Outdoors in Georgia, 1978 July

Outdoors
Georgia
July 1978 $125

r
George Busbee
Governor
Joe D. Tanner
Commissioner
BOARD OF NATURAL RESOURCES
Lloyd L. Summer, Jr. Chairman
Rome-- 7th District
J. Wimbric Walker Vice Chairman
McRae-- 8th District Sam Cofer
Secretary St. Simons Island
Coastal District
Dolan E. Brown Twin City-- 1 st District
Leo T. Barber, Jr. Moultrie-- 2nd District
Alton Draughon Pinehurst-- 3rd District
George P. Dillard Decatur-- 4th District Mary Bailey Izard Atlanta-- 5th District
James A. Mankin Griffin-- 6th District
Donald J. Carter
-- Gainesville 9th District
Walter W. Eaves Elberton-- 10th District
Leonard E. Foote Waleska-- State-at- Large
James D. Cone Decatur-- State-at-Large
A. Leo Lanman, Jr. Ros well-- State-at-Large
Wade H. Coleman
Valdosta-- State-at-Large
DIVISION DIRECTORS
Parks and Historic Sites Division Henry D. Struble, Director
Game and Fish Division
Leon Kirkland, Director Environmental Protection Division
J. Leonard ledbetter, Director Geologic and Water Resources Division
Sam M. Pickering, Jr., Director Office of Information and Education
David Cranshaw, Director Office of Planning and Research
David Sherman, Director Office of Administrative Services
James H. Pittman, Director

-\

Outdoors \ty Georgia

Volume 8

July 1978

Number 7

FEATURES

Legacies of the Past

Lucy Justus 2

Elegance

Bill Bryant

8

Waterfalls

Teressa Moen 1 1

.... The Great Escape

Rebecca N. Marshall 14

Strolling the Squares
of Savannah

Susan K. Wood 17

Discovering Nature

.... at Panola Mountain

Susan K. Wood 23

The Plumleaf Azalea

David Ettman 26

Okefenokee
Georgia: This Way to Fun

Robert Lochmiller 29
31

The Plains Visitor Center

34

Scarlett's Atlanta Racing with the Wind . . 36

See Rock City

38

.... "There's Gold in Them Thar Hills"

40

Madison--Treasure Chest for

Cherished Memories

42

The Macon Heritage Tour

44

Georgia's Golden Coast

46

Summer Events

48

COVER: This is what Georgia is all abouj. Montage by Mike Nunn.

Phone-656-5660

MAGAZINE STAFF

David Cranshaw Aaron Pass

Editor-in-Chief Editor

Susan K. Wood

.

.

Brenda Lauth .

Rebecca N. Marshall

Dick Davis

Bill Hammock

Lucy Justus

. Managing Editor Circulation Manager
Writer Writer Writer Writer

Liz Carmichael Jones Michael Nunn Bob Busby Edward Brock Bill Bryant Jim Couch

Art Director Illustrator
Photo Editor Photographer Photographer Photographer

Outdoors in Georgia is the official monthly magazine of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, published at the Department's offices, Room 714, 270 Washington Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30334. Publication Number 217140. No advertising accepted. Subscriptions are $5 for one year or $9 for three years. Printed by Williams Printing Company, Atlanta, Georgia. Copyright 1978, Outdoors in Georgia Magazine. Contributions are welcome, but the editors assume no responsibility or liability for loss or damage of articles, photographs, or illustrations. Second-class postage paid at Atlanta, Georgia. 31,000 copies printed at an approximate cost of $16,500. The Department of Natural Resources is an Equal Opportunity employer, and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, physical or mental handicap or other non-merit factors.
Change of address: Please allow 8 weeks for address changes to become effective. Send old address as well as new address (old mailing label is preferred).
ISSN0147-720X

Outdoor Corpnjeptary

A Travel Edition?

July and vacations are almost synonymous to
most folks, and as many of you plan summer excursions we would like to invite you to "See Georgia First." From the wilderness of the Oke-
fenokee to historic Savannah with its deep cultural traditions, our state offers an incredible diversity of things to see and do.
In this issue of Outdoors in Georgia, we have
tried to highlight this diversity of resources by picking features that emphasize the broad range
of attractions that await those who travel in
Georgia. Points as distant as the rugged waterfalls in the northern mountains and the gentle dunes of our Golden Isles are covered, as are vistas so near as Atlanta's skyline and the granite
crown of Panola Mountain. We hope that
through this issue you will find some fresh travel
ideas.
Since this was our first effort in the travel issue business, we asked the experts to help us. The Department of Industry and Trade's Tourist Division pitched in to help produce this 48-page issue which includes Georgia magazine, Tourist

Division's quarterly publication. That section,
introduced by "Georgia: This Way to Fun,"
(p. 31) explains for you the new seven region
tourism system and features an outstanding ex-
ample of each. Of course there are many other
places of interest in each of the seven regions,
and anyone who is interested can get more information by writing: P.O. Box 1776, Atlanta,
Georgia 30301. Likewise, more information on the parks and
historic sites mentioned in "The Great Escape" can be obtained from: Department of Natural Resources, Information and Education, 270 Washington Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30334.
We hope this special expanded issue is a help
to you and that you will enjoy it and use it for planning your vacation this summer and all year long. This rounds out our special issue program which has included fishing (April) and hunting (October) . Whether or not we will have another
is up to you, our subscribers. Let us know how
you like it.

f
aur>^

7k^^

July 1978

acies
of the Rist

Georgia's National Historic Landmarks
by Lucy Justus

Wi,hen Joel Chandler Harris moved from Savannah
to Atlanta in 1876, he signed himself and his companions into an Atlanta hotel as "J. C. Harris, one wife, two bow-legged children and a bilious nurse."
The modest, mildly humorous introduction was typical of the young newspaperman whose tales of Uncle Remus, Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox, the Tar Baby and other characters would later be translated into more than two dozen languages, making him Georgia's first worldfamous author. Harris was a shy, self-effacing person who avoided the limelight and disclaimed any personal creativity or originality in the production of the Uncle Remus stories. He claimed he was simply a recorder of
folklore.
The Wren's Nest, Harris' home in west Atlanta, is a
fanciful Victorian structure with arches, decorative gables and gingerbread frills. It might have been de-
signed as the home of a dreamer, a writer of fantasy. In fact, although the house was not built for him, Harris did have a hand in the way it looks now. When he bought it in 18X1, it had six rooms and was badly dilapi-
dated, necessitating a hurried refurbishing before the
family could move in. The Harrises expanded it the following year, enlarg-
ing several rooms and adding two rooms and a large porch on the front, a kitchen and porch at the rear and a small study over the entrance hall. The house was
The Wren's Nest in Atlanta was the home of author Joel Chandler Harris. The displays there introduce visitors to the man who gave us Uncle Remus and Br'er Rabbit. (Photos by Rob Busby.)

Harris' home until his death in 1908 and has been open to visitors since 1913. It contains many original furnish-
ings and personal belongings including the table at which he wrote, his rocking chair, umbrella, glasses and typewriter, one of the black hats he frequently wore (even in the house), cases of his books, a bronze basrelief of Harris and photographs of him with Theodore
Roosevelt, James Whitcomb Riley, Andrew Carnegie and others who visited him at the Wren's Nest.
The house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962, the first of 34 in the state. The National Park Service established the Historic Landmark program in 1960 to give official recognition to places of exceptional value to American history, architecture, archaeology and culture.
The National Park Service no longer administers the program, however. Early this year it became the responsibility of what was formerly the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, an agency which has been reorganized and renamed the Heritage Conservation and Recreation
Service.
The selection of National Historic Landmarks is a cooperative effort of the federal and state governments and local agencies. Each year, the federal government sets a broad general theme for the year. In the past, themes have included Original Inhabitants, Major American Wars, European Explorations and Western Expansion. When a theme is announced, the Historic Preservation Section of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources reviews sites in the state which fit into that category and submits them as suggestions to
the federal agency. In 1974, the state's best year so far, 13 sites were
designated National Historic Landmarks. Georgia's 34 landmarks range from rustic cottages to
mines, mansions and Indian mounds and are located in
every geographic section.
Of the houses, the humblest is the John Ross home, a two-story antebellum log structure at Rossville. The most elegant may be the Johnston-Hay house, a 24room Italian Renaissance villa in Macon. Interestingly,
the two have a common feature. Each has a secret room. The door to the one in the Johnston-Hay villa is a
panel which swings aside from a stairway landing. The original entry to the one in the Ross house was never found. Workmen cut a door into the secret room when the house was restored in the 1960s.
Ross was Principal Chief of the Cherokees and made the trasedy-ridden trek to Oklahoma via the Trail of

July 1978

Tears in 1837, a trip on which his wife died of pneu-
monia after giving her only blanket to a sick child. By the standards of the day, area and culture, the Ross home was impressive. Today, it is furnished with pieces typical of the period, the most notable being the bed Ross gave his daughter Annie when she married.
Four other sites reflecting the state's Indian heritage are also National Historic Landmarks. They are The
Chieftans at Rome which was the home of Major Ridge, speaker of the National Council of Cherokees; New Echota, the Cherokee capital, now a state historic site;
and the Etowah and Kolomoki Mounds, also state historic sites. The Kolomoki museum is now open again after a burglary of many of its valuable artifacts forced
its closure.
Most of the Historic Landmarks, of course, are houses, and they include some of Georgia's most beau-
tiful ones.
The elegance of the Johnston-Hay mansion begins with 12 long marble steps leading to a Corinthiancolumned portico and a silver-hinged front door. The dining room and ballroom are decorated with white marble, carved and molded wood and intricate stucco work enlivened by loops, whorls, quirks and latticing. The house has 19 marble mantels surmounted by mirrors framed in gold leaf.
The villa was built in the mid-1 850s for Mr. and Mrs. William B. Johnston, a young couple who had just returned from an Italian honeymoon. It has three floors and a full basement and is considered one of the nation's finest examples of Italianate architecture. In 1925, the Johnston family sold the mansion to Mr. and Mrs. P. L. Hay who were devoted to art and are responsible for most of the exquisite furnishings and art objects in the
house. Typical examples are a pair of Louis XVI crystal
chandeliers which hang from the 30-foot high ceiling of the ballroom and the large Savonnerie rug in the drawing room. The rug was woven in the royal factory at Vienna, Austria and is a copy of one owned by Empress Eugenia.
When Mr. Hay died in 1957, the house was appraised at $187,000 and the furnishings at $141,500. The house, designated a National Landmark in 1974, has
been given to the Georgia Trust for Historic Preserva-
tion.
Like the Hay house, the old Governor's mansion in Milledgeville has an Italian tie. It was patterned after Palladio's Villa Rotunda in Vicenza, Italy. Built in 1 838 at a cost of $50,000, it was the first house designed spe-
cifically as* a residence for Georgia governors. Charles Cluskey, the architect, was apparently deter-
mined to keep Georgia's Chief Executive from being bored by his house. The mansion has a centrally located rotunda encircled by a cantilevered balcony and round, square, octagonal and rectangular rooms. The drawing room has matching Italian marble mantels with flat pilasters and anthemion capitals. Three medallions, four feet in diameter, are recessed into the ceiling. There are identical medallions in the entrance hall and parlor.

Ed Brock
The mansion is stucco-covered brick with a granite foundation and granite exterior trim, and has four Ionic columns equally spaced across the front. The color has been compared to "a pink-tinged sunset just deepening
into crimson."
The front door opens and closes on the original silver-plated hardware, and the furnishings, as varied
as the shape of the rooms, include English Regency,
French Empire and American Federal. The rugs were woven in France, and except for the one in the entrance hall, each was specifically designed for the room in which it was placed. The hall rug is a copy of an Aubusson. The window hangings and furniture coverings are silk, brocade, damask, velvet and linen and are exem-
plary of the types used in the 1830s. Nine governors lived in the mansion before the capi-
tal was moved to Atlanta in 1868. During the 1870s and 1 880s, the house was rented to local people or used as a dormitory for college students. In 1891, it was designated as a dorm and the home of the president of Georgia Normal and Industrial College. The first and ground floors are open to the public; the second floor serves as
an apartment for the president of Georgia College, as
the school is now called.
Savannah has seven National Historic Landmarks, more than any other city in the state. One is the GreenMeldrim house which was completed in 1854 and is said to have been the most expensive home in Savannah
Outdoors it? Georgia

The John Ross House (left) in Rossville and Etowah Mounds (below), a state historic site in Cartersville, are two of Georgia's 34 National Historic Landmarks.

Ed Brock

up to that time. Designed by New York architect John
S. Norris, it cost $93,000 and included such luxuries as a bathroom with running water. The house is brick and was originally covered with stucco which was later removed. It has oriel, or medieval bay, windows on the second floor and a low roof surrounded by a crenellated
parapet.
On the first floor, there are a wide hall, double draw-
ing rooms, a library and dining room. The second floor has five bedrooms and the bath. There are marble mantels and rococo mirrors in all the first floor rooms and in the bedrooms.
In The Early Architecture of Georgia, Frederick D.
Nichols said of the house:
"An unusual portico of the period marks the en-
trance. It has two arches supported by two octagonal columns, a pendant and a parapet treated in the manner
July 1978

of the English perpendicular or Gothic style of the 15th century.
"The double doors are framed with clustered colonettes supported on a double arch with a pendant, a motif which repeats the design of the portico.
"The graceful, free-standing stair is set in an exedra
off the long entrance lobby with arches for sculpture. It is enriched with a superb wrought iron stair with S-shaped balusters which are typical Georgian design."
The house was built for Charles Green, a wealthy cotton merchant and shipper. Green, an Englishman who was supposedly neutral during the Civil War, invited Gen. William Sherman to use the house as his Savannah headquarters. Sherman was Green's guest from December 22, 1864 to February 1. 1865.
Judge Peter Meldrim bought the house in 1892 and his family owned it until St. John's Episcopal Church

Bob Busby

A look inside the Juliette Gordon Low home (above) in Savannah, that
city's first National Historic Site.
At right, "Daddy" King, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr., inside the
Ebenezer Baptist Church, located in the Martin Luther King Jr.
Historic District.

