MORE HISTORY AND INFORMATION ABOUT COLUMBIA COUNTY
(Information furnished by: Bev Hockett ( hisdogbo@yahoo.com )
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HISTORY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY 1790-1945 Call # RCH F292 C737c73x
Columbia Co. named for Christopher Columbus--Created by taking from
Richmond County. It is bounded by Lincoln on NW, Richmond on SE &
McDuffie on SW. County population in 1900 was 10,653, a loss of 628
since 1890. Census of 1801 showed total population of 8,452 as
compared to 5,473 for Richmond. In 1860 there were 3,617 whites &
8,272 Negroes. Records reveal that when the slaves were freed, the
planters of Columbia Co. lost about $1,600,000. Before the Civil
War there was much wealth in the county. The soil of 2/3 of the
land is red clay. In the pine lands of the southern part of the
county, the soil is sandy with clay subsoil. On the river the lands
are fertile & produce good crops of cotton, corn, sugar-cane,
potatoes, melons & peas. Peaches grow well.
OCONEE WAR--At Hopewell on the Kiokee a treaty of good will between
state of Georgia & the Creek nation of Indians was negotiated Apr.
17, 1786. But the treaty was repudiated by the Indians, & for more
than 10 years was a dominant spirit of the long protrated struggle
known as the Oconee War.
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FIRST SETTLERS Arrive in Columbia County
The 1st white people to settle in present Columbia County were a
small group of Quakers. They came from the Carolina’s, & purchased
land from the Uchee (Yuuchi) Indians in 1751. Fear of the Creek
Indians drove the peace-loving Quakers back to the safety of Fort
Augusta in 1754. Some of them returned in 1773, after peace was
made with the Indians. Around 1754, the next group of settlers
arrived in Columbia County under the leadership of Edmund Grey.
They settled around the Little River & called their town Blendon
(Brandon). These people were supposed to be Quakers, but many
doubted their authenticity. Reports about the people of Brandon
conflict. Some say the Indians drove them out & others say Governor
Reynolds ordered their departure. One thing is certain; Governor
Reynolds & Edmund Grey did not hit it off. The very 1st House of
Assembly in Georgia started off with an election dispute. Some of
the delegates from the other Parishes were accused of being
illegally elected. Grey, though unquestionably elected, refused to
take his seat in protest, favoring the candidates not allowed their
seats. Not only did he not take his seat, he wrote letters
encouraging the other duly elected representatives to join him. The
Governor got a copy of the letter & ordered Grey out of the
Assembly. From then until his departure, Grey & Reynolds were arch
enemies. Grey & his associates are reported to have left Brandon &
set up in a neutral territory between the English & Spanish that
became a refuge for outlaws.
Joseph Maddox & Jonathan Sell led 40 Quaker families into Georgia in
1768 to settle on lands formerly occupied by Grey & his associates.
The group came from North Carolina by ox-cart & horse-back. In a
short time people of all faiths joined them. Joseph Maddox & his
followers called their town WRIGHTSBORO, in honor of Governor James
Wright. Although the principle inhabitants of Wrightsboro were
Quakers, Maddox encouraged people of all faiths to live in his
community.
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COLUMBIA COUNTY & THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
When the seeds of revolution started taking root along the coastal
regions, the people in Columbia County wanted no part of it. In the
1st place, most of the people probably never heard about tea; 2nd
the constant threat of the Indians made the protection of the
British most enticing & 3rd, the inhabitants of the Lower Country
(Savannah & the coastal regions) & the Upper Country (Augusta,
Columbia County land & Wilkes County) didn’t get along at all. They
signed a petition (see information elsewhere about signing petition
in Columbia Co)
Historians report only 2 minor battles in today’s Columbia County.
After the British occupied Augusta, Feb. 1, 1779, Lt. Col. Archibald
Campbell sent a detachment to Middleton’s Ferry, under Captain
Whitney to guard the river crossing & prepare to occupy Wilkes
County, then the only part of Georgia not under British control.
However, on Feb. 9, Col. Leonard Marbury’s Patriot Dragoons,
reconnoitering from the station at Brownsboro, took the Loyalist by
surprise & captured Captain Whitney & 16 of his men, Another noted
action in our county reports that Col. Clark gathered 500 men at
Soap Creek, 40 miles above Augusta on Sept. 11, 1780 on his way to
attempt to drive Col. Thomas Brown & the British out of Augusta. As
a Quaker‘s religion forbade him to bare arms, many people in
Wrightsboro were caught in the middle. The government in charge,
whether British or Patriot, in deference to the Quaker’s beliefs,
did not force them to join the militia. Instead, the Quakers were
assessed an extra 25% tax to carry on the war effort.
