Google+ Georgia On My Mind: October 2007

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

I'm Just a Little Late for the Celebration

Those loud shouts you heard from the western quandrant of Georgia this past Saturday afternoon came from my son and husband as they watched the Georgia-Florida game.

Such excitement!

Even though I’m an educator and I’m supposed to “follow the rules” I greatly admire Coach Richt’s strategy regarding the celebration which the blog, Welcome to Terminus states “Watch this 100 times…it will not get old.”

No, it doesn’t get old.

There’s been many things written and said….Georgia Sports Blog has something here,
a little more here with some links, and even a little more on the celebration thing.

Coach Richt is bombarded with messages to win, win, and win. I’m bombarded with messages to score high, score high, score high. Coach Richt just did what every educator knows has to be done from time to time…..you have to get out of the box….you have to deviate from the norm…you have to take a risk to motivate. Later, Coach Richt admitted he didn’t really intend for such a gregarious celebration. Many times that occurs in the classroom as well. You give a direction and sometimes unintended things happen. I’m sure if he ever does that again he will word his directions a bit more carefully

There has been some criticism…there may be some copycats in the future, however, there wasn’t a single person harmed by the celebration. No one is going to be maimed for life, and life will continue on as before.

It was a wonderful exciting moment of a team living in the moment.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Blogroll Additions

Due to many new Georgia Carnival participants either through submissions or through Rusty's great job as host I have many new Georgia bloggers to add to the blogroll here at Georgia On My Mind.

These are just a few. I will be adding more later this week. As always if you are a Georgia blogger I can link to you here, and your submissions to the Georgia Carnival are always a welcome addition.

Pecanne Log-simply said at the site….ladyblogging Atlanta

Welcome to Terminus-An Atlanta Blog-First of all this site has a great name based on its location…Atlanta. Terminus was the an early name for Georgia’s capital city because the railroad line ended there. Welcome to Terminus has interesting news, sports, and things to do in Atlanta

The Augustan-Think Augusta and mix in local, state, and national politics

Softly and Tenderly-need prayer?

A SAHM Journal-Candace stays at home with Anna and writes about their adventures

Hot Flash Report-a blog based in Georgia regarding opinions concerning the wrongs of the Right

Albatross!-a blog written by a self-proclaimed self-taught left-leaning expert on everything

Patchwork Reflections-a patchwork of observations, musings, and reflections from Ellijay

R. Scott Davis, Psy D.–great posts from a licensed clinical psychologist

Miami Phillips...Finding Happiness Now-posts regarding getting the most from relationships and your business life

DuaneMoody.com-an entertaining blog that’s really more than just a blog

A Cup of Coffey-a dazzling act of blogging ventriloquism

Grabbing Sand-a great blog containing views on many different subjects…during the last Georgia Carnival readers were given appropriate telephone numbers to report water violations…a much needed act of citizenry these days.

ExtraFace-lots of great bloggy/techno topics and just looking at all of the things Dave has been involved in makes me tired. Go Dave!

BGB.Com-writer, artist, musician, mathematician, e-media hotshot, blasphemous hater are descriptors this blogger uses to describe himself. He’s got the power….now what?

Saturday, October 27, 2007

How Good Are You With Georgia Facts and Trivia?

There are quite a few online quizzes regarding Georgia facts and trivia. I'll admit some of the questions on the quiz linked to below are quite obscure bits of knowledge, but I'll guarantee you'll learn at least one new thing and that makes it worthwhile. I earned an 80 when I took it. If you dare click through and take the quiz and come back to leave your score in the comments.

Play Quiz: The Peach State now!

Friday, October 26, 2007

Georgia Carnival: Edition 21

The 21st Georgia Carnival is now open for your enjoyment over at Radical Georgia Moderate.

Rusty has done a most excellent job of putting together a wonderful panorama of Georgia postings including a large section on our water woes, politics, education, books, and so much more.

Thanks for hosting, Rusty! Take a much deserved rest.

Find the carnival here.

