs. Earl Olson, president.
1946-1947-County Council, Mrs. Earl Olson; Grammar School, Mrs. J. P. Short; Junior High School, Mrs. R. E. Martin. The High School P .- T. A. was reorganized with Mrs. E. U. Holder president.
1947-1948-City Council, Mrs. J. B. Chapman, Chula; Grammar School, Mrs. J. P. Short; Junior High School, Mrs. R. E. Martin ; High School, Mrs. E. U. Holder.
Presidents of Tifton Parent-Teacher Associations :
1928-1929-Council, Mrs. S. A. Youmans; Grammar School, Mrs. A. B. Phillips; Junior High School, Mrs. Lynn Brannen; High School, Mrs. C. A. Christian.
1929-1930-Council, Mrs. P. D. Fulwood ; Grammar School, Mrs. Frank Corry; Junior High School, Mrs. A. D. Daniel; High School, Mrs. Ralph Walton
1930-1931-Council, Mrs P. D. Fulwood; Grammar School, Mrs. Frank Corry; Junior High School, Mrs. Joe Kent, Sr .; High School. Mrs. Ralph Walton.
1931-1932-Council, Mrs. A. C. Tift; Grammar School, Mrs. S. R. Bowen; Junior High School, Mrs. G. O. Wheless; High School, Mrs. I. C. Touchstone, Sr.
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1932-1933-Council, Mrs. H. S. Garrison; Grammar School, Mrs. S. R. Bowen; Junior High School, Mrs. G. O. Wheless; High School. Mrs. A. J. Whitehurst.
1933-1934-Council, Mrs. I. C. Touchstone, Sr .; Grammar School, Mrs. W. H. Walters; Junior High School, Mrs. G. N. Herring ; High School, Mrs. A. J. Whitehurst.
1934-1935-Council, Mrs. C. S. Pittman, Sr .; Grammar School, Mrs. W. H. Walters; Junior High School, Mrs. G. N. Herring; High School, Mrs. J. A. Johnson.
1935-1936-Council, Mrs. Geo. Webb; Grammar School, Mrs. R. C. Bowen; Junior High School, Mrs. C. S. Pittman, Sr .; High School, Mrs. W. A. Rowan.
1936-1937-Grammar School, Mrs. E. U. Holder; Junior High School, MIrs. C. S. Pittman, Sr .; High School, Mrs. W. J. Boyette.
UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY by Ella Pate Carson (Historian of Charlotte Carson Chapter United Daughters of the Confederacy)
In March 1908 Judge and Mrs. T. J. Latham of Memphis, Tennessee, en route to their home from Florida stopped in Tifton for a brief stay. Mrs. Latham being Vice-President General of the U.D.C., began look- ing for material with which to organize a chapter in Tifton. Leading women were contacted and meetings were called at the Myon Hotel. After a few meetings in which plans and purposes were discussed the organization came into being. It was decided to name it the Charlotte Car- son Chapter in honor of the widow of the hero of Fort Steadman, Captain Joseph Carson. The following officers were elected :
President-Mrs. Charlotte Briggs Carson
First Vice-President-Mrs. Susie Tillman Moore
Second Vice-President-Mrs. Lelia DeLaughtre Gatchell
Registrar-Mrs. Bessie Willingham Tift
Recording Secretary-Mrs. Mary Williams Giddens Corresponding Secretary-Mrs. Virginia Cunningham Pinkston Historian-Mrs. Ella Pate Carson
Treasurer-
Twenty-four members applied for charter. Immediately plans were made to make charter night a public occasion. On April 10, 1908 at eight-thirty, in the evening a program was presented in the school auditorium, now the
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Grammar School. Mr. W. L. Harman was master of ceremonies. George E. Simpson made the address of welcome. Rev. Wiley Pipkin, a veteran, gave the invocation. Mrs. Latham presented the charter and also a gavel made of wood from a Tennessee battlefield. Mrs. Carson received the charter and the gavel with words of appreciation. Dixie was sung by thirteen little girls. Little Bula Bivins, granddaughter of Mrs. Carson, sang a popular song. An account of the capture of Fort Steadman was read by Mrs. Susie T. Moore. Estora Timmons read "The Conquered Banner." Lillian Britt sang The Homespun Dress. Nine veterans occupied the stage and gave reminiscences of the War Between the States. The Tif- ton Band played selections throughout the evening. A color scheme of red and white made the decorations, with a Confederate flag, brought from the battlefield by Veteran M. Dinsmore, occupying a conspicuous place on the stage. Plans were made to observe Memorial Day, April 26. Dr. W. L. Pickard, pastor of the First Baptist Church, Savannah, was chosen speaker. During the thirty-eight years of the chapter's existence Memorial Day has been observed each year. Governor Hoke Smith and Senator Walter F. George are among the eminent statesmen to deliver addresses. Distinguished citizens of Tifton have also served in this capacity.
