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Page 2A - Pike County Journal Reporter - Wednesday, March 24, 2021 PHOTOS COURTESY OF KEITH EDMONDSON This painting shows the old train depot in Williamson with a train sitting on the tracks. Artist Keith Edmondson said his neighbor Kenneth Clarke told him about the train depot and how he would ride the train to Griffin as a youngster. Keith has several more historic Pike County paintings in the works and hopes to preserve historic places and memories for future generations. HISTORY: Preserved through paintings by local artist Keith Edmondson FROM PAGE ONE Keith said they ride around the county and Kenneth shows him historic areas and tells him how things used to be. Then he sketches the old structure or area and asks his neighbor what changes to make before painting it. “He told me about the old bridge across Flat Shoals and as far as we know, there are no photos of the bridge still around. He said he was scared to go across the bridge because he could look out of his dad’s truck window and see the cracks between the wooden slates of the bridge,” said Keith. “1 want to preserve as much of our local his tory as 1 can before the generation who remem bers it is gone and all the memories and informa tion they have is lost.” Other local historic scenes that Keith has painted include Barnes- ville Street in Zebulon during the 1920s, show ing the current Journal Reporter office on the southeast corner of the courthouse square, the train depot in Williamson from the 1950s and the Red Oak Creek covered bridge just a few miles over the Pike County line. “There are so many historical places in Pike that 1 want to paint. So far I’ve done three and 1 have more scheduled to paint, including my neighbor’s grandfather’s store on Highway 19 between Zebulon and Griffin and his brother’s Petrol station in Zebulon. I also was told about how huge the peach orchard community was in Pike in the 40s and 50s and 1 want to paint some farm ers working in a peach orchard with a tractor bringing in the peaches. There’s also an old picture of Concord in the 1950s with a train track going through town that I’d like to paint,” he said. In addition to being a talented painter, his photography has earned him honors as well. Keith has done a lot of concert photography in the past few years and credits the Gatlin Brothers and the Oak Ridge Boys for him being inducted into the Country Music Associa tion when photographers are not usually included. He hopes to return to concerts soon as a pho tographer but plans to continue putting history on canvas, in addition to his commissioned works and racetrack paintings. He has done three or four paintings of NASCAR drivers and has even done a series of his paintings for the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame. “1 love history and 1 want to cover as much local history as possible Pike County is my new home. We moved from Fayette and I just love this county. It’s like a whole different world from where we moved from. Everybody looks out after each other. It’s a great place to live and 1 hope it doesn’t ever change and if 1 can be a part of preserving some of the history, it will make it all worth while,” he said, adding that he hopes to encour age future generations to take time to enjoy and learn from the past. “My granddaughter is prob ably my biggest inspira tion. As 1 paint, she asks me questions about it and she wants to learn everything about ev erything. At 5 years old, she can point out the buildings on the Zebulon square that I’ve painted and tell you what they used to be. When she grows up, I want her to look back and see the history that may be for gotten by others.” DO YOU WANT TO BE A TEACHER? \ * Be a teacher in the HIGHEST PERFORMING REGION in „ the state of Georgia. If certification is needed, we have an |( l N option for you! If you meet the participation requirements /JJ below, please complete the GaTAPP application form (at GA TAPP link at www.griffinresa.net) so you can join us in the FASTEST GROWING REGION in Georgia! We also encourage you to apply in our regional school systems. I I For more info, please contact the Griffin RESA TAPP department at tapp@griffinresa.net or call 770-229-3247 to apply today! PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION '—'r • College Transcript - minimum four-year degree with a 2.5 GPA ^ • GACE I - Basic Skills Assessment or verification of exemption N • GACE II - Content Assessment or verification of coursework N • Has a job offer as a teacher in a Griffin RESA Regional School System: Butts, Fayette, Griffin-Spalding, Henry, Lamar, Newton, Pike or Thomaston-Upson County School Systems. Application form available at www.griffinresa.net. (Note: Click on "GA TAPP" and then click on Program Information) Dr. Mohamad joins Upson Cardiology on March 22! • Provides minimally invasive procedures to open blocked arteries in the heart and legs • Preventive management and control of risk factors for cardiovascular disease • General and high-risk obstetrical care • Centering Pregnancy: Group Prenatal Care • Contraception care and management • Adolescent health education services • Offices inThomaston and Barnesville OB/GYN Almois Mohamad, M.D. 706-646-5712 Sherida L. Williams, M.D. 706-647-9627