The next edition of the Georgia Carnival will be found here at Georgia On My Mind on November 9th. Submissions can be sent directly to gamind@mail.com.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

The 10-20-30 Virus

Pastor Bill over at Provocative Church tagged me with the 10-20-30 virus. If I have to have a virus this is the kind I’d want. The whole point is to write about where you were in your life 10 years ago, 20 years ago, and 30 years ago.

30 years ago: The year was 1977. I was a tenth grader making the change from public school….Lakeshore High School in College Park to private school….Woodward Academy. I loved my old school, but loved my new one even more. Friday and Saturday nights found me making the ever slow trek up and down Old National Highway where all the high school kids on the southside hung out to see and be seen. The Krystal and Steak and Shake parking lots were particular hot spots for some reason. This was also the year I finally gave in to join my church (First Baptist Church of Red Oak) and be baptized. “Gave in” is the right phrase because I had been ready for years, but simply wouldn’t submit to that walk down to the preacher. Rev. Larry Stewart was so relieved when I finally made that walk. He said his list had finally gotten shorter. It was also the year that I first laid eyes on my husband. He worked for my father and though it took him some time to realize I was “the one” I knew it in an instant. We have been married 23 years.

20 years ago: The year was 1987. I had been married for three years and was busy being the mother of an even more busy two year old boy. I was working as a paralegal for a lawfirm in Marietta, and hubby and I had just bought a new home west of Atlanta. We are still there. This was also the year I had to face what many children do in the United States though they are often at much younger ages. At the age of 25 I found myself a child of divorce. It’s never easy no matter how old you are.

10 years ago: The year was 1997. I was a busy mom of a twelve year old boy and a four year old girl. I was a work-from-home mom, a room mother, and PTA queen. I also travelled around to local courthouses doing freelance background checks and title exams for various clients by day, and by night I was immersed in the teacher candidate program for middle grades education at Mercer University. I finally started teaching during the 98-99 school year.

In order to get the virus totally out of my system I have to tag five other people, and I have decided to stick to Georgia folks. I’m interested in learning more about Chicken Fat, The Aging Hipster, Button Gwinnett over at Liberal Lucidity, Doug over at Considerettes, and SpaceyG at The Spacey Gracey Review.

I have emailed these folks with notification they have been infected. :)

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Carnival Reminder...

Isn’t the new look here at Georgia On My Mind great!

Many, many thanks to a wonderful Georgia blogger, Susie at Bluebird Blogs, who designed my new look here and over at History Is Elementary. It’s absolutely the best “teacher gift” I’ve ever received.

The next Georgia Blog Carnival will be posted sometime Friday, October 26th over at Radical Georgia Moderate.

You can submit a post from another blog you think is interesting, timely, or exceptional in some way, or submit one of your own.

Posts can be sent to gamind@mail.com or use the handy submission form. Submissions are due October 25th by 6:00 p.m.

Thanks for supporting the Georgia Carnival. It's a great way to advertise your blog!

Please accept my many thanks to those of you who mentioned the last carnival at your site. This helps readers inside and outside the state of Georgia to find YOUR blog to read and enjoy.

Let me know if you would like to host the carnival at some point at your site.

Mind the teacher now…and get those submissions in!

Monday, October 22, 2007

Georgia's Ancient Inhabitants

When most of us think upon the original inhabitants of Georgia we think about the Cherokees, Creeks, the Chickasaws, and the Choctaw civilizations, but the archeological record points to civilizations that thrived before the tribes we are most familiar with. In fact, Native Americans have lived on Georgia soil for more than 12,000 years including the Hopewell and Adena cultures.

Ocmulgee isn’t just a name for a Georgia river, and it is much more than an Indian word meaning “where they sat down”. The word represents a prehistoric Indian town near what is today Macon, Georgia that represents the Mississippian culture or the Moundbuilders. The Mississippian culture receives its name from the fact that so many of its towns and villages were located through the Mississippi River Valley.

The Ocmulgee site contains at least seven mounds including the earth lodge I pictured above. These mounds were not built all at once but over several hundred years. Many of the Georgia settlements of the Mississippian culture were located in flood plains where the rich soil provided corn, beans, and squash. The technological advent of crop rotation helped to lead to a food surplus leaving natives to explore the establishment of permanent towns. Later a system of trade was established from village to village using various waterways to travel.

