HICKOX:  From Prosperity to Posterity

THE GLORY OF HICKOX   

Late in the nineteenth century the community of Hickox was known for its abundance of  timber.  Small transportable sawmills were moved throughout the area stretching from the Buffalo Creek swamplands to the big Okefenokee, where-ever patches of cypress and pine timber could be found..   These transportable sawmills were usually housed in wood-frame sheds with corrugated tin roofs.  Steam engines with cast iron boilers were initially used to provide power for the 36-inch circular, coarse-toothed ripsaws.  Later, the steam engines were replaced with gas powered engines. 

Peter S. Knox was one of those sawmill men,  and possibly the catalyst behind Hickox's sudden prosperity during the turn of the twentieth century.   Peter S. Knox probably did more for the growth of Hickox than any other single individual.  On the other hand when Peter S. Knox departed Hickox, prosperity began to diminish. See separate story on Peter S. Knox . 

Along with the timber being harvested and the lumber being produced, residual products from south Georgias yellow pine trees were numerous.   Sometime after the arrival of Peter S. Knox,  The Gautier Retort Company (Tar Plant) came to Hickox (See separate story).  

The Knox sawmill and Gautier Plant brought many families to Hickox seeking employment; both homes and retail stores were built to accommodate the increased population.  There were Blockers, Campbells, Coursons, Dixons, Engles, Gautiers, Harris, Hayes,  Hendrix, Herrins, Hickories, Highsmiths, Hoss, Jones,  Johns, Johnsons, Knoxs, Ledfords, Roziers, Steedleys, Whites, Wainrights, and numerous others.  The prosperity of  this little pioneer village created a gregarious  character within the people; a pride in the community, a love of life, and an ability to laugh at the most serious situations.    

Waynesville had once been identified as the most prosperous township in the area now known as Brantley County.   At the turn of the 20th century, Hickox made a challenge for that prestigious position.  Hickox acquired a Federal Post Office on March 7, 1900, and was chartered by the state of Georgia as a township in 1906, before Hoboken, Nahunta, and Waynesville.  

The township of Hickox was flourishing in early 1900s, with the good folks attending one of the many churches in the community.  Others found their way into Mayor's Court, which was held on a regular basis for those who wanted to stretch the law.  A few found their way into the Hickox Jail, located beside the Blacksmith Shop.   Later Jasper Johnson served as Sheriff.   The Blacksmith Shop was owned and operated by Jabe Rowell.

HICKOX HAD ANOTHER PRODUCT

Hickox has also been noted for another product, which was very attractive, and in some cases exportable.   A teenager, Joe Jones (mid-1940s), son of Daniel L. Jones, once commented that Hickox had the prettiest girls in Brantley County.   Knowing precisely that Joe was referring to one girl, Dorothy Lucille Jones (later the wife of George Bishop, founder of Wacamaw Inc.),  daughter of Owen and Josie Mae Hendrix Jones, there was no argument that Joes puppy love analysis was a little biased.   Although there was no reason to disagree with Joes bias, thoughts turned quickly to other beautiful young ladies in Hickox, as well as other communities in Brantley County.

 PROSPERITY IN HICKOX

Hickox never reached the level of prosperity experienced by Waynesville.  Where Waynesville had survived prominence close to 100 years, Hickox's prosperity began to decline after about 15 years, as harvest  potential of timber was maximized.  In addition to the closing of  Peter S. Knox Sawmill, World War I came along and stripped young manhood out of the community.  Ultimately, the Gautier Retort Plant was closed in 1932 and left Hickox with only one big employer, the C.R. Britt Turpentine Still.   The massive fire that destroyed several homes did nothing to promote a more permanent residency.  

 HICKOX  IS NOT DEAD!

Visiting Hickox today, you'll find very little evidence of that early 1900 prosperity being maintained or ever being restored.   Most of the older homes have become weathered, and deteriorated.  As jobs, businesses,  and workers moved away, prosperity of the township deteriorated.    If you walk or drive through the streets of Hickox today there is a silence of expectancy.  Mystically you almost expect to hear the whining of the saw-mill blade at the old Knox Sawmill as it slices through the trunk of another big yellow pine tree, or the noon whistle at the old Gautier Plant as it screams out dinner time.  You expect to see a woods worker dressed in over-alls with a sharp edged woodsman's ax carried over his shoulder, or perhaps a long-eared mule pulling a flat-bed wagon loaded with barrels of pine tar. 

 Instead,  the silence of country side is interrupted only by the chirping of the birds, wind rustling through the pine trees,  "a whip-o-will's continuous search for old bob-white," and occasionally the blast of a freight train's whistle penetrating the solitude of peacefulness.

