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Wednesday, May 4,2022
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3B
Downtown home holds piece of Dawson history
Photo submitted to DCN
New Jersey artist Neal Hughes visited Dawsonville on April 19 and painted
an oil portrait of the house at 77 Tucker Avenue during his visit to Georgia
for the annual Olmsted Plein Air Invitational.
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
For many commuters,
the vintage home at 77
Tucker Avenue is just
another building in down
town Dawsonville. But to
New Jersey-based oil paint
er Neal Hughes, it was his
next painting inspiration.
Hughes was in the area
for Atlanta’s eighth annual
Olmsted Plein Air
Invitational Gallery
Exhibition. He’s previously
visited the county and
painted at Big Canoe and
Amicalola Falls.
“I like old buildings like
this...I do a lot of old
architecture,” he said,
pointing out interesting
aspects like the criss-cross
porch railings or the double
front porch.
Recently, some Dawson-
area residents expressed
interest in the Tucker
Avenue home, which has
been unused for some time
now.
The Burt-Vandiviere -
Bearden house currently
sits across the street from
the Dawson County
Government Center, behind
the Dawson County News
office.
However, its original
location was at the intersec
tion of Ga. 53 and Lloyd
Seay Street, also known as
West 3rd Street.
Much of the home’s his
tory is encompassed on
pages 155-156 of the book
“Dawson County, Georgia:
A History” compiled by
the Dawson County
Historical Society and pub
lished by Farris Yawn.
This home’s journey
started sometime before
1873, when John Palmour
built the home.
After its construction, the
residence was sold in 1873
to David J. Burt, who lived
there for about seven years.
The home passed hands
from David to Dr. William
H. Burt, who owned it and
practiced medicine there
for 20 years.
Then, the house was sold
to Col. A.W. Vandiviere,
who lived there until his
death in November 1943.
Rachael Bearden Parks,
sister of J. Andrew
Bearden, purchased the
home from the colonel’s
heirs, E.C. and H.G.
Vandiviere. Rachael later
transferred the title to her
brother’s wife in 1949.
Around that time,
Andrew and Helen
Bearden added a dayroom
at the house’s rear. Initially,
there was a separate kitch
en in that part of the house.
They both lived in the
home until after his death,
when Helen sold it to what
was then called the
Dawson County Bank in
August 1984.
As of that year, the home
had two chimneys, one
built with field stone and
the other from handmade
sticks. Under the Ga. 53
site, the home had a cellar.
Then in 1986, George
and Marie David bought
the home, moving it to its
current location.
Previously, the down
town location hosted the
old Tucker home, which
was owned since 1876 by
family members including
George, Annie Tucker
Anderson and Edna
Anderson Noblin.
George and Marie
restored the home, and she
temporarily ran a tea room
out of it in the latter 1980s.
Meanwhile, after the
home’s relocation, the bank
built a new building at the
old site in 1987.
The David family still
owns the home at 77
Tucker Avenue.
This residence is another
quaint reminder that in
rural areas like
Dawsonville, all it takes is
a stroll around downtown
to remember that people
live and work daily along
side reminders of local his
tory.
Pat Densmore-Floyd
provided DCN with an
excerpt of “Dawson
County, Georgia: A
History.”
Bearden named principal of Robinson Elementary School
By Erica Jones
ejones@dawsonnews.com
This week, the Dawson County
Board of Education approved Linda
Bearden as the new principal at
Robinson Elementary School begin
ning in the 2022-23 school year.
According to a release by the
school system, Bearden, a native of
Forsyth County, has 19 years of expe
rience in elementary education in
Forsyth and Dawson County Schools.
Most recently, she has served for the
past seven years as the principal at
Robinson Elementary School. Before
serving in this role, she served for
nine years as an elementary school
teacher and for three years
as an academic coach.
Bearden will be taking
the principal role over from
the current RES principal
Page Amette, who will be
moving up to serve as the
school system’s new direc
tor of instructional services
for elementary.
“Mrs. Bearden is excited to contin
ue to work hard to serve the commu
nity, students, staff and parents at RES
in her new role,” the release said. “She
believes that together we can ensure
our students are nurtured and clanged
so that each student achieves success.”
Bearden holds a Bachelor’s degree
in Elementary Education from
the University of North Georgia
and a Master’s degree in
Educational Leadership from
Kennesaw State University.
She is married to Danny
Bearden, and they have two
married daughters and a three-
year-old grandson. Outside of
school, she enjoys spending time
with her family, camping and reading.