Art and religion also became more and more elaborate. Most towns were built around a ceremonial square or plaza surrounded by flat-topped mounds contained dwellings for priests and other officials. The more common citizens lived in earth lodges and your place in society was determined by how close your lodge was to the ceremonial plaza.

Prior to any European stepping foot on Georgia soil the Mississippian Culture began to decline and the remnants helped to give birth to those tribes Georgians are more familiar today

The National Park Service’s site for Ocmulgee is a great resource for learning on your own and there is a detailed history here at the Lost Worlds website.

Etowah Mounds, located in Cartersville, is also a great state park to visit to learn more about the Mississippian Culture. Park officials at Etowah Mounds boast having the most intact example of Mississippian culture. The park’s website is located here.

Friday, October 19, 2007

More Blogroll Additions

The following sites have been added to the blogroll here at Georgia On My Mind:

Holy shit! We're Getting Hitched is the journal of a tall Midwestern girl working for progressive politics in our red state, and she’s wanting to remember every detail during the year leading up to her marriage. Join her journey.

I found Paw Paw Bill via SpaceyG's site and it’s a wonderful find. Entertaining, thought provoking in that his thoughts often remind me of another time growing up in Georgia, and I can’t wait to go back and read some more.

Georgia Tech Sports Blog is a group blog covering….What else? Georgia Tech Sports!

Where Do We Go From Here? This blog author muses about sports and some thoughts on family and politics and occaisionally refers to his business blog Event Streams, also being added to the Georgia blogroll today. Event Streams enhances business communications through video on the web.

Public Journalism Network is a virtual global network of journalist, educators, and lay people interested in exploring and strengthening the relationship between journalism and democracy.

A Few Good Pens---this is a great read on all sorts of topics from an IT person and historical studies major. Oakland Cemetary has been on the mind of several Georgia bloggers lately including the author of A Few Good Pens. Check out the recent snapshots made at Atlanta’s cemetery.

Do you know of some great blogs I’m missing? Feel free to email me their URL.

Don’t forget the Georgia Carnival…The current edition can be seen here

The next edition will post next Friday, October 26th over at Radical Georgia Moderate.

Forward your submissions to gamind@mail.com or use the handy submission form!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Pray For Rain!


Friday, October 12, 2007

Georgia Carnival: Edition 20

Welcome to the 20th edition of the Georgia Carnival. Please support these fine Georgia bloggers by letting them know you have visited them with a comment. Your continued support with your links and shout-outs at your site helps to alert others to what we Georgia bloggers have to offer.

The next carnival will be hosted over at
Radical Georgia Moderate two weeks from today.

If you would like to host the carnival at your site e-mail me to set up a date. It’s a great way to put your own personal spin on the carnival. The last edition of the Georgia carnival can be found
here, and the carnival archives are found here.

Now… on to the highlights of Georgia blogging during the past two weeks:

Children and Education

Have you been around any teens lately? Momnesia has, and she wants to know who these kids are.

Autism….everyone has a different idea regarding what it means. The Principal’s Office discovered an entirely new use for the word autistic. I’m Not Hannah expresses frustration at Jenny McCarthy and other celeb mom’s dealing with austism and discusses Apergers. Can it be a synonym for Autism?

Best Practices in Education wants to know if you’ve heard about Georgia’s School Voucher program. Well, the Sky Hasn't Fallen.....Yet.

A Typical Joe takes a look at the abstinence versus “frank conversation” issue. Joe states Damnable Hypocrites Doom Our Youth with yet another abstinence campaign.

Politics and the Issues

Georgia Politics Unfilitered is excited because Hillary Clinton will be in Atlanta TODAY while JasonPye.com explores Hillary, the Neo-con. A Typical Joe advises Hillary's No Polarizer.

Did you know Presidential candidate Bill Richardson was in Georgia October 5th? I didn’t, but Shelbinator did. This is further proof that our Georgia blogs are doing a great job in covering local events and news. Shelbinator shares Bill Richardson Brings Mi Familia to Georgia. It seems Richardson was a bit lonely at The Varsity.