Bill Bryant
Outdoors ip Georgia

bought it in 1943. It is used for church meetings and
A functions and is open to the public four days a week.

wing on the west side of the house which once contained

the stable, carriage house, kitchens and pantry has been

converted into an attractive house used as the rectory

of St. John's.
Both the Telfair house and the Owens-Thomas house

were designed by William Jay, the young Englishman
who introduced the English Regency style of architec-

ture to Savannah in the early 1800s.

The Telfair mansion, built in 1818 for Alexander

Telfair, son of a former governor, was opened as a free
art museum in 1886 and is the oldest museum in the

Southeast.

The Owens-Thomas house, built the following year

for a wealthy banker, is considered one of the most ele-

gant English Regency homes in America. Both houses are owned by the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences

and both were dedicated as National Historic Landr
marks on October 8, 1977. Savannah's first National Historic Landmark was

Juliette Gordon Low's birthplace, a three-story Classi-

cal Revival house on Oglethorpe. It was built in 1818 for James Moore Wayne, then the mayor of Savannah,

and bought by William Washington Gordon in 1831.

Gordon's daughter, Juliette Gordon Low, was the

founder of the Girl Scouts.

It has beautifully proportioned rooms with elaborately

decorated plaster cornices and carved woodwork, and

the front garden is one of only three in the city retaining

its original design.

Savannah and Atlanta are the only two Georgia cities

which have districts designated as National Historic

Landmarks. Savannah's is a two-square mile area

bounded by the Savannah River, East Broad Street,

Gwinnett Street and West Broad. It contains about

1,100 noteworthy buildings, public and private, in at

least six architectural styles.

Atlanta has two Historic Districts: the Martin Luther

King Jr. Historic District and Sweet Auburn.

The Martin Luther King Jr. District is on Auburn

Avenue between Jackson and Howell Streets and in-

cludes Dr. King's birthplace at 501 Auburn, Ebenezer

Baptist Church and Dr. King's grave site.

Sweet Auburn includes the Atlanta Life Insurance
Company complex at 148 Auburn, a company founded
AME by former slave Alonzo Herndon; Big Bethel

Church at the corner of Butler Street and Auburn; the

YMCA Butler Street

at 22 Butler; the Odd Fellows

Building and Auditorium, 250 Auburn; Herndon Build-

ing, 351 Auburn; and the Municipal Market at 209

Edgewood. The market, constructed in the 1920s, is one

of the few city-owned markets remaining in the country.
Auburn Avenue was once known as "the richest

Negro street in the world" and the historic district en-

compasses the remains of the business section, the thriv-

ing hub of black free enterprise and social activity in

segregated Atlanta from the 1890s until the 1930s.
Designation as a National Historic Landmark does

July 1978

not affect the ownership or use of property and several
Landmarks are open only on special occasions. Among

those rarely, if ever, open to the public are: the Carmichael house in Macon, Stallings Island near Augusta,

St. Catherines Island on the coast, Octagon House in Columbus, College Hill in Augusta, Commandant's House in Augusta, Tupper-Barnett House in Washington, the Calhoun Mine near Dahlonega, and the Thomas E. Watson house at Thompson.
Those which are open on a regular basis, but at vary-

ing hours, are:

Atlanta

The Wren's Nest, 1050 Gordon Street

State Capitol, Capitol Square

Stone Hall, on the main campus of Morris Brown

College

Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree Street

Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District Sweet Auburn Historic District Savannah

Savannah Historic District
Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, 10 Oglethorpe
Avenue

William Scarbrough House, 14 West Broad Street

Central of Georgia Depot, 227 West Broad Street Green-Meldrim House, 1 West Macon Street Owens-Thomas House, 124 Abercorn Street Telfair Academy, 121 Barnard Street Athens

Taylor-Grady House, 634 Prince Avenue, the only known existing home of Henry Grady

Blakely

Kolomoki Mounds, eight miles north of Blakely on U.S. Highway 27 (state park)

Cartersville
Etowah Mounds, three miles southwest of

Cartersville (state historic site)

Calhoun
New Echota (state historic site)
LaGrange
Bellevue, 204 Ben Hill Street, Home of Senator

Benjamin Harvey Hill
Macon

Johnston-Hay House, 934 Georgia Avenue

Milledgeville

Governor's Mansion, 120 South Clark Street
Rome

The Chieftains, 80 Chatillion Road

Rossville

John Ross House, Rossville Boulevard

Thomasville
Lapham-Patterson House, 626 North Dawson Street

(state historic site)

Toccoa

Travelers Rest (state historic site)

Washington

Robert Toombs House. E. Robert Toombs

Avenue (state historic site). Open by appointment

until restoration is complete.

^

H Tip tJo^t1-lW ouse>
Photography by Bill Bryant
The Hay House, at 934 Georgia Avenue in Macon, is open
10:30-1:00 and 2:30-4:30 Tuesday through Friday, 11:00-4:00 on
Saturday and 2:00-4:00 on Sunday. A small admission fee is charged.
Outdoors ip Georgia

July 1978

* ,V

WakTfalLs
"... rushing from rocky precipices under the shade of (he pensive hills, the unparallcd cascade of Falling Creek, rolling and leaping off the rocks...**

by Teressa Moen

Thus did a native Philadelphian, William Bartram, describe an obscure waterfall in northeast Georgia over
200 years ago. Much of the southern wilderness that
fascinated Bartram then would be unrecognizable to that famous naturalist and explorer today. But the falls he described then still faithfully adhere to his
-- description except, perhaps, for being "unparalleled."
From the sheer 350 foot drop of Dukes Creek Falls to small, unnamed cascades shoaling and rippling over
water-smoothed boulders, the mountains of north Georgia offer a veritable smorgasbord of waterfalls. Over forty have been catalogued in the 750,000 acres of the Chattahoochee National Forest in addition to those found on private land and in state-owned parks.
People have long held a fascination for waterfalls perhaps because they are so delightful to the senses. Each sense responds to the waterfall's stimuli: glittering droplets shattering on rocks like brittle diamonds, the gurgle of plunging water, refreshing mists thrown out as from a natural air conditioner, startlingly frigid water, better than any out of a fountain.
In their experience with visitors to the Chattahoochee National Forest, U.S. Forest Service personnel have found that waterfalls are often the most popular of destination points whether the visitor aims to hike, camp, fish, hunt, or merely drive around in the woods.
This is sometimes most obvious at Anna Ruby Falls Recreation Area above Unicoi State Park. There York
and Curtis creeks plunge over 150 foot cliffs to form Smith Creek at the base of the twin falls. (The falls
themselves were named for a beautiful young woman, Anna Ruby Nichols, whose father owned them.
A large parking lot and gently sloping paved path to
the waterfalls make Anna Ruby one of the most easily
accessible falls in the Chattahoochee National Forest and also one of the most popular. Observation decks at both the bottom and top of the falls and a picnic area along Smith Creek add to the visitor's enjoyment. Last
fall, over seven thousand people visited Anna Ruby Falls during one weekend at the height of the autumn color season. Anna Ruby is easily reached by taking

Georgia 75 north from Helen and following the signs from Robertstown. The recreation area is open year-round.
At almost the other extreme of accessibility are High Shoals Falls, a series of five waterfalls that drop a total of about 300 vertical feet. One cascade at High Shoals is known as Blue Hole; here a pool 10 to 30 feet deep has been carved into solid granite by the force of the plunging water. These falls are in the 170-acre High Shoals Scenic Area and can be reached by going east on
A Forest Service Highway 283 from Georgia 75. foot
trail from FSH 283 leads down to the waterfalls on High Shoals Creek. An observation deck has been
constructed at one of the falls. Both the foot trail and the observation deck were constructed by the 1975 and
1976 Youth Conservation Corps camps at Young
Harris.
In the extreme northwestern portion of the
Chattahoochee National Forest is Keown Falls. These
rushing waterfalls are a rare sight in the dry
A northwestern part of the state. one-mile trail from
Keown Falls picnic area leads to an observation deck
overlooking a pair of waterfalls. Large boulders and a small cave through which the stream flows add to the
attraction of this area. To get there, take Georgia 143 to Sugar Valley and then go west on County Road 207
past Lake Marvin. (This is a twisting drive with beautiful views of this ridge and valley country.) Take a sharp "Y" turn to the north on Forest Service Highway 203 at a sign directing you to the Pocket
Recreation Area. Continue on FSH 203 where another sign will direct you west to Keown Falls. Keown Falls
is open from spring through early fall. Another small, but attractive, waterfall, Barnes
-- Creek Falls, is found close by east of Chatsworth off
U.S. 76. Driving to this waterfall, you will pass Fort Mountain State Park and the Cohutta Overlook, which gives a breathtaking view of the Cohutta's distant peaks and a quiet mountain valley. Past the overlook, head north on Forest Service Highway 17, then northeast on
FSH 68 to Barnes Creek Picnic Area. Picnic tables,

July 1978

I

1

Bill Bryant

(Previous page) Dukes Creek
near Helen. Here, a view of DeSoto Falls and (opposite
page) Anna Ruby Falls.

grills and a short trail leading to the top of Barnes Creek Falls make the spot ideal for a scenic day's trip
into the Blue Ridge. An observation deck has been
constructed at the top of these falls. Barnes Creek is open year long.
DeSoto Falls, off U.S. 129 north of Turners Corner, is a series of three beautiful falls on Frogtown Creek.
A trail leads to the two lower falls where observation
decks have been constructed by the Youth Conservation
Corps' Camp Merrill. To reach the upper falls requires
an arduous trek; however, in the wintertime, these falls can be easily seen from U.S. 129 at a point about two miles north of DeSoto Falls Recreation Area.
A piece of Spanish armor reportedly found near the
falls led early inhabitants to believe Hernando DeSoto had visited the area; hence, the waterfall was named for him. The DeSoto Falls Recreation Area below the three waterfalls offers 27 campsites and is open from
mid-spring through early fall. In the northeast corner of Georgia are found the falls
thought to have been described by William Bartram.
Now known as Martin Creek Falls, they are readily
visible to hikers from the recently completed Bartram Trail which follows Bartram's route through this section of Georgia. This series of three falls can be reached by hiking the Bartram Trail north of
Warwoman Dell Picnic Area across Warwoman Road
and up the ridge a short distance.
12

Two waterfalls are located close to Rabun Beach
Recreation Area. One, Angel Falls, is on Joe Branch
A above Rabun Beach. mile-long trail leads from Area
Two of Rabun Beach Campground to these falls. The
other, Minnehaha Falls, is on the opposite shore of Lake Rabun from Rabun Beach. To reach the falls, cross a bridge about one mile west of Rabun Beach over the Tallulah River. Follow the southern lakeshore from the bridge about one mile east to the trail, about one-half mile long, which leads to the 100-foot Minnehaha Falls. Rabun Beach Recreation Area is open year-round.
One of the most spectacular falls in north Georgia is
also one of the most difficult to reach. Located where Dick's Creek plunges 60 feet into the Chattooga River, these falls are a spectacular sight to those canoeing the
A river. link in the National Wild and Scenic River
system, the Chattooga River corridor is managed similarly to a wilderness allowing no vehicular access. Visitors can hike in on the Bartram Trail to view the falls. At Dick's Creek, Bartram Trail hikers should follow a side trail about 200 yards east to the
waterfall.
Dukes Creek Falls, off the Richard Russell Scenic Highway, is reached by a one mile heavily switchbacked trail down into Dukes Creek Gorge. Reaching the floor of the canyon, visitors look up to see Davis Creek drop straight down about 150 feet into Dukes Creek. The
Outdoors in Georgia

whole creek drops about 400 feet within a horizontal distance of 500 feet giving a spectacular show of several cascades and falls. Those who don't wish to brave the steep climb back up will find acceptable views on the upper end of the trail.
Another lovely and relatively isolated falls is on Panther Creek about halfway between Panther Creek Picnic Area on U.S. 441 and the creek's confluence
A with the Tugaloo River. newly completed trail leads
from the recreation area through the rolling piedmont country of the Lake Russell section of the
Chattahoochee National Forest. Hugh white pines and sheer cliffs above the creek make for a beautiful hike to
the point where the creek drops sharply and rushes through solid granite outcroppings.
Many other waterfalls can be found throughout the
Chattahoochee National Forest. Most cannot be reached by trail or road but offer a surprising reward to those hikers who like to strike off on their own. Reliable maps, a good compass and an ample supply of
common sense are recommended for such outings,
though. Orienteering courses taught by the Department of Natural Resources and by private schools such as Outward Bound would be excellent prerequisites for such a trip.
Several other waterfalls are located on the less rugged, rolling country of the Oconee National Forest.
They offer an alternative to those who don't wish to
tackle the long climbs and steep descents of the
July 1978

mountainous Chattahoochee National Forest. These

range from the small Stanford Falls in Putnam County

to a 20-foot unnamed waterfall in Jasper County west

of Hillsboro.

Waterfalls in Georgia are a pleasure to visit in
every season. What could be prettier than the blooming

mountain laurel and rhododendron which in spring

adorn the tranquil pools below the falls? Maybe the ice

palaces formed by frozen droplets of leaping water

are more to your taste. In mid-July, a waterfall shaded

by the dense forest canopy offers a cool, and sometimes

even chill, retreat from Georgia's stifling summer

My heat.

personal favorite is when the autumn foliage

is reflected in clear mountain streams and quiet pools

below the waterfalls.

Whatever your taste, whether you prefer overnight

hikes or trips by car, a waterfall in Georgia is waiting to

serenade you with song and soothe you with beauty.
When you're here in Georgia, who needs Niagara?^

Whal A Lovely Way To Die
In addition to inspiring man, and woman, to beautiful reflections, waterfalls often also inspire dreams of mountaineering. Inviting crevices and stairstep footholds
in the rocks of Georgia waterfalls have lured eight
young men and one young woman to their deaths on
Forest Service land since 1971. Five deaths and one serious injury have been recorded on or near state park
waterfalls. Many others have been seriously injured in falls. Many of those killed or injured were climbing to-
gether. Most were between the ages of 1 3 and 27. Signs warning of the deadly, slippery lichens on
rocks surrounding waterfalls have been posted at most falls in the Chattahoochee Forest and at most state
parks. Observation decks have also been built at many
popular falls to provide potential mountaineers with excellent views that don't require a hazardous climb. But such preventive measures, even the creation of a
new state park ranger rescue team will not make hiking
near waterfalls safe. It is risky business and requires
certain skills in addition to caution and common sense.
Unfortunately, people still blithely ignore the warning signs and clamber awkwardly over and up strewn boulders and pockmarked cliffs.
When visiting the falls described in this article, or
any other waterfall, use the observation decks and heed
-- the warning signs for your own safety. Deceptively
slippery rocks are the rule, not the exception, and could cause a lighthearted outing to have a tragic ending.
Teressa Moen is an information officer with the
U.S. Forest Service in Gainesville.

