Finally! I've Written a Book!

I've written and published a book!

Of course, that was my intention when I began writing online way back in 2006 while I was still in the classroom, but the book I've published isn't exactly the book I had planned.

The planned project - a teaching memoir - will still be published along with a few other projects, but this book feel into my lap along the way, and it needed to be done.

History education is my prime focus along with writing curriculum. Over the last couple of years I've written some college courses used by teacher candidates at Johns Hopkins University School of Education, and I have some other curriculum ideas up my sleeve, but local history has taken a front-burner position over the last year.

I've been researching and writing the local history of Douglas County for the past four years, and have had a weekly column with the Douglas County Sentinel for a year and half.

I've been a longtime fan of the Images of America series of books from Arcadia Publishing. Several towns in Georgia are included, but my town of Douglasville was missing.

When Arcadia contacted me last year, there was no other alternative than to sign the contract and get busy. The book was released July 14th, and I'm very proud of it.

The book contains 200 vintage images depicting the history of Douglasville, Georgia with some dating back to the 1870s and covering the next one hundred years.

As far as a southern town goes, Douglasville is a bit unique as it IS the quintessential New South town having been birthed in 1875 during Reconstruction.

You can see a Google preview of the book HERE, and you can purchase it via Amazon HERE.

Looking at the Past Through Present Eyes

Recently I read something that said Douglasville, Georgia is “known for nothing.”

Considering I’ve spent the last few years of my life learning the fascinating history of my little area of the state saying that Douglasville is known for “nothing” riles me up a bit.

Case in point……the summer of ’68.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated in April…..followed by hundreds of riots across the United States.  Dr. King’s contemporaries with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference decided that they would go ahead with Dr. King’s planned Poor People’s Campaign….an effort to bring attention to the nation’s poor. 

This was not a movement focused just on black Americans.  Dr. King intended…..the SCLC’s leadership intended for the movement to focus on all ethnic groups.

Different caravans representing the nation’s poor would converge on Washington D.C.  A camp “city” was set up along the Mall called Resurrection City.

The main caravan headed to Washington D.C. would be the Mule Train out of Marks, Mississippi.  The caravan of wagons crossed Mississippi, Alabama and finally entered Georgia mid-June.

They were met at the Georgia state line by Georgia State Patrol officers who had been ordered by Governor Lester Maddox to serve as the Mule Train’s escort until they crossed the state.

Was there some effort on the Governor’s part to intimidate or harass the folks participating in the Mule Train?

I don’t doubt it.

Was there some effort on the Governor’s part to attempt to keep everyone safe…..those participating with the Mule Train and those citizens who came in contact with the trek across Georgia?

Given the tense times that summer….I don’t doubt it.

The Mule Train had left Marks, Mississippi on May 13th. While folks were still reeling from Dr. King's death and the subsequent riots, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated on June 5th, a few days before the Mule Train reached Douglasville.

I’ve written about the standoff between Mule Train leaders, the Governor, the State Patrol and the Sheriff of Douglas County here along with a news story and a few pictures that appeared in the Douglas Sentinel.

A week later after things had calmed down and the mules had gone on their clip-cloppy way the editor of the Douglas Sentinel published an editorial. 

I’m reproducing the editorial here in italics with my thoughts interspersed in regular type. 

The incident in Douglasville last week involving the so called “poor people’s” mule train to Washington D.C., and area law enforcement authorities is the latest example of how publicity-hungry the leaders of the flagging civil rights movement are becoming.

Even the normally liberal Atlanta Constitution condemned the incident, saying the marchers “have an ‘incident’ which is earning them publicity, and they are milking it for all its worth.”

After researching the Poor People’s Campaign as I did I believe Dr. King had a valid point in attempting to call attention to the nation’s poor. President Johnson’s “War on Poverty” had all but stalled by 1968 due to the Vietnam War. The history teacher reason for this is that you can’t fight two wars at the same time.

The Sentinel editorial continues….

