Newspaper Page Text
As I Recollect It
BY E. T. MEGGINSON
The early settlement of this
section of the country has been
given by the older citizens—a
few of them are still living—but
very few of the minor things in
detailed account.
A friend has asked me to jot
down some of the beings and
doings that I can remember
since my vision windows first
met the beautiful little town of
Summerville, Ga., in the month
of April, 1881.
We came from Rome, after the
R. R. train trip from Campbell
County, Tenn., (where I was
born) in a four-seated hack,
drawn by two masterful sorrel
horses, loaded with a mother and
three boys and all the trunks
and luggage that could be moved
from 'that distance.
The road was muddy and full
of pits. I sat on the front seat
with the driver and he let me
work the brake down hills. I
was leaning out looking at the
wheels when we dropped into
one of those holes over the hub
and I was thrown out; after my
overcoat released from the brake
I fell under the wheel. The in
juries to my spine and colon de
veloped chronic inflamation.
After having “La Grippe” about
the time I was grown and I have
tattled, by artificial means, to
live since that time.
All the roads in the county
were almost impossible with a
rainy season like we are having
this February, 1950.
There were two town wells:
One where Washington street
crosses Commerce and the oth
er at the crossing of Georgia ave
nue and Commerce.
Racks for hitching horses
were in the center of Commerce
street under white mulberry
trees and ponds of water under
the racks where the horses pawed
out the pits; mulberry trees also
lined the edge of the sidewalks.
This kind, white mulberry trees,
were on the edge of all side
walks near the center of the
town. There were no sewers to
carry the water which came
from the ridge west of the city,
so almost in the middle of Wash
ington street between Congress
and Union streets was a gully,
nearer the property of John W.
Maddox, that took up half of
the street. The traffic turned
around the head of the gully on
the side of the Presbyterian
church. The old Presbyterian
church was a frame building
with a gallery for colored people,
facing the east on Union street.
The sexton was, for a number of
years. Uncle Smith Knox, a shoe
cobbler, who lived on the corner
of Congress and Georgia avenue,
an exemplary Christian. We
would hear him unfold the
Scriptures while we waited for
our shoes to be fixed.
The first school I ever attend
ed; the one to which we all went
in the year 1881. was right
“spank dab" in the middle of
two streets; West Washington
and Chert, above the Methodist
church. The houses where Mrs.
Oscar Espy and J. G. Allen live
were built by an old Dutchman,
Mr. Burkhalter. The oldest
daughter was a dress maker and
designer. Miss Nannie Burkhal
ter’s sewing shop stood about
where the Central Telephone of
fice is now. The ladies resorted
tc this place, especially when
they needed “duds” extraordi
nary.
The new school building was
erected on the site of the old one
in the summer of 1882. Misses
Matilda and Fannie Johnston
taught their lust term in 1881-
82. Miss Matilda was with Capt.
J. M. Jackson in the new build
ing for the first session This
new building was destroyed by
fire in 1888 while Capt W. T. Ir
vine was principal. Mr. Miles
Hammond had the contract for
this building. I sat on the seat
ol the horsepower and drove
with alternate changes, a black
and a while mule, to dress the
lumber with a new planing mill.
At that time virgin timber
was plenteous and it was not
necessary to conserve wildlife.
Wild turkeys were on the ridge
above Miss Beulah Shropshire's
and on Ilie ridge above John D.
Taylor's residence. The old
Powell house, where Mrs. Demp
Wade now lives, was the only
house on Chert street toward
the north—this house has never
had a drop of paint and is sound
today. To the south was the
John Johnson house on the cor
ner of Georgia avenue; a few
negro houses to the negro M E
church at the foot of the hili on
Martin street Nothing west ex
cept wooded hills with Zion
church in the edge of the woods
The only houses on Congress
street from the north were: The
old Taylor residence, the brick
parsonage, Miss Lucy Burnett's
school house, McWhorter's old
house, the Methodist church,
Rev. W. A Milner's residence
• after Presbyterian manse). Coo
ky Edmondson house on east
side (where I. M. Henderson
lives), and the old house where
Robert Hinton lives. A house
was built on the next corner at
;: Georgia avenue and occupied by
a watch repairer by name of
. Sorrell. His boy had his arm
. blown off by pouring oil from a
. J can on a blaze. We kids were
I in the schoolhouse when the ex
, plosion occurred. We wanted the
[ I teacher to let us out to see what
■ it was.
Uncle Smith Knox's house
’' across the street and on the
i' other corner on Georgia avenue
। was a cabin where Aunt Epsy
■ Wheeler lived with her daughter,
[ Epsy Gise, wiio was a “Friday”
( to my mother as long as she
lived.