13

Bob Busby

The
by Rebecca N. Marshall

Bored with your life? Tired of that same old routine? Ready to climb out of your rut and try something new? Then Georgia's state parks and historic sites are just what you've been looking for.
. They have campsites and picnic tables and all those old, familiar things you've loved for so long. But they're much more than just a place to pitch a tent. Forty-three parks, scattered around the state, reflect a variety of Georgia's abundant natural beauty. Eleven historic sites preserve the state's rich cultural heritage. And all of them offer easy access to a variety of natural and
historical resources.
Stephen C. Foster
Deep in the southeastern part of the state lies the dark and mysterious Okefenokec Swamp. Few roads lead into what the Seminole Indians called the "land of
the trembling earth." No roads cross it, so getting into
this wild and primitive area is difficult. Stephen C. Foster State Park is one of only three
places that offer access to the Okefenokee. The park lies at the end of a long, lonely road. The closest town is almost 20 miles away, and the park's nearest neighbors are the creatures that inhabit the swamp.
Tens of thousands of years ago, when the waters of the Atlantic covered much of what is now Georgia, the
great Okefenokec Swamp was little more than a depression in the ocean floor. An underwater ridge made up its eastern border,. and when the shoreline
retreated, this ridge trapped some of the water behind

14

Outdoors it? Georgia

it. During thousands of years, these waters became
home to a variety of plants and animals. And slowly and gradually the swamp evolved into the mysteriously beautiful area that we know today.
Visitors to Stephen Foster can explore the Okefenokee along a network of canoe trails that stretches across the swamp. These trails wind past ponds choked with water lilies and on through stands
of towering cypress trees. And a solitary bird or a gator
sunning nearby often are the only companions the canoeist finds on his tranquil journey through the swamp.
Providence Canyon In another corner of Georgia, Providence Canyon
cuts its path across several hundred acres of what once was fertile farmland.
One hundred forty years ago, farmers in the
southwest part of the state, following the agricultural practices of their time, allowed water to run unchecked
across their land. Gradually the water worked its way
through the upper layer of soil. Below, it exposed a sandy layer that eroded rapidly. Gulleys began eating into the land. Over the years, they grew wider and deeper, and slowly they became places of special beauty.
Today parts of Providence Canyon plunge as deep as
170 feet to the creek below. This state park is a fragile natural area, and it can support only special uses. For
instance, climbing up and down the walls could seriously damage this resource. But trails winding through lush foliage far below the canyon rim offer the

visitor plenty of chances to explore Georgia's "little
Grand Canyon."
Unicoi Unicoi State Park lies deep in the heart of the north
Georgia mountains. These mountains, part of the oldest chain in North America, have stood proud and tall for
more than 200 million years. Still wilderness in many
parts, they form the southern end of the Appalachian
range.
Isolated and bitterly cold in the winter, this fiercely beautiful region has created a culture found nowhere else in the state. At Unicoi and other mountain parks, special programs explore this cultural heritage. Displays of native crafts and concerts of mountain music help park visitors understand the north Georgia
culture.
Unicoi also offers complete conference facilities. With its meeting rooms, lodge, dining room and crafts shop, this park can easily accommodate groups of all
sizes.
Also in North Georgia Seven other state parks throughout the Blue Ridge
Mountains reflect north Georgia's special beauty. Cloudland Canyon, Vogel, Black Rock Mountain, Moccasin Creek, Fort Mountain and J. H. "Sloppy" Floyd attract a steady stream of visitors, especially in
the fall. And the spring often finds determined hikers
setting out on a 2050-mile journey up the Appalachian Trail. Amicalola Falls State Park long has been the traditional starting point for these hikers heading north towards Maine.

THIS SUMMER IN GEORGIA

Special events planned for state parks and historic sites thi s summer.

Makin' Music Simple
Pioneer Day July 4 Mountain Style Victorian Culture Day
July 4th Celebration
Wilderness Weekend Indian Awareness Days
Tugaloo Reminiscences Appalachian Music Fest Energy Education Appalachian Wildlife
The Great Getaway Astronomy Week Mountain Fabric Creations
C.C.C. Reunion Eatin's and Squeezin's
Clothesline Art Show
Square Dancing

July 1 July 2 July 4 July 4 July 4 July 7-8 July 12-13 July 26-27
August 9-10 July 15 July 14-16 July 21-23 July 28-29 August 5-6 August 7-13 August 18-20 August 18-19 August 25-27 August 26 August 25-26

John Tanner State Park Elijah Clarke State Park Unicoi State Park Lapham-Patterson House
Jarrell Plantation Unicoi State Park
Etowah Mounds
Tugaloo State Park Unicoi State Park Unicoi State Park Unicoi State Park Crooked River State Park All parks and historic sites Unicoi State Park F. D. Roosevelt State Park Unicoi State Park Moccasin Creek State Park John Tanner State Park

July 1978

15

Bob Busby
Coastal
Skidaway, Crooked River and Richmond Hill are Georgia's coastal parks. Visitors to the Golden Isles can swim, sun, fish and camp in these parks. And nearby, they can visit some of the richest historical resources in
the state.
In the tiny community of Midway, the replica of an eighteenth-century plantation house reflects the
lifestyle of a coastal rice planter. Period furnishings fill
this state historic site, and they create a home that
seems to be waiting for its wealthy owners to return. Fort McAllister tells the story of Georgia's coast
during a different era. This Civil War fortification
overlooks the Ogeechee River, and during the war it helped guard one of the four waterways that led into
Savannah. Its walls of marsh mud and sand effectively
resisted all Yankee attacks from the river. But every gun in the fort was mounted toward the Ogeechee, and
16

when Sherman's troops staged a land attack, the fort
fell quickly.

Lapham-Patterson House In the southwest part of the state, the Lapham-
Patterson House represents a later time and a grander style of living. During the late nineteenth century, Thomasville was a well-known health resort, and it attracted wealthy visitors from around the country. C. W. Lapham, a successful Chicago businessman, built this impressive home as his winter retreat.
Thomasville no longer is a health resort, but the beauty of the area still attracts wealthy visitors. So the Lapham-Patterson House marks the beginning of a lifestyle that is carried on even today in this part of Georgia.

Jarrell Plantation In the early 1800s the Jarrell family began farming
their land near what now is Macon. And for 130 years,
they lived and worked on that same land. Their way of life has all but disappeared in Georgia.
Before the Civil War, they were among the wealthy class of middle-Georgia planters. They kept slaves and
they grew cotton then. But as times changed, so did the work.
The Jarrells installed a steam engine, and they began grinding corn, sawing lumber and ginning cotton for many of their neighbors.
Today, history comes alive at Jarrell Plantation. The steam engine still chugs away, and farm animals still roam the barnyard. Crops are planted, tilled and harvested, and local blacksmiths demonstrate skills that once were in great demand.

These are only a sampling of the parks and historic

sites throughout Georgia. And because there's at least one park within 50 miles of every man, woman, and

child in the state, it's easy to explore Georgia's natural

and cultural heritage.

&

For more information about state parks and historic sites, contact DNR's Office of Information and Education, 270 Washington Street, S.W., Atlanta 30334: (404) 656-3530, or the Parks and Historic Sites Division at 656-7092.
A new, 20-minute film, "Georgia State Parks
and Historic Sites," takes you to a few of Georgia's 54 state parks and historic sites. If you'd like for the film to be shown to your club, class or group, contact DNR's Office of Information and Education, 270 Washington Street, S.W., Atlanta 30334. Telephone (404) 656-3530.

Outdoors ii? Georgia

Strolling the Squares

of Savannah

by Susan K. Wood

Photography by Susan and Bill Wood

^rv\ * v f^">u/^v\ * v r*~7*s~\% *\

"Tnere cannot be in the whole world a
more heautirul city
than Savannah."
July 1978

A Swedish visitor to Savannah, Georgia made this
comment in the mid- 1800s, and today, more than a century later, it is still true: Savannah is a beautiful
-- a magical city with a feeling and a charm all its own.
Savannah is a city like none other. It's a thriving, vibrant twentieth century business and trade center in a setting of eighteenth and nineteenth century Georgia. Within a two square mile area, twentieth century hustle and bustle is left behind while the magic of huge,
moss-laden live oaks, lacy ironwork, warm Savannah
colors and a rich, exuberant heritage takes hold.
17

To experience old Savannah in all its charm, you
need to stroll the cobblestone walks and streets, peering behind ivy-covered brick garden walls into meticulous
gardens and elegant nineteenth century homes. You need to amble down River Street and Factor's Walk and along the lush squares that dot the cityscape. And
you need to talk to Savannah's people, so proud that their city still cares about its past.
The Savannah Chamber of Commerce in cooperation
with Historic Savannah Foundation, Inc., has devised
-- a series of walking tours of Georgia's first and many -- say, its loveliest city. These four walks will lead you
through the heart of a city in love with its heritage. For first-time visitors, it might be a good idea to take one of the guided tours of the city before you strike out on your own. Once oriented, get yourself a map, put on your walking shoes, and head out.
The perfect place to start your walk is, of course, the Savannah Visitors Center located on W. Broad Street on the western edge of the city's historic district. Here you can park all day (for free ) ; you can acquaint yourself with the city by visiting the center, itself housed in a bit of Savannah history, the Central of Georgia Railroad station. Begun in 1856, the station for the first railroad chartered in the U.S. was finally completed after Savannah had been presented to President Lincoln by General Sherman. Here you can get your first look at the Savannah gray bricks, handmade
at a plantation just outside town. You'll find that these bricks have been used in structures throughout the city.
They have become valuable antiques themselves, selling for as much as 40^ per brick!
Inside the Visitors Center, you can get brochures and maps plus books and other souvenirs. After you decide you just have to see the riverfront, the Green-Meldrim House, Juliette Gordon Low's birthplace, the Colonial
Dames House, the Davenport House, the Owens-Thomas House and countless other Savannah landmarks
including, of course, Colonial Cemetery, you might decide you need to make reservations for an overnight stay. There are phones inside. The helpful ladies inside
-- can give you information you need from where to
find Mrs. Wilkes' Boarding House to what events are taking place this weekend.
But before you leave the Visitors Center to strike out on your Savannah venture, take a few minutes to look around. Here's your first introduction to the Savannah colors you'll see again and again on your walking tour. Those colors used on the walls inside the Center are a few of the 56 typical Savannah colors developed by a
local artist, Ann Osteen. She and a group of Savannah
residents used chisels and paper cups and an ample supply of patience to scrape from some of the city's oldest buildings samples of the original paints used on these eighteenth and nineteenth century structures. The walls of the lounge area (the main room) are Factor's Red; the first floor staff offices are painted Peach Leather; all the woodwork is Geechee Teal; and the ceilings are Tabby White.

Tearing yourself from the Visitor Center, check to see that you have plenty of film in your camera, and start out on your stroll through Savannah, and back into Georgia's history.

THE RIVERFRONT Walk A begins at Savannah's famous riverfront,

recently revitalized and now home for 60-plus

restaurants and specialty shops. The towering red row

Row of buildings is called Factor's

for the nineteenth

century factors, or brokers, who exported cotton and

naval stores from the busy seaport of Savannah. Today

as you walk along the edge of the Savannah River,

you'll see it's busy with tugboats and freighters from

all over the world.

That beautiful, old three-masted sailing ship moored

alongside John Rousakis Riverfront Park stopped over
-- in Savannah not too long ago and decided to stay.
Now the "Barba Negra" (opposite page) proudly calls

Savannah, Georgia home.

Drop by the Ships of the Sea Museum ($1 ) and be
sure to learn about the plight of Savannah's Waving

Girl before you start up the steep, cobblestone ramp to Emmett Park and Factor's Walk. At the top of the

ramp, notice Savannah's Harbor Light, erected in 1852

to guide incoming ships past broken hulls of vessels

sunk by the British during the Revolution.

As you detour a little to walk through Emmett Park

and down along Factor's Walk, you'll see that much of

Savannah's business is still transacted in the offices of

the cotton factors. Stroll by the Cotton Exchange

(circa 1886), the old Customs House (1852), and the

City Hall (1909) before heading back through

Emmett Park toward East Broad Street where
A Walk continues.
Two blocks south of Bay Street is the Pirate's

House, Savannah's most famous restaurant. Besides

being a popular tourist stop, the Pirate's House is of

historical significance, built in 1754 as a seaman's

tavern. Next door, the Herb House, the oldest building

in Georgia, was built in 1734 to house tools used in the

Trustee's Garden, tucked behind Herb House. You may

recall from your Georgia history that a secondary

reason for the founding of the colony of Georgia was

to establish an agricultural experiment station. Plants

from all over the world were brought, and it was here

that Georgia's founders experimented with such

potential crops as cotton, peaches and mulberry trees

for the raising of silkworms. Cotton and peaches

thrived, but raising silkworms proved to be a dismal

failure, although enough silk was supposedly made to

sew one silk skirt for the Queen of England.
Walk A leads you west from Trustee's Garden

Village, the city's first large restoration project, on

St. Julian Street, a pretty avenue that joins Washington

and Warren Squares and is lined by some of Savannah's

loveliest homes.