“Mrs. Bearden is honored to contin
ue to partner with the dedicated facul
ty and staff of Robinson Elementary
to serve our children and community
here in Dawson County in her new
role as Principal of RES,” the release
said.
Bearden
BOC eyes more funding for new public health building
By Julia Fechter
jfechter@dawsonnews.com
Formative steps are
being taken toward another
SPLOST VII project,
thanks to a recent vote
from the Dawson County
Board of Commissioners.
During their April 21
voting session, the com
missioners approved send
ing the Georgia Mountain
Regional Commission a
letter to help the county
apply for a $1 million grant
and any other applicable
funding.
Previously, the county
included $2.5 million for a
new health department
building as part of its proj
ects for SPLOST VII,
which Dawson County vot
ers approved in 2021. BOC
Chairman Billy Thurmond
said he and County
Manager David Headley
have been looking at ways
to increase that dollar
amount, recently meeting
with a GMRC official to
discuss such opportunities.
There’s a chance for the
county to apply for a
Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG), the
same kind of funding as the
$750,000 awarded for con
struction of the senior cen
ter at Veterans Memorial
Park.
“Now, that [grant
amount] has been moved
up to $1 million,” said
Thurmond, “so there’s an
opportunity for us to put in
for an additional million
dollars to get all the things
we need necessarily for the
health department.”
The county has also been
working with state legisla
tors, like Rep. Will Wade,
to acquire more monies
through the budget process,
and the health department
is filling out an application
for other state funding, too.
It will only cost about
$1,000 to get GMRC to
help with the details of the
grant application process,
which can be complicated,
Thurmond said.
“Any kind of help we
can get is awesome,” he
added.
The BOC also voted 4-0
to approve the family den
sity or “land gifting”
exception originally pre
sented at their March 3
meeting.
This provision will allow
for the creation of no more
than five lots, including the
parent tract, for intra-fami
ly ownership transfer.
The measure will require
minimum lot dimensions
of 1.5 acres per current
septic rules, and building
permits could only be
issued to the grantee family
member.
Commissioners will now
be able to approve family
density exceptions without
needing to hold public
hearings.
“That makes me feel a
lot more comfortable about
this whole thing,” said
District 2 Commissioner
Chris Gaines.
District 1 Commissioner
Sharon Fausett said this
step will “help reduce spot
zonings.”
“That’s the purpose of it,
not for somebody to cut it
out and be able to speculate
on it in five years,” District
4 Commissioner Emory
Dooley said. “It’s just for
the family to be able to do
what they need to do.”
FROM 1B
Anglin
berth in three years.
Anglin will be heading into a sea
son of potential for the Lady Tigers,
who return all but one player from
last season’s roster and will be add
ing freshman players who are com
ing off a Mountain League champi
onship under coach Natosha Berry.
While his experiences playing and
coaching under successful head
coaches will be a part of his devel
opment leading the team to success,
he also has a much broader plan to
root the team within the community.
“I want to establish a family-like
culture where the players and coach
es feel like they are a part of some
thing bigger than themselves,”
Anglin said. “This community has
always been extremely supportive of
the basketball programs and I want
to embrace that. Starting in the rec
departments, I want the kids and
coaches to know that they are a part
of our program.”
That long-term, ground-level
approach is only fitting for a man
who has displayed his service to the
area for many years.
Next year, Anglin will continue in
his position as head boys golf coach
and will enter his fifth year as a
mathematics teacher.
His message to next season’s Lady
Tigers roster is one that places an
emphasis on his own commitment to
the group and the personal growth of
the team.
“I want every player to know that I
care about them and I will fight for
them,” Anglin said. “At the end of
the day, our success will not be
defined by a scoreboard. We want to
equip our kids with the tools to be
successful in the real world and in
the next stages of their lives.”
FROM 1B
Baseball
Elijah Odom opened up
the scoring with an RBI
single to drive in Davis
Glass. After a double by
Sawyer Bearden and a
Nick Mullinax walk,
Mulberry took advantage
of the loaded bases and hit
a two-run single. A sacri
fice fly by Brandon
Cramer would bring in the
fourth run of the inning.
The Raiders would
extend their lead once
more with a three-run fifth
inning, but the Tigers
would have one more
chance to come back.
In the seventh inning,
DCHS would load the
bases again and score
twice on consecutive hit-
by-pitches. With the score
at 8-6, the Tigers were
unable to continue the rally
and finished their season
with a first-round playoff
exit.
While the season ended
with the two losses, Sapp
was still pleased with the
way the team finished the
regular season to clinch the
No. 3 seed in the playoffs.