The whole thing began when the marchers refused to take another, safer route into Atlanta, and demanded to travel Interstate 20, a high-speed expressway. The Georgia State Patrol offered to escort the 13-wagon train via any other route but apparently the so-called “poor people” were determined to violate the law and draw what they hoped would be unfavorable publicity to Douglasville and Georgia. Evidently, they also hoped to revive the now ineffective campaign in Washington D.C.

What would happen if I decided to take a mule driven wagon to Atlanta today….down Interstate 20? 

I’d be stopped and charged with a misdemeanor for sure.

It’s against the law now….it was against the law then.  

While Governor Maddox did have his issues with Civil Rights during the 1960s and 70s, I don’t think he was being nitpicky about detaining the Mule Train. He had a legitimate problem since it WAS against the law. The Mule Train could have continued down Highway 78 to Atlanta, but were adamant about taking the Interstate.

Was it just about needing a shorter route?   Or……did Willie Bolden and other SCLC leaders realize this episode could result in further media attention to shed light on the Poor People’s Campaign?

By the time the Mule Train reached Douglasville the efforts at Resurrection City along the Mall in Washington D.C. were falling apart. It had rained for days….the “city” had become a muddy mess literally and figuratively. Things weren't going well.

The editorial continues….

Willie Bolden, an official of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was the main ramrod in last Friday’s defiance. But, he skipped out of town so as not to be arrested and became the “official spokesman” for the group. Bolden appeared back in town late Friday afternoon and mumbled a few ridiculous sentences about Douglas County being a “very, very poor county.”

His assistant, Andrew Marrisett attempted to dish out the usual propaganda about a moral right to disobey “unjust laws”, but found himself searching for the right answers when asked by a reporter if someone could strike him (Marisett) if the person believed the law against assault was “morally wrong.”

Marisett also attempted to say it was alright to disobey a law “if you are willing to pay the cost”. However, as it turned out, Marisette and the marchers really weren’t paying anything. They received several hours of rest in Douglasville’s armory, along with a free meal.

However, some 50 Georgia State Patrolmen, Douglasville Policemen, and Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies spent from 16-48 hours without sleep because of the marchers’ foolish antics. Many also went without food for long periods of time, in addition, the state of Georgia had to bear the cost of the patrol protection.

A cost was paid, but not by the so-called “poor people.”

I find it interesting that the author of the editorial…..I’m not sure but I believe it to be Tommy Toles, who was the editor of the Douglas Sentinel at the time……continually put quotation marks around the words poor people throughout his statements. I have no idea if he understood or appreciated the underlying mission behind the Poor People’s Campaign, but it’s obviously he felt the whole episode could have been handled without the taxpayers in Georgia and in Douglas County in particular “paying the cost.”

The editorial continued…..

Sheriff Claude Abercrombie and his entire department, along with Douglasville Police Chief Grady Traylor, his officers, and all state patrolmen are to be commended for the excellent job they did under very trying circumstances. Even the marchers and out-of-town newsmen complimented all three law enforcement branches very highly for their actions.

The thinly veiled effort to draw good publicity to the mule train and to put Douglasville and Georgia in a bad light fell flat on its face. It is apparent that  more and more people are beginning to see the civil rights movement and the so-called “poor people’s” campaign for what it is – an effort to further socialize the United States.

However, we are thankful no violence erupted in Douglasville and no one was injured as the mule train made its way to Atlanta in the early morning hours last Saturday.

This whole matter occurred in Douglasville not because the folks with Mule Train had an ax to grind with Sheriff Abercrombie or anyone else in Douglasville….it happened because it’s the spot where Interstate 20 began back in 1968. 

However, looking back on the entire event it’s easy to see the event for what it was.  An opportunity to get media attention for the Mule Train, and an effort for the Governor to be able to say he tried to enforce the law.

You really can’t blame either side….

Given the climate of the times I can’t help be proud of the people of Douglasville. The situation could have erupted into any of the other numerous situations across the nation where violence ruled during those times.

I'm wondering why there isn't a historical marker at the armory where the Mule Train participants were detained or at least on the school grounds where the marchers camped.