We all should realize when people read something we wrote or overhear something we said we actually inspire others to discuss or write their own take on things. Discourse….it is a wonderful thing. I’m sure that when Presidential candidate John McCain discussed America and its moniker as a “Christian nation” he did not realize the roads some bloggers might travel down in response. Another History Blog provides more background regarding “claptrap” and “bunk” for us with Another Word for Claptrap.

Yes, there is some debate regarding the “Christian nation” status. Here’s the next question …Christian Warriors? Do they still exisit? Special Kind of Stupid thinks so.

Should the Bible Be Taught as Literature? Got Bible asks the question.

More on the mortage crisis….Red Clay Commerce educates us regarding Full Disclosure at WAMU.

S-CHIP has been a major issue in the news lately and Organize the South, a new link on the blogroll here at Georgia On My Mind, sent a letter to Phil Gingrey about overriding the veto. After receiving a response, here is a conclusion drawn by the blog author, Organizer Dan.

Georgia Politics Unfiltered provides the scoop regarding Saxby Chambliss and his take on S-CHIP in Peachcare Vote Continues to Dog Chambliss

Diversions

When is the last time you visited The Wren’s Nest? I believe I was around nine or ten. Apparently it isn’t just for children anymore. Not only do they have after hours events with dancing they have also advanced into the world of blogging. Enjoy this blog entry titled Err, Of Course We Didn't Forget.

Grasping for the Wind always provides the most interesting reads. Recently he advised Covenant College has published an anthology of their literary magazine going back some thirty years. Wow, the best of…..

It was Shakespeare that said “all the world’s a stage”, however it took Provocative Church to connect the world stage to Facebook and the Constantly Evolving Narrative. This is a GREAT post. Here’s a smidge….”Why did Facebook become so popular? Facebook became popular because it provided a stage. Each of our lives is a narrative. We are desirous to not only open and share that narrative to others, but we like to voyeuristically peek into the windows of one another’s lives.”

The second issue of Moonshine is available for your pleasure. It includes a spicey new story from Jasmine Rizer and inspirational poetry from Brenda L Bouché Basham. Katie Bunschoten explores the work of Kentucky Batik artist, Kay Knigga, while Drék Davis chats up a Georgia arts educator. Amber Moore finds some lush and cozy fashions by Alabama artists and explores inspirational getaways. Check in with studio views from artists, a Short Girl comix, and more. Work from the new Southerncreativity gallery (@ Flickr), art annoucements & calls for entries, and a video interview with Rene Shoemaker (part of a creativity series). Are you a creative writer or artist? The editors of Moonshine are still looking for more great talent. Drop Robin a line at robinart.com@gmail.com if interested.

Speaking of writing…..Traveling Stories Magazine is sponsoring a new writing contest. The winner receives $125!

Our next carnival host, Rusty, is also heavily involved with Georgia Podcast Network. Ever wonder what Atlanta was like in the 70s? Click through and you’ll hear all about it as Rusty and photographer, Boyd Lewis, discuss Atlanta and several other topics. Mr. Lewis is currently featured in an exhibit at Mason Murer Fine Art. The interview seemed to touch a nerve with some people, including a commenter on SpaceyG's blog.

Ashes and Glass provided us with a view of Oakland Cemetery in the last edition of the carnival. Here are some of her pictures.... I’m so glad she got so many of the trees and plants. Sara Salmongirl’s original submission prompted me to go ahead and write about Oakland. I had been meaning to for a long time. You might have missed it. Check out my take on Oakland Cemetery in Living Among the Dead.

Many thanks to Sherry for submitting a post from Where Do We Go From Here regarding the recent two day event in Atlanta for breast cancer awareness.

Satellite TV….don’t you just love it? Satellite TV Guru provides How to Get Better Reception and How to Watch Satellite TV Online.

Every Wednesday over at History Is Elementary I post some sort of historical image and ask readers to identify it. For the last two weeks our own GriftDrift has received the gold star for correctly identifying the image and how I will relate the image to my explanation post. Here is my explantion regarding an image of the Alhambra in Spain to American history and literature called Washington Slept Here. GriftDrift was dead-on with his answer.