The Tigers swept Lumpkin
County to secure that spot
after having been swept by
North Hall.
“We needed to finish off
the season on a good note
and we did that,” Sapp
said. “We played very well
against Lumpkin County in
every facet of the game.”
Despite the exit of six
seniors after this season,
the team will have plenty
to build on as they attempt
to make a trip back to the
playoffs next season.
On the mound, prospec
tive starters Trey Harvey,
Davis Glass and Joshua
Priest will be crucial in
helping them stay in
games. Offensively, the
contributions of Bearden,
Horner and Rucker will
continue to be important.
Harvey earned his spot
in the rotation this past
season and will be looking
to continue his success
heading into his junior sea
son. Priest proved to be
effective both in starting
games and in relief, help
ing stabilize the team on
several occasions.
For the team to make
another playoff appearance
next season, Sapp has out
lined what the team will
need to focus on.
“I believe that the core
of the team next year will
need to play at their best
— and with a lot of experi
ence on the mound — I
believe this team will be in
every game,” Sapp said.
“Pitching will lead this
team next year and hope
fully the offense will step
up and be on par with the
pitching.”
Overall, the Tigers fin
ished this season with a
19-13 record and a 14-7
record within Region
7-AAA.
Thanks to the
moms out there
making it work
Perhaps because I don’t have children, I never
gave much thought to the importance of good
mothers.
I took the good mama I had for granted. Yet,
often when I do things she taught me such as mak
ing biscuits or putting pieces of broken clay in the
bottom of a pot when I plant flowers, I remember
her teachings.
Sometimes, we’d come in from
church and she’d say, “Let me go
in here to the kitchen and see
what I can throw together to eat.”
I never once knew my mama
to go to the store to buy a miss
ing ingredient for a recipe. She
either substituted ingredients or
made something else.
One time, after I had built a house practically in
her back yard, she called and said, “I just got some
hot Mexican cornbread outta the oven. Come over
here and get some.”
I did a double take at the phone. Mama was an
Appalachian cook. It never occurred to me that she
had even heard of Mexican cornbread.
Oh. My. Goodness. It was the most delicious
stuff I’ve ever tasted. I ate half the skillet.
“Where did you get this recipe?”
“I made it up.”
I pressed her. “How did you know to make it
up?”
“I read a newspaper story about putting corn and
cheese in cornbread so I experimented.”
I walked over to a kitchen drawer, pulled out a
pen and paper. “We need to write this down.”
She was reluctant. She was a free spirit when it
came to cooking but, finally, she managed to
remember what ingredients she put in but not the
measurements. Those she happily improvised.
I’ve become that same kind of cook. I take the
basics of what I know about cooking then create
dishes all the time. As soon as Tink says, “This is
fantastic!” I run for pen and paper. That’s how I
wound up with his favorite spaghetti recipe of all
time.
Thank you, Mama.
She did an even better job with my sister, who is
known as one of the best cooks in the country.
She’s incredible. Seven-layer chocolate cakes,
chicken pot pie, vegetable soup and anything else
you can name. Trust me on this: If you ever have a
chance to sit at my sister’s Sunday dinner table —
or especially when she cooks for the preachers (she
really shows off then) — DON’T turn it down. It
will be the best country meal of your life, with a bit
of dazzle thrown in.
She taught my niece, Nicole, to cook. She’s a
mother of five so she doesn’t have the time to make
the elaborate dishes that her mama makes — she
buys frozen yeast rolls for instance or a roll of fro
zen com then adds lots of butter to doctor it up —
but she’s a smart cook who knows how to whip up
tasty meals and stretch a dollar for a family of
seven.
Nicole is a physical therapist. She is always
working at least one job or adding part-time work
if her best friend, also a PT, needs helps. On top of
that, they are in church three to four times a week
and going to ballgames from here to kingdom
come.
One day, exhausted, she dragged into the house.
Her daughter, Zoe, who was 12 at the time, asked,
“What’s for supper? I’m hungry?”
Wrong question at the right time. Nicole slapped
her hand on the counter. “Zoe Burkett, I’ve been up
since 4:30 a.m. and I didn’t have time for lunch. If
you want to eat, you need to learn how to cook.”
Zoe shrugged. “Okay.” This young lady does
nothing halfway. Perfection is always her goal.
Four years later, she is well on her way to becom
ing the best cook in the family.
It didn’t start with the right ingredients, either.
Just like with the rest of us, it started with Mama.
Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of What Southern
Women Know About Faith. Visit www.rondarich.com to
sign up for her free weekly newsletter.
RONDA RICH
Columnist
