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Savannah The First
4
i History Os Capitals
i Os State Os Georgia
Savannah became the
seat of government for the
British colony of Georgia
which was established
February 12, 1733 by
General James Edward
Oglethorpe.
In January 1776, the
independence of Georgia
from Great Britain was
declared. The
revolutionary state con
sidered Savannah to be its
capital. In fact both
colonial and state
governments operated
there at the same time
until December 1778 when
Savannah was captured by
the British. Then the state
government moved to
Augusta until the British
captured it in 1779. The
government was forced to
move again to Heard's
Fort in Wilkes County
where it remained for a
year.
In June of 1781,
Georgians recaptured
Augusta and the
Legislature met there in
August and again in 1782
but returned to Savannah
in 1783. However, an act
was passed moving the
capital to Augusta because
it was nearer to the center
of the state than was
S,avannah. The capital
remained at Augusta
through 1795.
The Constitution of the
United States was ratified
there by a convention on
January 2, 1788 Georgia
was the fourth state of the
union to ratify.
On November 26, 1789,
the Georgia Legislature
celebrated the first official
Thanksgiving by attending
services at St. Paul's
church President George
Washington had
proclaimed the day a
national observance.
The Yazoo ''Fraud'' Act
which permitted the sale of
state lands to private
parties or companies was
One of the last measures
passed by the Legislature
in Augusta.
During the first session
of the Legislature at the
new capitol in Louisville,
the Yazoo Act was
repealed and the legal
papers burned on the
Capitol grounds. During
the 1799 session, the
present Great Seal of the
state was adopted. The
first permanent capitol
building was erected at
Louisville
In 1804, the Legislature
passed an act to move the
Serving Houston County
Homemaker Clubs, Council
Part Os Extension Service
The Houston County
Extension Service
Homemakers' Council has
seven homemaker clubs
under its jurisdiction. Miss
Peggy Polk, county ex
tension agent, is advisor to
the clubs. There are 200
members in these clubs.
The objectives of these
Homemaker Clubs are to
provide home economics
subject matter in
formation to members,
thus improving homes and
family living, and to
develop leadership among
members.
The clubs and their
presidents are as follows:
Bonaire, Mrs. Clarence
Sasser; Centerville, Mrs.
Laurial Adams; Elko-
Henderson, Mrs. Charles
Perfect; Lahoma, Mrs.
Jesse Willard; Robinette,
Mrs. Mary Harrison;
Potpourri, Mrs. Tom
Arledge; Heard, Mrs.
Pearl Hammock.
These clubs meet
monthly and have
educational programs.
Homemakers' Council
The Homemakers'
Council meets four times a
state capital to
AAilledgeville and a new
brick capitol building was
erected there at a cost of
$60,000. The General
Assembly met there tor the
first time in 1807.
On January 19, 1861, a
convention of Georgians
met in Milledgevllle and
passed the Secession Act
by a vote of 208 to 89,
whereby the state with
drew from the union and
joined the Confederacy.
State government began
to function again, although
under military rule, in
June 1865 after the defeat
of the Confederacy.
In 1867, at a con
stitutional convention In
Atlanta, the city of Atlanta
proposed that the capital of
Georgia be moved from
Milledgevllle to Atlanta.
Such a proposal had been
made to the Legislature in
1847 and defeated. In 1854,
Houston In North Central Dist.
Public Health Now In
Human Resources Dept.
Public Health work of
the State of Georgia was
placed in the Department
of Human Resources under
the state's Re organization
Plan of 1972. Houston
County was placed in the
North Central Health
District with Dr. R.J.
Walker, Jr. of Macon as
medical director of the
fourteen counties.
Miss Ivarene Shivers of
Unadilla continued as
district director of Public
Health Nursing I with
supervision over the five
counties of Houston,
Peach, Crawford, Pulaski
and Macon counties with
headquarters in Perry.
Members of the Houston
County Board of Health
are David A. Perdue,
chairman; Dr. A.G.
Hendrick, Dr, V.W.
McEver, Dr. David N.
Harvey and Sherrill
Stafford.
Senior staff nurses are
Mrs. Ann Crowley and
Mrs. Ivy Strathern. Other
nurses serving out of the
Perry and Warner Robins
offices are Mrs. Donna
year and has all day
meetings. In the spring,
the Council has a fashion
show when all handmade
fashions are modeled. In
May, the Council has a
luncheon for their "Silver
Streaks", ladies over 70
years young.
The Achievement Day is
held In September. All
members enter items they
have made during the
year. They also enter
baked goods and hor
ticulture items in com
petition. Everything is
judged by out-of-town
people.
Fair Week is held in
October. The Council is in
charge of all entries in the
Houston County Fair.
In December a Christ
mas Party is held tor the
"Silver Streaks".
The 1975-76 Council of
ficers are as follows: Mrs.
Jesse Willard, president;
Mrs. Warren Carter, first
vice-president; Mrs. Tom
Arledge, second vice
president; Mrs. Betty
Smith and Mrs. Robbie
Lewis, third vice
presidents; Mrs. Laural
the proposal to move the
capital to Atlanta had been
defeated in the General
Election.
The proposition of
Atlanta was accepted by
the 1867 convention and
ratified as Article Ten of
the New Constitution. The
city promised to provide
suitable government
buildings free of charge for
ten years.
In August 1868, the city
of Atlanta rented the
"Kimball Opera House"
for use as a capitol
building. In October 1870,
the Legislature approved
the purchase of the house
for $250,000 in state bonds.
The people of Georgia
voted for a new con
stitution in 1877, so another
convention met in Atlanta
July 11, 1877 for this
purpose. The City Council
addressed a memorial to
the convention concerning
Adams, Mrs. Lillie Han
dley, Mrs. Donna Moore,
and Mrs. Rose Myers.
