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About The Dade County times. (Trenton, Ga.) 1908-1965 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 1955)
®to junto tines Dade County’s Only Newspaper. VOLUME LV DALLY1N' IN DADE James A. Jenkins Familiar Figure on Courthouse Square The tall, shuffling gait and genial nature of Mr. Jim Jen¬ kins make him a very familiar figure around the courthouse square. A pair of dark, curious eyes give the white-haired old gentleman a look cf constantly giving some matter serious con¬ sideration, and knowing Mr. Jenkins, it could be anything from the weather to the current state of affairs in Congress. For he takes Interest in every¬ thing, reading the daily papers Inside out to be surprisingly well-read on many subjects. He also takes an interest in his friends, always dropping by various offices on the square after his morning trip to the post office to pass the time of day. Mr. Jenkins wished to write his cwn life sketch, so the fol¬ lowing is the information we received: 86 Years Old “My name is James Anderson Jenkins. I was born May 14, 1869 which will make me 87 this ccming May. My father’s name was George W. Jenkins, and my mother’s name was Thursea Allen. My father’s homestead of 40 acres of land was in Alabama right on the Georgia line. I went to school in Deer Head Cove three months of the year. At that time they didn’t have any grades in school. I didn’t go but a month and a half because I had to pick peas and go to the mill. The school house was a log house and the benches, which had no backs on them, were made with slabs which came from the saw mill and had holes bored in them. The settlement was made up of Blevins, Adkins and Austin families. I am the third child of the 8 children born in our family and am the only one liv¬ ing now. For several years we got our mail at Rising Fawn, Georgia. After I was grown, I went to Walker County to help Mr. Web'b Tatum and W. A. Steele, working in the tan bark at Cassander, Ga. When they got through, I came home and stayed a while. I went back to Walker County and worked at a band mill for some time. My mother was taken ill and I came back home. Went to work fcr J. W. Jenkins peddling. Stayed with him until mother passed away. Lived at Byrd’s Chapel 8 or 9 Years In 1916 I married Lee Etta Best Land in Ga. at Cole City Around 1907 The lovely, quiet wood which , is the site of Old Cole City bears little, if any, resemblance to the once-bustling and pros¬ perous mining village o f the 1800’s. Only the mocking cry of a bird and the rush of a stream breaks the stillness. Trees have sprung up over the entire area since the camp closed down around the turn of the century. Some of the most valuable timber in the state stood on the land along about 1850 when a man by the name of O’Brian, according to legend, had a small “wagon camp” there. He sold out to a com¬ pany called the Castle Rock Ccal Company, which began cutting timber for living quar¬ ters, so through the years dif¬ ferent companies have gradual¬ ly cleaned off the area. Tap Notch Grazing Land Around 1907 At the time the camip closed down, the land was considered top-notch for grazing. Cattle could be turned loose to graze as far as the Tennessee River. Some sawmilling of young tim¬ ber that has come up since the camp was abandoned is now going on about the camp site. Walking through the picture¬ sque glade from the New Home r. ad, it is very easy to imagine the Village at its peak of activ¬ ity. The crumbling sandstone Devoted to the Best Interests of Dade County and Georgia. THE DADE COUNTY TIMES, TRENTON, GEORGIA, THURSDAY AUGUST 18, 1955 v By Myrna McMahan Buffington. We have six chil¬ dren, James Virgil, Fannie Mae, Bonnie, Nellie, Parks and Evil- lee. I bought a place in Byrd’s Chapel, stayed there 8 or 9 years and three children were born there. Dr. D. S. Middleton was our family doctor for ever 50 years. I decided to buy a place in Trenton as I thought they would never have any convey¬ ance from Byrd’s Chapel to Trenton. I sold the place in Byrd’s Chapel on time, Dr. Middleton helped me cut in the pay days. I quit J. W. Jenkins and went to selling goods for myself. Sold groceries and ped¬ dled for several years. When I moved to Trenton I went to farming. Rented a farm from C. G. Phieifer for 18 years. Raised cotton and corn. Both my boys went to the army. I’m net as active as I used to be, am not cble to work much in my garden. All of my chil- ren are alive and most of them live close around. I own and j enjoy my home with some good shade trees on it.” 2-Way Radios Aid In Police Mailers Dade County’s law officers have the latest in modern equip ment — both Sheriff Graham and Chief Deputy Bill