Funding for the digitization of this title was provided by Charter Foundation of Valley, Alabama and the Chipley Historical Center of Pine Mountain.
About Harris County journal. (Hamilton, Harris County, Ga.) 1920-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 2015)
Harris County Journal - Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015 Page 7-A Looking Back for 52 Weeks Schools Top Ranked That Harris County has an excellent school system is without doubt. In Jan. 2015, the school system was rec ognized by the Niche website with a ranking of #19 among school systems in the Atlanta area, #37 over the entire state, and led the local area. Niche gave the school system grades of B+ in student culture and diversity; B in academics and teachers; B- in administra tion and policies, educational outcomes, food, health and safety, resources and facili ties, and sports and fitness; and a C+ in extracurriculars. Other local school systems and their grades were: Muscogee County schools B overall and ranked 39th statewide; Troup County schools C+ grade and ranked 67th statewide; Meriwether County schools D+ grade and ranked 158th statewide; and Talbot County schools D- and ranked 169th statewide. Also impacting the school system, a new principal is taking the helm at the high school. After serving 15 years as principal of the high school, Roger Couch decided it was time to retire. In Dec. 2015, it was announced that Todd Stanfill had been hired to fill the position. Former Director of Athletics for the Muscogee County School System, Stanfill will take over the high school principal’s position in January. Taylor Guilty - Again In a situation still fresh in the minds of many, in March 2015, Zachary Taylor was again tried for the murder of Lamar Railey, and was again found guilty. Taylor had a history of violent behavior. As previously reported, in 2001 Taylor was in the Auburn University library and allegedly caused a commotion in the library. Published reports indicate that a woman in the library asked Taylor to be quiet only to have him shout and curse at her. The woman pressed charges and Taylor was arrested. About two months later, the woman was crossing a parking lot when the driver of a car allegedly attempted to hit her. She was uninjured and law enforcement officials identified Taylor as a suspect. During that investigation, Taylor’s car was found at his home in the Ellerslie com munity and Railey, who owned a wrecker service, was contacted to tow the car. Law enforcement authorities were never able to develop sufficient evidence to arrest Taylor, who later filed lawsuits against all involved. On the evening of Feb. 13, 2004, Railey was in Hamilton and walking toward a store when he was abruptly struck by a car. A witness to the incident followed the suspect’s car, called 911, and trailed the car until law enforcement officials arrived According to court documents, officers found damage on the front of Taylor’s car that “were consistent with what one would expect after recently hitting a pedestrian.” In addition, officers found an envelope inside the car that contained legal docu ments regarding an ongoing dispute between Railey and Taylor. Railey died days later from complica tions associated with the injuries. In Dec. 2005, Taylor was found guilty of the murder of Lamar Railey. The conviction was appealed based on Taylor’s attorney not using his client’s mental condition to prove incompetence. Tried again in 2015, Taylor was again found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. 354 Fades into History Part of Ga. Hwy. 354 is no longer part of Ga. Hwy. 354. In an effort, largely spearheaded by Pine Mountain Valley resident Bobby Haralson, the state has abandoned the sec tion of roadway from the Rock Bridge near Pine Mountain to Ga. Hwy. 116 in the Pine Mountain Valley community. The roadway featured a sharp bend and change in elevation near the Rock Bridge which was the site of problems involving tractor-trailers becoming hung on the road. A number of the trucks were heading to the JCG/ Koch Foods chicken processing plant in Pine Mountain Valley. Now as a county road, large trucks are prohibited. Ga. Hwy. 354 is now one of the state’s shortest routes, a distance of about 3-1/2 miles from the main entrance into Callaway Gardens and Ga. Hwy. 18, to the Ga. Hwy. 190 access ramp. Harris County Commissioners renamed the section of roadway from the Ga. Hwy. 190 entrance ramp east to the sharp right turn, back to its original name, Kings Gap Road. The former section of Ga. Hwy. 354 from Kings