Sanitarians serving
Houston are J.R. Drinnon,
J.V. Harden, and J.H.
Adkins. The En
vironmental Technician is
Mrs. Lynda Horne.
Medicaid and Family
Planning nurses are Mrs.
Beth Kennedy and Mrs.
Barbara Roberts.
Medicaid clerks are Mrs.
Nancy Carroll and Mrs.
Brenda Coleman.
Clerical personnel are
Mrs. Catherine Arnold,
Mrs. Debbie Arnold, Mrs.
Willie Dean NcSmith, Mrs.
Rebecca Peterson, and
Mrs. Marisue Sheffield.
The Environmental
Health department in
cludes food service, rabies,
sewage disposal, in
dividual water supply,
housing, swimming pools,
insect and rodent, com
munity noise, occupational
health, institutions, civil
defense and radiological
health.
The Nursing department
includes immunizations,
Adams, secretary; Mrs.
Joe Nadeau, treasurer.
The 1976-77 officers elect
are as follows: Mrs. Jesse
Willard, president; Mrs.
Warren Carter, first vice
president; Mrs. Tom
Arledge, second vice
president; Mrs. Bessie
Jackson, third vice
president; Mrs. Charles
Perfect, secretary; Mrs.
Mary Williams, treasurer.
They take office July 1-
Mrs. C.E. (Helen)
Sasser is a candidate for
state treasurer. Mrs. Jerry
(Thelma) O'Hern is an
applicant for Homemaker
of the Year for Houston
County, Mrs. Jesse (Edith)
Willard will serve as
chairperson of the
nominating committee for
state officers at state
meeting in Athens.
The Council's Spring
Fashion Show was held
this year February 12. A
feature of the afternoon
program was a demon
stration of what to do when
a heart attack occurs by
the Houston County
Hospital Emergency
Room staff.
the selection of a per
manent capital location.
The city of Atlanta agreed
to build for the State a
Capitol building.
The convention decided
that the location of
Georgia's capitol should
not be included in the new
constitution but that the
question should be sub
mitted to the people in a
separate election to be held
on the same day as that for
ratification of she con
stitution.
On December 5, 1877, the
vote on the capital site was
99,147 for Atlanta, and
55,201 for Milledgeville.
On August 15, 1879, the
Legislature accepted
Atlanta's site proposal and
chose the City Hall
location. The capitol
building at Milledgeville
was valued at $55,625,
which Atlanta paid to the
state in lieu of a building.
family planning, medicaid
assessments, crippled
children service, tuber
culosis control, V.D.
control, vision and hearing
screening and maternal
and child health.
Approximately 1,800
persons are given service
each month in Houston
County, This number does
not include work done in
schools and work of
sanitarians which is of
benefit to the entire
population.
The Houston County
Health Department was
organized in 1950. Mrs.
Edith Rossier was the first
public health nurse. The
first sanitarian was Bailey
Harrison. Mrs. NeSmith
has been a clerk in the
Health Department since
1957.
Smith First
Rotary Man
Os The Year
The Perry Rotary Club
began its "Man of the
Year" award in 1970. The
first recipient of this honor
was Rev. J.B. Smith.
Others who have been
named "Man of the Year"
are as follows: 1971, H.
Eugene Smith; 1972,
Harold Jennings; 1973,
Riley Hunt; 1975, Robert
Richardson; 1976, Harold
Greene. No person was
named for 1974.
The Perry Club, a
member of Rotary In
ternational, was chartered
January 22, 1967 with
Eugene Smith as president
and 27 charter members.
In 1975, the club is giving
two local scholarships to
in state colleges; one in
public high school and one
in private high school.
Previously, the club has
sponsored an exchange
student from another
country.
Riley Hunt is the current
president and Mike Jacobs
, the president-elect.
Rotary's motto is:
"Service above Self. He
profits most who serves
best."
The Legislature also
required Atlanta to cancel
the mortgage on the old
capitol building in Atlanta
which cost the city $60,000.
Funds for a new building
were not provided until
1883 when the Legislature
appropriated one million
dollars for the capitol and
stipulated that its con
struction be supervised by
a board of five com
missioners, exclusive of
the governor who was
named ex-officio chairman
of the board. The accepted
bid from Miles and Horne
of Toledo, Ohio proposed to
build the capitol at a cost of
$862,756.75. Indiana
limestone was to be the
chief material used with
the interior finish of walls,
floors, and steps to be of
Georgia marble. Much of
the wood and iron and
other materials were to be
obtained in Georgia.
Work on the four-story
capitol building com
menced October 26, 1884
and was finished on June
15, 1889. Dedication
exercises were held July 4,
1889.
The grand total of all
expenditures for the
capitol was $999,881.57,
leaving a balance of $118.43
of the $1,000,000 ap
propriated.
The style of architecture
of the capitol is classic
Renaissance. It is one of
the most beautiful and
magnificent of capitol
buildings.
A renovation of the
building took place in 1957-
58. Forty-three ounces of
native gold were donated
by the citizens of
Dahlonega and Lumpkin
County and applied to the
Capitol dome.
Additional renovation of
the third and fourth floors
was completed in 1968.
The state museum on the
fourth floor is one of the
best in the nation.
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I FROM THE HORSE AND BUGGY I
I DAYS TO THE THE AGE OF I
I MODERN TRANSPORTATION. I
Clievrolet I
I Union Motor Co. I
I 1000 BALL STREET PERRY, GEORGIA I
THE AMERICAN BALD EAGLE is the national
emblem of the United States.
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL THURS., JULY 1, 1»74,