Newspaper Page Text
'
JieadW T
OF FCOPLB
Old Capitol Edition
VOLUME CV.
lUMfCTiBr, C...
CsnsolldaUd ta 1872
Milledgeville Was Hub of Country’s Wealth and Progress
Pioneer l)»y», D»yi of Bif Boon,
Ciril War Dayl, Reconitnirtioe
Period Form Colorfol and
Glamorooa Pay cant
From the time that the freeing
of Indian lands to white settlers
d Georgia’s center of popula-
uorthwestward to the time when
the Civil War made the possession of
railroad center the chief require
ment for a state capital, Milledge-
vilie was the center of political, social
and cultural activities f#r the state,
and of progress for the entire na
tion. even a casual view of that
period reveals.
The state legislature in session
at Louisville had ordered the survey
0 r a tract of wilderness at the head
c ' navigation of the Oconee River.
a pr : loctive collecting and dis
tributing point, in 1803. This was
when river transportation was the
biggest factor in commerce, and
*hcn barges and flatbonts propelled
by oars bore the necessities of in
land civilization.
To a cold student of facts, the
place may have seemed an ordinary
small town in its beginnings, but
to one endowed with a modicum of
imagination. Milledgeville in its
earlier days was a glamorous spot.
People of wealth and culture were
attracted to live here. During sessions
of the legislature and on special oc
casions. it seemed that the greatest
rr.'-n of the times walked the streets
and assembled here: great plantation
owners, grand lawyers, senators,
governors, generals, colonels, and
other notables. Some came in noble
equipages, others by stagecoach, and
the less wealthy in gigs or on horse
back. Still earlier, bands of befeath-
ered Ind ! an notables came to pay
their respects to the white rulers.
When the nioneering days were
over, people went in for a charming
and luxurious life. “The pursuits of
leisure” were enjoyed in homes of
exquisite architecture. fnrnishfrd
with handsome pieces and art ob
jects. Great dinners and banquets
1 were given. Frequent governor's
levees brought together in his great
bail room southern beauties elabo
rately gowned in hoop skirts, many
of them imported creations, bedeck
ed with jewels, and men in colorful
sashed uniforms sparkling with braid
and hats beplumed. There were the
days of the spinnet and the menuet
Oratory was the fashion. Men were
ardent even to the point of violent
physical outbursts in their political
contests. Oh. they were glamorous
and stirring days!
It is the ambitious purpose of this
Old Capital Edition of the Union-
Recorder to recreate these inspir
ing years of old Milledgeville, to
live :n them again while there are
yet people here to tell us about them
who have had the stories handed
down to them by fathers and grand- . , , .
father., by »ord of mouth. It does ' * ti ®! co f_ ch _ iL_ J.
r.ot aspire to the office of historian,
to tr that of one telling the human
fide of the story.
When Milledgeville was designat
ed p 1804 as state capital, there was
r * more than a dozen cabins here.
The main tracts were laid off as
thi y are now and named for patriots,
large squares being reserved for the
State House, governor’s mansion,
penitentiary, and cemetery. State
g‘ rnmrnt effects were moved here
h' ‘ fteen wagons from Louisville,
wi:ii a cavalry from Washington.
T h * first meeting of the legislature
V " ; held in the newly erected State
• v 'j-';e m 1807. This building now
i Georgia Military College. The
*> r -' governors lived in a log house.
was this first legislative body
which authorized the building of a
hhdsn across the Oconee by Thad-
Secession Convention Climaxes
Milledgeville’s Political Ascendancy
LouiivilU, q«orq|
Reference!
mansion 7.Baldwin Hotel 13 Darien Hotel
2. Pott Office ftMethodii! Church 14 larrctt Iprinqt
3 Court Houtfc 9 Bop»iit Church liConfaderate Honorne/tf
4.City Holt KJPretbyterian Church I6fddy Hiqh School
3. City Hoipital II Epiicopal Church 17.Qeorqia R R Depot 00
^flownU Bldq. ll.Catholic Church l&.C«niral R-R DtpoT
Mato:each itreet has the tame name as a county in th* 5»aU, and
Liberty and Cotumb.a each bears th* name a d.dmquhhed dtin
IThii is a distinguishing feature of . MiUtdqeville ) This map does
square as *»Hnd»d north one bloch os at pi
Adrien Home, flavor — IH. Andrews TH Clerk
MAP OF
tllllEDGEVILLE
with the *«cephon of
n of this republic
not chow the Cemetery
deus Holt. A ferry had hither toj
been operated there by Mr. Holt. The
act specified the toll to be exacted
for each type of horse drawn ve- |
hide, hogshead of tobacco, rider, |
and foot passenger, thus jiving a
vivid picture of the traffic which 1 ~
traversed the span at that time. .
