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DEDICATED TO THE PROGRESS
OF CUMMING AND FORSYTH COUNTY
CUMMING, GEORGIA
James A . Otwell Jr .
Is Dead At Age 56
James A. Otwell Jr., automobile dealer,
civic leader and former state represen
tative, is dead at age 56.
Otwell, owner and operator of Andean
Motor Co., the local Chevrolet dealership
died after an extended bout with cancer.
Survivors include: the widow, Mrs.
Dorothy Hamrick Otwell, a son, Jim
Otwell; two daughters, Miss Patricia
Otwell and Mrs. Donald Creamer; his
mother, Mrs. Dessie Black Otwell; and a
grandson, Zackery Clifton Creamer, all of
Cumming.
Also surviving are a sister, Mrs. J. J.
Powell Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.; and a
niece, Mrs. Manley Carter Jr. of Atlanta.
He died last Tuesday and was buried
Thursday at Sawnee View Memorial
Gardens. Funeral services were at the
First Baptist Church of Cumming with
Rev. Roger William and Rev. Thurman
Wade officiating.
Otwell opened his Chevrolet dealership
in 1948 and recently celebrated his silver
anniversary in the auto business.
He was a member of the First Baptist
Church of Cumming.
He belonged to the Cumming Kiwanis
Club and served as its president. He was
also a Mason and a Shriner belonging to
Lafayette Lodge No. 44 and the Yaarab
Shrine Temple.
In the 1950 s and 1960 s he served in the
Georgia House of Representatives and he
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Richard Harden, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of
Human Resources, visited Cumming last week as part of a tour of
Northeast Georgia. While in Forsyth County, Harden spoke to and
answered questions from people service personnel in a meeting at
the Sawnee EMC Building (above photo) and met with local of
Michael Morgan Given Life
A Forsyth County man’s death sentence
for the murder of his parents last year was
reduced last week in State Supreme Court
to life imprisonment.
Michael Morgan was one of the four
persons convicted for the murder of his
parents Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Morgan of the
FORSYTH COUNTY’S HISTORY
Thar Was Gold In These Here Hills
By ROY E. BOTTOMS
Rome. Ga.
GOLD AND SOME OF
ITS PROPERTIES
For gold men have toiled and died, wars
have been waged for it, and it has inspired
crimes of the deepest dye. “To what dost
thou not compel the minds of mortals,
accursed greed for gold?" indignantly
asked the Roman poet Virgil. On the other
hand, the search for gold has been one of
Editor’s Note: Roy Bottoms, brother of
Forsyth Countys Dr. Ralph Bottoms, is a
former Forsyth Countian who now lives in
Rome Georgia. Bottoms has a keen in
terest in history and has written many
articles for historical and genealogical
publications. In this, the first of two
stories, Bottoms deals with gold mining in
our area. Next Week’s story tells the
history of the Franklin Gold Mine which
was located near the Forsyth-Cherokee
line and represents the most successful
gold mining effort in the Forsyth area.
the most important motives in the speed of
civilization. The "Pot of gold” at the end
of the rainbow has been the reward for
which men have braved the terrors of the
unknown lands, and the prospector has
blazed the trail for the settler to follow.
Gold is a shiny yellow metal. It is a most
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JAMES OTWELL JR.
was also a member of the Forsyth County
Chamber of Commerce.
The family has requested donations be
made in his name to the American Cancer
Society.
COMMISSIONER VISITS CUMMING
Coal Mountain Community in Forsyth
County.
The Morgans were found April 30, 1972,
in the bedroom of their home. Wallace
Morgan, 47, had been shot four times, had
stab wounds all over his body, and his
throat was cut.
ductile metal and can be drawn into a thin
wire; one ounce of pure gold could be
drawn into a wire about thirty-five miles
long. It has been prized by man since the
earliest of times for its beauty and rarity.
There are two kinds of gold mining—
“placer” which is for alluvial deposits and
the “lode” or “quartz” where gold is
found in solid rock.
THE CHARLES PROPERTY
This property was located near the
junction of Dawson, Forsyth, and
Cherokee Counties. It belonged to a Dr.
Frederick Charles. Lot 77,3 rd District, Ist
Section was the land upon which all the
prospecting was carried on. The
development had two stringer leads, each
averaging several feet in width, striking N
60 Degrees E, and dipped 70 Degrees to the
Southeast.
The veins were separated from each
other by a space of about twenty feet.
They differed from each other only in the
extent of oxidation of the sulfide. The vein
to the North was rich in iron sulphide and
it appeared to have been comparatively
fresh in 1896, while the sulfides of the vein
to the South had undergone considerable
decomposition. The pits varied in depth,
having been dug at irregular intervals
along the leads of both veins for several
hundred yards.
A ten-stamp mill was located on the
property and this property was in the
mVVfI FORSYTH ITPVIVC
IHL COUNTY JN El WW P
LXVI
ficials. In the bottom picture Harden (left) is seen with (1-r) Mrs.
Sandra Fowler, director of the Forsyth Day Care and Training
Center; Forsyth County Commission Chairman Herman Hamby;
and Guy Cabe, Area 4 director for Harden’s department. Harden
also visited the day care center and the Health Department.
Trailer Tax Violators
Superior Court Bound
Volunteer Fire Dept.
Keeps On Expanding
The Forsyth County Volunteer Fire
Department keeps on growing.
Fire Chief John C. Moore this week
announced plans for a new fire station in
the Young Deer Creek area, the
acquisition of two new pieces of equipment
and the formation of a women’s auxilliary
for the department.
The new station will be situated near
Payne’s Bay Station on a lot donated by
Louis Payne. Grading is underway and the
construction of a station is awaiting the
results of a fund raising drive in that area.
The station will be the fifth fire station in
the county.
Stations are already operating at Matt,
Ducktown and near the intersection of U.
Mrs. Morgan, who was shot three times
in the forehead, twice in the forehead,
twice in the neck and was stabbed several
times, died later without regaining con
sciousness in an Atlanta hospital.
Also convicted in the slayings were
Continued on Page 22
neighborhood of the Franklin Gold Mine,
later the Creighton Mine. The prospects
appeared to have been good at one time
for the development of this property.
Attempts to free-mill the ore proved to be
futile, and the gold was bound up in the
sulphides.
THE STRICKLAND PROPERTY
The Strickland Mines occupied Lots 67
and 68, 3rd District, and 3rd Section, and
the operations of the mines had been
discontinued a number of years prior to
1896. It was a well known fact that the
Strickland family had been enriched by
the gold taken from their property, which
was reported to have been around
$300,000. The ore worked here
came from stringer leads, and only free
milling ore was handled. It was most
probably that the occurance of sulphides
caused the abandonment of the mines. The
character of the ore-bodies was very
similar to that of the Cherokee properties
which were nearby.
THE PARKS AND FOWLER MINES
This property was located about 9 miles
West of Cumming, and consisted of Ixits
933 , 934 , 935, 936, and 937 in the 3rd
District, Ist Section, Forsyth County, and
Ixits 973 and 974,3 rd District, 2nd Section,
Cherokee County.
On May 7, 1867, a New York Company
purchased this property at a price of
$1,000,000.00. All of the lots, with the ex-
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, I»7>
S. 19 and Ga. 141. Additionally, three
vehicles are stored behind the county
building off the square.
Chief Moore said Payne provided the
land and another donor has promised a
fire truck when the station is completed.
All the area residents are being asked to
help with its construction costs.
In a letter addressed to residents who
will benefit from the new station, Moore
said, “do you realize how much being
within three miles of a fire station will cut
your insurance premiums? And of course
peace of mind is worth something too.
“It is up to us now. The sooner we get the
fire station built, we will have fire
protection and start saving money,”
Moore said adding that donations are tax
deductible.
Moore is asking that donations be sent to
the FCVFD Building Fund, Route 7, Box
329 A, Cumming, Ga., 30130.
In connection with the Statewide drive
to get litter out of our State; the Forsyth
County Community Action Committee
Volunteers
Fight 4 Fires
The Forsyth County Volunteer Fire
Department answered four calls this week
including two house fires, a boat fire and a
brush fire.
Burning leaves were determined to be
the cause of a blaze which destroyed a
frame house on Ga. 20 near the Ga. 400
construction site last Tuesday according to
Volunteer Fire Chief John C. Moore.
Moore said there was an apparent delay
in notifying officials after the blaze broke
out. He said Sheriff’s Deputy Dorsey
Rogers drove the fire truck to the house
within minutes of notification, but by the
time he arrived, the roof was already
caving in. Three trucks and 12 volunteers
also responded.
Cooking apparently started a blaze in
the Spot Road home of Lendon Gravitt,
according to the chief Moore. Damages in
the fire Saturday were confined to the
kitchen.
A large houseboat, estimated to be more
than 30 feet long, burned and sank near
Bald Ridge Marina Saturday. Chief Moore
Continued on Page 22
ception of house Ix>t 937, were prospected.
For a number of years prior to the turn of
the century, no work of a mining nature
had been done on the lots, and the old
tunnels and pits were completely filled in.
Junk A Junk Auto
The two new pieces of equipment will
bring the number of trucks and tankers in
use by the volunteers to nine. One of the
trucks was purchased from the city of
Jacksonville, Fla., for $5,000. Chief Moore
Continued on Page 22
Trammel Gets
‘Back’ Award
Jon Trammel, who trampled for 90
yards only to have the play called back,
was named back of the week for the
Forsyth County High School Football
game against Berkmar.
The Forsyth Athletic Boosters’ Club,
which makes the awards, named Loy Day
linemen of the week.
The Bulldogs lost to Berkmar by a 42 to 0
score. Details are inside this week’s News.
(F.C.C.A.C.) is arranging a pick up of
junked vehicles. These vehicles will be
collected and assembled at convenient,
central points for crushing and removal.
The F.C.C.A.C. is in touch with a firm
which will not only perform this service,
but will also pay the Committee a small
sum for each vehicle processed.
Anyone wishing to dispose of a junked
vehicle, or vehicles, is asked to contact
Thad C. Wood on 475-7898 who is
organising a schedule for the collections.
The F. C. C. A. C. is, of course, a
charitable organization, so that anyone
donating an automobile is not only helping
to clear the county of unsightly litter but is
also making a charitabnle contribution.
To protect itself, however, the Com
mittee will ask the registered owner of
each vehicle to sign a form of ‘release’ so
as to avoid any future legal problems.
Bloodmobile Here Thursday
The Atlanta Regional Red Cross
bloodmobile will be operating in Forsyth
County on Thursday from 2 p.m. to 6:30
p.m. at Forsyth County Bank. Blood
Program Chairman, J. Louis Markham
announced that at least 125 donors are
needed for this to be a successful visit.
The American National Red Cross Blood
Program operates in Forsyth County to
fill the blood needs of county residents.
This county is one of 40 others in the blood
program which is administered by the
The abandonment of this property by
the New York people had the effect of
discrediting its value as a mineral
property. It was reported that the revenue
obtained by the early owners, working
ISSUE 44
The Forsyth County Commission
determined at a special session Monday
that violators of the county’s mobile home
levy will have to be processed through the
superior court.
The special meeting included Assistant
District Attorney B. B. Robertson,
Superior Court Clerk Cecil McClure and
several Justices of the Peace.
The move is expected to cause a slight
slowdown in prosecuting those who have
failed to pay the $25 assessment. But it will
steepen eventual penalties for convicted
violators.
The county was processing the warrants
through Justices of the Peace. According
to Commissioners violators were being
charged the $25 fee plus $18.50 court costs
in the JP courts.
The minimum assessment for costs in
Superior Courty is $45.
The outline for prosecution of alleged
non-payers of the levy has been revised to
the following:
—State warrants will be issued by
Justices of the Peace with the complaint
signed by the county administrator.
—The warrants will be served by a
constable or by a sheriff’s deputy.
—lndividuals arrested on the warrants
will be permitted to post bond through the
sheriff.
—The cases will then be heard by a
superior court judge.
Several details have yet to be worked
out. Still undetermined is the bond, which
will have to be set by the sheriff. The
Commission also expects the Superior
Court to set a fine which can be paid if the
trader owner chooses to plead gudty and
waives his right to a court appearance.
The changes came with the word that
state warrants cannot be prosecuted in JP
courts, according to a commission
spokesman.
In other business, the commission voted
to swear out a warrant for David Looper of
the David Looper Moving Co., of
Gainesville. The Commission claims
Looper has moved a house in Forsyth
County without paying the S2OO fee the
county demands for such moves.
Commissioner Lanier Bannister said
looper is contending he has a state license
to move houses and accordingly does not
need to buy the local permit. Non-payment
of the moving fee is classified as a
misdemeanor and is punishable by a fine
Continued on Page 22
Atlanta Regional Red Cross Blood Center.
According to the Red Cross, the blood
drawn here is sent back to the Center at
1925 Monroe Drive, N. E., in Atlanta, and
there it is typed, processed, and readied
for shipment to some 70 civilian, military
and Veterans Administration hospitals in
the area.
Red Cross provides blood and its
components to hopsital patients upon
request from the hospital. There is no
charge for the blood itself.
with slave labor, were alluring.
Dr. John Hockenhull, of Cumming,
Georgia, was the agent for the firm, and
he was the owner of one-third interest in
the property.
THE SAWNEE MOUNTAIN PROPERTY
Sawnee Mountain is in the heart of the
county, and rises about 900 feet above the
surroundings. Its central summit rises
1,967 feet above sea level. The spurs from
the mountain trend from Northeast to
Southwest, making a total length of about
six miles. Generations had panned and
prospected this mass for gold. The yellow
metal was found upon the Southeastern
slope and cuts and tunnels had been made
into the mountain, in search of gold and all
efforts proved futile.
During the year 1895, Messrs. Hamptom
and Herman of Atlanta, Georgia, obtained
control of Lots 820, 837, 892, 909, 910, 911,
912, 913, 914, 960, 963, and 983, in the 3rd
District, Ist Section, and work was done on
the hill deposits with very little success. In
the year 1896 there were fifteen men
(three working at night) and a tiny stream
of water was used for sluice-box washing.
The work was done with hired labor and
the operation was conducive to much
expenditure.
Hampton and Herman tried to arrange a
reservoir system for hydraulicking. The
Continued on Page K
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