Norton now have two-way radios in their automobiles and have had a speaker installed 'in the sher¬ office. Designed to give faster and more efficient service, the ra¬ dios enable the county law of¬ ficers to receive calls from Rossville and Ft. while at the same those stations get all Dade calls. The sheriff’s ra¬ dio was installed about two ago, and Norton’s was in¬ only two weeks ago. The radios were bought at the ex¬ pense o t Sheriff Graham for $552, plus a $33 fee for installa¬ tion. He has requested that reports on police matters be called in to the Chattanooga dispatcher, whose number is 6-1442, or to Trentcn 231, which is the jail’s number. Either place will relay the call to him immediately. His radio his proved invalu¬ able durng the past two years, and Deputy Norton’s was put to good use Saturday night when a call came in frem Sand Mountain about a hit-run acci¬ chimneys, foundations and the scattering of slate along the railroad bed tell a vivid and eventful story of the boom per¬ iod. Narrow Railway Wound In and Out The area is divided by Cole City Hollow and is full of small knolls, making it necessary for the narrow gauge railway to wind in and out and “v” back. On one of the hills to the left stood the first of the two schcclhouses that were built for children of company work¬ ers. After the original camp closed down and the new camp at Ta¬ tum’s Gulf opened, a two-story school building was constructed there. The upper floor was used for a meeting hall for the I.O. O. F. Negro trustys acted as janitors. the Perhaps forty pupils at most learned to read and spell in a blue back speller in the old school. Some of the teachers were Misses Mary and Naomi Killian, Lucy Porter, “Tot” Sells, Mrs. Jessie Cole Tatum and S. J. Hale, and W. P. Cole. About 1883 the old szb-O* began to show signs of decay. According to Dade’s old- timers who attended school there as small boys, classes were held only three to five months out of the year. When cold Pair Arrested at Still Harold Gass, 50, Trenton Rt. 2, and Herbert Horton, 27, Flat Rock, Rt. 1, were arrested early Sunday morning on charges of violating internal revenue law's, The arrest was made by Joe T. Burton, federal tax unit agent from Rome, following a raid made on a 500-gallon distillery on Sand Mountain, ten miles west of Trenton. Gass and Horton were taken to Rome for arraignment Mon- day morning where they were Rural Get Nod The first 51 projects to be constructed by the Rural Reads Authority were announced last week by Chariman Roger Law- son. Contracts for the first pro¬ jects will be let August 19, while bidding on additional projects, including Dade County’s, will begin in September. Dade was approved for 1,252 miles of base and surface ing on the Trenton-White Oak Gap Road. The road is well- traveled and joins Highway liZ, coming out on top of Sand Mountain at Christian’s Store, This is also the school bus dent. The sheriff was busy in his office at the time, so he re¬ layed the message tc Norton, who was on Lookout Mountain in the vicinity of the hctel. Nor¬ ton was able to go directly to the scene of the accident where his investigations brought the case to a close to the satisfac¬ tion of those involved. Recent Accidents Accidents during the past two weeks include a crash Aug 6 oil the Trenton-LaFayette Highway atop Lookout near Craig Mcore’s store, and two cases cf side- swiping on August 11. The moun tain crash took place as Mrs. Morrow of Rcss- ville was attempting to turn off the high way. Her ‘54 model au¬ tomobile was struck from be¬ hind by a ‘48 car driven by Al¬ bert Daniel, of Sand Mountain. The impact knocked Daniel's car into the path of an auto¬ mobile being driven by Rev. Paul N. Howell of Chickamauga. The two cars met head-on, damaging both severely but in¬ flicting only miner injuries to Rev. Howell. Daniel was taken to a hospital fcr treatment of of a possible broken r i b and other injuries. An automobile driven by Clyde Lamar Crabtree of Hixson, Tenn. sideewiped a truck that was pulling out into the Birm¬ ingham highway at the It ker road. No injuries were reported and damage to the vehicles was slight. The Slygo road in the Dugan Springs vicinity was the scene of another instance of side- swiping on the same day. Al¬ bert Cecil Manning, of Rossville, was Driving a 53 medel auto when he met a coal truck on a curve in the dirt road. The truck was driven by Ray Lee Tollett. ★★★**★★★★•**★★ ***** a Do You Have Extra Books at Home? Perhaps you have been won¬ dering where those extra books in your shelves came frem.. if you will look insde the covers, you may find some of them be¬ long to the Cherokee Regional Iib.