The next edition of the carnival will be found at Radical Georgia Moderate on October 26th. Posts can be sent to gamind@mail.com or use the handy submission form. Submissions are due October 25th by 6:00 p.m.

Thanks for your continued support of the Georgia Carnival!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Submission Reminder....

The next Georgia Blog Carnival will be posted sometime tomorrow right here at Georgia On My Mind.

You can submit a post from another blog you think is interesting, timely, or exceptional in some way, or submit one of your own.

I’ve extended the submission deadline until tomorrow at 12 noon. Use the carnival submission form or send the permalink to gamind@mail.com.

Thanks for supporting the Georgia Carnival. It's a great way to advertise your blog!

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Living Among the Dead

Oakland Cemetery---one of the quietest spots in downtown Atlanta yet full of living people during waking hours. During non-waking hours, well, who knows......

Six acres was set aside in 1850 for a quiet resting place for Atlantans known then as City Burial Place. Today the cemetery consists of 88 acres, and it is estimated over 70,000 people have been buried there. It is considered to be one of Atlanta’s largest greenspace areas, and green it is. In keeping with the characteristics of a Victorian cemetery the original citizens who owned plots and regularly visited deceased family members took great care to contruct a beautiful garden setting that is maintained today mainly by volunteer efforts.

The original six acres is very important to the city because it is the one spot in Atlanta that basically has not changed since the city burned in 1864.

This past Sunday Oakland held one of its annual events---a Victorian Street Festival. The festival is a fitting activity for Oakland because during the Victorian Era cemeteries were looked on as places that should be enjoyed by the living.

People used to take carriage rides and picnic among the gravestones and mausoleums and walk among the fancy ironwork fences so popular in Victorian Era cemeteries. However, you won’t find the ironwork at Oakland even though at one time there was quite a bit. It seems that during World War I, in a show of patriotism, the city of Atlanta removed all of the ironwork and donated it for the war effort.

Today people still visit for picnics, photography opportunities, and maybe even a game of Frisbee in Potter’s Field where there are no headstones to trip you up.

Looking at the layout of the cemetery it is easy to formulate facts and opinions regarding the evolution of Atlanta’s social history. There are distinct Caucasion, Jewish, and African American sections.

The Jewish section has been added onto like some of the other sections over the years and each section has its own little tale to tell. One part of the Jewish section dates from a time when Atlanta had a high number of Jewish immigrants. Due to their circumstances in their original country they wanted to preserve each inch of the land they could so this is why today you will find a part of the Jewish section with no walkways. The headstones are so close together there is simply no room to walk.

Another section, Potter’s Field, possible contains the remains of more than 17,000 people. Traditionally with a name like Potter’s Field you would expect to have only indigent people buried there. However, once all the lots were gone Atlantans still wanted to be buried at Oakland, and were willing to go to an unmarked grave by choice simply to have the privilege of resting within its confines.

The Confederate Section contains over 7,000 soldiers----3,000 of them are unknown and are guarded by the "Lion of Atlanta" marker. Seven members of Andrew’s Raiders made famous due to the Great Locamotive Chase rested for a time at Oakland, but were eventually removed to National Cemetary in Chattanooga Tennessee. During the Battle of Atlanta John B. Hood actually stood on one of the high hills within Oakland’s walls and observed the battle on July 22, 1864.

One section is titled Knit Mill simply because a hosiery factory was built nearby.

Oakland is known for having some of the most unique markers and mausoleum of any cemetery in the United States. The marker for one Jasper Newton Smith is particularly unique in that it contains a life size statue of Mr. Smith. During his life Mr. Smith was a real estate investor. Have you ever been to the Peachtree MARTA station? Go to the Carnegie Way entrace and look for a cornerstone. The cornerstone is from one of the buildings Mr. Smith owned. He had directed that the cornerstone never be removed from the spot. It wasn’t even though the building known as “The House that Jack Built” was finally taken down.

The mausoleum that contains Alfred Austell, founder of the Atlanta National Bank, is known today for the expense incurred in the 1880s compared to today……One source stated the structure cost $90,000 originally while this book stated it was $16,000. Either way that is a large sum of money for the 1880s. The first source stated the structure would cost around $3 million today.