Until late 1780 & 1781 the Quakers had managed to stay pretty much
out of the conflict. Then a group of Patriots raided the town of
Wrightsboro, killed 50 people, & destroyed most of the crops &
cattle.
Basically, the people of Columbia were divided along generation &
religious lines. The older people felt close ties to England & the
young leaned toward the Patriots. Often it was a survival
situation with many swearing allegiance to whoever was in control at
the time. Confiscation of property was often the price of loyalty
to the wrong side. As the war progressed the Baptist usually
supported the Patriots & the Quakers were either neutral or loyal to
the Crown
At least 3 of the 11 chaplains in the Patriot’s army in Georgia were
from Columbia County. They were Daniel Marshall, his son Abraham &
Silas Mercer.
The preliminary article of peace were signed Nov. 30, 1782. The
American Colonies, with the help of the French & Spanish, had won
their freedom from the mother country, England, & became the United
States of America.
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WHERE SHALL WE BUILD THE COURTHOUSE & JAIL?
When the Georgia Patriots declared their Independence of England, &
former local Governments, they divided the State of Georgia into 8
counties to replace the 12 Parishes set up by the Crown. The former
St. Paul’s Parish became RICHMOND COUNTY. Originally Richmond
county consisted of 12,000 square miles & included all of modern
Richmond, Columbia, & McDuffie Counties. The Constitution of 1777
provided for public building--a courthouse & jail to be erected in
each county. Under the Constitution of 1777, “all white males who
owned property worth 10 pounds or had a mechanics trade, & had lived
in the state 6 months” were required by law to vote. Anyone who met
the qualifications & “who should not have enough interest in his
government to vote should be fined 5 pounds. Elections at this
time, were held annually & there was only one voting place in each
county. .During the Revolution, the House of Assembly appointed
William, Few Sr, John Pratt, & William Jackson t o arrange for a
courthouse & jail in Richmond County. The Assembly claimed “the
remote situation of Brownsboro rendered it a very unsafe place for a
jail & courthouse & ordered the buildings built at Augusta. No
building were constructed & in 1783, the Assembly appointed William
Few Jr. & Robert Middleton to bring a bill establishing a courthouse
& jail in their county. Since elections were already held at
Brownsboro, & Few was on the committee, there seemed little doubt
that Brownsboro would be the county seat. Few decided, after 3
readings, he didn’t like the wording & offered an amendment giving
the people a choice between Little Kiokee Creek, Brownsboro &
August. The Richmond Delegation split & the motion failed. Few &
his allies offered a motion to build the building s on the new road
between Augusta & the KIOKEE meeting house, where said road crosses
the LITTLE KIOKEE CREEK. Again, the Richmond delegation split & the
motion was defeated.
Finally, the original bill was passed.
However, the fight was not over. The Richmond Grand Jury presented
a grievance on “the repeated contention for fixing to the courthouse
in the county.” They recommended that such attempts be surpassed
until the Constitution was revised. It took another 5 years for the
Constitution to get revised. Richmond Co. public buildings were not
mentioned again. By 1789, many new people had entered Richmond
County. With no courthouse or jail, lawlessness increased with the
population. People began to write the newspaper, urging voters to
elect delegates to the Assembly that were in favor of division of
Richmond County. So, on Dec. 10, 1790, the Legislature acted to
relieve former inconveniences--establishing COLUMBIA COUNTY (which
included most of modern McDuffie) from Richmond & Elbert County from
Wilkes. Around the turn of the 19th century the seat of justice
moved to its present location, then referred to as COLUMBIA
COURTHOUSE. Columbia Courthouse became the social center of the
area. Historians report that it was a center of wealth, intelligence & influence.
On Dec. 12, 1816, the town received a charter from the State
Legislature. The former Columbia Courthouse changed its name to
APPLING, in honor of John Appling, on whose land the courthouse stood.
Shortly after Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, cotton replaced
tobacco as the major cash crop. Soon large plantations began to
develop. More & more slaves were brought in to work the cotton
fields.. Unable to compete competitively with the slave labor, the
Quakers left Wrightsboro. A large number of them re-settled in
Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1812 when the United States again fought
England, Daniel Appling from Columbia County served his country with
distinction. For his gallantry, the State Legislature voted to
award him a gold sword & name a county in Southeast Georgia in his honor.
