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50th Anniversary
EDITION
THAR’S GOLD IN
THESE WILKINSON
HILLS
A popular radio program some
years back was Horace Heidt’s
“Pot o’ Gold.” Many of our read
ers no doubt have all but forgot
ten this once popular feature of
the airwaves, but it seems Wilkin-
SEE US
—FOR—
PAINT ■ GLASS
WALLPAPER
MASONITE BOARD
JARRETT
Paint & Glass Co.
' 657 Poplar Street
MACON, GEORGIA
PHONE 2200
I
MARKET PRICES
—PAID FOR—
PECANS
! AT ALL TIMES
—Correct Weight—
THE MILLER PECAN
COMPANY
CALHOUN HOGAN, Mgr. ;.
21*1 West Madison Street
THE BULLETIN
Irwinton, Wilkinson County, Georgia, Fiftieth Anniversary Edition
son County folks just can’t seem
to forget about Jesse Vaughn’s
“Pot o’ Gold.” It’s a story that’s
been handed down from genera
tion to generation, and old timers
sitting around the cracker barrel
in the general store still love to
tell this legendary tale.
It seems that Jesse Vaughn
amassed great wealth in lands and
money, at one time owning all the
land from the B. H. Jackson place
to Commissioner Creek. Old timers
say that he had two buckskins
made into a sack in which he kept
his gold and silver. However ,after
his wife’s death he took an earth
ern jug, filled it to the neck with
water and then struck the neck so
that it would break off smooth
and he could cover it with a coffee
pot lid. He is thought to have put
his gold in this jug and buried it,
os one day he called “Blind Alec
one oi his slaves who was blind
and had him take the jug and a
shovel, and bury the jug.
A few years later Vaughn was
taken sick and) called ’iiis son,
James, telling him he had some
thing to say to him, but before he
could do so he lapsed into uncon
sciousness from which he never
recovered, dying not long aftei
wards.
Search was made and the sack
made of buckskins was found
empt.y. “Blind Alec” told what he
knew of the burial of the jug, but
all he knew was that they had
gone thru a plum orchard, the
WAGONS
One-horse Wagons
$79.00 each
Two-horse Wagons
SIOO.OO each
These Are Good Values —
ALSO—LOG CARTS,
WHEELS AND AXLES,
AND TRUCK BODIES
Always See Us For Values
PAUL WILLIAMS CO.
MACON, GA.
' Ph'one’9B "*
thorns having stuck in him as they
went along. A most diligent search
■was made but the gold could not
be found.
Parties searched for it as late
as 1925, but the secret hiding
place of Jesse Vaughn’s jug of
gold is still an unsolved mystery.
MiNTYRLHOME
OF WAR HEROINE
IN CIVAL WAR
Davidson’s “History of Wilkin
son County” provides us with an
interesting story concerning the
efforts of a woman to save her
home from burning at the hands
of a Federal officer. The daring
of this Mclntyre woman so im
pressed the people'of Wilkinson
that it is still told.
At the time, Mrs. Mclntyre was
serving as depot agent at the rail
road station in town. When Sher
man’s forces were destroying all
the property of the Central of
Georgia Railroad, the detachment
sent to burn that in and about
Mclntyre was informed that the
house where the depot agent lived
belonged to the railroad.
The house and yard were fiLec
with soldiers and the torch was
about to be applied when Mrs.
Mclntyre, whose husband was a
Mason, recalled that her husband
had once told her that if she ever
was in great danger to make a
certain Masonic sign. Tin a dispair
ing effort she made this sign. Tne
Captain commanding the detach
ment who had already mounted
his horse and was riding down the
hill towards the depot which under
his orders had already been fired,
paused, and being a member of tne
fraternity, turned his horse and
rode back up the hill.
Questioning her concerning hei
husband, and also as to the title
of her home. When she explained
that the house belonged to her and
not to the railtoad' company, the
Captain ordered the soldiers out,
countermanding the order to burn
' the house, and -placed a guard
about the premises for her pro
tection.