Seriously!  I think this is something that should be remembered.....

And the Poor People’s Campaign?  

This site sums it up well……

“For many of America's poor, there hasn't been much progress in the 40 years since the Poor People's Campaign. In 1968, 25 million people — nearly 13 percent of the population — were living below the poverty level, according to the Census Bureau. In 2006, 36 million people or more than 12 percent of the population, were living below the poverty level.”

The American society has so many issues to work on….and yet we continually allow ourselves to become distracted with the noise and static.

Why are we complacent with numbers like those above?

It’s not about bullying your way down the interstate when there ARE other routes…..it’s about what you do to help someone.

Start with one...

Ephraim Stiles Hopping

For the last several months it seems one of my major research topics has been various mills along the creeks and rivers of early Georgia along with the men who built them.  I didn’t begin the research due to some sort of passion I have for early mills, but in the process of my newest project researching and writing about Douglas County history at Every Now and Then……it just happened.


What is most amazing to me…..is in the early 1800s when these men first came to Georgia they seemed to get around north Georgia quite easily moving back and forth from one side of the state to the other, and they are all connected in some way.   Then again it could just be the folks I’m researching, but it is a great motivator to keep me researching what can be a boring little topic if you aren’t interested in the mills themselves.


Take the case of Ephraim Stiles Hopping.   He was born in the 1799 on August 20th or 26th depending on the source you use.  After graduating from Princeton in 1824 he headed south and the next year he was a professor at Franklin College which today is the University of Georgia in Athens.  Hopping was a language professor. He married Pamela Ann (Wray) Stewart….the daughter of Judge Philip Wray….on December 12, 1827 in Oglethorpe, Georgia.  Some sources list her name as Permelia.  No matter her name….she came from a prominent family.  Her father was Judge Philip Wray and he owned Wrayswood Plantation.
  
Over the years nine children were born to Ephraim and Pamela.


The same year Hopping married some sources state he bought Scull Shoals factory on the Oconee River.   Now when you visit the history of Scull Shoals online Hopping’s name is never used.   But what is interesting is Judge Wray’s daughter....Harriett……Hopping’s sister-in-law…. married Thomas N. Poullan – the man that the history link for Scull Shoals states figured so prominently in the history of the mill there.   So…..my original source could be mistaken or…..perhaps Hopping had a business interest or investment with Scull Shoals since my source also stated once he made a little money at Scull Shoals he went on to purchase land at High Shoals.   At any rate….he was related by marriage to Poullan.


Here’s one of the twists and makes all of this interesting for me….a name figuring prominently in Douglas County history is Ephraim Pray.   Before arriving in Douglas County he spent two years in Greene County where he used his engineering skills to build two of the mills for Poullan.  


Getting back to Hopping…..we know he was in High Shoals in 1839 because records indicate he was  the postmaster there.  The area was a well known landmark and had been since the 1790s.  High Shoals shows up on a 1794 map of the area and various treaties between the State of Georgia and the Cherokee and Creek Nations use High Shoals as a landmark regarding discussed boundary lines.  Later, during the early 19th century a road from Washington D.C. to New Orleans crossed the Apalachee River at High Shoals.  

On March 8, 1850 along with several listed business partners Hopping placed an ad in the Athens Southern Banner  He and several associates formed High Shoals Manufacturing Company – a business making cotton and woolen goods, but the application for National Register status for the High Shoals area states that the mill was founded in 1846.


Another Douglas County connection to the Hopping story is……William Ely Green.   He happened to be Hopping’s cousin and when he arrived in Georgia during the 1830s his first stop was to visit with Hopping.  The 1840 census shows Green living in Morgan County close to Hopping.   Apparently Green learned the ins and outs of owning a mill because once he moved to Douglas County he built his own mill there on Anneewakee Creek.


Hopping’s complex at the High Shoals mill was located on the south side of the Apalachee River in Morgan County and eventually contained a 3-story brick mill, machine shop, cotton warehouse, carpenter’s shop, lumber storehouse and mill company store.   Later, land would be provided for two churches – a Baptist church in 1869 and a Methodist church in 1879.