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RELIGION in Columbia Co
Religion has always been a vital part of Columbia County’s cultural
& social life. During the first half of the 19th century, many new
churches were established. Shiloh Methodist was one of the earliest
meeting houses for the METHODISTS in the county. Salem, Whiteoak &
Dunn’s Chapel are among other early meeting houses for the Methodist
faith. The BAPTIST religion, well established before the
Revolutionary War, continued to spread into every section of the
county. Sheron Baptist was established in 1799 by Daniel Marshall’s
son, Abraham. Damacus Baptist was founded in 1820 by Samuel
Cartledge--the same Samuel Cartledge that had arrested Daniel
Marshall for preaching the gospel prior to the Revolution.
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EDUCATION
Education has always been important to Columbia County. At least 8
private academies were chartered. Among them were Appling Female,
Kiokee, Shiloh, & Citizen’s Academy. These were the equivalent of
todays high schools. Although state supported, the schools still
charged tuition. The matter of primary education was taken care of
by the parents. Many of the more wealthy provided private tutors
for their children. For the less fortunate, the field school became
the solution. The teachers, always men, were hired, paid by &
answered directly to the parents. Although the teachers were not
always the best trained, (Discipline was considered more important
than teaching methods) they filled a real need in the educational
field in the early days of our country.
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RAILROAD
In 1833, the iron rails of the Georgia Railroad started from
Augusta, through Columbia County, on their way to Atlanta. Depots
were built periodically & several new towns grew up along the track.
Grovetown, 15 miles up the track developed into a summer home for
the residents of Augusta attempting to escape the heat &
malaria-carrying mosquitoes of the river bottom. Brezelia developed
around the 20 mile post. A large hotel was built by the track.
Sawdust developed as the main stopping point in the next 10 mile
stretch. It was a lumber town, reported to be quite robust. Each
of these towns had a telegraph & post office. It is reported that
the railroad designers wanted to build the tracks thru Wrightsboro,
but the citizens of the town refused to allow it, so the road was
taken thru THOMSON instead.
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PLANTATION SYSTEM-
The plantation system continued to prosper. Soon Augusta became the
largest cotton exporting market in the world. Henry H. Cumming
envisioned that were the waters of the Savannah River re-routed thru
a canal, Augusta had great potential as a manufacturing center for
the cotton it exported down the river. The CANAL, 1st surveyed in
1844, has its headgates in Columbia County. It originally was to be
5 ft. deep, 20 ft. wide at the bottom, 40 ft. wide at the top, &
provide 600 horse-power of electricity along its 7 mile course.
Originally designed to attract new industry to the area, the CANAL
was a smashing success. Within 5 years, the population of Augusta
had doubled. In addition to providing cheap electricity, the canal
also provided transportation. It is probably the ONLY CANAL in the
country to serve both power & transportation needs. As the
plantation system in Columbia Co. continued to prosper, the white
population declined & the black increased. The 1859 census shows
802 families in the county. There were 3,731 free whites, 83,000
slaves & 66 free people of color.
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COLUMBIA COUNTY GROWS
When Columbia County was created in 1790, the tide of prosperity had
begun to rise very high. Many new people came into the county from
Virginia & North Carolina. Land was granted under the headright
system & many 200 acre farms were opened in the upper & eastern
parts of the county. The Virginians who came into Columbia County
at this time were not adventurers, but men of means who brought
their families, slaves & tobacco plants with them. Soon tobacco
became the major staple crop. The close proximity of the area to
the market at Augusta helped a great deal. Many shipped their
tobacco to market by boat. A special boat was constructed to get it
over the rapids. This boat was called a “Petersburg Boat” after a
tobacco center that developed in Wilkes County. Other farmers chose
the land route to market & built the now famous “Tobacco Road”. The
road was built rolling the tobacco in large barrels called
“hogsheads”. In 1792 Reverend Asbury, the 1st Methodist Bishop in
the United States visited Columbia Co.
Here he found many Methodist friends from Virginia. Open-air
meetings were held at the Old Whiteoak Campground (see information
about Whiteoak Campground further down the page)
Moses Waddel, a Presbyterian Minister, moved into the county in the
mid 90’s & established a school on the KIOKEE CREEK called CARMEL
ACADEMY, which lasted for 6 years. Its most outstanding student was
William Crawford (who is mentioned below) as serving his country
with distinction etc. Moses met & married Catherine Calhoun, sister
of John Calhoun. John was an orphan & came to live with his sister
& attend Carmel Academy. He left the school & entered the Junior
Class at Yale, After completing his education, he entered politics,
gained National fame & was Harris’s competition for the Democratic
nomination for President of the U.S. in 1824. The Calhoun-Waddel
marriage lasted only 1 year, when Catherine died. 4 years laer,
Waddel re-married. to his old college sweetheart, Miss Eliza
Woodson Pleasants. The couple had wanted to marry earlier, but Miss
Pleasant’s parents had objected to him taking their daughter to the
“wilds of North Georgia” (Columbia County) in 1795. Carmel Academy
was opened for 6 years & after it closed Moses Waddel moved on &
established several schools in South Carolina. In June 1819 Waddel
accepted the presidency of the UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA. His
administration at the Univ. of GA was marked with success & under
Waddel’s leadership the college improved in every way.