The only mausoleum found in the African American section belongs to Antoine Graves.
One of the most amazing things about Oakland is that there have been recent burials there even though the last available plot was sold in 1884. It would seem many Atlanta families have held onto their prime real estate for quiet some time. The city also retained some ownership of various plots and occaisionally allows someone to be buried at Oakland. Maynard Jackson, former mayor of Atlanta, was one of those exceptions. He is actually buried within the original six acres which is quite a testament to how Atlanta has evolved with regards to race relations. Mayor Jackson is not the only mayor interred at Oakland. He joins 23 other mayors of Atlanta and 6 different state governors.

Find out more about Oakland Cemetery here, and discover other famous Georgians who are buried there.

Monday, October 8, 2007

If It's Monday.....

The following sites have been added to the blogroll here at Georgia On My Mind:

All we need is a little organization….the tagline at Organize the South states organize the South (of the US) and we will be free. This blog is about community organizing efforts in the South with particular attention to Georgia political issues. Recent posts have been on Jena 6, Rep. Richardson’s tax idea, and a letter to Phil Gingrey regarding SCHIP.

The Wrens Nest Blog---I was so happy to find out the Wren’s Nest has a blog. Bookmark this site to keep up with the all the happenings at the hope of Joel Chandler Harris and a little bit extra as well.

CinemATL Magzine is an online publication dedicated to shining a light on the Atlanta film scene, supporting its filmmakers and creating an outlet for the Atlanta and southeastern film community to get some exposure.

Allied---a personal blog for a profession writer of white papers and lots of other things.

KateBroun.com---a great personal journal of a wife, mother, and employee of Turner Broadcasting

Alpharetta News Blog---just as it says…up to the minute news and headlines

Don’t forget the Georgia Carnival…The current edition can be seen here.

The next edition will post this Friday, October 12th here at Georgia On My Mind.
Forward your submissions to gamind@mail.com or use the handy submission form!

Social Media Conference at UGA

I receive at least one email per week notifying me about different events going on along with an invitation to share with readers. Because of my hectic schedule I miss these opportunities because by the time I open the email the deadline or date has passed. I’ll try to do better in the future. :)

I’m glad I caught this one….

Maria Peagler of the Quilts and Creativity blog wrote to advise the University of Georgia will be hosting a conference on October 19th and 20th regarding public relations and the whole social media phenomenon.

The registration deadline is Friday, October 12th.

The website with further details can be found here.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Honor the New Heroes, However Keep the Old

After reading one of Jim Wooten’s columns this week (hat tip:Grift Drift) I was reminded of a little song we used to sing at school in rounds. It was also one of the first little tunes I managed to peck out on our piano. The most recognizable verse goes like this:

Make new friends,
But keep the old.
One is silver,
And the other gold.

The tune along with many other verses can be found here.

In his column, Mr. Wooten calls for the General Assembly to redesignate the story behind the naming of Thomas County to honor U.S.Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The first point Wooten brings up is that even though Justice Thomas is from Pinpoint, Georgia, it would be “far too complicated to rename [Chatham County] due to deeds, contracts, etc.” I do agree with Mr. Wooten on that point, and it’s one reason why I firmly believe our counties should never suffer under a name change, but it’s not my only reason.

Chatham County is not named for any heroic Georgian, but it is one of the original counties of Georgia having been created on February 5, 1777. The name actually stems from the Earl of Chatham who was William Pitt, the Elder. He was British and never came to the colonies but had the distinction of serving as the British Secretary of State during the Seven Years War which you might recognize better if I refer to it as the French and Indian War. Later, Pitt was the Prime Minister of Britian. Pitt has been honored numerous times with place names including the city of Pittsburgh.

So why is it appropriate for an original county of Georgia to be named for a British governmental leader? While it is true that in 1777 the American colonies were involved in acts of rebellion against Great Britain you have to put Georgia in context to the times. Georgia was the youngest colony only having been founded in 1733. Georgia’s body of citizens was heavily infiltrated with people very loyal to the crown. It makes sense they honored British leaders with such a memorial.