 Many people search a lifetime looking for peace and contentment.  When that place is found, its usually identified as being dead and uneventful.  Before mistaking Hickox as being dead, you'll need to take a closer look.  Character and pride of a community resides within the hearts of its people.    It's true, there's no commercial industry in Hickox today and it's fact that pretty girls don't roam the streets of Hickox as they once did.  Gone are the big sawmill and retort plant, but the pretty girls are still there. Their mode of transportation moves much faster these days!  

 If you can corner one of the old timers, such as the Hendrix brothers, the Blockers, Dixons, Harris, Herrin's, Hickories, Highsmiths, Jacobs, Knoxs, Jones, Rowells, Smiths,  Thomas, or Wainrights,  you'll find a spirit of fight that literally ran to meet Uncle Sam's call in World War I, II, Korean Conflict, Vietnam, and Desert Storm.  Unfortunately, not all of them returned home.  They paid the ultimate price for the unique, laid-back, self-styled life they had learned to love in Hickox. 

DONT EVER SAY SIC EM IN HICKOX!

Today, the men that responded to World War I, II, and the Korean Conflict  are the senior citizens of Hickox; quick witted as ever, but old bones aren't quite as quick as they used to be.   They would have you believe that, coon hounds and deer dogs run much faster these days.  They are also quick to affirm that , the life-style of Hickox was worth the fight.  These senior citizens have paid the price for freedom, both mine and yours.   They've got the scars and wrinkles to prove it!  Today, they bow humbly to the veterans of Vietnam and Desert Storm.

 Talk about the good old days, these elderly citizen love to reminisce about the days when pay for a days work was a quarter or fifty cents.   In a day of solitude their hearts soften and  they might even share with you the day they met the Lord face to face and were baptized in the ford of Buffalo Creek, just down the old road from the New Hope Primitive Baptist Church.   Look closely into their eyes as they reach the punch line of their story or joke, and you'll still find a twinkle of excitement and a heart dancing the do-ce do!"    

 WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE OF HICKOX?

For answers about the future of Hickox, you need  to seek out the younger generation. You'll continue to find the unique, laid-back, self-styled character that was developed in Hickox during the early pioneer days, but you will also find an element of self-pride.   Fishing and hunting for food isn't a necessity today as it was during pioneer days.  Today, its a lifestyle pursued by both men and women that ensures peace of mind and contentment.  No longer do the young folks in Hickox seek out employment as timber men, sawmill workers, or pine tree turpentine workers; technical and professional careers are the goals of their pursuit.

 As a word of caution, if you're not on a hunting trail, don't ever say sic'em around Hickox, or you'll find an aggressive fighting spirit that literally took-on the State of Georgia recently for the right for Hickox retaining its identity and remain on Georgia/s State Highway maps as a location.   

HICKOX NAMESAKE

Normally you'll find that communities are named after some of their earliest settlers.  "Pioneers of Wire Grass Georgia, published by the Huxford Genealogical Society, in Homerville, Georgia, identifies David Hickox as one of the early pioneer families in the Hickox area.  Either he, or perhaps one of his sons may be the namesake of the community.   It has been suggested that the community was named after James J. Hickox, its first Post Master and prominent supporter of local government. James was the son of David Hickox, a prominent farmer and Primitive Baptist Minister, serving as Pastor of the Hickox Church for many years.

 HICKOX INCORPORTED AS A TOWNSHIP

Hickox was incorporated by the Georgia General Assembly on August 20, 1906, Article No. 645, Part III, Title I - Municipal Corporations, Georgia Law (Hickox, Town of, Incorporated).  The initial government consisted of a mayor and five Aldermen:  Mayor H. Levi Herrin; Aldermen: (1) J. J. Johns, (2) Peter S. Knox, (3) James (Jim) A. Courson, (4)  I. D. Jones, (5) James F. Highsmith. 

HICKOX POST OFFICE  

A United States Post Office was established in Hickox in 1900.   James J. Hickox was the designated Postmaster from March 7, 1900, until April 14, 1903, when Henry S. Herrin was appointed.  Following Henry S. Herrin was Jackson H. (Harvey) Mattox on March 23, 1920, Russell Thomas on September 12, 1921, William H.O. Smith on December 14, 1921, and Gilbert E. McGauley on November 7, 1922.   J. Harvey Mattox gave up the Postmaster job on March 23, 1920 to become the Telegraph Operator for the ACL Railroad when the Depot was built.

HICKOX TRAIN DEPOT

The old Hickox train depot was located east of  the railroad tracks, in front of  the J. (Jim) A. Courson's store, that was later owned by Rufus J.W. Hayes. The north-south train made daily mail drops; and picked up mail on Train #85 going south.  