The creation of Columbia County apparently did not solve the
political turmoil. Now Columbia Co. residents could not agree on
the best place for the courthouse. For a short time the county seat
was located at Cobham, then its moved to KIOKA, where the 1st
courthouse was built.
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COLUMBIA COUNTY NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
Columbia County’s Past by Janette Kelley--April 15, 1981
When the Quakers arrived in Wrightsboro, they found thick, virgin
forest very gloomy & uninviting. The trees were so large & thick
that there was no undergrowth. Upon arrival, the 1st things the
Quakers had to do was to cut down trees for a clearing & make a
temporary shelter. The 1st shelters were simple “lean-tos” shingled
with slabs of bark or white oak shakes. The next step was to clear
land intended for crops. The Quakers “girdled” the trees & planted
the seeds around the stumps with a hoe. After the crops were
planted, the people built log cabins for winter occupancy. All the
neighbors would join in at a “cabin raising”. The dwelling would be
erected in short order, reports Baker in “The Story of Wrightsboro”.
The cabins had either dirt or “puncheon” (split logs, flat side up)
floors. One Quaker historian states, “Greased paper was used in the
windows, with wooden shutters.
The Quakers also fashioned table-tops & benches from split logs,
using saplings for legs. Beds were built into the corners of the
room. Although there was a peace treaty, the Indians often raided
the Quaker settlement. They drove off the livestock & ruined the
crops. Quaker religion forbids the bearing of arms. 1st appeals to
Governor Wright for militia were denied. Finally, after about 1/3
of the people had left in 1771. Governor Wright sent help for fear
the new town would fail completely. Many returned after Governor
Wright interceded. Between the Indians & a poor growing season, the
1st Quaker crop failed miserably. If it had not been for the
foresight of s the Quakers to bring in a good supply of gun-powder,
nails & salt, the prospects of survival would have been dismal
indeed. Until a crop could be raised, the people had to live “off
the country” which was not too difficult. Turkeys were so
plentiful, Baker reports, the dried breast was used for bread. All
sorts of game & fish were plentiful. Also abundant assortments of
wild berries, fruits & greens were available. The pelts of t he
game animals were traded in Augusta for salt, gun-powder & other
necessities. Once the land was cleared for farming, the Quakers
used ox-drawn plows. People made their own wooden harrows,
hay-forks & rakes. They reaped their grain crops with scythe & sickle.
As soon as the Quakers raised a crop, they had another problem.
They had to get the crop to market. An individual could go anywhere
on horseback, but farm produce needed wagons, & wagons needed roads,
not paths. The people solved the problem during 1769 when their 1st
road was completed in Augusta. It followed roughly the present
route of Georgia 232. Although Wrightsboro had some tedious
moments, it survived a low point in 1671 & experienced a steady
growth for many years.
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COLUMBIA COUNTY’S PAST by Janette Kelley Aug. 4, 1982
COLONIAL LIFE ALONG THE RIVER
James Edward Oglethorpe on Feb. 1, 1733, established the 1st English
settlement in Georgia on the banks of the Savannah River. Calling
the town “Savannah” after the river by which it was built,
Oglethorpe laid out his town on the first high bluff, which was
called Yamacraw. The bluff, according to C.C. Jones in his “History
of Georgia, Vol. 1” rises 40 feet above the level of the water, &
possesses a bold frontage on the waterfront of nearly a mile. This
made it large enough for a settlement of considerable magnitude.
The river in front was capable of floating ships of ordinary
tonnage. Also, there was a good place for them to lie so near the
shore that their cargo could easily be discharged. Although the
English at Charleston had made a treaty with the Indians to
establish no more settlements south of the Savannah, with the help
of a half-breed married to an English trader, Oglethorpe was able to
obtain permission from the Indians to build his town. Amanda
Johnson, in her “Georgia As Colony & State, Vol. 1” reports that
among the 114 men & women in Oglethorpe’s colony, there were
carpenters, , bricklayers, mechanics, farmers, 3 bailiffs, 2
constables, 2 tithing men, one conservator of the peace & 1
clergyman. With considerable help from South Carolina, which was
very anxious to see the colony of Georgia succeed as a barrier
against the Spanish, Savannah, in 15 months, had become a
beautifully laid out city, complete with a heavy barrier of
palisades, a battery at the end of the bluff, a beacon 90 ft. high &
cannon to protect the passage to the river. The Trustees, anxious
to reinforce the lone city, made very attractive offers to settlers.
