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VINTAGE JACKSON This picture, made about 1914, by J. B.
Guthrie of Guthrie’s Studio in Jackson, is used courtesy of J. H. Rooks. It
shows the east side of the Jackson court square. On the left is Joseph E.
Edwards Jewelry Store, the three-storv Commercial Building occupied
then by Owl Pharmacy and Farmer Bank on first floor, the National
Guard on second, and Masonic Lodge on third. The two story building
housed S. H. Thornton Furniture Company. Next door, was the Jarrell
Drug Store. Buttrill Brothers, who dealth in guano, buggies, wagons and
MR. SMITH REVIEWS
EFFORTS TO BUILD BIG
OCMULGEE POWER DAM
PAINTS A ROSY PICTURE FOR THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THIS SECTION OF
THE STATE—PREDICTS CAR LINE
THROUGH JACKSON SOON
Editor Progress: ln
compliance with your request I
will give you a short history of
the movement to develop
power on the Ocmulgee river
near Jackson, and also some
idea of the purposes for which
it is intended the power may be
used.
When Charlie Beauchamp
was mayor of Jackson several
years ago, he took up with me
the matter of extending the
Flovilla and Indian Springs
road to Jackson. He secured
for me the franchise to run
through the streets of Jackson
and also a lighting franchise.
I went in search of the most
available water power to
generate electricity for the
purpose. I found it where the
dam for the great electric plant
is now being located. The first
step was the purchase of
fifty-eight acres of land, known
as the old Thomas place, and
next, the purchase from Mr.
William Hodges of a mill site
just above the Thomas place.
In looking at the shoals above
and below, and the towering
bluff on either side and the
immense quantities of fine
granite for building purposes, I
was amazed at the possibili
ties.
I walked; I looked; I
meditated. I said meditatively,
“0 what Nature has done for
mankind here, and we stand
and let the shoals murmer at
our neglect. Here is a great
source of wealth hidden from
the world and going to waste.”
I declared then and there that
the world should know about it.
But what then? It will take
millions to develop it. How can
you interest them?
In discussing the matter of
power of Jackson Mr. S. C.
McCandless became interested
with me. He bought 95 acres on
the Jasper side known as the
old Byars place, and opposite
the Thomas place on this side.
It is on these two places that
the abuttments for the great
dam are located.
Mr. McCandless interested
with him Mr. Harold Mallett of
Jackson, and they together
bought all the water rights
from the old Byars place to
Dempsey’s Ferry (on the
Jasper side) a distance of two
miles.
We decided that the way to
interest captial would be to
combine all the power from
Lamar’s Mill to the head of the
river in one company. With
that idea in view, I carried Mr.
Walter Lamar up and showed
him the possibilities. He said:
“I am astonished. I did not
know Butt county had anything
like this in it.”
I then carried Mr. Samuel
Carnes, who owned the next
power above Lamar’s, and he
said it was the finest power he
ever saw, but it would take too
much money to develop it. The
result was, we did not get
together, because we could not
agree as to the valuation of the
different powers.
About this time Mr. C. F.
Howe came south looking for
water power. Mr. Lamar
referred him to me. I showed
him what I had, and explained
to him my purpose of
development. He said, “You
are going to spoil a great thing
by a small one. Sell your
holdings to me, and I will help
you to make a development
from which you can have
power cheaper than you can
furnish it yourself.” We
agreed, and he and Mr. Henry
Howe and Mr. Thomas Carling
of Macon, bought our holding,
and went ahead and made
several other purchases up the
river.
About this time the Atlanta &
Macon Interurban Railway Cos.
was organized, and Mr. Howe
brought their attention to our
water power, and the Bibb
Power Company was organi
zed to furnish power for that
and other purposes. We then
spent about two years in
securing other power along the
Ocmulgee, Oconee and Flynt
rivers.
When it was decided to make
a development, to begin with
this one was considered the
best and most available.
The Macon & Albany
Interurban Railway was also
organized, and will take power
from this plant, also the Macon
Street Railway and Lighting,
has passed into the hands of
this company, and will be
furnished power from this
plant, as well as the factories,
lighting plants, and small
manufactories of any and all of
the towns within a radius of 30
to 40 miles that desire to
contract for it.
' r h< greatest benefit I see in
THE JACKSON PROGRESS-ARGUS, JACKSON, GEORGIA
had the Ford auto agency, occupies the center slot. The 1912 and 1913 Model
T Fords shown for the most part had gas headlights. Note the gasoline sign
at 19 cents a gallon and the dirt streets. The building with the white front
housed the Vendome Theatre, which was operated by Plato Watkins. On
the far right was the J. Arenson Clothing Store on the ground floor, while
upstairs was the offices of Dr. L. B. Hopkins, Sr. and J. B. Guthrie’s
photographic studios.
the future directly to Butts
county, is the building of the
Interurban Railway from Grif
fin to Monticello, Mansfield
and Social Circle. Connected
with the Atlanta & Macon
Interurban at Griffin, from
Griffin through Jackson to
Indian Springs, will be the neck
of the funnel. It is intended to
connect with the Flovilla &
Indian Spring road at the Camp
Ground, and with the new line
new being built at Bibb.
At the river it will connect
with the boats on Lake
“Alcova” and on to Monticello,
etc., by track on that side.
Now, brother, don’t put on
that doubtful smile and pass it
by as a joke. If I live a few
years longer, I expect to be
able to get on an electric car
any day at Indian Spring,
Jackson or Flovilla, ride to the
river, take a boat and picnic at
either Newton Factory Shoals,
on Alcova, or Indian Fishery,
on Yellow Riber, or at Mann’s
Bridge on South River and
return in the afternoon.
