Pictures from Alabama,South Carolina and Georgia

October 2004

Southeast Alabama was once part of the vast territory controlled by the Creek (Muscogee) Indians, and here on the Tallapoosa river was fought the climactic battle that led to the loss of that vast domain. About a thousand Creeks were camped at Horseshoe Bend. For defense they erected a remarkable double-wall fortification that stetched, river bank to river bank, across the open land which Jackson's forces had to cross. The fortification proved immune to cannon fire. However, there were also Cherokees, allied with the whites, stationed across the river to keep the Creeks from escaping to the rear. Some swam across and retrieved canoes. When Jackson realized the Cherokees had initiated combat he ordered a frontal assault and the result was a devastating defeat and a treaty that ceded some 25 million acres to the United States.

In Macon, Georgia Linda did some research at the public library, which has a splendid genealogical collection, and we found the new building Starr Electric Company occupies. The business was founded by Henry Starr, the half-brother of Jerry's grandfather, and is now run by grandson Joe Starr.

Passing through Milledgeville, we took a look at our former home, an improbable Spanish Colonial-style house in a town that was once Georgia's capital.

Our next stop was Madison. It's where movie comedian Oliver Hardy lived as a child, but our connection is that Morgan County is where Henry Starr settled not long after his Revolutionary War service. Like Milledgeville, Madison is no longer the charming and quite little town we remembered from the 1970's. But it does honor the past. Upon inquiry at the Morgan County offices we learned the oldest records are stored in a separate archive, a sturdy old stone building just behind the courthouse. Judging from those barred windows, security must be a top priority. And inside, more bars! Golly, they must be really worried about break-ins. Nevertheless, we were graciously welcomed by the archivist (how many counties have an archivist?) and soon Linda had tracked down the location of Henry's farm.

Henry's will was probated in Morgan County, and Linda wanted to check a detail in the will record book. The archivist obliged, then casually muttered, "I wonder if we have the original will.". An original will from 1818?? Unheard of. But he pulled a cardboard box off a shelf, rummaged through the manila folders, and pulled out the actual will Henry signed (or rather, put "his mark" upon). Linda was shocked but thrilled. The document is in remarkably good condition, quite legible, and he made some copies for us.

As we headed eastward we came to Greensboro, which is the home town of Linda's friend Rhoda. So we thought we'd take a look. Here is the old "Gaol," which served as Green County's dungeon--er, lockup--through most of the 19th century. Note the crenallated roofline; the historic marker sign says the jail was built in the style of the old bastilles. Nearby is the 1895 jail, named in honor of a legendary sheriff, recruited for his "fast legs and honest reputation." He survived numerous shoot-outs, always begun by (but a half-dozen times not survivied by) the bad guys, and ran moonshiners and the Dixie Mafia out of the county. Might that have had something to do with Rhoda's departure from the area?

In South Carolina we drove through a small town that's proud of all the peach orchards around it. Indeed, peach-trading is quite an industry. The Peach Exchange building achieves an impressive appearance without the usual wasteful consumption of marble.

The town of Abbeville honors native son John C. Calhoun, a giant of Southern and indeed American politics in the first half of the 19th century. It likes to note that it is where the Confederacy began--with the first mass meeting to call for secession--and ended, with Jefferson Davis' last meeting with his cabinet. This painting of that meeting is one of several hanging in an old bank building that now houses Abbeville's tourist welcome center. A lady at the center chatted with us about those Civil War days, and commented that she found it interesting that "Robert E. Lee actually wasn't from the South." (That crashing sound you heard is the simultaneous collapse of all the officers of the Daughters of the Confederacy.) Perhaps she thought he was born at West Point, not stationed there. Certainly the proprietor of this interesting store--who seems to be an Unreconstructed Confederate--would have disabused her of the notion that Lee came from a Yankee family. Linda chatted genealogy with the owner while Jerry perused the bumper stickers ("Welcome to Dixie. Don't Stay Long"). We got a book on the economic grievances of South Carolina that led to secession, which should give some insight into W. R. Rankin's thinking when he joined up in 1861. If Alice's memory served, when W. R. was asked what the war was about, he supposedly replied "It was about money."

We thought the small towns in South Carolina were so pretty, we decided to stop and buy one for ourselves.

At the time of the Revolution the little town of Ninety-Six was a strategic crossroads. It's thought to have gotten the name from the (mistaken) idea that it was 96 miles from Keowee, a major Cherokee settlement. There's a new 96 now a couple of miles away, but the original settlement is now a park where visitors can learn about the battle named for it. The main structure of interest is an old cabin that was built in 1787 (but elsewhere) and moved to the park. It's furnished with objects that would be found in a typical tavern of the era. If a tavern patron got too rowdy, or perhaps if a modern-day visitor leaves litter on the ground, the pillory stands ready.

During the war the "British" force (actually a bunch of Loyalists and one British officer) constructed a "Star Fort" and extensive fortifications and trenches to resist the Patriots' attempts to take the town. The opposing forces faced each other across a rather small area. The Loyalists endured a weeks-long siege, tunneling and a bloody frontal assaust by the Patriots, with the objective of hanging on until relief forces could arrive. Ironically, when the British unit finally arrived, it brought orders to pull out--the commander had decided to burn the town and carry on the fight elsewhere.

Our final objective in South Carolina was to find the house that was the home of Alexander and Sarah Ramsay. It was also the home of their daughter, Margaret Ramsay, when she married W. R.. Rankin on the covered bridge across the Tugaloo that led to Travelers Rest (also called Jarrett Manor). Incidentally, W. R. and Margaret's residence for a time was this house in Calhoun, formerly used as a hotel. The image was painted from memory; that home is long gone.

The Ramsay house was moved a short distance when the railroad tracks were doubled, but it still looks to be in good shape. It's easy to find--turn off U.S. 123 on the road that's closest to the new bridge (named in honor of the Ramsay and Jarrett families) and go north about a quarter-mile. Just after passing under the railroad overpass is Ramsay Farm Road and on the southeast corner of that intersection is a pond and the old house. Here's another view that shows the side better, and another of the rear part. Across the road is a farm that has been in the same family for more than hundred years. Based on name of that road, we wondered if it was once Alexander's farm.

Our final sightseeing destination on the trip was Travelers Rest, the historic inn once owned by the Jarrett family that is linked to the Ramsays by several marriages. But that's a subject for a separate web page.