^ary. There is no charge for over¬ due books and the library board is anxious t o have them re¬ turned to Sally's Beauty Shop. On another page in this issue is a list cf missing books. *★★*★★★****★*★*★★*******1 weather set in, the school moved to the church which was at the loot of another hill 400 yards on past the school. A shaded area at the side of the church was used as a meeting ground, with the carpet of pine needles soft enough to sit on. In extreme cold, school closed until the fol¬ lowing spring. . A small pox epidemic finally closed the new school forever when W. P. Cole was the in¬ structor about 1907. Buildings In Camp Numbered Many of the houses in the community were located behind the school and were numbered with the other buildings. For some unknown reason, the beys and girls didn’t cross the hill on their daily trips to school, but followed the base of the hill. There was plenty of freedom for youngsters even though there were two stockades in the vicinity to house convict labor. I The prisoners were kept busy digging coal and were constant¬ ly guarded while marching from the stockades to the mines, so parents didn’t worry too much. Wherever a prisoner broke out,; he usually headed off the moun tain, and from ail reports, no convict was ever caught in the community. Boys from the ages of eight to young manhood did released on $500 bonds each. 1 A ’52 Fcrd pick-up truck was also seized in the raid. Distilling equipment destroyed by the raiding party included two radiator condensers, two 50-gallon jugs. 81 gallons of “moonshine” were peured out, according to Constable Jim Broome who assisted in the raid. Others were Russell Young and J. D. Scoggins, state. ATU agents, H.H. Hutchins and G. C. Tatum, city policemen. i Construction of all Rural Roads Auhority projects depend on the successful outcome of two situations—the sale of bonds, presumably in Septem¬ ber, and the outcome of a test case before the State Supreme Court. The case is to establish the constitutionality of the Ru¬ ral Authority Act. No action is expected during August, the month when the Supreme Court justices take their vaca¬ tions. The work will cost approxim¬ ately $5,500,000 and will provide 372.8 miles cf paving in 46 coun¬ ties and 193.5 miles of grading. chores around the camp, greas¬ ing the railroad cars, helping take care of the stock, picking slate and other jobs suitable for their size and age. The prison¬ ers often hired them fcr sport to pick butterflies and other in¬ sects off the cabbages in the company garden at a cent each. It is assumed this activity was lor sport since the convicts worked the huge garden. For entertainment, the boys played games that have been played by boys in every age—baseball, kickball, marbles, etc.—and en¬ joyed pranking just as much as modern youngsters do. Some of them were allowed the use of an old plug horse or mule to ride to school or to the com¬ pany commissary. Girls stayed at heme when they were not in school, learn- the art of keeping a home. Large families pred minated then, so the oldes girls always had a job tending the babies or cooking and cleaning house for their mothers. Many Youths Found Work at Mines The teen-'agers had the plea- sure 0 f going on picnics, some- times at Blowing Springs at the head c ,f Tatum Gulf, parties and square dances. Practically all the young men in the village worked in some capacity for the Published Weekly — Since 1901 14 Women On Lists Revision cf the Dade County Jury Boxes was completed this week. The Jury Commission, composed of D T. Brown, K. D. Teet, J. C. Pace W. H. Kenimer, C. M. Bodenhamer and W. H. Pullen met for four nights re- viewing the names on the Digest and assembling the names of these to be put into the Traverse and Grand Jury boxes. For the first time in history, women’s names were entered. Out of the over one hundred women in the county who are eligible to serve on the jury, about 25 had written in they did net wish to serve. From the over 70 women left, the names cf 14 were put into the Tra¬ verse Jury Box and they will be called for jury service. No wo¬ men's names were put into the Grand Jury Box. Lookout Valley Baptists to Meet PLEASANT GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH August 23-24, 1955 PROGRAM Evening Session August 23 7:15 P. M.—Call to order by Moderator. 7:15-7:30—Song, Scriptuz’e and Prayer, W. E. Kelly. 7:30-7:45—Adoption of Order of Business; Recognition of Messengers; Appointment of Committees. 7:45-8:00 P. M.—Sunday School Report, Rev. J. Beasley, Speak er from Sunday School Dept. 8:00-8:15—B. T. U. Reports, Mr. Henry Elliott, Speaker from B. T. U. Dept. 8:15-8:25—B a p 11 s t Student Work, Rev. Bill Cusack. 8:25-8:40—Baptist Brotherhood W:rk, T. W. McGill. 8:40-8:45—Song and Offering. 