The next project of the chapter was to plan for a monument. Contri- butions were solicited from County Commissioners and citizens of Tifton and the county. These generous contributions were encouraging and in April 1909 an order was placed with the McNeal Marble Company. The monument was constructed of Georgia and Italian marble at a cost of $2,000.00. Various methods of raising money to meet the payments were employed such as rummage sales, sales of home-made cakes and candies, ice cream festivals, oyster suppers, theatricals by home talent, and sponsoring of picture shows.
On Tuesday, April 26, 1910, the First Baptist Church was the scene for the program preceding the unveiling of the monument which was located at the intersection of Fourth Street and Love Avenue. The U.D.C. colors, red and white, were used to decorate the church. Briggs and Keith Carson, E. P. Bowen, John Greer and O. Lee Chesnutt were ushers. There was an escort of sixty-two veterans; there were also many visitors from adjoin- ing counties. The officers of the chapter occupied the rostrum :
President-Mrs. Charlotte Briggs Carson
First Vice-President-Mrs. Donnie Traylor Hudson
Second Vice-President-Mrs. Rowena Mcclendon Parker (Mrs. T. J.) Treasurer-Mrs. Ida Mae McCormick Johnson Secretary-Mrs. E. L. Overby
Historian-Mrs. Ella Pate Carson
Mrs. Oren Gatchell and Miss Carrie Fulwood
A choir composed of Mrs. J. J. Golden, Mrs. L. P. Greer, Mrs. Scar-
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borough, and Messrs. Davis, Beasley and Myers sang "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name." Mrs. C. B. Carson presided. W. W. Banks, son of a veteran and the mayor of Tifton, spoke in appreciation of the occasion. The orator of the day, Judge George Hillyer of Atlanta, was introduced by George E. Simpson. After the address, Mrs. Susie T. Moore delivered bronze crosses to eighteen veterans, paying a beautiful tribute to the Con- federate soldiers. The following veterans received crosses: O. L. Ches- nutt, G. M. Cannon, G. W. Guest, D. A. Fulwood, J. G. McRae, J. C. Sumner, W. A. Patton, W. H. Oliver, D. R. Willis, R. H. Swain, W. W. Webb, C. A. Williams, R. E. Wheeliss, R. H. Hutchinson, M. Dinsmore, B. C. Hutchinson, S. J. Glover, Robert Henderson, and crosses ordered for twelve others had failed to arrive. Exercises were continued at the monu- ment. A chorus of thirteen girls sang "The Sunny South" written by Julia Spalding of Atlanta. Each girl represented a seceding state: Gertrude Robinson, Arkansas; Nellie Timmons, South Carolina; Blanch Britt, North Carolina; Clara Bell Duff, Tennessee; Jacie Webb, Maryland ; Nel- lie Guest, Virginia ; Melona Scarborough, Alabama; Ada Padrick, Georgia ; Margurite O'Neal, Florida ; Augusta Skeen, Missouri; Jennie Soul, Texas ; Amelia Hargrett, Mississippi; Estelle Morgan, Louisiana. As Miss Carrie Fulwood pulled the cord that unveiled the monument music played by the band wafted to the breezes. Thus ended a momentous occasion in the history of the Charlotte Carson Chapter U.D.C.
The Charlotte Carson Chapter was the inspiration to the Confederate veterans of the county to organize a camp with the following officers:
Commander-C. A. Williams
First Lieutenant-S. A. Lipps
Secretary-C. F. Miller
Chaplain-W. W. Webb
Editor J. L. Herring was made an honorary member. There were about forty members of the camp which functioned for several years.
No opportunity is lost by the chapter to interest the youth in Southern history. In the spring of 1911 Captain E. V. White of Norfolk, Va., was visiting his niece, Mrs. Joseph Kent; the chapter arranged for him to ap- pear before the school and give an account of the battle between the Moni- tor and the Merrimac. He having been captain of the Merrimac gave a graphic and authentic description.
In the autumn of 1916 Miss Millie Rutherford gave her famous address on the Old South to a Tifton audience.
Almost every year the Tifton schools have entered the essay contest sponsored by the chapter. In 1909 the chapter furnished a scholarship to a Tift County girl. Liberal contributions have been made each year to the
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educational fund and to all other causes sponsored by the Georgia Divi- sion U.D.C.