First Postoffice in
County at Irwinton
The first postoffice in the
county was established at Irwin
ton and for many years the mail
was sent here once a week from
Milledgeville. However in the
early 1820’s, a new postoffice,
Ramah, located at the forks of the
road just above Ramah churcjh
was established. In 1828 another
postoffice was created at Cool
Spring, the present site of Allen
town. Mail was delivered once a
week from Milledgeville.
Great Irwinton Fire
October 2, 1831
The great Irwinton fire, on
October 2, 1831, burned several
of the best buildings in the town
including the tavern and several
stores. The loss fell chiefly upon
Samuel Beall and Charles C. Beall,
the estimated damage being ten
thousand dollars, a tremendops
amount in that day.
The Irwinton lawyers in 185 G
were: James C. Bower, N. A. Cars
well, Arthur E. Cochran, Eleazer
Cummings and M. N. Murphy.
To the People
of this Community
The Victory Volunteer goes by
many names in the Sixth War
Loan. Sometimes he or she is
called a Gallant, sometimes a
Blue Star Brig
adier or perhaps
a Bondadier.
Whatever the
designation, he
or she is per
forming a prac
tical patriotic
service. In this
community in
the next few
weeks you will
meet many of
them at work, in
the theatres, at your workshop,
in the banks and in your home.
Remember one thing: you do
not do them a favor when you
buy an extra War Bond. You
help your country, your fighting .
relatives and friends and your
i self. The Victory Volunteer gives
' his time and his energy in a
i great cause. He or she makes it
, easy for you to do your duty by
buying at least one extra SIOO
. W.axUiQnd x»^ *
regular bond purchases.
THE EDITOR.
BULLETIN OBSERVES
50™ YEAR OF
PUBLICATION
PRESENT EDITOR ON THE JOB
FOR 39 YEARS
Weathering the trials and tribu
lations of a country weekly for
fifty years, the Irwinton Bulletin,
this week celebrates its golden
jubilee, and simultaneously, Lamar
Tigner, present publisher, com
pletes thirty-nine years of service.
The Bulletin first saw the light
of day in 1894 when it was estab
lished by J. N. Todd and George
H. Carswell. Mr. Carswell’s son,
George Harold, now serving in the
Navy, is associated with publisher
Tigner.
Prior to the establishment of the
Bulletin, various other papers had
been active in Wilkinson County,
but their life was short-lived.
Until 1870 when the “Appeal”
began publication at Toomsboro,
the county depended upon sur
rounding towns for its newspapers.
Later the “Southerner” was be
gun at Irwinton. Soon after this
the two were consolidated and un
til 1889 this was the “Southerner-
Appeal”, and was the official
organ of the county. In that
year it was moved to Gordon and
became known as the “Gordon
Press.”
For a short while, “The Blade”
was published at Gordon. Later
the “World” was published at
Irwinton. In 1894 the “Bulletin”
was started at Irwinton, and until
the early twenties was the only
paper in the county.
Mr* Tigner, who makes his
home with his sister, Mary, is a
native of Jonesboro, Georgia. Be
fore coming to Irwinton, he was
editor of the Jonesboro “News.”
the Jonesboro “Enterprise” and
the Fayetteville, Georgia “News.”
The story of Tigner’s coming
to Irwinton is an interesting one.
It all started with John Chatfield.
At the time, Chatfield, a promis
ing lawyer just out of an Atlanta
law school was looking for a
locality in which he might prac
tice. Unable to make up his mind,
he opened a map of Georgia,
placed it on the tajble, closed his
eyes, and flipped a coin. Where
that coin struck, Chatfield was de
termined to go. The coin fell on
Wilkinson County.
Within a year- or two of his
arrival lawyer Chatfield was elect
ed judge of the county court. Later
he turned to the ministry and be
came presiding elder of the South
Georgia conference. Mr. Chatfield
was so happy with life in Wilkin
son county he induced several of
his boyhood friends to come to
Irwinton among whom were Dr.
R* C. Cousins and Lamar Tigner.
CAN’T WIN
As a result of an armed holdup,
M. Johnson of Walbridge, Ohio,
lost a SIBO ring—but not to the
bandits. As the thugs approached
his parked auto, Johnson tossed
|Ke ring into outside weeds. When
the men left with an empty wallet
and his tai* Johnson couldn’t find
his ring.
The Icelander is more at home
in a boat than on dry land.