In 1735, Oglethorpe officially established the city of Augusta.
According to “Augusta, Georgia & North Augusta, South Carolina,”
published by the Chamber of Commerce, Fort Moore had been
established on the Fall Line of the Savannah River in 1717. Owned
by traders from South Carolina, Fort Moore was used as a meeting
point with the Indians. When Oglethorpe decided to change it from a
fort to a settlement, he renamed it Augusta, in honor of Princess
Augusta, Mother of the King, George III. From this time until the
Revolutionary War, the English carried on an ever-growing &
profitable trade with the Indians. By the beginning of the war, the
entire deer population along the Savannah had been whipped out. The
traders found the Indian canoes too small, so they developed “Pole
Boats,” called by that name because the boats were guided by poles
down the river & pushed upstream in the same manner.
After slaves became legal in 1748, rice plantations soon developed
around the lower Savannah River, During the 50’s & 60’s of the
18th century, a planter aristocracy began to flourish. All the work
was done by slaves. They waded in the marshes, tending the rice,
then loading it on flatboats bound for the deep harbors at Savannah
& Charlestown. Further upstream around our area, a harder & ore
lonely life-style developed. Most of the pioneers in this area
could not afford slaves; or 1 or 2 at the most. In the early days
there was a system of sturdy, independent yeoman farmers of which
Oglethorpe had dreamed. Once the ban on slavery was lifted, many
South Carolinians moved across the river & settled between the
Savannah & the Altamaha Rivers. A community of Quakers settled in
the quiet retreats of the Georgia Wilds along the Little River about
30 miles from where it flows into the Savannah. A large group of
Virginians came across the wilderness & settled in what later came
to be called Wilkes County. The area was opened for settlement in
1773 by a treaty with Cherokees & Creeks. On the eve of the
Revolution, the boundaries of Georgia reached as far north as the
junction of the Keowee & Tugaloo rivers, which are tributaries of
the Savannah.
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COLUMBIA COUNTY’S PAST by Janette Kelley Apr. 29, 1981
WHO CARES ABOUT TEA (this had to happen before the Rays & Bobos came
to Georgia. They came after the Revolutionary War)
When the seeds of rebellion were sprouting along the coastal regions
of Georgia, people in the Columbia County territory were
uninterested. As Columbia County today was north Georgia then, the
people were more loyal to Gov. Wright & the British. White people
had had legal title (from the Indians) to settle in the Columbia
County territory only since 1763. As these people were, for the
most part, just getting the land cleared & houses built, they had
little use for stamps. According to the late Pearl Baker in her
“Story of Wrightsboro,” most of the residents never heard of tea.
Many were 1st generation from England & had very close ties with
the Mother country. Also Wrightsboro people were close friends of
Gov. Wright. He had befriended them & was a principle landowner in
the town. The Quaker religion forbade them to bear arms, but the
neighborhood still needed protection from the Indians. The Indians
still made regular raids on the crops & outlying homes. Therefore,
when the “Liberty Boys” met & selected delegates to the Continental
Congress, July 4, 1775, the people of Kiokee, Broad River &
Wrightsboro published petitions against the proceedings in the
“Georgia Gazette.” No less than 115 residents of Wrightsboro signed
the petition. About the same time, 77 men from the Broad River &
Kiokee communities signed a similar petition. Consider the later
actions of these men Dr. Edward J. Cashin, Jr. in his article “The
Little Revolution of Colonel Wells” in the 1974 summer issue of
Richmond County History, suggests that the people of north Georgia
(Columbia County) were not as loyal to the king as the petitions
would imply.
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C;OLUMBIA COUNTY’S PAST by Janette Kelley Dec. 10, 1980
CHURCHES OF COLUMBIA COUNTY GA--WHITEOAK CAMPGROUND
Whiteoak Campground continues to hold open-air meetings in the same
setting in which they were held in 1792. According to George Smith
in “Methodism in Georgia,” Bishop Asbury, the 1st METHODIST Bishop
in the United States, visited Old Whiteoak Campground. Smith
reports that though it was spring, the weather was still cold.