An act to prevent tavern and Two of Most InileiluM iCroetnated
shopkeepers from trading with in Union*Recorder of Today
slaves was soon passed, and in 1809 _____
an act to prevent duelling.
Staac lines were chartered in 1810 The and P rKti S>= °f “1= « u ;
from Savannah to Auauata. and from If f'"”*
Augesta to Washington in Wilkes d “ rin « tha ° ld capita period,
eountv. Soon all stage line, in the Th <™ "*» du ™S t,mc
tate converged at Milledgeville. It **° newspapers and at times more
, recounted that on a certain hill as P»«y organs sprang up and
out from Milledgeville. a certain flourished for
uld blow his
bugle as a signal to a certain in-
Powerful Press of Milledgeville
Mouded Opinions of Statesmen
FOREWORD
keeper that his dinner guests were
about to arrive. With clatter, halloo
and bugle call, the stages would ar
rive with passengers from far away
Washington and New York, some
bound for Florida, and some for the
West. Such talcs as they would tell
of bad roads, frights from Indians
and robbers, and of the great cities
of the north! The natives, and es
pecially the young boys, must have
listened open-mouth and goggle- j few weeks this was dissolved, ob
eyed at them. Horses had to be ex- j cording to the following entry in the
changed. Inns advertised good horse j Journal:
provender, instead of free parking t **a few weeks ago it was an-
space. nounccd that Mr. S. Grantland had
Progress, temporarily suspended | entered into co-partnership with Ca-
by the war of 1812, was resumed ' mak oc Hines
1815, and Georgia rejoiced
The Union and
the Recorder, which combined in
1872 to form the Union and Record
er, now the Union-Recorder, were
the most prominent and enduring of
The first newspaper founded h«
was the Georgia Journal, establish
ed in 1809 by Seaton Grantland. As
sociated with him was his brother,
Fleming Grantland. Upon the death
of Fleming Grantland in 1818. Sea
ton Grantland formed a co-partner
ship with Camak and Hines. In
the victorious outcome of the
(Continued buck page)
Cool Springs and Conviviality
Determine Site of Milledgeville
Notation in Old Scrip Book
Describe Commissioner!, Pirty
Luncheon
A little different and a little more
:f, e version of the selection by
[ ve commJr sioners of Milledge-
V l ' -> rite in U’03 is contained in
""■r found in :< scrap book which
1 i 'Tor! tc Jcrc K. Moore, manager
Federal Lnion newspaper in
U di r in* the Civil War.
■ oarer is said to have been
v rjto n -by Mr. Moore.
This is the legend related:
ft is said the commissioners at
! m «m a hot day reached a spring
delightfully cool water under
* large oaks. They tied their
• Mrs es took from their saddle-bags
M,rn “ ”ood whiskey which they mix-
‘■d freely with the water and pro
ceeded to eat their lunch. They en
joyed their rest, and they knew by
the shoals that they had reached the
head of navign‘ion on the Oconee,
so they decided to drive down their
stakes. That spring is on Wayne
street, and is known as Jarrett’s
Spring."
In the History of Baldwin County
by Mrs. S. A. Cook is an account
of the five springs which the com
missioners found, and which caused
them to end their search before
reaching the level, sandy lands
around Scottsboro. She gives an
interesting account of the services
which these springs afterward per
formed.
The commissioners had been in
structed by the legislature to select
a site at the head of navigation on
the Oconee river.
this establishment.
Finding, however, that there was not
sufficient business to occupy the at
tention of three persons, the co
partnership has been dissolved by
mutual consent. It is due to the
parties to state that there was no
disagreement existing as to the
manner of conducting the paper.
• The Journal will be in future
conducted by the former editors,
who will spare r.o pains to make it
worthy of its extensive patronage."
This is the explanation given to
the public at that time, but :t is
doubted by Mrs. David Ferguson,
great niece of Mr. Grantland. "He
was an autocratic old gentleman",
she commented with an amused
chuckle, “and he probably wanted a
paper which he could manage with
out question."