One of the most interesting and unique things about the mill was the two dams that were built along the Apalachee River.    The upper dam was masonry and 11-feet tall.   It formed a large storage pond that covered approximately 20 acres.   The pond was used to regulate the water flow during periods of drought.    The lower dam was concrete and 8-feet tall.  It formed a three acre pond and diverted water to a mill race that supplied the upper turbine of the mill. 

The dams are significant because there are very few of their type that survived.   Most were submerged or destroyed through the years.


Soon after establishing the mill Hopping built a large residence on the north side of the Apalchee River – it overlooked the river and mill operations on the opposite bank.   The home was a three-story Georgian with four principal rooms, divided by a central hall.   The property also included a formal garden, fountains and a deer park.   Other sources describe the home as large…having columns and granite fixtures brought by oxcart from Stone Mountain.     Sadly the home collapsed in the mid-1900s and no longer exists.


Today….all that remains of the mill are some foundation stones since it was destroyed by fire in 1928….along with a few mill houses…approximately one dozen that were built around the turn of the century along State Route 186 remain of the original fifty or so.


Ephraim Stiles Hopping died June 22, 1853 during a typhoid epidemic that swept through High Shoals.   One of his daughters also died.   He was buried in the gardens at his home.   The epidemic may have taken at least half of the residents of High Shoals. Sources state Hopping’s widow sold his interest in the mill and the home and moved away.


The mill continued with new ownership.   During the Civil War Union soldiers captured the mill and several people were taken prisoner.  Later a man from Virginia by the name James Frazier purchased the Hopping mansion and around 860 acres for $26,000.  He renamed the house “Hotel Ben Lomand” – after the Frazier ancestral home in Scotland.    
  
The hotel came to be known as a stage coach stop where passengers were offered meals and lodging.


Finally, here is one last quirk in the story of Scull Shoals and its mill.   Urban Baboon…one of our wonderful Georgia bloggers has an excellent article about the ruins at Scull Shoals with several pictures.   Urban Baboon advises….and on a more modern note, the post-Emancipation Scull Shoals (circa 1880) was home to a young laborer named Adam Williams, who went on to become THE Rev. Adam D. Williams, pastor of the famed Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and grandfather to the legendary Martin Luther King, Jr.


Don’t you just love how one history nugget leads to another?

Heavenly Hydrangeas

My grandfather Blanton’s house was always an interesting place to visit when I was growing up.  My grandmother passed away suddenly when I was six months old, and Papa had been a bachelor ever since.  

You could tell as you walked through his house.  There was always a fine layer of dust on every surface, he stored certain items in Tampa brand cigar boxes, and mama usually re-washed every dish in the dish drain before we used them.


Papa tried, but he really wasn’t into keeping up Nanny’s standards of housekeeping after she passed.  

Over time Papa’s grief just chipped away at Nanny’s presence in the house until finally…..it was difficult to recognize a female had ever lived there.   By the time I was ten all evidence of Nanny living there had all but disappeared.

However, step out onto the porch and take a few steps up the walkways or across the carpet of lush Bermuda grass and you could see Nanny’s imprint everywhere.   In the spring jonquils were scattered along the wood line and blankets of thrift were hanging over the low rock and cement walls she created herself along the walks.  There were wild dogwoods she found in the woods and transplanted in the yard, Mimosa trees with their strange little leaves, and then there were the hydrangeas.

I’ve always associated hydrangeas with my Nanny even though I never knew her because she had several in her yard.   One large plant was right in front of the spot where Papa sat on the front porch when it was warm enough.   He had a Bassett Hound named Bowser who had worn out a nice little bed for himself underneath the bush.  I would sit on the porch and think about how nice it would be to get up under that bush with Bowser and see things from his perspective, but I knew Mama wouldn't like that one little bit.