I The old Baptist church was
I across the street and the Dick
; Dickerson house was the last at
I Martin street. The Cleghorn old
house, where Rob Moore lives,
I was the only house on Martin
; street at that time.
11 The house where Mr. Will
:. Crawford lives on Union street,
' 1 was occupied by J. W. Pitts. Mr.
i Rob Moore (father of Rob. Jr.),
> lived on the lots between the
' Pitts’ house and Baptist church.
1i Across the street was the Dr.
■ j Myers house—afterward owned
by Judge Bellah and Tomniy
. Echols. John W. Mattox’s house
; and garden was on the lot where
“ Mr. Duff now lives (Union and
> Georgia avenue.
One of the oldest houses in
' town is the place of Henry
i Campbell near the Presbyterian
; church. At the time we came
to Summerville this house was
: owned and occupied by Mrs. Bai
; ley with a son and daughter. A
■ son-in-law was Trophimus Clem
■ ents, a newspaper man of some
note who moved to Rome.
> The house on the northeast
> corner of Washington street
r was newly built and the first
■ place we lived. John W. Maddox
I liouse was on northwest corner.
> The old house on east side, where
. Mr. Ben Edmondson was born,
. and Ed P. Gaines’ residence and
• shoe shop across the street and
> an old house on last corner were
> the only houses on that part of
• Union street.
The Rush blacksmith shop; an
■ old house north of it where John
> Clemmons lived; the Taylor law
, office and a frame house where
. M. A. C. Bennett had a grocery
' store were the only houses on
I the north side of W. Washington
i to the brick house on the corner,
i On the other side west of court
i house was the'old wooden jail
; and the livery stable, run at that
, time by Tom Henry, and after
. wards by Bass Knox. Henry Kir
[ by and others.
> The old Branner brick house
• (Jackson Drug Corner) was a
. general mercantile store oper
i ated by King and Close, John
; King's father and John Wil
• liams and Jim Close, whom there
will be occasion to mention later.
■ A brick house was under con
; struction just north of the old
; brick corner and was occupied
f by Hollis and Hinton. An old
i frame house, which burned, and
. Johnson and Clemmons Saloon
. with warehouses was on that
! side of North Commerce; Mc
, Murry ''ad a saddle shop south
; ot (hr doom
I The other side on the corner
of First avenue was the two
story house where Mr. Alec King
• lived. This house was remodel-
I ed by Dr. W. J. Bryant and oc
i copied by the family during their
• lifetime. Dr. Lovingood has
tourist quarters there at this
> time. The only other houses on
• that side was Mrs. Nancy Bur
> nett’s, where the magnolia tree
i stands, and the little house
• where is Henderson’s jewelry
. stand. At that time Mrs. John
son (Mrs. Edna Cain Daniel's
> grandmother! had a dress mak
r inp shop at that place. The
■ hotel on the corner was man
> aged bj’ Mi - . T. P. Henry. The
■ hotel was rolled down to where
the bus station is now and it
> burned in 1912.
: South of the courthouse was
■ an old brick building with an
. immense pecan tree on the lot
• back of it. T. Hiles, general mer
chandise. was the store—(all the
. larger stores were general mer
• chandiße*—and Mr. Ed Martin
> and E W. Sturdivant were sales
, men in T. Hiles store. They
I were in the company after they
> crossed the street.
The next house below this
I brick was Billy Moore's “den"—
• a narrow two-story building with
l a shed in front, of It, with seats
■ between posts to sit and whittle.
Wesley Drew's barber shop was
■ in the next space very soon, and
a bowling alley for a short time,
but when I first saw’ It, there was
nothing but Billy Moore's wood
pile between his domicile and the
Lnmis printing office, where the
i Summerville Gazette was pub
■ lished. The Lumis residence
siood a little back from the street
i with a well in front. The house
was rolled back on Georgia ave
, nue and is now the offices of
town clerk and Miss Shropshire’s
Insurance. The M. A. C. Bennett
store was built in the first of the
eighties as was also his residence
i where Mrs. Frank White lives.
I There was a house on the south
west corner of Georgia avenue,
■ but Mr. John Johnson did not
' live there until afterwards. Dr.
J. C. Calhoun lived in the last
house on the corner of Martin
street.
On the east side from Wash
ington, Capt. J. S. Cleghorn sold
everything anybody called for in
an old hotel building before they
built the brick store. He built
a double house, like twin beds,
on the corner. Giles McCollough
had a saloon in Dept, one; the
second was the offices of the
Chattooga News, started by Joe
W. Cain and Brown Coleman.
John W. Cain came in posession
afterwards. Then the Hiles com
pany brick store was built south
of Cleghorn’s store. Just before
they moved in with their stock
of goods, Judge Bellah had been
elected mayor of the town and
they gave an inaugural ball in
the upper story of this new
building accompanied with an
elaborate supper—roast pig with
apple in his mouth, roast tur
keys, and what not.