Warren is one of Savannah's prettiest and most

unusual squares. It ranks as prettiest because of gigantic

Outdoors it? Georgia

m /' ?l

t

azaleas and live oaks that shade the park and the
elegant, restored homes, some dating from 1793. And
it's unusual because right next door to these beautifullyappointed renovations is a small, clapboard house that
-- has never been restored or even painted. It's this
"before and after" comparison that makes Warren Square one of Savannah's most charming.
Two more Savannah landmarks are located on
Reynolds Square. The Pink House, built in 1789 for James Habersham, Jr., later served as a branch of the Bank of the U.S. and, in 1 865, as headquarters for part of the Union Army. It is now a restaurant. The Oliver-Sturgis House, next door, is one of several
"twin houses" built in 1813.
From Reynolds Square, walk north on Abercorn to Bay, then west to Bull Street where Walk B begins.
BULL STREET
You might agree with many visitors and natives alike that Bull Street is Savannah's prettiest avenue. And
people affectionately call the five squares along Bull the
July 1978

"jewels of Savannah." Johnson Square was laid out in 1733, the first of Savannah's 24 squares. This was early Savannah's central meeting place where President James Monroe (in 1819), the Marquis de LaFayette (in 1825) and Daniel Webster (in 1847) spoke to crowds of friendly Savannahians. The monument in Johnson Square marks the burial place of General
Nathanael Greene of Revolutionary War fame and his son. (Greene Square, named for the General, is at
Houston and President streets, several blocks away.)
On the east side of Johnson Square is Christ Church,
Georgia's first church.
Further south down Bull Street is Wright Square, named for the last of Georgia's royal governors. Sir James Wright. But the square's central monument, erected in 1783, honors William Gordon, father of Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low, but more prominently known as the founder and first president of
the Central of Georgia Railroad. A large granite
boulder brought to Wright Square from Stone Mountain marks the burial site of Tomochichi,
19

Fanciful wrought ironwork and elegant architectural detailing add
to Savannah's charm.
Yamacraw chief and friend of Oglethorpe. Two blocks south of Wright Square at the corner of
Bull and Oglethorpe is the Juliette Gordon Low
Birthplace, Savannah's first National Historic
Landmark. The house is now owned by the Girl Scouts of America and is open every day except Wednesday.
($1.50 for adults, 75^ for under 18.) (You might detour from here to Telfair Square and
the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, another National Historic Landmark.)
Another must for visitors is Bull Street's Independent
Presbyterian Church where Woodrow Wilson married
the minister's granddaughter in 1885.
Walk B will lead you to Chippewa Square, where you will find a statue of Georgia's founder, James Edward Oglethorpe, and further south on Bull to Madison
Square and the Green-Meldrim House. (See pages 4-6 for more about the Green-Meldrim House.)
West of Madison, Pulaski Square and the surrounding area is Historic Savannah Foundation's largest restoration project. The houses you'll see around this square date from the 1840s; the square itself was laid out in 1 837 in honor of Polish General Casimir Pulaski who died near here in the siege of Savannah, October
1779. But a statue of Pulaski is located in Monterrey
Square, several blocks away. Here, in addition to the
statue, you'll find some of the finest examples of the city's ornate wrought ironwork: in fences and gates, balconies and window brackets. Wrought iron seems to
be as typical of old Savannah as of New Orleans'
French Quarter.
Forsyth Park at the southern end of Walk B is a
favorite meeting place in the city today. It was laid out in 1851. Here you can see a monument to the Confederacy and busts of two local Confederate heroes,
plus a Spanish-American War memorial, further distant. And one of the park's most recent and most
interesting additions is the Garden for the Blind, a fragrant garden developed in 1963 by local garden
clubs.
From Forsyth Park, you could visit (for free) the
headquarters of the Georgia Historical Society at the corner of Gaston and Whittaker, before walking north
to Jones and east to Abercorn where Walk C begins.
CALHOUN SQUARE TO COLONIAL CEMETERY
Abercorn will lead you to Calhoun Square, named for southern states'-rights spokesman John C. Calhoun.
A must for visitors to Calhoun Square is a peek into the
Wesley Monumental Methodist Church, the Gothic Revival church built a century ago as a memorial to
20

John and Charles Wesley, the founders of Methodism who preached in Savannah for a short time.
Whitefield Square, named for George Whitefield, founder of the Bethesda Orphanage located just outside Savannah, marks the beginning of the city's historic
Victorian district. East of Whitefield Square, Savannah's Victorian district is a fascinating melting pot where
many homes and townhomes have been rebuilt from
dilapidated conditions, but others still serve as a
reminder of how the entire downtown must have looked
not too long ago.
LaFayette Square was named, of course, for the
Marquis de LaFayette who visited Savannah in 1825. Here you'll find the Colonial Dames House, built by Andrew Low in 1849. It was here that his daughter-inlaw, Juliette Gordon Low, founded the Girl Scouts on March 12, 1912. The Colonial Dames House is open to
the public for a nominal fee ($1.25, 75^). Also at LaFayette Square is the beautiful Cathedral
of St. John the Baptist, at the corner of Harris and
Abercorn. This circa 1 876 cathedral is the home of
Georgia's oldest Catholic congregation, first organized in the late 1700s.
From here, you're ready to walk through the Colonial
Park Cemetery, the second public cemetery in colonial Savannah. Visitors can explore the cemetery and find the gravesites of such notable founding fathers as
Outdoors \t) Georgia

James Habersham, Archibald Bulloch, Button Gwinnett and Lachlan Mcintosh. Colonial Cemetery dates from 1750 to 1850.
DAVENPORT HOUSE TO OGLETHORPE SQUARE At Oglethorpe and Abercorn, you'll begin Walk D
by strolling past Savannah gray brick Marshall Row
houses (circa 1855) to Lincoln Street, then on to Columbia Square.
Columbia Square's most notable landmark is the circa 1820 Isaiah Davenport House located on the north side of the square. In 1955 this grand Georgian style house was scheduled for demolition until it was rescued by a group that came to be known as the Historic Savannah Foundation, Inc. It was their first
restoration project and, until 1976, served as their
headquarters. Today it is a museum ($1.25, 50^)
where the "before" photographs in the upstairs hallway
show how much work went into the restoration of the
Davenport House.
From Columbia Square, Walk D leads to Greene
Square, named, you'll recall, for Nathanael Greene. The houses along here are all early nineteenth century.
You might want to stop by the Second Baptist Church,
also at the square.
Walk D leads from Greene Square around Columbia
Square and the Davenport House toward Oglethorpe Square and the Owens-Thomas House.

Your walking tour of Savannah ends at Oglethorpe Square, but there's one more place you must visit.
The William Scarborough House, now the
headquarters of the Historic Savannah Foundation,
Inc., is located at 41 W. Broad Street, north of the Visitors Center. Its restoration was the bicentennial project of the Historic Savannah group. The house was
designed by William Jay for William Scarborough, one of the investors in the S.S. Savannah, the first steamship
to cross the Atlantic. The elegant home was completed
in 1819 just in time for Scarborough to host several social events honoring President James Monroe, then visiting Savannah. The Scarborough House is open to the public; a $1.50 donation helps to further the restoration work of Historic Savannah Foundation, Inc.
Now that you have seen most of the 2.2 square mile
historic district, you undoubtedly have chosen a few favorite squares or streets or museums that you want to visit again. Try a few of the restaurants you saw, and visit the riverfront again, after sundown.
You'll probably come to agree with a visitor to Savannah in 1885, Anthony Harley: "There are far vaster and wealthier cities with much more commerce and culture than this city, but for architectural simplicity and natural beauty, for the indescribable charm about its streets and buildings . . . there is but one Savannah. Without a rival, without an equal,
^ it stands unique."

Restoration in Savannah's Victorian
district has made this neighborhood
one of Savannah's most delightful.

21

Historic Savannah Foundation
3*

Today, Savannah is a beautiful city again. But it wasn't always so.
Until the early 1900s, Savannah was a lovely city of tree-shaded squares and a variety of architectural styles. Savannah had begun simply enough. It was founded on February 12, 1733 by General James Oglethorpe and 114 English colonists. Later the city was to become the center of Revolutionary fervor in Georgia, our first state capital, a thriving industrial center and seaport, General Sherman's Christmas gift to Abraham Lincoln, the second largest cotton port in the country and the largest exporter of naval stores (turpentine). This rich heritage had given Savannah a special character.
But the twentieth century was not kind to Savannah. Her historical homes and architectural jewels became overcrowded slum tenements. "Urban blight" set in as the town moved to suburbia. Progress in twentieth century parlance meant demolition of eighteenth and nineteenth century structures to make way for concrete parking lots or offices with modern architecture that clashed with the romantic Savannah styles. The character of a city that had evolved for two centuries was being desecrated.

But a group of Savannah natives just could not let

their city be destroyed. Historic Savannah Foundation,

Inc. was founded in 1955 when a group of seven ladies,

aghast that the circa-1820 Davenport House was to be

leveled to make way for a parking lot, rounded up the

money to buy the house, then set about to restore it. At

the time it was purchased, the Davenport House was a

dilapidated tenement house where eight families lived.

As many as five families shared one bathroom. With

the restoration project uniting them, a new spirit was

kindled in Savannah; its historic downtown was on the

road to recovery.

Untold hours of diligent work by Historic Savannah

Foundation members have raised millions of dollars for

Savannah's restoration in the 23 intervening years. Pri-

A vate restoration projects have flourished.

careful

inventory of the 2.2 square mile historic area revealed

1100 historically significant buildings. Thanks largely

to the efforts of Historic Savannah Foundation, approxi-

mately 900 of those have now been restored. The his-

toric district is now a Registered National Historic

Landmark, the largest historic district in any city.

Discovering
Nature
at Panola Mountain

by Susan K. Wood
-- -- It's a special park, where peace and solitude are the
rule. People the young and the older come to this
wind-swept granite knoll to study nature, the land, the environment . . . and sometimes just to get away, to be
with their own thoughts. This is Panola Mountain State
Conservation Park. You'll find here no paddle boats or diving boards, no
mini-golf courses or jungle gyms, no cabins or campsites for overnighters and, quite honestly, precious few picnic tables or barbeque grills.
What you will find 1 8 miles from downtown Atlanta
is a 537-acre nature study park where the featured attraction is a 100-acre biotite granite outcropping that
remains as untouched, as unscarred by man as it has
-- -- been for thousands even millions of years.
Panola Mountain, experts explain, was formed some 300 million years ago when a great force in the earth injected magma, or molten rock, into the earth's crust. Since then, erosion has laid bare large segments of granite that are dotted by holes or "solution pits," scrubby trees and other vegetation.
In the Piedmont area, especially near Atlanta, several such outcroppings are visible. Stone Mountain, of course, is the most well-known and the one most sub-
jected to commercialization. It may also be the largest granite outcropping in the world. The granite of Stone
Mountain underlies a portion of at least four states (Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas), the people at Stone Mountain Park will tell you.
In DeKalb County near Lithonia is another of these granite areas. Arabia Mountain, however, has been
quarried over the years, providing granite for scores of buildings and monuments.
Not too far from Mount Arabia and Stone Mountain, just east of Highway 155 near Stockbridge, lies Panola Mountain which is unique in that commercial quarrying
has left it virtually unscarred.
Outdoors ip Georgia

m Couch 23

Most Georgians, except those who have visited Panola Mountain Park's new interpretive center, would
naturally assume that these and all other granite-topped areas in these parts are made of the same granite. But not so, explains Andrea O'Connor, Panola's exhibit attendant. The largest, Stone Mountain, is composed of muscovite granite, a fine-grained white granite flecked with tiny black dots. Arabia is made of gneiss (pronounced like "nice") or metamorphosed granite. The granite of Panola Mountain is yet a third type: biotite granite. Biotite is a coarse, darkly speckled granite. Visitors to the interpretive center at Panola Mountain can easily see the difference in each of these types of
granite and can learn about how granite is formed and
about "country rock" which can be seen throughout the
park.
But this 100-acre granite monadnock is not all there
is to Georgia's first, highly successful conservation park. In addition to the mountain and its outcrops, there are
other natural habitats to explore. Open fields which were once pastures and farm land are neighbored by forests of pine and hardwood, and there is a three-acre manmade pond which is fed by clear mountain streams. The South River forms the northeast boundary of the park. Each of these habitats teems with life, life that is in a
delicate state of balance.
Two self-guided trails bring visitors into this serene
A environment. three-fourths mile Rock Outcrop Trail
loops around a smaller outcropping of the biotite granite that is Panola Mountain. The newest trail, called MicroWatershed Trail, is longer (one and one-fourth miles) and leads visitors to a nearby flood plain area, through areas of stream development and forests. Teaching stations along the trail emphasize the conservation concept and also point out the changes that are seen along the trail as the seasons change.
Recent additions to the five miles of trails already developed expand the educational possibilities of Panola Mountain since they encompass yet another ecosystem
-- for study. Each habitat the river, the swamp, fields, -- forests and the mountain provides an ideal site for the
study of nature populations and their interrelationships.
"We've got many different areas here, so we can pro-
vide a variety of outdoor education programs," Superintendent David Miner explains. "We've got all kinds of
-- research geological, environmental, ecological and -- botanical going on. People from Emory, Georgia State,
Georgia Southern and Clemson come here to do gradu-
ate research. That's another plus for a natural area park like Panola."
For over thirty years, Panola Mountain was owned by the Yarborough family who used it as a farm retreat. In 1968 when Yarborough Farms was trying to sell the land, the Nature Conservancy became interested in it as
a conservation project and purchased it. (See the May OIG for more on the Nature Conservancy.) In July
1970, the Georgia Conservancy took over the property and subsequently deeded it to the state. In 1971, Panola Mountain became the state's first conservation state
24

DNR park. With Panola Mountain,

hoped to create a

better understanding and appreciation of the natural

environment.

David Miner elaborates on this conservation philoso-
-- -- phy. "Our job the way we see it is to protect and
preserve the resources here at Panola. And the best way we can do that is through interpretation. But at the same time, we must meet the needs and interests of park visitors who come here because they enjoy being out in the
open.
"We feel man can interact with man and with the en-
vironment without damaging that environment. There
can be a coexistence of man and nature." This is why Panola Mountain is so special. It's a park
that is not a park in the traditional sense of the word.
"We promote this park and this resource in our own
way, which is not the 'traditional' way, I'll admit," said
Miner. "So we've come up with a variety of resourceoriented programs that are really simple self-discovery

or sensitivity exercises. Like our Parents and Tots Morning."