I have fond memories of Papa letting my sister and I collect bouquets of Nanny’s blue and purple hydrangea blooms.   My sister would carefully wrap our bouquets in wet paper towels and then wrap aluminum foil around them to keep them fresh on the ride home.

As we got older and before Papa left his home to live with us we discussed how we really should save those bouquets…..dry them out…..and preserve Nanny’s flowers in some way for the future.  

We never did, but my fondness for hydrangeas has never waned.

For the second year in a row I’ve attended the Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival  where I live in Douglasville, Georgia.   

I don’t garden….I’m not a member of any garden club…..I don’t know anything about hydrangeas other than the fact I like them, but I still go.

Of course hydrangeas come in all sorts and shapes……The next three pictures are all types of hydrangeas....

This is an Oak Leaf Hydrangea

This was a winner in one of the categories....it's called "Twist and Shout"

Part of the festival includes a flower show.  I certainly agree with this year’s winner:

This year’s featured speaker was Vince Dooley.   Yes, the former head football coach of the University of Georgia.   He’s quite the gardener and has even has a hydrangea named for him.

Coach Dooley discussed all types of things….how he got interested in gardening, his love of history, the books he has written, and of course he spoke the language of those in the crowd who are avid gardeners by throwing out the Latin and common names of various kinds of hydrangeas.....all "French" to me, but it was still interesting.

My husband did cringe a little when he heard his favorite all time college football coach mention the “Pinky Winky” variety of hydrangea. 

I head the Mister say under his breath, “I did NOT just hear Coach Dooley say Pinky Winky, did I?”

I’m afraid he did.

Coach Dooley shared pictures of his personal gardens, too.   They are lovely!!!

And thankfully for the Mister’s sake Coach Dooley did finish up with some football memories including his favorite all time play during the 1980 Georgia-Florida game when Buck Belue threw to Lindsay Scott to get a first down….and they managed to get so much more!

Hydrangeas AND football……..it was a nice afternoon!

You can see some of the wonderful entries for table displays from the Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival over at Cooking With Cooper.

Waiting on the Vote

So, I guess a lot can happen in 16 days…..I arrived home from a lovely sojourn to the beach, published an article here at Georgia on My Mind regarding Sunday alcohol sales, dealt with some air conditioning issues, was elated to hear the Douglasville City Council had unanimously decided to allow the people to vote on the Sunday sales issue this November, dealt with a fire in downtown Douglasville, and then……….surprise!    Our Mayor decided to veto the unanimous council decision.  He also vetoed a resolution that would extend pouring hours.

His reason?

A press release stated, ”…both vetoes are based on public safety concerns and his belief that a majority of Douglasville’s citizens are opposed to the two measures approved by the City Council.”

He also said, “I campaigned for mayor on a pledge to help make this a safe community to live in, to help make it one of the premier places in America to live, work, play and raise a family.  That is what I intend to do, as I consider the decisions I must make as mayor.”

Apparently the Mayor’s idea of making Douglasville a premier place is by lifting the heavy burden of the act of voting from the people and making all the decisions himself.

So, last night I Googled the words “mayor”, “Douglasville”, and “veto”….those are the only three words I needed to find more Google links than I cared to know about…..almost six pages full of various links ……..regarding Mayor Harvey Person’s veto.

If you notice I didn’t even need to Google his name.

Some of the links I expected…. Douglasville Patch here (see all of the comments and the Mayor’s complete press release) and a second Patch article here and the local paper…..the Douglas County Sentinel.    

The AJC was expected along with the local television stations like CBS-Atlanta and even WABE our PBS station where my beloved high school teacher, Mr. Goss is an on-air personality can be found here, BUT I really didn’t expect to find the story repeated over and over in places like Macon, Savannah, Columbus, and even Augusta.

Then there were the out of state outlets….Jacksonville, Florida, Chattanooga, Tennessee, The Republic from Columbus, Indiana and don’t forget Spartanburg, Greenville and Anderson, South Carolina.

Hmmm…seems like the Mayor has really gotten the attention of lots of people out of town.   Yes, based on the comments at some of these links people are really encouraged to come to Douglasville.