Asbury, who had crossed over to Georgia from South Carolina in
Screven County, had to ride from 7 a. m to 7 p.m. to find a place to
stop. At this time there was not a bridge in Georgia, not a
turnpike, & in many counties, not a pane of glass. Upper Georgia
had log cabins with bedaubed cracks, dirt floors, & a stick & dirt
chimney. When Bishop Asbury finally came upon a kind-hearted
settlement, he held services at his cabin & was seated to a plain
style dinner of bear or deer meat & hominy. He continued on his way
for miles before he reached another house. When Asbury came upon a
stream, he & his horse swam it. It is reported by Perry Dozier in a
pamphlet he prepared on the Whiteoak Campground that in 1796,
Asbury crossed the Savannah River near Augusta, visited Augusta,
rode on thru Columbia County to Whiteoak where he preached, then had
to ride 15 miles & swim Little River into Wilkes County before he
could get dinner. At the early camp meetings, there were neither
tents to dwell in nor roofs to shelter the worshippers from the
weather. A grove & a spring were selected as sites for the
meetings. A stand was built for the preacher & logs were cut for
seats. People flocked to the meetings in wagons & ox-carts. Again,
in 1802, Bishop Asubry preached at Whiteoak Campground. This time
he didn’t have to go quite as far for dinner. He went home with
Captain Ignatius Few. The Captain’s oldest son, Ignatius A. Few,
expressed concern about his soul. The Reverend Asbury counseled &
prayed with the young man. Nearly 25 years later, Ignatius A. Few
was converted. He became a minister & 1st president of EMORY UNIVERSITY.
Old Whiteoak Campground was used continually until sometime during
the Civil War. For several years there were no camp meetings in the
area. However, in 1872, the present site of Whiteoak Campground was
laid out. It was built several miles further east into Columbia
County. The arbor pulpit was built & the camp was laid off. The
1st service in the new camp ground was held on Friday night before t
he second Sabbath in Sept. 1873. Meetings have been held regularly
ever since. Today (1980) Whiteoak Campground also serves as the
Augusta District Methodist Camp & is supported by 90 churches in the
area. Several permanent building & a pool have been added over the
years. Whiteoak Campground continues to be a special place of
relaxation & meditation. Folklore has it that more Bishops have
preached at Whiteoak than at any other one place.
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COLUMBIA COUNTY’S PAST--by Janette Kelley Nov 5, 1980
CHURCHES OF COLUMBIA COUNTY--KIOKEE BAPTIST CHURCH
KIOKEE BAPTIST CHURCH, located in Appling & organized in 1772, was
the 1st Baptist Church in the state of Georgia. Although three is
some conflict on the exact dates & locations of early building, the
3rd building, “Old Kiokee Church” was built in 1808 & still stands 3
miles west of Appling. Daniel Marshall organized Kiokee & served as
its pastor until his death on Nov. 2, 1784. Marshall, converted in
1727, took his religious duties quite seriously, & was soon ordained
deacon in the Congregational Church in Winsor, Conn. However, it
seems that his thoughts leaned toward the Calvanist theology.
Marshall heard & was greatly influenced by George Whitfield. In
1744, Daniel Marshall was leader in the Separatist Movement in
Connecticut. Accused of being “tainted” with “heresy”, he preached
against infant baptism & encroachments on the democratic principle
of church policy. Daniel became a Baptist & joined the Philadelphia
Association, which, according to Mosteller’s “History of the Kiokee
Baptist,” gave him a license to preach. With his brother-in-law
accompanying him, Marshall & his family moved through Virginia,
North Carolina & South Carolina, preaching whenever they could get a
crowd to listen. In time, Marshall & his family got to Georgia.
One day, according to the “History of the Baptist Denomination in
Georgia,” Marshall was conducting a religious service in a shady
grove. During the opening prayer, while on his knees, he heard a
voice say, “You are my prisoner!” Rising, the sedate,
earnest-minded man of God, whose sober mind & silver locks indicated
the 65 years that had passed since his birth, found himself
confronted by an officer of the law. Marshall was astonished at
being arrested under such circumstances. The officer, Sam
Cartledge, informed Marshall that he was arrested for “preaching in
the Parish of St. Paul.” By doing so, he had violated a legislative
enactment of 1758, which established religious worship in the Colony
of Georgia “according to the rites & ceremonies of the “Church of England.”
Rev. Abraham Marshall reported in the Analytical Repository that
his father was made to give security for appearance in Augusta the
following Monday to answer for his violation of the law. According
to Dr. J.H. Campbell, after Constable Carledge was satisfied with
the security given, he released Marshall, to the surprise of
everyone. On the following Monday, Marshall went to court. His
son, Abraham, reported in the Analytical Repository that “He was
ordered to come, as a preacher, no more to Georgia.” Daniel
Marshall replied with the Apostles, “Whether it be right to obey God
or man, judge ye.” Marshall continued to preach in Georgia &
organized the first Baptist Church--Kiokee-in present day APPLING.