Below the T. Hiles & Company
store was the Hawkins old store
building—afterwards called “the
ranch.” Harvey Strain’s black
smith shop, J. W. Pitts’ store and
Moyers dwelling with tanyard
below. Mr. J. W. Pitts built his
dwelling back of the store house
and moved from the place on
Union and Martin streets.
There were no houses on East
Washington (Rome road) till
the Joe McGinnis house on top
top of the hill; still on the left
was the Ackrige old house and
farther on the Haris Henley gar
den and residence. The J. A.
Branner home, farm, garden,
stables, etc., were on the south
side. There was a negro house
where Dr. O. A. Selman’s house
stands and Frank Sturdivant’s
grandfather, Joe, lived there.
I am not sure there was not a
house at the Gilkerson place, but,
no others until the Hinton house
above the river.
Uncle Cicero Cleghorn lived in
the large house on the hill on
road toward the north. I am
told that Dr. Tucker lived there
before Uncle Cicero. Dr. Tuck
er’s wife was a sister of Brown
Coleman. The only houses you
would pass on the road to Trion
were: Joe Henry’s on left, Mrs.
Elder off the road on right. Shed
Polk on left, Miss Puss Bass,
where John Calhoun lives, on
the right, on the left Dr. Rudi
cil’s house. Tom Simmons place
'on the right. Levi Nix on the
right. Ail Allman place on left
I (this was the John Dodson old
place), Allen Rinehart on the
right where the road turned out
to Penn place and Mrs. Algood’s
large house on the hill before
turning west to Trion.
There were no houses in the
incorporated limits south of Mar
tin street. There were no bridges
—the traffic north and east
crossed the branch in the mud.
There was a foot bridge at Cleg
horn spring and at the depot
। crossing.
This geography is given to ex
press some idea of development
since 1881. My father came here
in 1880 after being broken up by
the war in Lynchburg, Va., and
meeting with reverses with a
railroad contract in North Caro
lina. with the only money he had
left. He came here as a railroad
contractor to see Major Thomas,
; the president of a railroad proj
ect. The cuts and fills were
made in what is now South Sum
merville and abandoned as some
of the older people will remem
ber. This project stimulated a
g’-eat deal of building develop
ment in the years of 1881 and
1882 Capt. Cleghorn built his
house above the spring in 1883.
The workmen had an old engine
boiler to furnish steam to run
the planer; the governor blew
out and we scattered like a
flushed covey of birds; my legs
served me well and on the hill
a negro passed me—his shirt
tail fanning the breeze and the
last I saw of him, he was cross
ing the Cleghorn farm in the
direction of Trion.
A lot of things happen when
you are a boy that never seem
to happen again, and Summer
ville has always been a good
place to live.
BY ALICE MURPHY
Misses Sue and Kathryn Cope
land spent the week-end with
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Jackson, of
Chattoogavllle.
Huston Miller has returned
home after a visit with Mr. and
I Mrs. Franklin Wilson, of Buford.
Mrs. Frances Dempsey, of
Summerville, visited Mr. and
Mis. Will Wilson Sunday.
Those visiting Mr. and Mrs. R
M. Gilliland Sunday were: Mr.
State and Federal
INCOME TAX
RETURNS
Made at Reasonable
Prices.
Henry Powell
Office in Summerville Hotel
THE SUMMERVILLE NEWS
and Mrs. L. B. Whisenant, Mr.
and Mrs. Smith, Mr. and Mrs.
Hugh Gilliland and daughter,
Linda, and Miss Ruby McDaniel,
of Atlanta.
Ralph Smith, of Atlanta, vis
ited his grandparents here over
the week-end.
Miss Gene Fortune spent Sat
urday night with Miss Elizabeth
Tucker.
I 1
Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Hughes
and Mrs H. F. Jackson went to
Fyffe, Ala., Saturday to visit Mr. -
and Mrs. Mack Miller and Elzora.
Mr. and Mrs. Will Wilson had
as their guests Sunday Mr. and
Mrs. Alton Wilson and sons,
Richard , James, Harvie and
Jack, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Wil
son and children, Robert, Rachel '
and Sandra, all of Buford.
Miss Omega Copeland was
guest Sunday of Mr. and Mrs.
Daniel Jackson.
Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Anderson
and son were visiting Mr. and i
Mrs. J. P. Anderson and family i
Sunday.
Mrs. ben Murphy and daugh
ters were visiting Mrs. Murphy’s I
brother, Mr. and Mrs. Joe Thom- 1
as, of Menlo, Sunday night.