In 1930 the graves of thirty veterans were marked. Mrs. Ella Pate Car- son was in charge of this project. Markers were placed for: J. B. Arring- ton, William D. Brady, J. J. Baker, J. T. Beverly, Sr., Solomon Mills Cottle, B. N. Bowen, James Harrison Ford, J. J. Fillyaw, Goodman Bryant, S. J. Glover, J. J. Goodman, F. L. Hall, Robert H. Hutchinson, Luda P. Jones, Benjamin F. Kennedy, Jack Lindsey, J. W. Mitchell, W. A. Nipper, William H. G. Oliver, Anthony Oliver, J. R. Patterson, W. A. Patton, J. F. Paul, Joseph Shirley, Robert H. Swain, G. W. Willis, Barney Willis, James J. Willis, Chesley A. Williams, J. G. Young. Later a marker was placed on the grave of B. P. Leach.
In 1937 Mr. B. P. Leach, the only surviving veteran of Tift County, invited the forty-fourth annual convention of the United Confederate Vet- erans to meet in Tifton October 13, 14, 15. The Charlotte Carson Chap- ter sponsored this event. The local staff consisted of Mrs. E. U. Holder, president ; Mrs. C. B. Holmes, Mrs. O. J. Woodard, Mrs. A. L. Bowden, Mrs. J. N. Mitchell, Mrs. Joseph Kent, and Mrs. W. L. Gaulding. The Civic Clubs and other organizations contributed toward making this one of the most delightful occasions ever brought to Tifton.
The following have served as presidents throughout the years: Mrs. Charlotte Briggs Carson, five years; Mrs. Ethel McCormick Hendry, (M. E.) four years; Mrs. Rosalie Marshall Mitchell (J. N.), sixteen years; Mrs. Elsberry Dana Kent (Joseph), six years; Mrs Sankie Chiles Holder (E. U.), seven years.
The officers recently elected are :
President-Mrs. J. N. Mitchell Vice-President-Mrs. E. U. Holder Secretary-Treasurer-Mrs. S. A. Martin Corresponding Secretary-Mrs. Joseph Kent Historian-Mrs. Ella Pate Carson Program Chairman-Mrs. W. L. Harman Registrar-Miss Verna Parker.
Active members Charlotte Carson Chapter U.D.C. 1946 and 1947: Mrs. J. N. Mitchell, Mrs. E. U. Holder, Mrs. S. A. Martin, Mrs. Ralph Johnson, Mrs. C. B. Holmes, Mrs. Briggs Carson, Mrs. T. E. Jolley, Mrs. John G. Padrick, Miss Lizzie Fulwood, Mrs. O. J. Woodward, Mrs. W. H. Underwood, Mrs. J. D. Cofer, Mrs. Willard Gaulding, Mrs. J. W. Miller, Mrs. Joseph Kent, Miss Verna Parker, Mrs. Harriet Good- man Harman, Mrs. Marietta Goodman Vickers, Mrs. R. W. Goodman, Mrs. A. L. Bowden, Mrs. Marion Holmes.
Deceased-Mrs. Charlotte Briggs Carson, Mrs. Leila De Laughter
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Gatchell (Oren), Mrs. Fannie Lee Thrasher Goggans, Mrs. Ethel John- son Puckett (W. A.), Mrs. Rowena Mclendon Parker (T. J.), Mrs. Leila Estill Hargrett (A. M.), Mrs. Eliza Chestnutt Britt (H. H.), Mrs. Meta Deering Fulwood (C. W.), Mrs. Abbie Clements Rousseau (J. L.), Miss Ava Virginia Baker, Mrs. Ethel McCormick Hendry (M. E.), Mrs. Elizabeth Turner Bowen (E. P.), Mrs. Bessie Willing- ham Tift (H. H.), Mrs. Belle Willingham Lawrence, Mrs. Grady Cun- ningham Short (T. H.), Mrs. Virginia Cunningham Pinkston (N. D.), Mrs. Beatrice Hunter Thurman (L. P.), Mrs. Willie Wade Spooner (W. H.), Mrs. Mae Dell Hendricks (W. H.), Mrs. Cora Tyson Hol- lingsworth.
Confederate Veterans of Tift County, May, 1910-William H. Oliver, M. McIntosh, M. Dinsmore, G. J. Glover, J. G. McRae, A. Johnson, W. W. Webb, B. H. Hutchinson, J. J. Baker, R. H. Swain, W. C. Price, W. A. Patten, T. C. Moore, J. S. Gaulding, W. B. Johns, G. A. Goff, G. W. Guest, S. P. Dubose, J. A. Whaley, J. B. McNeal, A. J. Pope, J. J. Tucker, B. N. Bowen, S. O'Quinn, D. R. Willis, T. M. Green, W. H. Oliver, N. C. Greer, Joel Corley, G. W. Willis, W. H. Partridge.