Last night I saw  Peach Pundit had picked up story and in the comments “Three Jack” linked his or her comment to a Question and Answer  for the Candidates published at Douglasville Patch here ……and yes, if you click through you discover I authored the column.   I wrote the questions with input from friends, emailed the questions and then copy and pasted the candidate’s responses into the column for publication…..just as they were sent to me. 

One particular question I asked was…..Do you think there should be a vote on Sunday package sales allowed? Why or why not?

Mayor Persons responded, “I personally do not favor Sunday package sales of alcohol, but feel that there is substantial public opinion to allow it to be placed on the ballot and allow the citizens to decide. The facts for both sides need to be presented and the citizens need to decide this issue.”

So.....the citizens need to decide.    Doesn’t that mean they get to vote?

Apparently the answer is no per the Mayor.

Since the election the Mayor has hemmed and hawed regarding the issue. He placed the matter in committee to “gather information” and “analyze the issue”.

What’s so hard about letting people vote?  Over 100 jurisdictions across the state of Georgia did just that during last November’s election. 

In February, a friend of mine emailed the Mayor…was passed off to the committee chair and then was told until there  was a full hearing  of citizens no action would take place….citizen input they advised was important.   

Citizen input…..doesn’t that include asking for the right the vote….especially since the General Assembly thinks it’s okay?

During my Google search to see who else was discussing events in Douglasville I found the blog The Diction of Politics…..not only did this blog’s author discuss the situation,and the candidate’s question and answer forum…..they also named me.   The author decided to write a letter to the Mayor.   Click through and read what Alix has to say here.

I also invite you to check out the Facebook page for Douglasville and Douglas County for Sunday Alcohol Sales here.

And then today the Neal Boortz show picked up the story.  Mr. Boortz railed against Mayor Person’s for his comments while campaigning and subsequent veto.    I had planned sleep in a little this morning, but my phone began ringing as Dear Husband wanted to alert me that Neal’s target of the day was none other than our Mayor who was elected just this past November by the citizens of Douglasville.  

Neal Boortz didn’t just talk about the Mayor and his veto during the first hour when he’s just heard in the Atlanta area……he continued on and off during his entire show which is syndicated and reaches 230 radio stations nationwide with a listening audience of six million people.

Six million people representing families looking for a new place to live….six million people representing business owners wanting to re-locate their business…..Damn.

Come to Douglasville where the Mayor will pat you on the head and decide what is best for you.

….and I have to tell you as a lover of history and as a Social Studies educator….the Mayor’s veto has really broken my heart.

No, it’s not because I want to purchase a drink on a Sunday.  

It has to do with the vote.

This issue became convoluted with the rights and wrongs of consuming alcohol…..it was too early for that, and the last time I checked it is a legal substance.    At the council level this issue was about letting the people vote or not letting the people vote.

What many are losing sight of…..the Douglasville City Council decided to allow the people to vote, and….let’s make sure we are clear on the issue….the Mayor did NOT veto Sunday sales.   

He vetoed the citizen’s right to vote.

The right to vote is precious.

Voting is one of the things I constantly discussed with students.   I would tell them that once they turned 18 the first thing they should do is register to vote…..and if they didn’t I would hunt them down and haunt them.

Why would anyone waste their opportunity to vote?

Why would anyone appreciate an elected official who took your right to vote away?

Let the people vote!!!!

Love That Tree!!!

Years ago I was saddened when Rich's closed, but was so happy that Macy's decided to keep the tradition alive concerning their Christmas tree.

It's such an Atlanta tradition!

Still, I miss it atop the Crystal Bridge over Forsyth Street.  Lenox is a great location, but......

The tree standing atop the crystal bridge was on the cover of Time magazine in 1961 seen above.

This year the Great Tree is from my side of the town...Douglasville, Georgia, and is just a hop, skip, and a jump from my house. 

The tree is 26 years old.  This means that it was just a little sapling when I first moved to my home, and now.....it's become large enough to be chosen.   