Miss Melba Reece and Miss
Alice Murphy were visiting Miss
Virginia Johnson, of Chattooga
ville, Sunday afternoon.
Mrs. Jack Reece, of Warrenton,
and Mrs. Hattie Wilson, of Nor
wood, and her son, Burnett Wil
son, of Hazelton, Kan., and Nor
wood, are the guests for a week
of Mr. and Mrs. Tom B. Johnson,
of Lyerly.
Special Notice
HOMES BUILT E .. v
HOMES REPAIRED
HOMES MODERNIZED
We will furnish lot and build home accord
| ing to your plans for 5 per cent down, balance
I 25 years, FHA Loan.
We will repair, reroof, rppaint, install plumb-
I ing, electric wiring. In fact, do any job and
I give you easy terms. See us for free estimates
I on any job.
Fred & Ross Thomas
Dickeyville—l Mile South of Trion
Phone 01720
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engine and the famous Silent Synchro-Mesh Transmission
for finest standard drive results—al lowest cost.
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Summervilla, Ga.
Broomtown News
BY MRS. M. H WARD
The Rev. Blalock and Mr.
Mixon, of Rome, visited Mr. and
Mrs. Henry Martin and Ivalene
Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. John L. Toles, of
Rome, visited Mr. and Mrs. W. T.
Toles Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Miller and
son, of Jamestown, and Mr. and
Mrs. Ray Burkhalter, of Sum
merville, visited Mr. and Mrs.
Nip Jones Sunday.
Those visiting Mr. and Mrs.
Millard Ward and family Sun
day were: Mr. and Mrs. Holland
Ward and son, of Summerville;
Mr. and Mrs. Graves Leath, Bar
bara Ann, Nell and Rebecca
Leath, Jackie Hartline, Ann Tal
lent, Orble Barnes, Jean Mathis,
Mrs. Con Shamblin and Jane,
Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Ward,
Sonny Leath and Franklin
Powell.
Mr. and Mrs. Ben Powell were
the dinner guests of the Rev.
and Mrs. J. A. Sentell, of New
Moon, Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Jack Fitz Patrick
and sons visited Rob Van Pelt,
who is ill, Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Millard Ward
visited the Rev. and Mrs. Dob
son Friday night.
Mr. and Mrs. Carl Anderson
and family, of Danton, lowa, and
Mrs. Con Shamblin and family
v.tre the supper guests of Mr.
and Mrs. N. B. Jones Tuesday
night.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Shamblin,
of Chattanooga, spent the week
end with Mr. and Mrs. Con
Shamblin.
Mr. and Mrs. Sam Hartline
and Jackie, Mr. and Mrs. Frank
lin Ward and Annie Louise
Weaver visited Jean Hartline, at
To the Taxpayers of
Chattooga County
As provided by law the books for returns of
taxes are now open and will be closed on the first
day of April of this year.
Everyone must return any property they
owned January 1, 1950, including Automobiles.
The following is a schedule of the rounds
which will be made for the purpose of receiving
tax returns:
Trion—Trion Store, Feb. 20, March 1, March 10.
Lyerly—Jackson's Store, Feb. 21, March 2,
March 13.
Alpine—Cleckler's Store, Feb. 22, March 3,
March 14.
Dirttown Ballenger's Store, Feb. 23 A.M.,
March 6 A.M., March 15 A.M.
Subligna—White's Store, Feb. 23 P.M., March
6 P.M., March 15 P.M.
Coldwater—Ratliff's Store, Feb. 24 A.M., March
7 A.M., March 16 A.M. *
Seminole—Paul Cook's Store, Feb. 24 P.M.,
March 7 P.M., March 16 P.M.
Dirfseller—Ed Harrison's, Feb. 27 A.M., March
8 A.M., March 17 A.M.
Teloga School House, Feb. 28 A.M., March 9
A.M., March 20 A.M.
Haywood—Ebenezer Church, Feb. 28 P.M.,
March 9 P.M., March 20 P.M.
The books will be at my office at the County
Courthouse for the purpose of receiving returns
on all days not mentioned above.
Failure to return property for taxation sub
jects the property to double taxation under the
law, unless this penalty is avoided in one of the
ways provided by law.
RAY VAN PELT
TAX RECEIVER, CHATTOOGA COUNTY
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Combination of Powerplide Transmission and 105-h.p. t nitine
optional on Dr Luxe models al extra cost.
Thursday, February 9, 1950
Berry College, Saturday.
Mrs. Graves Leath visited Mrs.
Gene Lawson Saturday.
Orble Barnes spent Saturday
with Nell Leath.
Henry Martin visited Mr. Gar
rett Sunday afternoon.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Martin
and Ivalene visited Mr. and Mrs.
' Con Shamblin, Jane and Feida,
Friday night.