Getting back to Thomas County, Mr. Wooten was indeed correct when he stated the county was named for a War of 1812 general named Jett Thomas though some sources say his rank was captain. He was originally born in Virgina in the year 1776, but later moved with his parents to Oglethorpe County, Georgia. He wasn’t really “just” another soldier. He served in the First Brigade of the Georgia Militia, and led the Baldwin Voluntary Artillery Company from Milledgeville under Brigadier General John Floyd.

During the war of 1812 Georgia soldiers served on two fronts. Georgia militia members were dispatched to the southern border with Spanish Florida (they were allies of the British) and the border with the territory of the Creek nation to the west. General Thomas was assigned to the western frontier in an offshoot action of the War of 1812 due to turmoil within the Creek nation. History remembers the conflict as the Creek Civil War, The Red Stick War, and simply the Creek War.

General Jett Thomas distinguished himself at the battles of Autosse and Calabee. The website for Fort Mitchell advises General Thomas was an artillery commander and was left in charge by Brigidier General Floyd to oversee construction of the fort. Later in life Thomas would construct the first building for the University of Georgia (Old College) and the state capitol at Milledgeville.

Autosse was the name of a Creek town, and in November, 1813, it was destroyed along with a second village that was close by. The village of Autosse became interesting to Floyd when he heard the rumor that the great Creek leader, Peter McQueen, along with many of his men was there.

Autosse is notable for two reasons. Floyd’s mission was to destroy all Creek towns and crops along the Chattahoochee and its environs. Floyd had great success at Autosse even though many remember the fighting there to be extremely fierce.

Later, when 1300 Creeks attempted a surprise attack at Calabee Creek the artillery fire led by Captain Jett Thomas was very instrumental in the American victory there. You can read about the night attack at Calabee Creek for futher understanding.

The second reason why Autosse was important was following their defeat many of the Creek survivors made their way along to Horseshoe Bend where the Creek forces were entirely defeated for all time by Andrew Jackson, and the Creeks were forced to sign The Treaty of Fort Jackson which ceded over 23 million acreas to Georgia and what would one day be Alabama.

Mr. Wooten states in his column that besides Jett Thomas “thousands of Georgians had similar accomplishments [to Jett Thomas].” Yes, he’s very correct. I’m sure that if Georgia history was researched with a fine tooth comb we might very well be able to locate many others who should also have memorials.

I also agree with Wooten and his assessment of Justice Thomas as he describes the judge as “a Georgian of national prominence…” Yes, his prominence should be noted in some way.

Where Mr. Wooten and I part company is the notion that we need to do away with old memorials simply out of ignorance or indifference to our past. To honor our heroes today by wiping out our past heroes and their accomplishments we are in essence erasing our history…the good and the bad. Both sides of history have an important place and I trust the bodies of the General Assembly that found them in a position to name our many, many counties. I trust their reasoning behind the memorializing of certain individuals.

By learning more about the stories behind the county names we learn many things about our state and the journey she has taken through the years. I don’t think it will ever be appropriate to rename a Georgia county for a more contemporary hero.

There are plenty of ways to honor our new heroes without compromising those of the past whether we still consider them a hero or not.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Blogroll Additions

The following sites have been added to the blogroll here at Georgia On My Mind:

Thoughtmarker---this site is the result of the author’s addition to art shows, concerts, and the internet.

Kiss Atlanta---music, music, music and events

Hope of Georgia---Homeowners Opposing Power-Line Encroachment

Think About It That’s what the author of this blog wants us to do….Think about it! The author states [the blog] is his feeble effort to counteract the dumbing down of America, brought on by a number of reasons; chief among which is an insidious invention we know as television. Don’t come back here unless you are willing to use your brain for something other than a parking lot for the images and colloquy visited upon you by the electric intruder. Recent posts include the Georgia and Federal debt as well as the gold standard.

The Barkan Dawg---A boy from the swamps of Jersey who got out to become a Redneck in Atlanta

First Light---thoughts on a networked economy

She's a Betty---a blog for women focusing on vintage and DIY fashion, Indie, and budget style

Braves Journal---the title should say it all…..

Quilts and Creativity---a blog by award-winning author and quilt artist Maria Peagler. Her blog serves as her online studio and classroom.
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