I think it will do just fine!

The family who owns the tree has elected not to be identified, so I'll keep that under my hat.

The tree will be cut tomorrow, Thursday...November 10th.   It will then be transported and placed on the roof of the Macy's at Lenox Square on Sunday at 10 a.m.

The Great Tree Lighting Show will begin at 7 p.m. followed by a fireworks display.

The Villa Rica Explosion

Back in 2006, I posted at History Is Elementary information regarding a lesson I teach at the beginning of the year titled Historians Observe Their Surroundings. Basically I show various images in an attempt to get students to see that every piece of ground has a history.

At one point in the lesson we move as a group down to the playground….not for recess but to make some observations. From that post I wrote:

By this time I have several wiggle worms so we get up and walk down to the recess field. I gather everyone in a group and I tell them that historians never know what they are standing on unless they truly observe their surroundings. We identify together that we are standing on the recess field, and then I ask, “Is that all we’re standing on?”I tell students to follow me and we go to the edge of the playground.

We are standing on the edge of a hill. Down below us we see a flat overgrown area. Sticking out of the hill in various places we see all sorts of debris. Rocks, long pieces of rebar, broken signs, glass, wires, bricks, and assorted hunks of concrete litter the hillside.

We regroup, and I tell the class that the area where they play did not look like it did many years ago. I ask them to come up with some ideas about what happened. Some are silly, some are average, and some are pretty good guesses.

Finally, I tell them the story. Many loads of dirt were hauled in to build up their playground, but before the dirt was dumped the town brought in remnants of a section of town. You see the town where our school is located experienced an explosion, and some of the trash ended up as filler for our playground. Some of the kids nod their heads in agreement and state their grandmother or grandfather had told them about the explosion while other students are amazed.So….before we trudge back to the classroom I summarize and close with, “What did we learn today?” I get several responses.“Things aren’t always as they appear to be.”“You never know what you are looking at.”

“Every piece of ground has a history if you’ll just look at it and listen.”

“Our recess field is a dump.”

Yep, there’s always a true blue smartie in every group.

While working on some things for my church history the other day I came across a 1997 article from the Douglas County Sentinel dated December 5th.

The article states:

It was the worst tragedy to ever hit this small west Georgia town, and for people who recall that fateful day, the memories are just as vivid as ever.

Thursday, December 5, 1957, was a day just like any other in downtown Villa Rica. People were out casting their ballots for municipal elections as they had done in years past. Others were catching up on their Christmas shopping.

And then, suddenly, their lives were changed forever.

Shortly after 11 a.m., a natural gas explosion ripped through the downtown area, killing 12 people and injuring at least 20 others.

According to newspaper accounts of the time, several eye witnesses described the blast as a loud “whoomp,”, that was more like a clap than a bang.

Others said that the town suddenly looked as if it had been hit by an atom bomb.

“I was in kindergarten at the time in Mrs. Nan Cole’s house when we heard the loud explosion,” said Suzanne Watson. “We could see the cloud from the explosion, and Mrs. Cole told us something was burning, to allay our fears. I found out what really happened when I got home from kindergarten.”

Ethyleen Tyson recalled similar memories.

“I was at home about two miles away from town when we heard this loud boom,” Tyson recounted. “We thought it sounded like a bad thunderstorm…the noise vibrated the whole house and shook the windows.”

Tyson said that an announcer came on WSB-Radio shortly after the noise and reported that a bad explosion had occurred in Villa Rica. Authorities asked that people stay away from downtown since only emergency vehicles were being allowed into the area and a search was under way for bodies.

…Eyewitnesses who were downtown when the blast occurred told reporters who swarmed the area from as far away as Atlanta, that the air was filled with clothing, papers, wood, bricks, and other falling debris.

Buildings several hundred yards away were damaged. Four cars were completely smashed. Fortunately, rescuers found them to be empty.

Newspaper accounts from the day reported that Berry’s Pharmacy was believed to have been ground zero for the blast. For several days prior to the explosion, employees at several downtown buildings had complained of smelling gas, especially at the drugstore.