8:45-915— Inspirational Mess- sage, Rev. W. L. MacMillan. Adjourn, until 9 A. M. Wed¬ nesday morning if the Lord is willing. Morning Session, Aug. 24 9:00 A. M.—Call to Order by Moderator. 9:00-9-15—Song, Scripture and Prayer, Rev. W. E. Hampton. 9.15-9:25—Relief and Annuity Reports. 9:25-9:40—Christian Education, by Representative. 9:40-9:55—.Report on Evangel¬ ism, Dr. R. T. Russell. 9:55-10:15— Co-Operative Pro¬ gram, Dr. R. T. Russell, 10:15-10:30 — Temperance Re¬ port, by Representative. 10:30-10:40—Election of Offi¬ cers. 10:40-10:50—Christian Index. By Representative. 10:50-11:00—Children’s Home i J °hn R. Nunnally. company, as poorly paid guards or at the ccal washer. , It was taken for granted that one went to Sunday School and church come Sunday morning, with n o foolishness about it. Most families were very relig¬ ious and believed in starting Bible training with the littlest tots. Mrs. Jane Alllscn Blevins’ parents, the R. B. Allisons, were among those who taught their children that going to church was a regular part c f living She remembers attending Sun¬ day school at a very early age and having Mrs. K. H. D>avis, wife cf Dr. Kirksie Davis as a teacher. Mrs. Davis always brought her maid, a woman convict along with her to help her with her wraps and ga¬ loshes. Church Non-Denominational The church was built at pris¬ ttye company’s expense by the oners. It was non - denomina¬ tional, with ministers of all faiths alternating their visits to the mountain to preach. Some of them were: Bros: Campbell, Quarles and McCracken. The prisoners had their own services on Sunday and had reg¬ ular baptizings in Cole City Creek. They tended a convict graveyard for the dead who NUMBER 31 All women in Georgia, who are on their county’s tax digest, by an act of a previous state cn their county’s and also the legislature, are eligible to serve Federal Jury. However the act reads that it they do not wish to serve, they can so notify the Clerk of Court before the Jury box is revised. This is done every two years in each county. Dade’s new Traverse jury box new holds the names of over 570 white men, 14 white women and two colored men. The Grand Jury Bex has the names of approximately 228 white men. This seems like a compar¬ atively small number of free¬ holders’ names in the jury. The September term of Supe¬ rior Court is only a little over four weeks away and these will be the names to be drawn fcr that court. 11:00-11:20—Report of Executive Committee, Mrs. Elliott; Mis¬ cellaneous Business. 11:20-11-25—Hymn. 31:25-12:20—Doctrinal Message, Rev. J. E. Mitchell; Adjourn for noon meal. Afternoon Session 1:15 P. M.—Call to Order by Moderator. 1.15-1:30—Song, Scripture and Prayer. 1:30-1:40—State Mission Re¬ ports. 1:40-1:55—Heme Mission Re¬ ports . 1:55-2:05—Foreign Mission Re¬ ports . 2:05-2-15—W. M. U. Reports. 2:15-2:25—Report of Commit¬ tees; Time and Place for next Session; Memorials; Resolu¬ tions. 2:25-2:30—Installation cf Of¬ ficers .. 2:30-2:35—Song. 2:35-3:00 P. M. — Missionary Message, Rev. H. H. Williams. Let every Baptist in this as¬ sociation dedicate ourselves to make the next year the best In the history of our association for the Glory of God and for the sake of lost souls. “WIN GEORGIA FOR CHRIST” ALL DAY SINGING AT NEW SALEM Members of the New Salem community enjoyed their an¬ nual All Pajr Singing last Sun¬ day at the New Salem Meth¬ odist Church. This is a com¬ munity affair held the second Sunday in August each year. Many relatives and friends come from far and near to greet and visit with old friends and enjoy the reunion with song and plea¬ sant companionship. were y and it is said that the grave¬ yard was 1 o c a t ed across the present New Home road from the Slcpe Camp. One of the commissaries was built not far from the church and housed the c o m p a n y’s business offices at one end of the long building. It was here that the guards received their monthly pay of ten to fifteen dollars which had to be taken most of the time in trade. Some of them took their pay in Ar- buckle’s coffee, which was a po¬ pular brand everywhere at the time, and brought moat of it to Trenton to Mr. Lee Case’s store to trade for other goods. Some of the commissary man¬ agers were I. H. Thurmond, Dempsey Farmer, Henry Ren- froe and George Jacoway. W. L. Slaughter remembers that at one time, the only items in the commissary were knitt¬ ing needles and axle grease. This must have been during the “hard times” some of the old- timers speak of, when coal mining was at a minimum, be¬ cause Mr. Slaughter recalls that the company sold off most of the vegeta bles the convicts grew, feeding them vegetables that didn’t sell. Myrna R. McMahan (To be continued)