He organized a system for the spread of the gospel throughout the
area. When a convert decided God had called him to preach, the man
became a licentiate of Kiokee Church. When, according to the
“History of the Baptist Denomination,” a licentiate converted a
goodly number of people in the area, the people organized a church.
The licentiate was then ordained a minister & usually became pastor
of the church. Licentiates preached wherever they could find
receptive audiences. Often they held services under a tree or in
the house of a friend. Notable in Columbia County’s history among
the early licentiates are : Loveless Savidge, sheriff at the time
of Daniel’s arrest. 3 years later, he became first pastor of
Abilene in Martinez. Samuel Cartledge, Daniel’s arresting officer,
who in later years organized Damascus near Little River. Silas
Mercer, for whose son Mercer University is named. Silas was a prime
promoter of educational & missionary work among the Indians.
Abraham Marshall, Daniel’s son & successor at Kiokee, founder of
Sheron in Winfield, & the Meeting House on Greene Street which later
became 1st Baptist Church of Augusta (now Landmark) where the
Southern Baptist Convention was organized.
Daniel lived to see 5 churches established in Georgia. He organized
them into a group called the Georgia Association. The Association
met for 3 day bi-annually, at different churches. These were days
of fasting, worshipping & business discussions.
In 1789 Kiokee was chartered by the State of Georgia. Charter
trustees were Abraham Marshall, William Willingham, Edmund
Cartledge, John Landers, James Simms, JOSEPH RAY & Lewis Gardener.
According to Asplund’s Register, the one Baptist Church in Georgia
in 1772 had grown by 1794 into 60 Baptist Churches with 4,500 members.
Prior to the Civil War, most congregations consisted of black &
white members. Old Kiokee Church has a section built in the
balcony for the blacks who were slaves. After the Civil War, the
blacks wanted separate places of worship. As a rule, the older
churches helped the Negroes build churches.
According to Mozart, Kiokee lost 2/3 of its membership when the
races divided. Kiokee’s congregation celebrated its bicentennial by
renovating the old building & restoring it as nearly as possible to
its original appearance--according to the records which could be
found. In addition, the members built an amphitheater between the
old church & the Baptismal pool. The pool, built in 1801, is still
used (1980). Pageants are held periodically at the theater. In
1970, Kiokee became a full-time church, which means the church as a
pastor whose only job is to serve the pastoral needs of that congregation.
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COLUMBIA COUNTY’S PAST--by Janette Kelley Feb. 4, 1981
WEALTH, INTELLLIGENCE & INFLUENCE
Columbia Courthouse (now Appling) during the 1st years of the 18th
century was the social center of the area. George C. Smith reports
in his “History of Georgia” that Appling was a center of wealth,
intelligence & influence. Moses Waddell’s CARMEL ACADEMY was
located 2 ½ miles west of the town. It was this school that William
H. Crawford received his only formal education. Among Crawford’s
accomplishments in future years were that he represented his country
in the Courts of France & is reported to be the only man Napolean
Bonaparte ever bowed to . Napolean was impressed, according to
historians, with Crawford’s gracious manners & fancy court dress.
Crawford was also Secretary of War, Secretary Treasurer, & missed
becoming President of the United States by one vote. Another of
Waddell’s students at Carmel was his brother-in-law, John C.
Calhoun. Calhoun later represented South Carolina in the United
States Senate & held several national offices. Ironically, it was
Calhoun that Crawford defeated for the Democratic nomination for
president. Historian report the 2 young men did not like each other
during their school days & the friction carried on to vying for the
Presidency. Thomas W. Cobb, also from Appling, studied law under
Crawford, & went on to represent his states in the United States
House & Senate. Abraham Baldwin, nationally known as the saver of
the Federal Convention of 1787 by advocating compromise, chose
Appling as his permanent home. The OLDEST BAPTIST CHURCH IN
GEORGIA, Kiokee, is located in APPLING. The name Columbia
Courthouse was officially changed to Appling in 1816 when the
village was incorporated. The name Appling was chosen after John
Appling sold the land to the county at a nominal fee for the
courthouse. Appling’s son Daniel served with distinction in the War
of 1812 & received a gold sword from the State Assembly for his
valor. Appling was on the main stage line to Washington. A large
hotel was built & there were several stores. The old hotel still
stands (1981) behind the offices of the probate judge & the clerk of
the Superior Court. . Of the 150 or so Georgia counties created
since Columbia, the names of Appling residents were chosen for 4:
Crawford County for William H. Crawford; Appling County for Daniel
Appling; Baldwin County for Abraham Baldwin; & Cobb County for
Thomas W. Cobb. In addition to having a county named in his honor,
both the town of Crawford & Crawfordville in Georgia, honor William H. Crawford.
