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PAGE 12A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. MAY 9. 2019
Moonshine murder author draws packed crowd
By Dan Pool
Editor
dpool@pickensprogress.com
A packed crowd turned
out to hear Georgia journalist
and author Mike Buffington
discuss his book A Conspir
acy of Silence, the Murder of
Solicitor General Floyd
Hoard, Thursday evening at
the Pickens Library.
Buffington, a well known
Georgia newspaperman, said
the book about the 1967 mur
der of Hoard (solicitor gener
als are now known as DA’s)
in Jackson County began as a
series of article in the papers
he co-publishes in that area.
But he realized that his read
ers were interested in the his
tory of the car bomb murder
and that the prominent gory
bit of their local lore was in
danger of being forgotten,
even now when people are
still alive who can recall the
event.
Buffington’s book, avail
able at Amazon, traces the
rise of bootlegging, its im
pact on Jackson County and
its eventual decline.
According to his talk at
the library, homemade stills
Author Mike Buffington, right, signs books at the Pickens library last week after dis
cussing his history A Conspiracy ofSilence, the Murder of Solicitor General Floyd Hoard.
and whisky go back into the
early 1800s but little atten
tion was paid to it until Pro
hibition. He noted that in
most dry (where alcohol was
prohibited for sell) counties
bootleggers operated by both
making moonshine and by
buying standard beer else
where and then selling it ille
gally. He said in his area, the
tiny town of Arcade became
a beer mecca by legalizing
sales at stores to capitalize off
the nearby University of
Georgia in Athens. But busi
nessman in surrounding areas
would go to Arcade buy hun
dreds of cases of beer and
then re-sell it from their
homes or other locations.
After World War II the
bootlegging business really
took off with thirsty soldiers
coming home from war.
And by the 1950s and
1960s bootlegging had be
come industrialized and was
a booming illegal trade - one
that was openly overlooked
in Jackson County leading to
corruption of the culture
there and setting back legal
development in that area ac
cording to Buffington. The
bootlegging went alongside a
widespread car theft ring that
operated in Jackson County
by stealing cars in the metro
Atlanta area and stripping
them. Buffington said there
were numerous jokes that
anyone who lost a car any
where in Georgia could find
the burned remains on a
backroad in Jackson County.
The kingpin of the local
bootleggers was Cliff Park, a
dapper native who may have
been something like a mafia
Don. But Buffington said
they never found any evi
dence that he threatened
other bootleggers or any vio
lence with him defending his
territory - at least until Floyd
Hoard was elected and
pledged to clean up the town.
Buffington’s book recounts
how Parks ended up ordering
and paying four men to plant
a bomb in the Hoard’s car
outside his house and killed
him with his family rushing
from the house to find the
dying man and his smoking
car’s remains.
As a local angle, one of
the four men convicted for
the bombing along with Park
was J.H. Blackwell of Pick
ens County. Several acquain
tances and relatives of
Blackwell turned out for
Buffington’s talk. Blackwell
was described as young and
having gotten drug into the
plot, originally thinking he
was only going to be a look
out.
Buffington said he wrote
the book to be sure the his
tory of this incident is not
forgotten, as he recalled it
himself and had grown up
friends with Hoard’s chil
dren.
He said the site of the
killing is slated to be devel
oped as a subdivision and in
a few years the spot may be
unmarked and lost to the new
houses and yards.
“It doesn’t take long for a
community to lose its his
tory,” he said in closing.
Rotary display wins first place
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littl E IT
k
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The Rotary Club of Jasper won 1st place in the Hall of Friendship 2018-19 project display competition at their area
6910 District Conference in Greenville. “Rolling on the River” was the theme of the conference. The club’s banner fea
tured the S. S. Little Libraries carrying 14 named Little Free Libraries that have been placed throughout Pickens County.
The project was initiated by Rotary President Margaret DeFrancisco. Some of the Jasper Rotarians posed with the banner
are: Steve Lawrence, Kay Lawrence, Regina Martin, Margaret DeFrancisco and Max Caylor.
Wayside Animal Hospital donates to Pickens FFA
•HAHPI*
WAYSIDE ANIMAL
HOSPITAL RABIES CLINIC
VACCINES AND PRICES:
10 DHLPP....$16
KEMIA....$12 B ORDETELLA... .$ 10
'EMPER.... $ 16 LYME DISEASE.... $ 18
Pickens County School Board
Called Board Meeting
Thursday, May 9,2019 5:00 P.M.
Board of Education Central Office
100 D.B. Carroll Street • Jasper, GA 30143
I. Call to Order
II. Approval of Agenda
III. Executive Session
IV. Approval of Executive Session minutes
V. Adjourn
Pickens County School Board Meeting
AGENDA
Thursday, May 9,2019 6:00 P.M.
Board of Education Central Office
100 D.B. Carroll Street • Jasper, GA 30143
I. Call to Order
II. Invocations
III. Pledge of Allegiance
IV. Approval of Agenda
V. Student Recognition
A. Young Georgia Authors Writing
Competition (D. Burton)
B. Hermann Wins Farm Bureau Essay Contest
(C. Thompson)
C. JMS Stock Market Game Team Takes 1st
Place in Region (C. Thompson)
VI. Superintendent Reports
A. Financial Update (A. Smith)
B. Attendance Update (T. Young)
C. Operations and Construction (T. Young)
VII. Action Items
A. Approval of Personnel
B. Approval of Start & End Times Per School
(C. Wilson)
C. Approval of Minutes
D. Approval of Surplus
VIII. Board Comments
IX. Adjourn
Wayside Animal Hospital
held their annual drive-thru
vaccine clinic on Saturday,
April 6; once again offering
two locations to better serve
our community.
Our veterinary team
began the day at Pickens
High School from 9-11a.m.,
then moved on to our hospi
tal located on Cove Rd. from
1-3 p.m. As with last year’s
clinic, proceeds from the vac
cine clinic benefited Pickens
County High School FFA. By
vaccinating almost 300 pets,
were able to donate $400 to
the group. The FFA program
uses donations to help fund
the annual banquet, the trip to
the state FFA convention, and
to help cover expenses for
students when they partici
pate in competitions.
We would like to thank
Pickens County for the won
derful support this year at the
vaccine clinic.
Those pictured are Dr.
Lyn Lewis, Owner/Operator
Wayside AH, Pickens FFA
President Andy Brownell and
other members of the Pickens
FFA Officer Team including
Parker Fleming, Skyler Nold,
Taylor Dobson, Emma Long,
Madelyn Elrod, Chase White
and Shelby Stephenson as
well as Bobbie Jo Cash, Prac
tice Manager Wayside AH.
Present but not pictured was
Cassidy Byess, PCHS FFA
Advisor and Kristen Lewis,
Hospital Administrator Way-
side AH.
Which is it...Buying, selling, trading, offering employment or services?
Advertise it in the Progress
to get the word out!
Call us so we can help with whatever it is you do.
706-253-2457
Office hours are M-F, 9 am.- 4:30 p.m.
Pickens Arts & Cultural Alliance
ANNUAL MEETING
Pickens County Government Community Room
1266 East Church Street • Jasper, GA 30143
(.Downstairs)
Tuesday, May 14 th
5:30 PM Chili Dinner
6-7 PM Meeting
FREE TO PUBLIC
RSVP call or text 770-893-7940for more information