Ralph Fuller is one of the few who can claim he was inside the drugstore that morning and lived to tell the tale.

“I was in the drugstore and I was sitting with a girl in the back having something to eat,” the Villa Rica barber remembered. “We were sitting by the jukebox, and I thought the jukebox had blown up.”

“I thought I would smother once I realized what had happened, what with all the debris on top of me,” he continued.

Fuller received severe burns in the blast and was hospitalized. Although Fuller said that does not remember how long he had to stay in the hospital, he did remember the reaction of family members who visited him there.

“My own sister didn’t recognize me from the burns I had,” said Fuller.

According to newspaper accounts of the time, rescue workers and fire departments from all over the local area and as far away as Atlanta responded to the blast.

The Civil Defense from Cedartown was called in to help maintain order, as was the State Militia. Prisoners from the county jail were even brought in to help.

Volunteers, however, did much of the work of sifting through the rubble until rescuers arrived. Longtime pharmacist James Harrison, the father of Suzanne Watson, was one of them.

Harrison was downtown when the blast occurred. He had been out making house calls with a doctor friend, and had returned to town just before 11 a.m. His friend had dropped him off in front of Berry’s Pharmacy, and Harrison had started inside to have a soft drink and relax.
“As I opened the door and began to walk inside, I remembered that it was Election Day, so I decided to go vote….Just as I reached it, the explosion took place.”

Harrison said that telephoned his wife and daughter to let them know that he was OK, and then went immediately back to the scene to help.

He recalled one woman in particular who was buried under the debris of a building near the corner of Montgomery and Candler.

“There were prisoners drilling the best they could through the concrete and we could hear her crying, “Help me! Help me, I’m burning up!”

Johnny Blair, brother of Ethyleen Tyson, was 29-years-old at the time and on duty with the Carrollton Fire Department when news of the explosion reached the station. Blair went up to Villa Rica to help out with the rescue.

“Oh Lord, it was a terrible mess,” said Blair. “We worked all told about three days and nights doing what we could.”

“We helped move debris as well as helping with the traffic,” Blair continued. “Another thing I’ll say is that you say what you want about convicts, but you’ve got to give it to the convicts who worked the explosion that day. They were lined up in a long row and were passing the debris by hand to try to get to the people who were buried.”

Those who survived the blast recall that nearly everybody who lived in Villa Rica knew someone who was killed in the blast.

“It’s only the Lord’s mercy there weren’t more killed or hurt,” Tyson said.

The following are the persons who perished in the December 5, 1957 natural gas blast in downtown Villa Rica:

Mrs. Ann Pope Smith, age 23
Mrs. Margaret Berry
Bobby Roberts, age 13
Miss Carolyn Davis, age 22
Oscar Hixon, age 34
O.T. Dyer, age 60
Johnny Dyer, age 30
Rob Broom, age 54
Dr. Jack Burnham, a dentist
Kenneth Hendrix
Carl Vinter
Rozella Johnson

The newspaper article goes on to state the above names was supplied through the kindness and hardwork of Mrs. Ethyleen Tyson.

The marker seen pictured with this post and on the web here is located in Villa Rica, Georgia in front of Berry’s Pharmacy on U.S. Route 78 at the intersection with South Chandler Street in downtown Villa Rica.

The marker states:

Around 11:00 a.m. on December 5, 1957, a natural gas leak under Berry’s Pharmacy caused an explosion that destroyed four buildings and damaged several others in Villa Rica’s downtown. The explosion killed twelve and injured twenty. The tragedy highlighted the need for both an organized local emergency response unit and the use of odor in the natural gas supply.

The civil defense unit that resulted became a model for west Georgia. Ensuing litigation placed a considerable financial burden on the city, suppressing economic development for years. In terms of injury and loss of life, the explosion remains the most catastrophic event in Carroll County history…

Update: Someone at the Topix page for Villa Rica….found here...posted a link to old news reel footage concerning the explosion. The video is presented below: