The Kennesaw route gazette. (Atlanta, Ga) 1882-18??, September 01, 1875, Page 3, Image 3
UP THE STATE ROAD.
A Trip with a Pretty Grirl
to Marietta.
A Western Tourist on an Investment.
A Cazette Correspondent as
a Cuide Book.
Something about the Stations and
the Country.
Chattanooga, June, 1875.
Did you ever take a trip up the Western
and Atlantic Railroad on a clear, breezy,
sunshiny day ? If you never did, try it,
and then inform the Gazette what you think
about it. When Wrenn requested me to
make a tour for him, and to write up every
station on the road, I prepared myself for a
four weeks holiday, packed my trunk, laid
in an extra supply of tobacco, and when the
cheery voice of the conductor cried out “ all
aboard,” this correspondent entered the car,
threw up the window and settled down
complacently in a seat, determined to see all
that there was to be seen and to fill his memo
randum book with notes.
THE TRAIN HAS STARTED,
Block after block disappears from view, the
Rolling ill rushes past, a little farther on
Oglethorpe Park presents itself for a brief
glimpse, and then is suddenly lost, and you
lean back dreamily contemplating the flitting
trees, and inhaling the sweet, balmy odors
of a summer morning, until your reverie is
disturbed by a pretty girl in the seat in
front, who turns and displaying a set of pol
ished ivories, requests you to put up her
window as the river is in sight and she
wants to get a good look at it. Os course
you comply, and, sure enough, there is
THE CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER
Glistening in the sunlight, at a distance, as
if it were molten glass. But as you approach
near it the illusion disappears. Its muddy
waters lose their silvery appearance and be
come the yellow’ red that they are. Still, the
river is pretty enough, and on its banks
Atlanta and her thirty-five thousand inhab
itants ought to be resting. As we move
slowly over the bridge, a glimpse is caught
of the ice factory, while on the bank are
two negroes patiently awaiting a bite, doubt
less indulging in pleasant anticipations of
presently hauling in a too venturesome cat
fish. After awhile, a conversation with the
pretty girl is in order, and you learn from
her that she is from Southwest Georgia en
route for
MARIETTA,
To spend the “ dog days.” That old couple
in front of her are her parents. She has
never been to Marietta before, and so she
requests this correspondent to tell her some
thing about the town.
Marietta, then, fair listener, is the county
seat of Cobb County—a county justly famous
for its agricultural progress and for its good
looking women, and I may add, that when
you arrive there, will be another very pretty
girl in town. (Just here she blushed, but
seemed pleased.)
As I was saying, Miss, Marietta is about
twenty miles from Atlanta, beautifully situ
ated at the base of the Kennesaw mountains,
and containing a population of between four
and five thousand.
(Here she suggests that it must be quite
a lively place.)
So it is. Not only is it the centre of a
large trade, but it contains four cotton mills,
one paper mill, and one of the largest flour
mills in the South. Then, again, it boasts
of the Marietta Female College, under the
management of Rev. I. R. Burnham, D.D.,
who is suspected of having resorted to spec
tacles to prevent his sight being impaired
by the dazzling array of beauty, sweetness
and loveliness he is compelled to confront
and to instruct everyday. There is also Prof.
Lavis’ High School for boys. Both of these
educational institutions are admirably con
ducted and liberally patronized.
(She laughs, and remarks that she com
pleted her education two years ago.)
THE KENNESAW
Pardon me. If schools no longer interest
you, perhaps churches may. Marietta boasts
of Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and
Episcopal churches, all in a flourishing con
dition, and in any of them you can hear a
good sermon on Sunday next. You are a
Methodist ? If I were not so exceedingly
gray, two glances of your eyes would con
vert me to the same faith.
Os course she blushes and declares that I
flatter, but is evidently not displeased, and
the little compliment of your correspondent
reminds her to inquire about the society.
Excellent. It cannot be surpassed in the
State. A well educated, refined, hospitable
people, who know how to live and how to
enjoy life. During the season visitors will
not lack for recreation and amusement.
The town sits in the shadow of Kennesaw
mountain, to which numerous picnic parties
| resort. Twice each week the well trained
j Silver Cornet Band gives a free and de
lightful musical concert in the lovely little
park in the centre of the town, and thousands
attend to listen to the music. Then there
! are frequent balls, while hops are of nightly
occurrence. Thus you are not at all likely
: to die of ennui in Marietta.
As regards accommodations for visitors,
I these are ample. There is the Kennesaw
i House, a large and admirably fitted up
hotel under the management of Mr. J. Q. A.
' Lewis, and where a visitor can obtain the
: best accommodations at only §4O per month,
or §ls per week, while children and servants
are charged half rates. Besides this hotel
there are a number of first-class private
boarding houses, where the fare is excellent
j and prices low. Marietta can, in short, ac
commodate from six hundred to one thou
sand visitors. As a summer resort, it is
destined to be one of the most popular in
the South.
Just at thispoint the whistle blew’; “ down
brakes ” was the cry, and in a few- minutes
the depot at Marietta was reached. A
graceful inclination of the head, a friendly
smile and my compagnon du voyage left the
car—a thing of beauty and a joy forever to
some lucky man one of these days. Fate,
pretty one !
WE’RE OFF AGAIN.
And this time a substantial looking West
ern man, whois “ down South ” on a look
out for investments, picks up the writer and
gossips with him. He needs precisely what
Wrenn has requested, and so I proceed to
give him a brief, concise report of each
Station. Here is
BIG SHANTY.
A most atrociously named place, but as
you perceive, sir, beautifully located amid
fine scenery. Quite a busy place, of perhaps
a couple of hundred inhabitants, a good
hotel, flour mill, and several other industries.
It is also the depot of a large farming inter
est. Healthy, sir? I should say so. Why,
there is not a doctor in the place, because
the town can’t support one. Some of these
days it will be a goodly sized village. At
this point my companion invited me to the
smoking car and producing a couple of good
cigars invited me to partake of one which I
did. Chatting pleasantly we soon reached
ACWORTH.
This place, sir, is also located in Cobb
county, and is a thriving, industrious village,
of some one thousand inhabitants. Its min
eral springs possess curative powers of re
markable character, many surprising cures
having been effected by drinking the waters.
This fact must finally result in making
the place a popular resort for the afflicted
and for health and pleasure seekers gener
ally, as, in addition to the springs, it contains
a cultured population, a first-class hotel,
excellently well kept, three or four flourish
ing churches, a high school of much merit,
and everything else deemed necessary for
civilized life. Board can be obtained at
S2O per month —remarkably cheap, indeed,
when you are assured that the fare is as
good as can be obtained anywhere.
We puffed our cigars meditatively admir
ing the scenery until we reached
STEGALL’S,
Where we touched the first station in the
ROUTE GAZETTE
notably wealthy, energetic and popular
Bartow County. Stegall’s is a small station
at present, but it has a good future before it.
Its iron works are at present in their infancy
and agriculture takes the lead, but in a few
years the works will be among the most im
portant in the State. Rushing on, we pres
ently came to
CARTERSVILLE,
One of the largest and most delightful places
on the road. It contains about five thousand
souls, and is increasing in population and
wealth with marked rapidity. Here, sir, if
you wish to make a profitable investment is
one of the points to stop at in Georgia. As
you can perceive, the town is beautifully
located, amid some of the loveliest scenery
for which North Georgia is justly celebrated.
The climate is superb, and, of course, the
health of the people excellent. As a sum
mer resort it is of marked attractiveness.
Near here are the Falls,.with their immense
power; a couple of miles distant are the si
lent relics of pre-historic ages in the shape
of mounds, etc., where images of gods have
been found. Near by, too, are the famed
Rowland Mineral Springs. Indeed, in and
around Cartersville are objects of interest
which will keep a tourist actively engaged
for a couple of months. And then the sum
mer months are cool and pleasant. The
material interests of Carlinsville are many,
varied and important. The centre of a
great mineral and agricultural region, her
commerce and manufactures continue de
veloping steadily. The people are thrifty,
and energetic, and every year adds to their
wealth.
Passing the two small stations of Rogers
and Cass, being busily engaged in discussing
the merits of quite a palatable cold lunch,
washed down by some old Port which the
Western traveler had in his satchel, we at
length came to
KINGSTON,
With its twenty-five hundred inhabitants,
its lime kilns and its saltpetre cave. Our
companion, who was an officer in the Union
army, was interested in a flood of war remin
iscences which the writer let loose upon him.
Kingston, like Cartersville, is the centre of
an important agricultural and mineral dis
trict. It contains two well kept hotels. We
dash up to
hall’s station,
Remain a few minutes and then dash off
again, and have barely time to mention that
this place abounds in valuable iron ore,
which offers great inducement s to capitalists.
It also contains a chalybeate spring. Before
these facts are fully stated, we have stopped
at
ADAIRSVILLE,
An aspiring village of nearly one thousand
population, with several excellent schools,
including an academy, three churches and
a well kept hotel, where the prices are mod
erate. At this writing, Col. J. W. Gray is
building a cotton factory ; there is a flour
mill here, and the water power is sufficient
to supply all the mills of Lowell. The so
ciety is excellent, the people hospitable and
the climate superb. Adairsville came very
near being the scene of a sanguinary battle
between Sherman’s and Johnson’s armies,
and my impression is, my dear sir, that if
the battle had taken place, Sherman would
never have written his recently published
memoirs. You may smile, but I assure you,
sir, there were a dozen times during that
famous campaign to Atlanta when Sherman
came within an ace of getting badly thrashed.
However, the “ late unpleasantness is over”
and “let us have peace.” Another cigar ?
Certainly, thanks!
Yes, sir, this is
RESACA.
A small place you say. Admitted, but is
it not beautifully situated ? This is the
Oostranaula river. Do you see those forti
fications with the grass growing upon them,
and wild flowers blooming on their crests.
Well, sir, behind those works the two hostile
armies were arrayed in May, 1864, and •be
tween them there was some terrible fighting.
I remember that Saturday evening’s charge
by Hood’s Corps on How ard’s Corps. There
are the ridges on your right. Well, we just
walked over Howard’s men. A severe bat
tle which finally ended in Sherman trying
to flank us. We fell back across the river
on Saturday night. I shall never forget the
scene. It w 7 as a bright, moonlight night
and the spectacle presented by the retreating
army was exceedingly grand. As for Re
saca, the village is improving steadily. It
contains one church, a good hotel, and is
becoming quite a summer resort. You can
visit the Cohutta mountains by steamboat.
Some day there will be a big town here.
By the way, I forgot to speak of
CALHOUN,
The station behind us, named of course,
after the great South Carolinian. As you saw,
it is a town of some importance on the
Oostranaula river, with seven hundred pop
ulation, three churches, two hotels, both
well kept and charging moderate prices, and
is a commercial and agricultural depot of
present and growing consequence. The
surrounding valley lands are exceedingly
fertile, producing abundant crops, while the
hills abound in'* iron, coal and other min
erals. Calhoun ought to attract the attention
of summer tourists, on account of the cli
mate and scenery, and the opportunities for
fishing and hunting. Here we are at
DALTON,
One of the most important towns on the
road and destined to be a city of consider
able size Three railroads meet here, and
it is surrounded by a territory rich in min
erals and of great fertility. The population
is now about 5,000, and the town does a
large business of all kinds. There are sev
eral industrial enterprises in successful oper
ation here, while large quantities of corn,
wheat, potatoes, rye, hay, etc., are brought
here for sale or for shipment. The society
is a highly cultured one, there are several
flourishing churches, three good hotels and
numerous important industries. Educational
institutions of a high order of merit exist,
and the society ranks among the best in the
State.
Dalton is one of the historical points of
the late war. Here it was that the Confed
erate army wintered in 1863-4, and just in
front of the town, a severe skirmish was
fought in February, 1864, a few’ weeks pre
vious to Sherman’s grand advance. As at
other stations, the mineral wealth of the
surrounding country is inexhaustible. At
present, agriculture occupies the attention of
the people, but the development of the min
eral resources of this section of the State
goes on steadily and Dalton will reap rich
fruits from their full development.
By this time we had left Dalton and were
steaming rapidly to
TUNNEL HILL,
Which place was reached according to
schedule time. A small place, sir, quite
elevated and just west of the most westerly
of the spurs of the Blue Ridge. The popula
tion is about five hundred. Here are two
good schools, two churches and an excellent
hotel. As a summer resort it attracts quite
a number of visitors, the climate being fine.
The next station is
RINGGOLD,
Which we shall presently reach. It is the
county seat of Catoosa county, and is situ
ated in a beautiful valley at the foot of Tay
lor’s Ridge, near the Chickamauga river.
Civilization finds expression in two churches
and two schools, while nature has bestowed
upon the place a superb climate from April
to December, attracting many visitors.
I had gone on talking for some time un
disturbed by replies from my companion,
and was just about to proceed with an
account of Graysville when something that
sounded unmistakeably like
A SNORE
Greeted my ear. Looking at the Western
traveler I found that he was fast asleep.
This looker after investment had been lulled
into slumber by the monotonous rolling of
the cars and the gentle summer zephyrs.
Perish the thought that my description of
the stations had acted as a soporific. I leave
you, Wrenn, and the three hundred thousand
readers of the Gazette to decide whether,
all things considered, I was not justified in
indignantly rising from my seat and leaving
that Western snorer on whom statistics and
eloquence had been most shamefully wasted
for about one hour. Snap.
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