This Parent and Tots Morning is held three or four times each month in good weather for parents and their
very young (3 to 5 years old) children. "We all get out
and go for an early morning walk through the park,"
explained Andrea O'Connor. "We give the children little
exercises that make them more aware of nature and what it's like to be outdoors. Before we go out, we may get them to look at colors or shapes and then match them to what they find outdoors as we walk. Things like

that are fun and educational for children." Weekends find the greatest number of visitors to the
park, those coming out for activities, craft demonstra-

tions, nature films, for picnics and for the guided walks up Panola Mountain which are held every Saturday and Sunday at 3 : 30 p.m. Only on such guided walks will you be invited to walk up the face of Panola Mountain, since

trails follow a path around the circumference of the monadnock.

Other events go on at Panola Mountain, too. This

spring, an Astronomy Night was hosted by an expert from Fernbank's planetarium. The first weekend in

April was specially planned for the study of the flora of
Panola Mountain. One of the highlights was a session

on nature photography. Another discussion group fo-
cused on edible plants. And of course, since many of the
plants talked about were then in bloom, the walk

through the park and up the mountain proved very

interesting.

Other nature study programs take a different twist.

"We've held some off-park adventures," David Miner

explained, "like the canoe trip down the South River

We last February.

took 40 people in each of three ses-

We sions down the river in canoes.

hope to be able to do

more of that."
And this summer, Andrea O'Connor is planning the second Educational Discovery Camp at Panola Mountain. This two week (two days each week) camp offers

a nature experience for several age groups.

Outdoors it? Georgia

"We learn a lot from the kids who visit here,"

O'Connor said. "You forget what a child's perspective

We and experience of learning is like.

have Scout groups

galore who come out here and work on nature study

projects to earn badges. And, of course, we have school

groups, too, especially in the spring and fall."

Large groups like these are given the "grand tour"

which can include the guided walk up the biotite granite

monadnock, if they want, and hikes by the stream-fed

pond which is amazingly clear.
"We like to let Panola Mountain speak for itself," a proud David Miner emphasized. "And we've proven

that you don't have to bring in large numbers of people to have a good state park. What we offer is a different

kind of experience."

That experience can take you through the interpretive

center hidden in the woods where you'll see a live king

snake and an active beehive, learn all about insects and

stream development and different types of granite,

browse through a variety of conservation publications

from Natural History to Ranger Rick and see a film like

"The American Bald Eagle." You can follow the two

trails and tag along on a guided walk up what has been

called "a million year old mountain in the process of
evolution, unhindered by anyone." To put it simply, you

can discover nature at Panola Mountain State Conser-

vation Park. That's what this park is all about.

The unique natural environment of Panola Mountain State Park provides a perfect setting for the study
of nature.
Bill Bryant

For further information or to schedule a group visit to Panola Mountain, contact the park office at ( 404) 474-2914.

"# ^~
The plumleaf azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium) is a handsome shrub found in the moist, shaded ravines of Providence Canyon State Park. Like all native azaleas, the plumleaf is deciduous, in contrast to cultivated azaleas which are evergreen. The plumleaf azalea is a large shrub that may attain a height of 15 to 20 feet. It has dark green foliage and smooth bark. The extremely showy flowers varying in color from fiery red to coral are produced in dense terminal clusters. The plumleaf azalea blooms in July and August long after its leaves have developed, whereas the other native Georgia azaleas bloom in early spring before or during leaf development.
First collected and recognized as a new species in the early 1900s, the plumleaf
azalea has since been observed or collected in only about six counties in southwest
Georgia, and even fewer counties in adjacent Alabama. Of the dozen or so native azaleas that occur in Georgia, the plumleaf is the rarest. In the 1940s, Cason J. Callaway, founder of Callaway Gardens, had the foresight to propagate the plumleaf azalea to insure its continued existence. Mr. Callaway's efforts have been successful to this
day, although the potential for extinction still exists for the plumleaf. Therefore, it
Outdoors \t) Georgia

has been placed on the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' protected species list, along with 57 other plants that have been determined to be in jeopardy. Georgians cannot afford to lose another of their rare and beautiful shrubs, as happened with the Franklin tree (Franklinia alatamaha). The Franklin tree has not been observed in the wild since the 1790s and is presumed extinct, although
it continues in cultivation.
When visiting Providence Canyon State Park in July or August, don't miss the plumleaf azalea. It will make your visit all the more worthwhile. And don't forget the camera!
Providence Canyon is located seven miles west of Lumpkin (Stewart County) on Georgia 39C.

$ ' ,~i

:

y1r.jrnyt

"-%&**

By David Ettman, DNR Biologist
Photography by Bob Busby

n>

eTeno

by Robert Lochmiller Photography by Wendell Metzen

Before the turn of the century,
many conservationists saw the beauty and vastness of many wilderness marshes and swamps succumb to
the ax and saw. In an attempt to salvage the uniqueness of one such area, the United States Biological Survey purchased nearly 300,000
acres of swamp land from the Hebard Lumber Company in 1937. Thus the Okefenokee, the "land of the trembling earth," became a seg-
ment of our national wildlife refuge
system.
The Okefenokee, however, became a refuge only after the destruction of much of its characteristic plant and animal life. Once an
island of vast stands of large cypress
and gum, by 1935 most of its great-

est treasures had been fed to the sawmills. However, all was not lost, and the Okefenokee has managed to
regenerate much of its cypress and gum trees. Even the wildlife which once was greatly depleted has come back to dominate the swamp.
Thirty-eight miles long and 25 miles wide, the Okefenokee has a hard pan bottom which has been
filled with muck and dead vegetation for countless generations. When
the ocean receded between 500,000 and 1,250,000 years ago, a huge sand bar remained which acted to retain water in the Okefenokee, forming a 600,000 acre shallow swamp.
Today the Okefenokee acts like a great sponge, relying solely on

rainwater to replenish its water supplies. In years of drought, the Oke-
fenokee will become so dry that it actually burns. Such a fire destroyed much of the swamp during the drought of 1932.
Relics date the earliest human inhabitants of the swamp to prehistoric times. By the 1700s, Seminole
Indians lived in villages on several islands in the Okefenokee. The most famous of them was chieftain Billy Bowlegs. Billy's Island, on which he
lived, is named for him, and from
there he led raids into the neighboring countryside. In the late 1830s, a
force of 300 men was sent into the swamp to try to capture the chief-
tain, but he eluded them. Although Billy Bowlegs was never caught, that

July 1978

29

campaign drove the last of the Seminoles from the Okefenokee.
In the 1800s industry came to the swamp in the form of lumbermen
and cattlemen. An attempt to drain the swamp in 1891 resulted in the
building of a canal some 12 miles long into the heart of the swamp. The Suwannee Canal was designed to drain the swamp into the St. Mary's River so that the rich swamp bottom could be used as farm land, but the attempt failed. The mysterious Okefenokee seemed to fill up
with water instead of being drained after the canal was constructed. At-
tempts to drain the swamp were
abandoned in 1895. The Okefenokee's wildlife is ex-
tremely diverse and abundant. Most of the swamp's original inhabitants
still survive with the possible exception of the panther and the ivorybilled woodpecker, both endangered
species. Some believe that even these two species may have a foothold on one of the many remote islands in
-- the swamp. Alligators up to 12 -- feet in length can be found sun-
ning themselves anywhere there is a dry chunk of land or log. They are accompanied by equally dangerous reptiles: the cottonmouth water moccasin and the diamond-back
rattlesnake.
The Okefenokee has a diversity of turtle life, too. There is hardly a log that goes unoccupied during midday by a scotter, painted turtle, alligator snapper or other turtles.

The swamp also prides itself on
its majestic bird populations. Louisiana, little blue, great blue and green herons, great egrets, blackcrowned and yellow-crowned night herons, white and wood ibises and the anhinga are among the swamp's
residents. It is not uncommon for a
visitor to see all these birds in a single day. Vast expanses of lily-pod prairies provide ideal feeding sites
for these birds. Many large cypress
trees are ideal for nest building and roosting. Ospreys, red-shouldered hawks, black vultures and turkey
vultures also find a home here in the swamp. They can be seen soaring
effortlessly over the great expanses
of swamp on almost any day. The
beauty of countless numbers of small warblers, flycatchers, sparrows and the prothonotary warbler should not be overlooked either. The spring migration fills the park with visiting amateur ornithologists armed with binoculars and note pads. Some 85 species of birds spend their summers in the swamp, while more than 90
species winter here. Night brings on a chorus of ani-
mal life. Barred owls are soon joined by thousands of amphibians, insects and mammals. Visitors will also

hear the gutteral song of the chuck-

will's-widow. The early morning

comes alive with the rattle of the

kingfisher and the song of the Caro-

lina wren, towhee and tufted tit-

mouse.

At least 42 species of mammals

live in the Okefenokee but are re-

luctant to* divulge their presence to

humans. Black bear, white-tail deer,

bobcats, fox, otter and others in-
habit the swamp, but raccoons may

well be the most numerous of this
clan. It is not uncommon to see an

entire family group of raccoons re-

laxing on a moss-covered tree limb.
A unique ecological interrelation-

ship exists among the Okefenokee's components. From the swallowtail

to the large bull alligator, all the

swamp's wildlife depend on each

other for their continued existence.
A place of strange and unparal-

leled beauty, the Okefenokee's status

as an important wildlife refuge is

what sets it apart as a valuable nat-

ural resource.

^

Robert L. Lochmiller is a graduate student in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg.

30

Outdoors it? Georgia

Pioneer
Territory

N.E.
Georgia Mountains

Iwi

The
Big "A"

Classic
South

Heart of Georgia

Plains
Country

Colonial
Coast

k^SwhoP]

Georgia

With hundreds of natural resources, historical and cultural sites, recreational spots and loads of attractions designed for just plain fun, Georgia has become a very popular vacation spot. Tourism is booming in Georgia since word has spread that Georgia's rugged mountains, rolling green hills, rushing rivers and warm, golden coast, its charming towns and cosmopolitan cities can provide an exciting vacation. But none know this as well as Georgians themselves
who are vacationing, in record numbers, in
Georgia, too.
Tourism is big business in Georgia. Last year, an estimated 64.9 million travelers vacationed right here in the Peach State, spending upwards of $2.3 billion.
And this year, Georgia tourism has a new look.
In keeping with the Department of Industry and Trade slogan, "Georgia. This way to Fun," the state
now sports seven travel regions, all dressed in bright
colors for easy identification by the potential traveler.
"Establishing seven distinctive travel regions for
Georgia is a concept we believe will result in greater tourism revenues," says Ed Spivia, Director, Georgia Department of Industry and Trade Tourist Division. Those tourism revenues brought in an estimated
$1 18.5 million in taxes in 1977. "Georgia is a big, beautiful state with tremendous
vacation variety. By forming regions which have
tourist attractions that are compatible and by
developing tour suggestions for each region, we are confident the traveler will spend more vacation days
here this year.
"This is so the traveler can sort out the regions as he
reads our literature and as he visits the Welcome Centers. In the instance where the traveler does not have enough time to cover the entire state, he will have
guidance in choosing the areas which best fit his interests," Spivia added.
Georgians can use this information to help them plan long weekends or week-long vacations to see parts of Georgia they may never have visited.
For example, those who are seeking history in the
making might select Plains Country. This southwest corner of the state not only emphasizes the President's
-- hometown which has been of paramount interest to -- travelers but also offers Plains as the gateway to a
wide selection of other appealing attractions:
Westville, Chehaw Wild Animal Park, the Georgia
Agrirama, Historic Columbus, the Andersonville Trail, Providence Canyon, Callaway Gardens and the American Camellia Society Headquarters.
As in Plains Country, where travel attractions are bound together by a sort of frontier flavor shared by all, Georgia's six other travel regions focus on outstanding characteristics common to the attractions
within their borders.

Pioneer Territory, the northwest section of the state, is an area rich in Indian lore where visitors will find
reminders of the culture and traditions of some of
Georgia's earliest settlers. Highlights of this region
include the Vann House, The Chieftains, Rock City,
New Echota, Chickamauga National Battlefield, Oak
Hill, the Martha Berry Memorial Museum, Etowah Indian Mounds and Red Top Mountain, Fort Mountain and Cloudland Canyon state parks.
Next door, the Northeast Georgia Mountains is a region filled with breathtaking scenery. Peaks and valleys, streams and waterfalls, picturesque villages, a
-- mining town all combine to make this area a haven
for those who love the outdoors. Brasstown Bald,
the state's highest mountain, is here along with hundreds of year-round fishing, camping and hiking facilities and resorts which range from rustic to those which specialize both in winter skiing and in golfing and water sports.
In the Classic South, stately antebellum mansions
that have been preserved since the era of the Civil War
abound. Visit Madison, Athens and Washington to see structures spared by Sherman. Other vestiges of the "great conflict" can be viewed throughout the region in such places as the Cotton Exchange and Old Slave Market Column, the Confederate Powder Works and the Alexander Stephens Memorial Museum.
Georgia's Colonial Coast presents an historic region
-- of still another era the Revolutionary War. The
aura of the past lingers here, too, in a nationally
acclaimed Historic Landmark District as well as at Fort Frederica, the Midway Church and Museum and the Savannah Waterfront. Pre-dating even these are the sunswept beaches of the Golden Isles and the mysterious Okefenokee Swamp.
Atlanta is the dynamo dominating Georgia's Big A, yet the metropolitan glamour and sophistication are
tempered by heavy doses of gracious Southern hospitality at three popular family amusement parks, at
FDR'S Little White House and the Governor's Mansion and several state parks including Chattahoochee River, John Tanner and Indian Springs.
Heart of Georgia is the centrally located region that features a sampling of the kinds of attractions found in each of the others: big city atmosphere in Macon, the history of the Old South and Colonial Era in magnificent restorations scattered throughout the region and concentrated in Clinton, Milledgeville and Sparta, Indian legends at the Ocmulgee National Monument, and plenty of outdoor activity at High Falls and Little Ocmulgee state parks.
All in all, Georgia's new tourist regions definitely point the way to fun. To receive a copy of the state's
seven region comprehensive travel guide, write:
"Georgia. This Way To Fun," Post Office Box 1776,
Atlanta, Georgia 30301.

32

Outdoors it? Georgia

A publication of the Georgia Department of Industry and Trade
* July 1978

Plains Country

The Plains
Visitor Center

The rustic looking Plains Visitor Center outside
President Carter's tiny home town is far more of a
pacesetter in the Georgia travel industry than its quaint
facade might indicate. Travelers who stop here find
that it utilizes one of the newest and most successful concepts in tourism promotion.
Organization is the key to this new concept, and
colorful visual aids are a part of it, too.
What the traveler sees when he first enters the Plains Visitor Center, besides a warm, homey atmosphere, is a giant, color-coded map directing his
attention to the seven distinctive travel regions in Georgia. The next thing he'll notice is the photographic display on major attractions in each region, also color-coded.
If one or several regions in particular capture his
interest, he can read all about them in the new
literature prepared by the Department of Industry and Trade Tourist Division. Seven individual brochures are
available at the Visitor Center, outlining the best
suggestions for either a three or six day tour of a region. Each brochure includes capsule descriptions of
the suggested attractions, as well as a detailed map of
the selected area.
On hand to further explain the travel opportunities
in the state are the Visitor Center personnel, pleasant
and well-trained people who know that there are more than enough tourist attractions to make visitors want to
see more of Georgia. Their specialty is, of course, Plains Country, and they are fully versed on the wide variety of things to see and do there.
Agrirama in Tifton, an historical farm replica with the flavor of rural Georgia prior to 1 900. Over 25
authentic structures faithfully restored.
Andersonville, the Civil War village that was a prison camp for northern soldiers. Restoration is now underway. Other attractions here are a museum,
little log church, living farm, and picnic area. Andersonville Trail, 75 mile long trail that includes
the National Headquarters of the American Camellia Society, river ferry, antebellum homes, Andersonville National Historic Site, historic Windsor Hotel,
34

Victorian homes in Americus, Veterans Memorial State Park, Lake Blackshear, and Plains.
Callaway Gardens, on U.S. 27 near Pine Mountain, a 2,500 acre family resort famous for its wildflowers, scenic drives, walking trails, display greenhouses, 63 holes of golf, 1 75-acre fishing lake, horseback riding, quail hunting, skeet and trap shooting. There are also a man-made beach, tennis courts, 365-room motel, and 155 cottages.
Camellia Gardens, near Marshallville at Masse Lane Farms, is the National Headquarters of the American Camellia Society. An extensive camellia library and a Boehm porcelain collection as well as vast gardens of camellias. Blossoms are at their best January 15-March 15.
Crescent House in Valdosta, an 1 898 mansion that is
now an imposing garden center. Among its unusual
features is a third floor ballroom that seats 300.
Open Friday afternoons. Fort Benning Infantry Museum in Columbus, traces
the evolution of the infantry from French and Indian Wars to the present.
Fort Gaines Historical Tour features frontier homes, several hotels, an 1 890s apothecary, Globe Tavern, and a cemetery dating to the 1800s. Sites marked for
do-it-yourself driving tour. Lake Walter F. George, 2 miles north of Fort Gaines,
offers excellent fishing and recreational areas. Plantation Tours of Thomasville, originating daily at
the Chamber of Commerce, feature plantations, historic homes and gardens of the area.
Plains, the small town home of President Jimmy Carter. Points of interest include the home of the President, Carter's birthplace and early boyhood home, downtown, the old railroad depot used as campaign
headquarters, peanut warehouses, and shops. Radium Springs, 4 miles south of Albany, the largest
natural spring in Georgia. Maintains a constant
temperature of 68 degrees. Swimming available. Rose Test Gardens in Thomasville, one of 25 gardens
in the United States experimenting with development
of new types of roses. Springer Opera House in Columbus, a restored
Victorian theatre where Edwin Booth and Franklin D.
Outdoors ip Georgia

^H

^H

H

BB

^H South ^B|

Heart of Georoja

B^^B^B^B^B^B^B^lB

Plans Country

Colonial Coast

^^H^|

The Plains railroad depot is one of
many points of interest in
"Plains Country."

Roosevelt appeared. Group tours by appointment.
Performances. Westville, just outside of Lumpkin, a recreated and
functioning rural village of 1850. Authentic buildings
were moved to the site, restored, and furnished. Working craftsmen demonstrate skills of yesteryear.
Regularly scheduled special events throughout the year.
Lapham-Patterson House in Thomasville, built in 1884, is one of the Southeast's finest examples of
Victorian architecture.
Chehaw Wild Animal Park, a 100 acre wildlife preserve where exotic animals roam free in their
July 1978

natural habitats, separated from visitors who stroll
along protective trails and elevated walkways. Located on Ga. Hwy. 91 off U.S. 19 bypass in Albany.
Georgia has a total of ten visitor centers located conveniently throughout the state. Besides Plains, travelers can stop for detailed travel information and vacation ideas in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Kingsland, Lavonia, Ringgold, Savannah, Sylvania, and Valdosta.
Those who want to know more about Plains Country before leaving home can write for a free tour kit from
Tour Georgia, Georgia Department of Industry and Trade, P.O. Box 1 776, Atlanta, Georgia 30301
35

The Big A

Racing
With the Wind

Scarlett O'Hara would hardly recognize her Atlanta. But she'd like it. Atlanta in the late seventies is much
like the GONE WITH THE WIND heroine herself-
vibrant, courageous, in command of all in her purview. Many feel Atlanta is rapidly moving toward
becoming one of the great cities of the world. If population is a way to define great, then it must be
said that Atlanta now has more than 1 .7 million people. If business is the criterion, think of how business
people regard the Georgia capital. To them it is an "international city," with its economic influence going far beyond regional confines. Bank deposits are well above the average of similar sized cities.
Cultural leaders say the renaissance of art
throughout the nation is nowhere more truly reflected
than in Atlanta.
Fashion-conscious shoppers deem Peachtree Street the Fifth Avenue of the South. Added to Georgia-based
stores, which have been style setters for almost
a century, are many leading fashion firms from other
parts of the country. Their Atlanta branches have
sprung up throughout the city in new suburban
shopping developments. Educators consider Atlanta a mecca. There are
nineteen degree-granting institutions of higher learning in the area, plus twenty-four business schools, ten vocational training schools, six two-year colleges, and
more than four hundred elementary and secondary
schools. Architecturally, Atlanta is a city to see for its
legendary residential beauty and its vast assortment of
modern downtown hotel and office landmarks. A
$1 .8 billion mass transit system is in the works. Financially, the city is a major center. It is heavily
populated with banking, savings, credit, insurance and investment institutions. It is a transportation hub, a focus for airlines, railroads and highways.
Sportsmen find Atlanta a game town with
competition or exhibition for every taste and skill.
36

Spectators enjoy basketball, baseball, ice hockey, and football of major league proportions, as well as auto racing of national note. There's golfing for every handicap in the city which produced one of the world's
greatest golfers, Bobby Jones. A short distance from
Atlanta is sprawling Lake Lanier, a paradise for
water sportsmen. And there's varied hunting only a few hours away.
Special sites to see in Atlanta are:
Atlanta Historical Society, with its Swan House
(1928) inspired by Palladian architecture; and Tullie Smith Restoration area, an 1840 farm house with craft shop and demonstrations.
Atlanta International Raceway, two miles southwest of Hampton on U.S. 41 , a P/2 mile paved oval track featuring two major Grand National race events.
Atlanta Zoo, located in Grant Park in southeast Atlanta. The largest zoo in the state.
Cyclorama, at Grant Park, a 50 ft. high, 400 ft.
circumferential painting of the Battle of Atlanta in three
dimensions, with special lighting and sound effects. Fernbank Science Center, third largest planetarium
in the nation. Includes an observatory, exhibit hall, walking forest, and reference library.
Georgia Archives houses the history of Georgia from its earliest recorded times to the present. Stained
glass windows depict the rise and fall of the
Confederacy. Georgia State Capitol, (1884-1889), with gold
covered dome 237 feet high. Georgia Museum of
Science and Industry is on the 4th floor. Governor's Mansion, a white columned Greek
Revival mansion furnished in the Federal period. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning tours.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, gravesite, Ebenezer
Baptist Church, and MLK Center for Social Change on Auburn Avenue.
Stone Mountain Park, a 3,200 acre family recreation park surrounding the world's largest granite monolith.
Outdoors it? Georgia

Facilities include campground, motel, historic trails,
fishing, canoeing, sailboating, scenic railroad,
antebellum plantation, antique auto museum, game
ranch, riverboats, and skylift to the top of the mountain. Underground Atlanta, a series of restored buildings
now used as shops, restaurants, boutiques, and quaint
lounges in a below-street level area that resulted
when a system of viaducts was installed in the 1920s.
Memorial Arts Center, $13 million cultural complex
serving as home for the Atlanta Symphony, Alliance Theatre Company, Atlanta College of Art, and the High Museum of Art.
July 1978

Omni Complex, a modern megastructure including
hotel, sports palace, convention center, ice skating rink, office space, restaurants, nightclubs, boutiques, mini-museums, international shipping gallery.
Peachtree Center, skyscrapers in the heart of the new downtown business district.
Six Flags Over Georgia, a 276-acre family entertainment center located 10 miles from downtown Atlanta. Over 100 rides, shows, and attractions.
For more information on the Big A travel region,
contact Tour Georgia, Georgia Department of Industry and Trade, P. O. Box 1 776, Atlanta, Georgia 30301
37

Pioneer Territory

ROCK
CITY

For those who appreciate nature's
handiwork at its best, Rock City at the far northwestern tip of Georgia
is a particularly interesting travel adventure.
Located high atop Lookout Mountain, Rock City Gardens soars 2,391 feet into the air and juts out from
its stone base to reveal a spectacular view of seven states from Lover's Leap.
More than 400 varieties of wildflowers and shrubs complement this view throughout the year, changing from snow-like white blooming dogwood in the spring to the late autumn riot of red, yellow, and orange.
Some of these plants are as an-
cient as the rock formations them-
selves, which geologists say may be as old as 600 million years. This is one of the few regions in the world where this kind of aged plant life
still flourishes.
Visitors to the Gardens will hike a not-quite-mile-long trail from the
information center to the Lover's

Leap promontory and then circle around, up, down, and over their tracks before completing their jaunt in Fairyland Caverns.
The entire flagstone path is full of reminders of the Indian heritage that belongs to Rock City, for it was here that warring Creeks sought refuge in naturally formed rock pockets and crevices.
Hikers may have to take a deep
breath as they pass through Fat Man's Squeeze, or catch their breath as they contemplate Balanced Rock.
They may have to hold their breath
entirely as they venture across Swinging Bridge. Yet the dizzying heights and needle-thin passage-
ways are just part of the thrill of Rock City.
More can be found in Fairyland Caverns, where children (and adults) are enchanted by visual interpretations of their favorite fairy tales and
fantasies.
Except for this one grotto, Rock City's ten acres have developed

pretty much as Mother Nature's
creation. Sea shell imprints in the
rocks date back to the time when the area was still part of the ocean
floor, and the fantastic shapes in some of the formations have been chiseled by centuries of erosion.
Nearly half a million people visit Rock City each year to drink in this special brand of scenic beauty and to embark on an exploration of other nearby attractions in Georgia's Pioneer Territory.
The gardens are open every day from 8:30 a.m. to sundown and can be reached from Georgia via 1-75 and 1-24.
For details on Rock City and information on planning a vacation in Pioneer Territory, as well as throughout the state, contact Tour Georgia, Georgia Department of Industry and Trade, P. O. Box 1776, Atlanta, Georgia 30301.

38

Outdoors it) Georgia

^H

Pioneer Territory

^^H / Georgia ^^ ^ Mountains
^\^

^H ^H
South

-L

Heart

\ of Georgia

fl^^^^^^^H ^^^^^^^^^K

Plans

^ w^,

Country

Colonial Coast

^^M^k

July 1978

39

N4E* Georgia Mountains

"^here's cgold

intern ^harjjills"

To most people that's a familiar quotation from the writings of Mark Twain, but to the North Georgia
residents of Dahlonega, it's a part of their own heritage. An expression coined by the assayer of the Dahlonega
Mint, it was first used to dissuade local miners from heading to California during the 1849 Gold Rush.
The hills he spoke of are the Gold Hills of Dahlonega, Georgia, not California, for it was near this rural Georgia mountain community that the nation's Gold Rush actually began, not in 1849, but in 1828,
when a man named Benjamin Parks kicked over
an ore-laden rock while hunting. Within months, thousands of miners descended upon
Georgia. The first gold mining town to spring up was Auraria, five miles south of what is now Dahlonega, in the heart of what had been Cherokee Indian territory just a few years before. Dahlonega developed when the need arose for a permanent county seat, and its unusual name is derived from the Cherokee word "talonaga," meaning "precious yellow."
It wasn't long before lawlessness and disorder set in. As one Auraria miner said in the 1830s:
"I can hardly conceive of a more unmoral community that exists around these mines . . . drunkenness, gambling, fighting, lewdness, and every other vice exist here to an awful
extent . . ." Despite the community's unsavory atmosphere, the
area became a very important national resource, and in 1 838 Dahlonega was selected as a location for one of the United States' first three branch mints. Over six million dollars in gold receipts were recorded here during 23 years of operation of the mint, which continued until the outbreak of the Civil War.
The closing of the mint in 1861 did not mean that there was an end to Dahlonega's gold supply. To the contrary, there is still gold in "them thar hills," and the citizens of Dahlonega are proud of it. In the 1 870s
they covered the steeple of the North Georgia College Administration Building with 1 3!/2 oz. of it, and more recently, they donated 46 oz. of gold to the
state of Georgia to cover the dome of the Capitol.
Madeline Anthony, "retired" curator of Dahlonega's
Gold Museum, remembers the day in 1957 when the gold was actually presented to the state. There was
nothing low-key about it. Fifty-three Dahlonegans, Mrs. Anthony included, had spent three days traveling by covered wagon, gold in tow, to Atlanta. They had driven a hard route through Auraria (because it
was fitting to do so), camped overnight in Cumming
and Roswell, and situated themselves finally in

Piedmont Park. The result of all this fanfare speaks for itself-- Georgia has one of the most beautiful and
distinctive capitols in the country.
Even more of a hullabaloo will be made by the people of Dahlonega this October 20-22 when they
celebrate the 1 50th Anniversary of the discovery of gold near their city. Their yearly Gold Rush Days festival
will mushroom into an extravagant commemoration that the touring public will remember for quite some time, with activities reminiscent of the good old ore mining
days.
Those who attend the festivities will want to visit Dahlonega's Gold Museum, located in the old county courthouse. Some say this building sits directly on top
of the city's major gold vein. In addition to the history
it houses, the museum is noted for its unusual bricks.
Cast from local clay, they are laced with gold and probably the most valuable bricks east of the
Mississippi. The Gold Museum is a state historic site,
open 9-5, Tuesday through Saturday, 2-5:30 on Sunday.
The same vein that runs beneath the Gold Museum stretches to the Smith House, one of few restaurants
where visitors don't mind waiting in line for a meal. Served family-style in a rather simple atmosphere, a typical lunch includes chicken dumplings, barbecued beef, fried chicken, squash fritters, hot slaw, yams,
potatoes, salad, turnip greens, cornbread, biscuits, creamed corn, string beans, baked squash, lady peas, beets, peach cobbler and honeybuns.
That's just one meal-- not the whole menu. After lunch, visitors can roll over to Gold Hills, one of Dahlonega's restored mining camps, to pan for some gold . . . finders keepers. This is the place where they'll find an authentic stamp mill and old timers who may be inclined to demonstrate how to lubricate the stamping machine with sorghum syrup or reveal the secret of salting a gold mine with cigarette ashes. Those who drive out to Gold Hills will want to take the scenic sidetrip up Mountain Drive, where they'll discover a breathtaking view of the northeast Georgia mountains from right in front of the new Lumpkin County Hospital. Back in the city, souvenir hunters can browse through genuine mountain crafts in the handsome little
shops surrounding the square. Campers and hikers have their choice of several
nearby parks-- Amicalola, Vogel and Unicoi state parks and Lake Winfield Scott-- and fishermen can try their luck along the banks of the Chestatee River.
Dahlonega is located 74 miles northeast of Atlanta via. Hwy. 400 and U.S. 19.