Gap Road to Ga. Hwy. 116, has once again become C Street. Veterans Honored In 2015, Hamilton joined Pine Mountain in celebrating Veteran’s Day. Pine Mountain has celebrated the event for many years with a ceremony typically held in front of the Veterans Memorial located along McDougald Avenue. The Harris County Men’s Club, City of Hamilton and Bob Patterson helped organ ize an inaugural celebration that featured a parade in Hamilton and ceremony on the Square. The inaugural ceremony had Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley as the keynote speaker. Highlighted in the parade and cere mony were the 1st Hamilton Legion, and re- Photo courtesy Ellerslie Fire Dept. FULLY INVOLVED - Lightning is reported to have struck this house located on Ga. Hwy. 315 in August. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find the house fully involved. Firefighters from five departments would eventually be summoned to the scene. 6 i i 1 48- $ A 3: F . • 4a ' 1 4 . ‘•" 9.2 S• By Andy Kober WORKING ON THE RESTORATION - Mural artist John Christian is shown in the early stages of restoring the mural on Harris Street in Pine Mountain. The mural fea tures President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Cason Callaway Sr., and a number of notable locations in and around Pine Mountain. County WARNING: Harris County is politically in- correct. We say: Merry Christmas, God Bless America and In God We Trust We salute our troops and our flag. If this offends you... LEAVE! By Andy Kober NO DOUBTING THE MESSAGE - This sign, purchased by Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley and erected in front of the Harris County Law Enforcement Center, drew national attention in November and continues to do so. Many are praising Jolley while others are critical. enactors representing the U.S. 10th Calvary, also known as “Buffalo Soldiers”. During the ceremony, the two oldest vet erans were recognized and they were Bobby Haralson and Pauline Waters. As part of the ceremony, a picnic lunch was held on the Square for the veterans. Mural Work Complete Thanks in large part to the tireless efforts of John Christian, two murals featur ing the history of Pine Mountain were restored with the second mural completed in 2015. The murals were originally drawn and painted by Ans Steenmeijer with the second one completed in May 1997. Over the years, both had faded badly. In an effort largely headed by Warren Aldrich, and funded entirely by donations, the murals were modified and redone by Christian with help from various other peo ple. One mural is located on Chipley Street, facing First Peoples Bank. The second mural is located along Harris Street, near the intersection of Commerce Avenue, fac ing south. Pine Mountain has a third mural, high lighting the important of the railroad to Pine Mountain, located on Broad Street facing the caboose. Sign Stirs Emotions A “politically incorrect” sign erected at Harris County Law Enforcement Center in November 2015, continues to draw both praise and criticism. The sign, which reads: “Welcome to Harris County, Georgia” on the top section and “WARNING: Harris County is political ly incorrect. We say: Merry Christmas, God Bless America and In God We Trust. We salute our troops and our flag. If this offends you ... LEAVE!” on the bottom sec tion featured prominently on news stations and the Internet, and the controversy con tinues. Jolley paid for the sign and as custodian of the law enforcement center, had it erect ed on county property. The Harris County Commissioners have been called upon to have the sign removed. "It's time for the silent majority to stand up for our beliefs and not be ashamed," Jolley said when the sign was erected. This controversy is likely to continue. CHAMPIONS! Skill and determination helped lead the Harris County Carver Middle School Lady Tigers Volleyball Team to the lofty goal of District Champions. Here, Coach Tamara Johnson inspires the team during a challenging moment. s’ By George Batastini THUMBS UP - Tiger football standout TaQuon Marshall gives a thumbs up during the graduation exercise held last May. Marshall is heading to Georgia Tech to continue his education and play football. Some 370 Harris seniors received diplomas. Gel! 196 ‘an) tiini • wl E pl By Andy Kober WE GOT THE MONEY, HONEY - Supporters of a new library for Harris County are shown with State Senator Josh McKoon, who helped secure state funding for the proj ect. Shown left to right are: Bob Patterson, Keith Schuermann, Josh McKoon, Harry Lange, Jim Trott and Warren Aldrich.