Whatever the issue, we find from
the old numbers of the paper in the
G. S. C. W. library that the January
6. 1817 issue was published by S. &
F. Grantland. sU-*e printers; that
the issue of February 24, 1818. carried
only the name of S. Grantland. but
in addition to being state printer he
was publisher of the laws of the
United States; in January 14, 1820,
) 5)
Ever s ! .nce “Lamb in His Bosom”
became so deservedly popular,
there has been a feeling among Mid
dle Georgians that something should
be done about the other side of the
picture, the side of the more glorious
“ancients.”
While the lambs folded gently in
the bosom of the pine woods of
South Georgia were feeding on the
verdure of that iand. the powerful
land barons of Middle Georgia were
living a life so enviable that pres
ent day tycoons are striving to imi
tate it.
Although incapable of embodying
the lif<r of imperialistic Georgia in
a stirring novel or dramatic spec
tacle. your editor o.'fcrs this rich
material for one. hoping that a Caro
line Miller may arise to mould it.
The publication of this special edi
tion Is not intended in any way to
supplant or preclude any other histo
rical work on the same subject, but
is designed to arouse interest that
might not otherwise be aroused, and
to supplement any study of the
period.
It has been like piecing together
the fragments of a wondrous mosaic,
this attempt at recreating Milledge-
ville’s old capital period. Many of
the pieces are still missing, as vo-
will see; many of them are lost for
ever. There arc persons, words and
incidents that may never surrender
the secret o.* their part of the pat
tern. no matter how prying the
:cekcr may be. That’s the fun of it.
We recommend such research as the
most fascinating game in the world
to young students.
Here it is—a picture with, many
of its important pieces lacking,
but enough here to show you that
there was once a marvelous scene:
fine ladies and gentlemen, exquisite
hemes of dignified and classic ar
chitecture with Adam mantels and
graceful furniture still persisting
through the orgy of the black walnut
and “early Pullman" era, dynamic
orators who swayed the people to a
frenzy, men who in spite of the law
fought duels in the defense of those
without honor—a rash and beautiful
Milledgeville that you will never be
able to forget
(Ceettnied tack page)
OLDER HOMES
REFLECT ERA
dm of OM South Reflected hi
■ Hook, of Clinic Loeeliaeu
Anyone fortunate enought to ride
through the streets of Milledgeville
and through the outlying country in
the early spring for the first time is
bound to be transported by the scene
of Utopian loveliness in a land of
haunting memories of the old south:
stately columns, white gleaming
through the delicate feathery green
ness of great oltf trees, fluttering
rows of white flag lillies, bridal
wreath spirea cascading over velvety
expanses of green lawns, spicily frag
rant boxwood standing in very still
rows, ivy clinging with mingled deep
and light green leaves, a chance wil
low bending with the utmost grace,
climbing rose?—white and pink and
radiant red—and lavender wistaria
in gigantic bowers.
Entering any of these enchanting
houses you would rarely be dis
appointed in the interior. Almost in
variably you will find to greet you
as you walk in a perfectly propor
tioned fan light, a “Crusader Cross”
the doors, a graceful winding
stairway sweeping up from the large
central hallway, exquisitely carved
Adam mantels, well proportioned and
spaced windows and doorways, hand
earved moldings and cornices, some
with ornamental plaster ceiling cen
ters from which hang quaint old
chandeliers. And the charming old
furniture and art objects—that is still
another story.
Both because they are close in and
occupied by well loved people, and
because they are Intrinsically beauti
ful the Crawford and Ferguson
homes are probably the most often
seen and admired of more than a
dozen ante bcllum homes in the com
munity.
The Crawford home is almost uni
que in its exquisite proportioning, its
advantageous location for showi*
its beauty, and the splendid repair
in which its seems always to be kept,
it has two lovely fanlights, one over
the downstairs doorway, and one up
stairs. It has only two columns in
front, but these are of pleasing pro
portions. The regularly spaced win
dows with their dark green blinds,
and the two great chimneys at
r’thcr side of the house give it a
•atisfying balance and appearance
of substantialness and solidarity. The
pediment at the top of the arches
seems also to belong. A picture does
net do justice to it. It has to be
seen. It is a perfect adapta
tion of Greek archictecture to a
home, perfectly adapted to its loca
tion. instead of an attempt at a
miniature Parthenon.
Mrs. C. P. Crawford lives there
now with her daughter. Mrs. J. O.
Sallee, and Mr. Salle-, and two
grand-daughters. Mary and Anne
Sallee. She is the daughter of R. M
Orme, famed editor of the Southern-
Rrcorder. and grand-daughter d!
John Adams, D. D., L. L. D., who
was president of Philips Academy,
Andover. Mass., related to the great
John Adams and John Quincy
Adams, and a direct descendant of
Governor William Bradford of
Massachusetts.
(Continued on page 5)
GmtiU Occupied Poatioa of
Leadenkip by Virtue of Leaden
lu Ceufruo
THRONG HERE TO
AWAIT OUTCOME
auufiten Celebrate WUe OidO-
en are Sabdued
The fate of a nation once hung
In the balance on the deliberations
small body of men in the old
state capitol at Milledgeville. It was
the Georgia secession convention,
assembled January 18, 1861.
Georgia had assumed the lead in
the assertion of southern right to
self government in her issuance of
the “Georgia Platform" in 1850,
giving her assent to the compromise
measures of Henry Clay, but adding
a warning that no further encroach
ment upon her liberties would be
tolerated. Through her orators in
the national Congress, Robert
Toombs and Alexander Stephens,
she had assumed an intellectual
leadership and national fame. Ten
years of battling over the question
of union or states rights had focussed
attention on a “deliberate, powerful
Georgia."
The election or delegates had
shown a majority of the counties in
favor of secession The secessionists
were much noisier than those who
opposed it. Their orators had fanned
the populace into a frenzy of feeling.
South Carolina’s example o? seces
sion. and the seizing of Fort Pulaski
by Georgia had whetted popular
enthusiasm for a course of action.
People of Milledgeville had cheered
Governor Brown on his return from
Fort Pulaski, and had serenaded
him with music and a torchlight
procession.
In one week preceding the conven
tion, according to clippings from the
Milledgeville papers, meetings of
citizens had been addressed by . no
less orators of national repute, all
of them Georgia’s sons, than Alex
ander Stephens. Robert Toombs, and
Benjamin H. Hill.
A throng had gathered from every
where to see what would be the out
come of this momentous convention.
A vivid and powerful account of
the proceedings of the secession
convention is contained in Avery’s
History of Georgia. A condensed
account will be here given, follow
ing largely Mr. Avery's story.
It was the ablest body of men ever
convened in Georgia. The presiding
officer was George W. Crawford,
governor of Georgia from 1843 to
1847. who did much to restore confi
dence after a period of depression.
Others in attendance were: Robert
Toombs. United States Senator, af
terwards Secretary of state of the
Confederacy, recognized as a match
less orator and a leader in the fight
for states rights; Alexander Steph
ens. a brilliant conservative, an in
tellectual giant, afterwards vice-
president of the Confederacy; Lin-
tion Stephens, judge of the supreme
court; ex-Governor Herchel V. John-
i. a candidate for vice-president
— the Douglas ticket, and ex-United
States senator; Eugenius A. Nisbet,
ex-Congressman, ex-supreme court
judge; Benjamin H. Hill, United
States senatoi; Alfred H. Colquitt,
a Georgia governor; Henry L. Ben-
(Continued on page 4)
Old State House is Georgia's Shrine
and City’s Most Historic Building
Some of Grandeur Imparied by
By F-re and Earthquake
RESTORATION HOPED FOR
Still inspiring with its Gothic
arches and impressive with the bat
tlements of an old Norman fortress,
the old state capitol at Millodgeville
remains a show place on a hieh hill
near the center of the historic old
town today.
It is now appropriately the home
of Georgia Military College, an in
stitution with a history rich with
memories of Georgia’s famous men
and colorful events.
vn-rn the Old Stnte House wr
completed in 1307 it was an out
standing building of the period. The
walls of brick were four feet thick.
Most houses of the time were of
wood. It3 architecture resembled
that of an old Norman castle of
England, with its Gothic arches,
crenellated battlements, and simulat
ed moat. Until recently the names of
architects were lost sight of, but its
is believed now that Smart and
Lane were these, as they were paid
S30 by the state for a State House
plan in November of 1805, accord
ing to the receipt books in the de
partment of archives in Atlanta. The
contractors were Jett Thomas and
John Scott, who were employed
Dec. 21 1805. The original cost
did not exceed $60,000. according to
the old records. The lot on which
it stands was one of four large ones
set aside ror government purposes
when the town was laid out It over-
(CeutiuMd back page)'