40

Outdoors ii? Georgia

For more information on the N.E. Georgia Mountains, write Tour Georgia, P.O. Box 1776, Atlanta 30301
These old photographs from
Dahlonega show the mood of an
1800s gold mining town.

V1

tin"'

July 1978

41

Classic South

Treasure Chest for Cherished Memories

In Madison, Georgia real and imaginary Confederate
ancestors live like friendly ghosts among people too proud to let them pass away. Kept alive by tales of their
simple heroics and complicated misadventures, these memorable figures serve as special guardians of the cherished traditions of the Classic South.
United States Senator Joshua Hill was one of the
real ones. A friend of the family of a northern general named Sherman, Hill did not believe that the
South should secede from the Union. Neither did he wish to go against his southern colleagues in the Congress, so like a gentleman, he resigned his seat
and returned to Madison when the issue came to a vote. A few years later it was this same Senator who struck a gentleman's agreement with General Sherman to spare one beautiful city as he burned his way to the sea.
That's why Madison still has so many authentic antebellum mansions. About thirty-five homes
covering roughly half of Old Madison's acreage are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Ask the local folks which ghosts live where and they'll probably mention some of the more familiar.
Scarlett O'Hara, for example, was soul mate to a former mistress of Boxwood (1 852). The lady had five beautiful daughters to educate and marry off, and plenty of expense in doing it properly. Her daughters had so many suitors that they wore the parlor furniture threadbare. Rather than pay for more fabric to have it recovered, she used half of her green brocade draperies as upholstery material.
Visitors to Boxwood have wondered ever since about the single panel draperies and the furniture that no one is allowed to sit on, and when Margaret Mitchell inquired about it back in the thirties, she was told a
true story that probably inspired Scarlett's fictional green velvet dress scenario.
Then there was the Confederate spy who blew
his Union cover during the Madison occupation and fled
to the home of the president of Georgia Female College nearby. He persuaded the suspicious president
to grant him sanctuary in the girls' dormitory, where he barely escaped capture. As the romantic story goes, he returned after the war to marry the

young lady who had so graciously hidden him in the
closet under her petticoats. The college no longer exists, but the president's
home, now the Durrell-Ruffin house (1849) does, and
excitement still lingers there. The current lady of the house has abandoned race car driving in favor of collecting English, Irish, French and Oriental antiques, and she spends her spare time adding personal touches to her home, gold-leafing the walls above the hallway doors and refinishing period furniture. She even hosted a motion picture crew that filmed a
poker game in her sitting room. Two widowed sisters, 86-year-old "Miss Louise" and
her elder sister "Miss Hallie,' live in one of Madison's oldest homes, the Stokes-McHenry house (1 820). Direct descendants of the first owners, the McHenry girls tell fascinating stories that go back a hundred and fifty years. There's one about the fragile white dancing slipper worn by an aunt to LaFayette's ball, and another about the Confederate soldier's belt lying on
a dusty bookshelf among cameo portraits of family
ghosts.
One of their ancestors got into a hassle with a drunken Union soldier over the honor of a local young maiden. He was mortally wounded by a gunshot, but managed to crawl back to the house to die with dignity in the downstairs hall. At other times the halls were filled with rollicking soldiers who burst into the house
to play the piano and dance through the rooms while the horrified McHenrys prayed for their hasty departure.
People from Madison have been accused of living
too much in the past, but that's the easiest way to
cling to it, and they do so deliberately. For they
cherish the memory of the quiet, gentle ways they've known for generations, the customs and traditions that make Georgia's Classic South Region an unforgettable
time and place to visit.
For more information on the Classic South and ideas for planning vacations in this and Georgia's six other travel regions, contact Tour Georgia, Georgia Department of Industry and Trade, P. O. Box 1 776, Atlanta, Georgia 30301.

42

Outdoors ii) Georgia

One of Madison's most famous homes, Boxwood, is privately owned but is open to the public during Madison's Tour of Homes (November and May).

July 1978

43

Heart of Georgia

Heritage Tour

Macon, the last capital of the Confederacy, is a city that never wanted to be the capital of Georgia. That
would have meant too many rapid changes, and Macon liked itself just the way it was.
Much of what was, still is, thanks
to the collaborative efforts of the
Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce and the Middle Georgia His-
torical Society. They've prepared a pamphlet for visitors called "Heritage Tour" that will direct even the most disoriented newcomers to Macon's prime architectural, historical, and cultural attractions.
Ninety-three structures are on the tour-- Greek Revival, Victorian, and
small cottages alike, many of which
are presently undergoing renova-
tion.
The most well-known house in Macon is the Hay House, a marvelous Italian Renaissance mansion on Georgia Avenue. Built around 1855, this National Historic Landmark was fashioned with no nails, silver hinges, curving sliding doors, and a secret room that once held the entire Confederate treasury, over
three million dollars.
That amount will seem of little
consequence to those who appre-
ciate the value of the Hay House
furnishings. All are invaluable:
European antiques, Dresden china, crystal chandeliers, marble sculpture, and priceless oil paintings.
Close by is the Old Cannonball House, so called because one Yan-

kee's poor aim resulted in a ball landing in the hallway rather than on a nearby hill. The ball is still there, and the United Daughters of
the Confederacy, who have turned
the house into a museum, will be happy to direct visitors to its resting
place.
The cannonball was probably fired from Fort Hawkins, also on the Heritage Tour. This historic fort was established in 1806 by a U.S. Indian
agent to help protect the English settlements in the area and to play an important role in Indian relations.
Indians have long been a part of Macon's heritage, perhaps as long as 10,000 years. The Ocmulgee Na-
tional Monument was built here to honor them and preserve their ancient temple mounds and earth-
lodge. Visitors can creep into the latter for a guided tour year-round,
while in summer they can watch demonstrations of intricate weaving
and pottery techniques by Creek Indian descendants at the Ocmulgee Museum.
Another different kind of museum in Macon is the Museum of Arts and
Sciences on Forsyth Road which houses the second largest planetarium in the Southeast. The shows here are fast paced and colorful.
The Grand Opera House on Mul-
berry Street contains a stage so large
that the original play of Ben Hur was once performed there, complete with chariot race. The theatre is now used for famous artists' concerts and

is open by appointment for tours. Macon visitors will find musical
entertainment in other areas of town, too, especially in small night clubs that feature local entertainment, for the success of Capricorn Records here has been a big influ-
ence in bringing good rock music
into the city.
There's also a lot of good dining
in Macon. Those who like rock bot-
tom prices and top quality food should try the catfish restaurant on Vineville Avenue or the Southern style cooking at the Farmer's Market Cafeteria. For more elegant fare, there's an excellent menu in the restaurant located in the renovated 1860s mansion on College Street. Their fried mushrooms and after din-
ner dessert drinks offer the ultimate in eating pleasure.
No trip to Macon would be com-
plete without a stop at Wesleyan, the first college in the world char-
tered to grant degrees to women,
or a ride out to Tobesofkee Recreation Area, where four lakeside parks and 1,750 acres of surface water await the outdoor enthusiast.
For a free copy of the "Heritage Tour" brochure, contact the Greater
Macon Chamber of Commerce, Box 169, Macon, Georgia 31202, or for
further information on other Heart of Georgia attractions write Tour Georgia, Georgia Department of Industry and Trade, P.O. Box 1776, Atlanta, Georgia 30301.

44

Outdoors ip Georgia

Inside Macon's Grand Opera House (right). Macon's Heritage Tour includes many of the city's oldest homes (be-
low).

July 1978

45

Colonial Coast

Georgia's

Golden Coast

Going to the beach this summer? Try Georgia's golden beaches for a vacation you won't forget. Take a look
at what Georgia's coast offers.
BRUNSWICK
ATTRACTIONS GATEWAY TO THE GOLDEN ISLES-SEA ISLAND, ST. SIMONS
ISLAND, AND JEKYLL ISLAND, these islands are reached via
causeways from Brunswick.
SEAFOOD INDUSTRY recognizes Brunswick as the world's
center for processed seafood dishes. See shrimp boats. Check with Welcome Center (U.S. 17) for plant tours.
MARSHES OF GLYNN are the largest salt marshes on the U.S.
East Coast. Important ecological factors to sea life.
MARSHES OF GLYNN OVERLOOK PARK, U.S. 17, has a land-
scaped garden with picnic facilities. Unobstructed view of the Marshes of Glynn and salt water lagoon.
HOWARD COFFIN MEMORIAL PARK, U.S. 17 at U.S. 25. Pub-
lic recreation facilities including tennis, baseball, football,
auditorium. Park open year 'round.
HISTORICAL SITES LANIER'S OAK, on U.S. 17. Sidney Lanier sat here to write many of his famous poems including "Marshes of Glynn."
OGLETHORPE MONUMENT, at Queen's Square, honors James
Edward Oglethorpe, the founder of the Colony of Georgia. LOVER'S OAK, Albany Street near Prince Street is more than 900 years old.
GLYNN COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 2 blocks from center of city
on U.S. 341. Ancient moss-hanging live oaks surround this handsome building, circa 1907.
CAMPING AREAS BRUNSWICK SOUTH KOA CAMPGROUND, Georgia 303. Complete facilities. Privately owned. Open year 'round. WOODLAND TRAILER PARK, 4 miles N. on U.S. 17. Excellent travel trailer camping. Swimming pool. Privately owned. Open year 'round. WEATHERING OAKS CAMPGROUNDS, 6 miles N. on U.S. 1 7. Travel trailer camping. Privately owned. Open year 'round.
GOLF 1 8 holes at Brunswick Country Club, par 72. 9 holes at Glynco
Golf Course, par 36.
ANNUAL EVENTS
BLESSING OF THE SHRIMP FLEET, Mansfield Street Dock on Brunswick River. A colorful religious ceremony in which a priest blesses the gaily-decorated shrimp boats as they pass.
Spring.
GOLDEN ISLES INVITATIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT, Bruns-
wick Country Club. Early July.
ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE, downtown, March. EXCHANGE CLUB AGRICULTURAL FAIR, fairgrounds. Mid-
October.
TROUT-A-THON FISHING TOURNAMENT, all area fishing
camps. Fall.
BASS-A-RALLY FISHING TOURNAMENT, all area fishing camps. Summer. TARPON DERBY FISHING TOURNAMENT, all area fishing
camps. Mid-June to Labor Day.
SHAD DRAG FISHING TOURNAMENT, all area fishing camps.
Late winter to early spring.
CUMBERLAND ISLAND
ATTRACTION NATIONAL SEASHORE PARK, two 45-minute ferryboat trips daily except Tuesday and Wednesday from St. Mary's, Georgia. Departs 9 a.m. and 1:45 p.m. Returns 1 p.m. and 5:45
p.m. For reservations, call (912) 884-4335.

DARIEN ATTRACTIONS BUTLER ISLAND, in the Altamaha Delta, was owned by
Pierce Butler and was one of the richest rice plantations in the world. His wife, Fannie Kemble, was considered the greatest actress of her day. She wrote a book about her life on the island. FORT KING GEORGE, settled by Scottish Highlanders who helped Oglethorpe defend the colony. Open to public. Tuesday-- Saturday 9-5 00 p.m. Sunday 2-5:30 p.m. Closed Mondays. SAPELO ISLAND. Tours of the Sapelo Island National Estuarine
Sanctuary are conducted by the UGA Marine Institute, each
Saturday. Ferry leaves Sapelo Dock at Meridian at 9:00 a.m.,
returns at 100 p.m. Call (912) 485-2449 for reservations. HUNTING AREAS BLACKBEARD ISLAND, off the coast of Darien, offers archery
hunts arranged by the Federal Wildlife Division of the Department of Interior.
ANNUAL EVENTS
BLESSING OF THE SHRIMP FLEET, Darien bridge on U.S. 17. Religious ceremony in which a priest blesses the shrimp boats as they pass. May. COASTAL GEORGIA MACERELAND TARPON DERBY. Summer.
FARGO
ATTRACTION OKEFENOKEE SWAMP, 18 miles N.E. on Georgia 177. Fargo is the Stephen C. Foster State Park entrance to the famed Okefenokee Swamp. There are nature trails, boat tours, and fishing. Also special waterways where visitors are permitted
without guides.
CAMPING AREAS STEPHEN C. FOSTER STATE PARK, 18 miles N.E. of Fargo via
Georgia 177. Telephone: (912) 496-7509.
FOLKSTON
ATTRACTIONS OKEFENOKEE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, 7 miles S.W. on Georgia 23 and 121. Folkston is one of the two eastern entrances to the famed Okefenokee Swamp. There are exhibits, nature trails, boat tours, fishing and an observation tower. Also special waterways where visitors are permitted without
guides.
GOLF 9 holes at Folkston Golf and Country Club, par 36. ANNUAL EVENTS OKEFENOKEE FESTIVAL, Courthouse Square. Parade, contests, arts and crafts show, games. Early July.
JEKYLL ISLAND
HISTORICAL SITES MILLIONAIRES' VILLAGE. Here is preserved the world of the
super-rich who ilnade up the membership of the famed Jekyll Island Club formed in 1886. A number of homes of the mem-
bers are being restored. It is claimed that one-sixth of the world's wealth was controlled from the island during the
time the millionaires inhabited the area. Among the fascinat-
ing buildings are the Jekyll Club Hotel, Mistletoe, Goodyear Cottage, Villa Ospo, Crane Cottage, Faith Chapel and the Rockefeller Cottage. Jekyll Island is a state-owned resort.
CAMPING AREA CHEROKEE CAMPGROUND offers tent and trailer camping. Privately owned. Open year 'round. ATTRACTIONS CONVENTION CENTER, Beachview Drive. A complex for con-
vention and meeting activities, it houses one of the largest

46

Outdoors it? Georgia

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indoor pools in the southeastern United States. The Convention Center is located on the nine-mile Jekyll Island white sand beach.
J. P. MORGAN TENNIS CENTER offers five outdoor courts
and one indoor court. Open year 'round. GOLF 18 holes at Oleander Course, par 72. 18 holes at Indian Mounds Golf Course, par 72. 1 8 holes at the Pinelake Course, par 72. 9 holes at Oceanside Course, par 36.
KINGSLAND CAMPING AREAS CROOKED RIVER STATE PARK, 12 miles E. from Kingsland,
off U.S. 14 on Georgia 40 spur. 500 acres. Telephone: (912) 882-5256.
LITTLE ST. SIMONS ISLAND
HUNTING AREAS LITTLE ST. SIMONS ISLAND HUNTING PRESERVES, 5 miles E. of Big St. Simons Island. Offers hunting for ducks, dove and
fallow deer, during season. Fishing during summer. Privately owned.
MIDWAY
HISTORICAL SITES
MIDWAY CHURCH, on U.S. 1 7. Erected in 1 792. The old slave
gallery and high pulpit remain unchanged. From its congregation, which never numbered more than 150 at any time, have come two signers of the Declaration of Independence, two Revolutionary generals and a U.S. senator. The church and historic cemetery may be visited at any time. Keys available at nearest service station. Free.
MIDWAY MUSEUM, on U.S. 17. Built in raised-cottage style.
There are displays of furniture, artifacts and documents from early 18th to mid-1 9th century. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed Mondays, Christmas and Thanksgiving. Maintained by Department of Natural Resources.
RICHMOND HILL
HISTORICAL SITES FT. MCALLISTER, 10 miles E. of U.S. 17 on the bank of the Ogeechee River, demonstrated that this type earthen fortification could withstand the heaviest naval ordinance employed during the War between the States. Open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Closed Mondays, Christmas and Thanksgiving. Maintained by Department of Natural Resources.
ST. MARYS
GOLF 9 holes at St. Marys Golf Course, par. 36. ANNUAL EVENTS BLESSING OF THE SHRIMP FLEET. Early June.
ST. SIMONS ISLAND
HISTORICAL SITES CHRIST CHURCH, on Frederica Road, founded by John and Charles Wesley in 1736. The present building was built in 1884 by Anson Green Phelps Dodge, Jr., as a memorial to his wife. Summer hours, 2-5 p.m.; winter hours, 1-4 p.m. daily. Sunday services at 8 a.m., 9:45 a.m. and 1 1:15 a.m.
July 1978

FT. FREDERICA NATIONAL MONUMENT, on Frederica Road.
Built by General James Edward Oglethorpe in 1736 and was the most expensive British fortification in America. It was military headquarters for the defense of Georgia and the British colonies against the Spaniards in Florida. Open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Maintained by U.S. Park Service. BLOODY MARSH. The site of a major battle between the British and the Spanish that provided the turning point for
British control in this part of the country. Free.
ST. SIMONS LIGHTHOUSE AND MUSEUM. The lighthouse was
rebuilt in 1871. Arrangements can be made with the Coast Guard to visit the top of the tower for a commanding view of the ocean, surrounding islands and rivers. Historic memorabilia is displayed in the museum which is operated by the
Coastal Georgia Historical Society.
ATTRACTIONS NEPTUNE PARK, S. end of the island, has picnic facilities, fishing pier, bowling, skating, theater and playground. County owned and operated. Open year 'round. RETREAT PLANTATION has a picturesque avenue of live oaks arching over the roadway. The famous long staple sea island cotton was first raised here and the tabby ruins of a slave hospital and a plantation home still stand. Retreat Plantation is now part of the Sea Island Golf Club. GOLF 18 holes at King & Prince Golf Course, par 72. 18 holes at St. Simons Island Club Golf Course, par. 72.
ANNUAL EVENTS TOUR OF HOMES AND GARDENS. March.
SUNSHINE FESTIVAL is a 3-day event featuring snipe sailboat races and a gigantic fireworks display. Early June. GEORGIA SENIORS GOLF TOURNAMENT. June. ART FESTIVAL. Early October. ISLAND PLAYERS present six shows annually including musicals, classics and Broadway productions. Separate productions are presented for three weekends during the winter, spring and fall.
SAVANNAH
See story on page 1 7, "Strolling the Squares of Savannah."
SAVANNAH BEACH
ATTRACTIONS TYBEE LIGHTHOUSE. One of the first public structures in Georgia. It marks the mouth of the Savannah River. Open Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Free. Closed weekdays. TYBEE MUSEUM. At the north end of the island adjacent to the lighthouse. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from May 1 through September 1; and daily except Tuesday from September 1 to April 5. CAMPING AREAS RIVERS END FAMILY CAMPGROUND, north end of Island on the Savannah riverfront. Camping, swimming, fishing, surfing. Privately owned. Open year 'round. ANNUAL EVENTS U.S. NATIONAL CLASSIC PRO-AM BICYCLE RACE TOUR OF TYBEE ISLAND. March.
SEA ISLAND GOLF
36 holes at Sea Island Golf Courses: (The Cloister)
ANNUAL EVENTS GEORGIA PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, Sea Island Golf Course.
Mid-January.
MID-SEASON CLUB GOLF TOURNAMENT, Sea Island Golf
Course, Early February.
TOUR OF HOMES AND GARDENS. Late March. SEA ISLAND FALL INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT, Sea Island
Golf Course. Early November. SEA ISLAND INVITATIONAL TENNIS TOURNAMENT, Early November.
SPRING GOLF TOURNAMENT FOR LADIES AND MEN. March.
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY, The Cloister, for guests of The Cloister.
NEW YEAR'S HOLIDAY, The Cloister, for guests of The
Cloister.
FOURTH OF JULY HOLIDAY, The Cloister, for guests of The
Cloister.
47

Summer Events

JULY

1

11th Annual Georgia Champion Racking Horse Show Chatsworth

i

Miss Georgia Pageant Three Arts Theatre

Columbus

1

Top of Georgia Jamboree Rabun Gap Elementary

Dillard

!

The Jasol Butler Show Franklin Music Park

Franklin

Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse
I

Mountain City

1

First Saturday Festival River Street

Savannah

1

Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro

1-3

Fourth of July Arts & Crafts Festival

Festival Woods

Jekyll Island

1-4

Freedom Festival Six Flags

Atlanta

1-4

Great Escape Weekend Lake Lanier Islands

Buford

1-4

Star Spangled Banner

Stone Mountain Park

1-31

Farm Curb Market

Hazlehurst

1-31

Selections from the Permanent Collection

Georgia Museum of Art

Athens

1-31

Open Season for the Gordon-Lee House

Chickamauga

1-31

Exhibit "Canada" Roberts Library

Cochran

1-31

Guided Nature Trail Walks

Ocmulgee National Monument

Macon

1-31

Greenhouse Annual & Perennial Display

Callaway Gardens

Pine Mountain

1-31

Summer at Callaway Gardens

Pine Mountain

1-31

Art Exhibits Callaway Gardens

Pine Mountain

2

Johnny Duncan & Janie Fricke Concert

Holiday Beach

Douglas

3

Ronnie McDowell Concert Holiday Beach

Douglas

3-7

Signers of the Declaration of Independence Exhibit

Middle Georgia College

Cochran

3-8

Watermelon Festival

Cordele

4

Bell-ringing Ceremony Middle Georgia College

Cochran

4

Canna Festival Parade and July 4th Celebration

Colbert

4

Rock Show Municipal Auditorium

Columbus

4

4th of July Celebration

Demorest

4

9th Annual July 4th Celebration Jardine Stadium

Douglas

4

Barbara Mandrel & Jerry Clower Concert

and Fireworks Display Holiday Beach

Douglas

Jaycees Parade, Bar-B-Q, Country Store

Hunter Park Aqua-Rec Review

Douglasville Gainesville

Pet Parade

Gainesville

Independence Day Celebration Westville

Lumpkin

Robin Lake Beach Extravaganza

Callaway Gardens

Pine Mountain

Fourth of July Celebration River Street

Savannah

Fourth of July Celebration Memorial Stadium

Savannah

Gala 4th of July Dinner Dance

Sea Island

Annual Fourth of July Festival

St. Marys

July Celebration Doyle Street Park

Toccoa

15

Marie Wilner Art Exhibit

Roddenberrry Memorial Library

Cairo

7-8

Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro

7-31

There Be Monsters in the Sky Tonight

Mark Smith Planetarium

Macon

Top of Georgia Jamboree

Dillard

Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse

8-9

20th Annual Masters Water Ski Tournament

Mountain City

8-30

Callaway Gardens Selections of Paintings, Prints and Drawings
Museum of Arts & Sciences

Pine Mountain Macon

9

Watermelon Day Farmers Market

Atlanta

9

Jim Ed Brown & Helen Cornelius Concert

13-15 14

Holiday Beach Jekyll Fun Fest Exhibition Hall Parade for Wagon Train

Douglas Jekyll Island
Chatsworth

14 15 15 15 15 15
15-16

Affair on the Square Lafayette Square

LaGrange

Gospel Sing Satilla KOA Kampgrounds

Atkinson

Variety Show Municipal Auditorium

Columbus

Top of Georgia Jamboree Rabun Gap Elementary

Dillard

Mountain Square Dancing

Mountain City

Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro

Summer Nationals Road Atlanta

Gainesville

16

Sonny James Concert Holiday Beach

16

AMA/Mr. Pibb Motocross

Douglas

Atlanta International Raceway

Hampton

22

Top of Georgia Jamboree Rabun Gap Elementary

Dillard

22

Don Williams Music Park

Franklin

22

Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse

Mountain City

22

Plains Peanut Tennis Classic

Plains

22

Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro

23

Don Williams Concert Holiday Beach

Douglas

23

Gould Twin Dixie (USAC)

24-29 27-28 28-30 29

Atlanta International Raceway Stay and See Georgia Week Lenox Square Holstein Cattle Show Central City Park Horse Show State Show Arena Rock Show Memorial Stadium

Hampton
Atlanta
Macon Warner Robins
Columbus

29

Square Dance Municipal Auditorium

Columbus

29

Top of Georgia Jamboree Rabun Gap Elementary

Dillard

29

Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse

Mountain City

29

Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro

29-30 30

Rod Run Antique Car Show Unicoi Hill Rock Show (Rain Day) Memorial Stadium

Helen Columbus

30

Marty Robins Concert Holiday Beach

Douglas

AUGUST

1-27

There Be Monsters in the Sky Tonight

Mark Smith Planetarium

Macon

1-31

Selections from the Permanent Collections GA Museum of Art

Athens

1-31

Open Season for the Gordon-Lee House

Chickamauga

1-31

Farm Curb Market

Hazlehurst

1-31

Guided Nature Trail Walks Ocmulgee National Monument

Macon

1-31

Summer at Callaway Gardens

Pine Mountain

1-31

Greenhouse Annual & Perennial Display

Callaway Gardens

Pine Mountain

4-5

Blue Grass Festival Satilla KOA Kampgrounds

Atkinson

4-5

Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro

4-12

Georgia Mountain Fair Fairgrounds

Hiawassee

4-25

Watercolors by Ute Missfeldt Goethe Institute

Atlanta

5

Top of Georgia Jamboree Rabun Gap Elementary

Dillard

5

Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse

Mountain City

5-31

Retrospective-Contemporary Art by Walter Gaudnek Museum of Arts & Sciences

Macon

6 6-13

Loretta Lynn Concert Holiday Beach Friends Week Six Flags

Douglas Atlanta

7-13

Drill Team Showcase Six Flags

Atlanta

8 10-12

4-H Day Six Flags State Swim Meet

Atlanta Milledgeville

12

Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse

Mountain City

12

Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro

12

Horse Show, Queen and Princess Contest

State Show Arena

Warner Robins

14

Special Astronomy Program Callaway Gardens Pine Mountain

14-19 17-19

Fannin County Fair Golden Leaf Festival

Blue Ridge Pelham

17-20 PGA National Junior Golf Championship

Callaway Gardens

18

Elvis Show Municipal Auditorium

Pine Mountain Columbus

18-19 18-19 19 19 19 20

Old Time Fiddl in* Convention

Dalton

Square Dance Jamboree Aquarama

Jekyll Island

Flea Market Festival Woods

Jekyll Island

Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse

Mountain City

Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro

Merle Haggard Concert Holiday Beach

Douglas

25 25-26 26 26 26 26 26 26-27

Lily Libber Rock 'n Roll Ball Talent & Disco Six Flags Atlanta

Murray County High Alumni Rodeo

Chatsworth

Mountain Square Dancing Playhouse

Mountain City

Fourth Saturday Field Trip

Savannah

Barbership Quartet & Chorus Contest Civic Center

Savannah

Country-Gospel Concert Swampland Opera House Toomsboro

All Night Gospel Sing Memorial Stadium

Waycross

Mountain-Do Lake Lanier Islands

Buford

28-31 Chattahoochee Mountain Fair

Clarkesville

For your own copy of "Special Events in Georgia, July through December," write P.O. Box 1776, Atlanta 30301

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