If you don’t believe it, file
this paper and watch and see
what calamity is to befall us to
prevent it. We will take you on
the picnic Mr. Editor.
Yours for work to accomplish.
W. F. Smith.
- Butts County Progress, Oct.
9, 1908.
Jenkinsburg
Has Big
Cotton Fire
BRICK WAREHOUSE BURN
ED WITH HEAVY LOSS.
TWO OR THREE HUND
DRED BALES COTTON
DESTROYED
The Jenkinsburg ware
house, which contained bet
ween two and three hundred
bales of cotton, was destroyed
by fire at an early hour
Tuesday morning. The confla
gration entailed a heavy loss,
only partically covered by
insurance.
The origin of the fire is not
known. It was detected about 4
o’clock and was accompanied
by an explosion, it was stated,
which led to the belief that it
was the work of incendiaries.
There being no adequate fire
protection the building and
contents burned rapidly. All
efforts of the bucket brigade to
extinguish or hold the flames in
check resulted in failure.
J. R. Smith, of Atlanta,
owned a controlling interest in
the warehouse. Several people
in the vicinity of Jenkinsburg
were stockholders in the
concern.
Many farmers had all their
cotton of the 1918 crop stored in
the building. A good part of this
cotton was not covered by
insurance, it was declared.
The warehouse was of brick
construction and one of the best
buildings of its kind in the
entire country.
The fire burned for several
hours, the flames still smolder
ing during most of the day
Tuesday. - The Jackson
Progress-Argus, September 5,
1919.
Cork Hit By A
Destructive
Fire Sunday
Stores And Depot
Wiped Out Sunday
Blaze Started in Depot
Cork was hit by a destructive
fire Sunday, when the store of
Mr. Frank Ogletree and Dr. R.
W. Mays, the Southern depot
and a seed house were burned.
The fire is said to have caught
from the top of the depot, which
was probably set on fire by a
passing locomotive.
There were but few means of
combatting the flames, other
than by pouring water on with
buckets. The entire business
district of the town was burned,
and while the fire was not large
it was a hard blow to cork and
that community.
The loss was several hundred
dollars. The store of Mr.
Ogletree was partially covered
by insurance, it was said. It
was not learned whether any of
the other property was insured
or not. ~ The Jackson
Progress-Argus, June 1, 1917.
Earthquake
Shock Felt
An earthquake shock was felt
in Butts county about 5:45
Monday afternoon. The earth
tremor lasted from fifteen to
twenty seconds and caused
considerable excitement. Some
of those of who felt the shock
declare they heard a rumbling
noise.
The earthquake shock was
felt throughout Georgia, North
and South Carolina, Virginia
and portions of Tennessee and
Alabama.
Though chairs, dishes and
pictures were shaken by the
seismic disturbance, no dam
age was reported. - Jackson
Progress-Argus, Feb. 25, 1916.
THURSDAY, JULY 1, 1976
Attempt To
Burn School
Building
Paper And Kindling
Placed Under House
No Damage Was Done
An attempt was made to
burn the Jackson public school
building Tuesday afternoon,
and only the prompt detection
of the fire saved the building
from destruction. The act was
a brazen and flagrant attempt
at incendiarism, and the fact
that the janitor was at work
there and detected the flames
before they had time to spread
accounts for the building being
saved.
The miscreant piled a bundle
of paper and kindling on a sill
under the auditorium and set
fire to this. The sill was only a
few inches from the floor and
the fire had begun to burn
readily when the smoke was
discovered and the flames
extinguished.
The fire department was
called and responded in quick
time, but the fire was already
under control. The alarm was
given at about 5:30 o’clock.
An investigation is being
made and if the guilty party or
parties are detected the city
will probably bring criminal
proceedings. ~ Jackson Pro
gress-Argus, May 4, 1917.
nn >{app tilings
From a Great American Ladies Shop
ESpfeS l ■ Sjisfcl V fl J- 1 Jfc 1 ;l H
by permission of THE BETTMANN ARCHIVE
1790: A plan we could bank on.
There’s plenty of disagreement in Washington’s
Cabinet. And out of it. Mr. Hamilton, our Federalist
Secretary of the Treasury, is in the throes of creating a
Financial plan to pay off our war debts and make us look
more confident to the rest of the world. He comes up
with everything from a tariff to a National Bank, char
tered by Congress to be the government’s Financial
agent. Secretary of State Tom Jefferson and his Repub
licans oppose the bank. After all, he says, chartering a
bank is not one of the Constitutional powers given to
Congress. Besides, who knows what the capitalists will
do once they get the President and Congress into their
control? After months of debate, Hamilton persuades
Washington to sign the bill. But the Republicans stop
the bank’s recharter twenty years later. We’re begin
ning to learn that the nation’s economy doesn’t always
run smoothly.
Jackson Style Shoppe
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YOUNG EDITOR This photo of the late James Doyle
Jones, Sr., for 48 years editor and publisher of Butts County
newspapers, was made in 1910 while he was editor of the Butts
County Progress. The Underwood typewriter he is using is
still being used by the Progress-Argus staff.
■Si*?
TWO YOUNG PRINTERS This 1910-or-so picture
of Gary Bennett, left, and Smith Price was furnished by
Mrs. Azilee M. Webb. Gary worked on the Chattanooga
Free Press and Smith was an invaluable employee of the
Progress-Argus for about 20 years.
OAKLAND
PRICE $1,340 DELIVERED
JANUARY, 23, 1920