TIFT COUNTY WELFARE DEPARTMENT Cassie E. Goff
During the year 1932, there was wide-spread unemployment in Tift County as well as over all of the country. Surpluses were stacked up in warehouses and stock piles while the people who helped to produce them suffered because they had nothing with which to get back these products. It was a problem of national scope.
The County Commissioners, headed by N. L. Coarsey, chairman, and the City Manager George Coleman, accepted a plan to borrow funds from the Reconstruction Finance Corporation through the Georgia Relief Com- mission for the purpose of employing those in need of work. They appoint- ed a county administrator and a projects engineer. The plan proved totally inadequate. At this point the Federal Government came into the picture. Work relief passed over to Civil Works Administration.
Cassie Goff, the same administrator, was appointed and she became the executive head of operations for the Civil Works Administration in the county. The administrator, a board of five men serving in an advisory capacity, and a staff of from fifteen to twenty assistants, comprised the county department.
Within three months after the work program was instituted, over one thousand unemployed had registered, but the peak of the load of those working at one time was close to five hundred.
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Under the Civil Works Administration, those accepted for work relief were paid a minimum of forty cents per hour. The men worked on projects which were beneficial to the general public. In Tift County, drainage for the prevention of malaria was carried on under the supervision of a health engineer. Stumping and clearing land on property of the Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station and Abraham Baldwin College were done on an extensive scale.
The work program changed over to the Georgia Emergency Relief Administration in 1934, under which administration it was possible to pay for relief in almost every field of human need, Conditions were such that emergency measures were justified and the administrator was author- ized to meet drastic needs.
Under this program work was allocated up to the number of hours required by a man to earn his budgetary needs.
In 1935 the activity passed to the Works Progress Administration, with the emphasis again on work relief throughout the Works Projects Adminis- tration, which ended in 1937.
Under the Federal Surplus Commodity Corporation, surpluses were taken off a glutted market and turned over to the welfare department to be distributed to those whose need had been established. Thus, they did not compete with private markets, relieved an overload, and enabled the person without sufficient funds to have better food. This program was carried over into the County Welfare Department as was the Civilian Conservation Corps, where unemployed young men were enlisted in work camps for training and conservation of natural resources.
The Tift County Department of Public Welfare, in its present form, was established under the Reorganization Act of 1937, a Georgia law which set up a welfare department under the jurisdiction of the State De- partment of Public Welfare in each county. Under this law, a county wel- fare board of five members, headed by Chairman, Sam Lassiter, was ap- pointed by the State Director of Public Welfare. The executive head of the county department was known as the county director. Cassie E. Goff, who had administrated all of the previous assistance programs, was ap- pointed by the county board, approved by the State Director.
The plan of operations for the County Welfare Department was de- signed to meet approval of the Social Security Board, and the provisions of the act enabled state residents to receive benefits provided under certain State and Federal laws.
When the State Welfare Department was set up in 1937, relief giving was segregated into categories. The Tift County Department of Public Welfare was conscious of the variety of its community problems. Every effort was sustained to keep the administration well rounded and develop all resources to meet varying needs.
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The number applying for assistance far exceeded the expectancy. County offices were deluged with old age assistance applications. In Tift County, a sole director was provided on the staff by the state plan, and often she spent the entire day taking applications, with still at night a waiting line which she had been unable to interview. Before the applications could be approved, a field investigation had to be completed. A brief, recording all documentary evidence used in setting up eligibility, was filed and the case given to the Board for its decision. With registration reaching one hundred per month, the office was almost deadlocked at first. After the director's day was taken up with applications, there was little time left for completing claims. Soon the Tift County authorities saw the wisdom of employing additions to the staff.
Probably the major activity of the Welfare Department during its first years was to administer old age assistance. Because it required a minimum age limit in order to qualify, many people over sixty-five confused it with an old age pension. Disappointment was expressed when people of sixty- five years of age learned that the plan was not designed for those whose living needs were met from some other source. Indeed, many people re- fused to accept the grant when they learned that liens were taken on their property. This practice was early discontinued and the interpretation of need has grown more liberal as the years have passed.
The Tift County Department granted full need based on a minimum standard, from the beginning of the program in 1937 until May 1939 when lack of funds forced a cut. In 1946, it was again possible to raise grants to 85% of the standard, but limit of funds allocated to the county held down the total number of those receiving assistance.
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