The depot agent had many functions.   Some of those jobs included: (1)  Maintenance of the building and grounds, (2)  Selling tickets to passengers going north or south.  The "Old Bogie," a local train made a round trip from Jesup to Folkston and stopped at Hickox twice a day.  (3).  U.S. Postal Mail was a very precious cargo for the Hickox depot.   Mail pick-up was made everyday by Train #85 going to Jacksonville.  The mail bag would be placed on a "Hook-crane," and as Train #85 passed a metal arm would be extended to "hook the mail bag without ever stopping. (4) Other products transported by railroad included "stump wood" going to the Hercules Powder Plant at Brunswick, and "cross-ties" going to Savannah.  The agent was also responsible for grading the cross-ties, (5)  The railroad tracks were maintained by "Section Hands" living in Nahunta.  They used a "hand-pump rail-car" for transportation.   As trains approached, they would lift the little rail-car off  the tracks to allow the train to pass.          

COCA COLA COMPANY

In the early 1900's the town of Hickox had a promising future.   Coca-Cola bottling franchises were being awarded to towns  with growth potential.   In 1899 there were only two bottling franchises in the nation.  By 1919 there were over 1,000 bottling plants authorized to produce and distribute Coca Cola  business.  Hickox was one of those franchises,  owned and operated by a Mr. Copeland.   He brought the Coca-Cola syrup and carbonated gas from the home plant in Atlanta, mixed the drink according to specified standards and bottled it for distribution to local markets.   The local business was operated in the back room of a two room house with a cement foundation.   We are told the location of that house was on the New Hope Cemetery road, west of the railroad track, just a short distance south from the cemetery.   Later, we understand that the Pickern family lived in this house after the bottling operation closed.

PHYSICIANS IN HICKOX

One of the earlier doctors in Hickox was Dr. Coleman.  One of the memories of Dr Coleman is that he administered the practice of bleeding the patient to reduce their blood pressure; a medical technique that was commonly used in the early 1900s.   After Dr. Coleman, Doctor D. L. Moore and  Doctor J. A. Campbell came to Hickox.  Both of these Doctors moved to Nahunta after the county site was established.

 MERCHANTS :  RETAIL  STORES:

1.  James A.  (Jim) Courson operated a mercantile store to the east of the railroad depot.  He sold out to Rufus J.W. Hayes.  Turkey Hayes, as he was loving known, continued to operated the old  store facing the railroad tracks up through the 1940s, until it was destroyed by fire.  Rufus J.W. Hayes was born on August 22, 1872, and died on May 3, 1951, and is buried in the New Hope Cemetery at Hickox. Note:  Tolbert (Tollie) Courson was the  son of James A. (Jim) and Eliza Highsmith Courson.  Tollie married Nora B. Herrin, daughter of Riley Herrin.  2.  Bashea Rozier operated a mercantile store in the Levi Herrin home.  Geneva Raulerson later bought the store from Rozier.  Mrs. Pickren owned it after that and it burned to the ground.  3.  Ivey Dowling had a big store besides Dr. Moores office. 4.  Jack Johns had a general merchandise store on the corner of Highsmith and Buffalo Streets.

FAVORITE PASS-TIME ACTIVITIES

In addition to fishing, coon hunting, swimming in Buffalo Creek, and courting the women, the young men of Hickox played stud-poker for entertainment, normally with a 5 to 10 cent limit.   Law Enforcement Officers today would refer to this as a floating card game, since it moved from place to place around Hickox.  Some of the most frequent places were the porch of Turkey (R. J. W.) Hayes store, The Old Train Depot, a cow stall on Jones Street, and box cars on the railroad side track.   Legal or illegal, the location had nothing to do with Law.  You might have also found one of the law enforcement officers at these sittings.

 If you were unmarried and looking for the companionship of other young folks in historic Hickox, where do you go on a Sunday afternoon?   In the 1930s and 1940s, when very few families had automobiles, and there were no Soda Fountains, Dance Halls, or Burger King,  a creative imagination was necessary.   You could get a bottled Coca Cola or Big Orange at Turkey Haye's store for a nickel, but there were always adults there.  One unsuspected favorite spots in the late 1930s, up through the mid-1940s was the new concrete bridge crossing Buffalo Creek (now U.S. 301 crossing).  

Some people have referred to the highway, eventually known as U.S. 301, as Hickox's Fifth Avenue.  The ladies went to show-off their new fancy Sunday clothes, or uh-h-h  meet boys.  The boys showed up in over-alls, and/or khaki pants with white tee-shirts, just to watch the girls.   The tale is told, "reservations were needed to get a  'smooching spot' under the U. S. 301 bridge."

 There were many social events around the Hickox area during the early days.  Have you ever been to a "Frolic?"  Have you ever been to a Cane Grinding and Candy Pulling Party, or a Pinder Popping, Hog Killing, and Barn Raising?   Very few of these activities existed without the young folks doing a little Shanghai-ing."  

 Information for this article was assembled by T. Earl Cleland, from unsigned manuscripts, interviews with Hickox citizens, and in collaboration with Louise Kelly Hendrix and Mary Lee Godwin Faranda.

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