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VOL. 111, NO. 17, October 15, 2014 LEGAL ORGAN OF JENKINS COUNTY MILLEN, GEORGIA • 75 CENTS
History Center Opens
at Magnolia Springs
By Deborah Bennett
Millen News editor
Officials with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) hosted an official grand opening for the new History
Center at Magnolia Springs State Park on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The
facility will house Confederate artifacts discovered in 2010 at
the site of Camp Lawton by an archeological team from Georgia
Southern University.
DNR Commissioner Mark Williams welcomed invited state
and local officials. He also recognized the late Mabel Jenkins,
former chairman of the Jenkins County Development Authority,
for her efforts on the project.
State Representative Butch Parrish expressed appreciation to
the local community for “moving Jenkins County forward” in
the area of tourism. State Senator Jesse Stone echoed his remarks
praising the community for “developing its heritage."
Becky Kelley, Director State Parks and Historical Sites, gave
a brief hi story' of the site and introduced several individuals whose
great-grandfathers had been Union prisoners-of-war at Fort
Lawton: Doran and Ken Beebe, who great-grandfather was
George Washington Beebe, and Nina Raeth, who great-grandfa
ther was Sebastian Galmser. A photo of Mr. Galmser appears on
the mantle in the History Center.
"This is really rich property that we are very proud to have in
Officials with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) hosted an official grand opening for the newly con
structed History Center at Magnolia Springs State Park on
Tuesday, Oct. 7. Shown, from left, are, first row: State Rep.
Butch Parrish, School Superintendent Tara Cooper, Cham
ber Director Polly Dailey, Chamber Executive Director
Mandy Underwood, Commission Chairman James Henry,
State Senator Jesse Stone, Mayor King Rocker, City Coun
cilman Darrel Clifton, Director of State Parks and Histori
cal Sites Becky Kelley, and Park Manager Dustin Fuller;
and second row: Department of Natural Resources Direc
tor Mark Williams, Jenkins County Development Author
ity Chairman Hiller Spann, City Councilman Robin Scott,
Commissioner Jason Oglesby, Matthew Kleinsorge of
Cong. John Barrow’s office and Jim Hussey, representing
Sen. Saxby Chambliss. (Staff photos by Deborah Bennett)
our system,” Director Kelley said.
The History Center, located adjacent to the Park Office in the
former Group Shelter #1 building, features an exhibit area for
the Confederate artifacts, theater space for informative broad
casts, and a computer system that visitors can use to research
data bases. An archaeological lab for public viewing and inter
action is also planned but has not yet been completed. Other ad
ditions to the History Center are planned in the future.
Camp Lawton was constructed in 1864 by the Confederate
Army to replace Georgia’s notorious Andersonville prison and it
housed more than 10,000 Union prisoners and hundreds of Con
federate soldiers. The camp was occupied for only six weeks
before prisoners were evacuated as the Union army approached
during Sherman’s March to the Sea.
Artifacts discovered on the site include bullets, coins, eating
utensils, a tourniquet buckle, a small brass picture frame, a pocket
knife, a hatchet head, nails and a small clay pipe with a soldier’s
teeth marks on the stem and much more. Many are now on dis
play in the History Center.
Friends of Magnolia Springs State Park provided refreshments
for the event.
One of the exhibits in the History Center is shown.
Quality of Life program underway
By Deborah Bennett
Millen News editor
The recently organized Quality of Life program is off to a
good start, according to the sponsors: Jenkins County Devel
opment Authority, Millen/Jenkins County Chamber of Com
merce, Jenkins County Commissioners, City of Millen and
Jenkins County Board of Education.
The goal of the program is to attract new residents
to Millen and Jenkins County, reversing the population decline
since the 1990’s. The initiative targets several areas for im
provement in the community: Education, Recreation, Hous
ing, Infrastructure, Retail Business Development and Medi
cal Services and Promotion.
In the area of Recreation, funds have been approved to re
store the Jenkins County Recreation Department’s tennis
courts, to bring the baseball fields to regulation size and to
add batting cages.
In the area of Retail Business Development, a contract has
been signed with the CSRA Regional Commission to conduct
an Urban Development Study to determine if a national hotel/
motel chain can be attracted to the county. Also, a signage
grant has been awarded for the placement of directional signs
and entrance signs into the county informing travelers of the
products and services available in the community.
The Education program is up and running with 15 students
scheduled to begin work Nov. 3. This program will supple
ment the Workforce Investment program administered through
the Jenkins County Family Enrichment Center.
Also, an Infrastructure Committee has been formed and plans
are underway in this area.
Plans are underway to make the Quality of Life program a
non-profit organization, which means all donations to the pro
gram will be tax deductible. Until that can be accomplished,
pledge cards are available for those wishing to donate to the
program. For more information on the Quality of Life program,
contact the Chamber of Commerce office at 982-5595.
The Jenkins County Development Authority also expresses
appreciation to local citizens for attending the Quality of Life
Banquet on Sept. 8 th .
Infrastructure project
to bolster electric grid
Georgia Transmission Corporation (GTC) plans to construct
a new electric substation and 3-mile 115-kilovolt transmis
sion line to bolster the electric grid near Millen in Jenkins
County. The
new facilities
will provide a
reliable source
of power for
Planters EMC
residential and
industrial cus
tomers includ
ing Carbo Ce
ramics and the
surrounding
community.
The project
will be con
structed in the
Paramore Hill
area of the
county with
the projected
cost being $4.8
million. A re
cent evaluation
revealed that
the electric
system serving
this area would
exceed its op
erating capac
ity under in
creasing load
conditions by 2015.
“The new line and substation will help meet the needs of
our local communities and encourage the growth of business
in the region,” said Matt Brinson, General Manager of Plant
ers Electric Membership Corporation (EMC). "Our residen
tial and industrial EMC members will benefit from improved
electric service. This vital investment will shore up our sys
tem after last winter’s storms and help facilitate job creation
and economic development opportunities.”
Construction of the new facilities is scheduled to begin in
early 2015. They are scheduled to be ready for service in Oc
tober 2015.
“Land use, natural resources, engineering and co-location
with existing infrastructure were some of factors considered
in selecting a location for the new facilities," said Jeannine
Haynes, GTC’s Public Affairs Director. “Our goal is to ensure
that people and the environment are affected as little as pos
sible as we work to strengthen the grid”.
GTC will hold a public open house meeting on Nov. 3, to
answer questions and receive comments about the project. The
meeting will be held at Oak Hill Baptist Church, 3405 Oak
Hill Church Road, Millen. The public is welcome to stop in
whenever it is convenient between 6-8 p.m. Please call
Jeannine Haynes at 770 270-7741 or 800 241-5374, exten
sion 7741 for more information.
Georgia Transmission, a not-for-profit cooperative owned
by 38 Electric Membership Corporations (EMCs), owns more
than 3,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines and more
than 600 substations. These facilities deliver power to Georgia’s
EMCs, which serve nearly 50 percent of Georgia’s population
(4.5 million).
Georgia Transmission Corporation
plans to construct a new substation
and transmission line in the
Paramore Hill area of the county to
bolster the electric grid. (Photo con
tributed)
A Homecoming
tradition!
The homes of school faculty and seniors were targeted
for “toilet papering” throughout last week as the school
system celebrated Homecoming Week. This home on
Ada Drive was one of several that was targeted for the
Homecoming tradition. (Staff photo by Deborah
Bennett)
loin us for the
SADDLE CIEEI
330 US HWY. 25 NORTH,