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RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN GEORGIA (Historical marker)
This building, KIOKEE CHURCH’S 6th meetinghouse was erected in 1937
with the help of many Georgia Baptists as a monument to Daniel
Marshall. Not later than 1770 he was arrested for preaching in
Colonial Georgia at a site east of this marker. At a trial in
Augusta before Colonel Edward Barnard & Parson Edward Ellington of
the Church of England he was ordered to “desist from preaching in
the province”. His wife, Martha defended him “with solemn
denunciation of the law, quoting with fluency passage after passage
of scripture.” Marshall also replied “whether it be right to obey
God rather than man, judge ye”. He continued to preach. His
arresting officer, Samuel Cart ledge , was converted, became a
member of Kiokee Church which Marshall began in 1772, was also
ordained & organized & pastored churches in the area. Colonel
Bernard became a close friend. Thereafter religious persecution
ended in Georgia. The Marshall Historical Site where Marshall lived
& died is east of this site on Tubman Road one mile past Old Kiokee
Church.
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GEORGIA MILITARY LIFE--source--Georgia Heritage--documents of
Georgia History 1730-1790 by Georgia Commission For the National
Bicentennial Celebration 1776-1976 Augusta State University--Reece
Library Reference room Call # Ref F289 G37 1973
The American army was plagued throughout the war by a lack of proper
discipline & unity, problems which arose in part from the conditions
of frontier isolation & independence under which many of these
soldiers had grown up. Added to this situation was the unfortunate
truth that the colonies were hardly prepared for sustained fighting.
Powder & lead were in chronic short supply, & the powder often
arrived at the front too damp for use. Uniforms, at least until
1778 when the 1st shipment of them arrived from France, were almost
nonexistent; even after this, they were too few to go around.
Soldiers reported in their civilian clothes & went on to fight in
them. Most of them also brought their own weapons from home. Not
surprisingly, these were of every possible design & were sometimes
makeshift or outdated as well. Georgians fought throughout the
Revolution in both Continental regiments & the state militia. While
little information still exists on the actual conditions under which
soldiers from Georgia went to war, we may assume that they were
little different from those in any other colony. Militiamen in all
13 states often engaged in guerrilla fighting rather than the more
traditional battle methods used by the British & were usually active
only in times of immediate danger to their respective states. They
were on occasion a greater pain to their own allies than to the
enemy, being sometimes prone to desertion, insubordination, & a
tendency to break & run in the face of heavy fighting. The
Continental troops covered more territory, fought more battles, &
were in general much superior soldiers. Infantrymen were the most
crucial division. Their most commonly used weapon was the flintlock
musket with a bayonet attached. It was not completely effective,
having a maximum range of only about 80-100 yards. The American
rifle was also used but did not command as much importance as a
Revolutionary weapon as is popularly believed. Although accurate by
as much as 200 yards more than a musket, it was not suited to
bayonets & took too long to re-load. In an era when armies still
engaged at close range for battle, speed in reloading was too vital
a factor to be often sacrificed. Brown was the official uniform
color during the 1st years of the war, but after the 1st shipment
from France to the colonies, this was changed to blue, with facings
that varied according to each state or region. When food was
available, the average soldier ate very well, but all too often it
was difficult to come by. A typical daily ration for a soldier
stationed near Boston in plentiful times included one pound each of
bread & meat (beef, pork, or fish); 1 pint of milk; ¼ pint of peas
or beans’ 1 quart of spruce or malt beer. Rice was substituted if
milk was not available, & once a week he also received 6 ounces of
butter & ½ pint of vinegar, which was used in cooking to aid in
prevention of scurvy. Of course, rations varied from camp to camp &
from colony to colony, & often enough, the soldiers went hungry or
ate only bread.
Disease was also a factor to be reckoned with. Crowded & unsanitary
camp conditions, together with fatigue & unaccustomed or inadequate
diet, made the army ready prey to typhoid, pleurisy, dysentery, &
other illnesses. Fortunately, after 1777 the smallpox vaccination
had become common enough to keep at least that disease under
control. Medicine in the 18th century was crude & limited, having
made small progress since medieval times. Doctors usually resorted
to blood-letting as a general cure-all. Only a few
operations--amputations, extraction of musket balls--ere performed
with any frequency, since anesthetics had not yet been invented, &
surgery itself presented almost as much threat to the life of the
patient as did his wound itself.
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SLAVE LIFE IN GEORGIA--source: Georgia Heritage--documents of
Georgia History 1730-1790 by Georgia Commission For the National
Bicentennial Celebration 1776-1976 (Augusta State University--Reece
Library Reference room Call # Ref F289 G37 1973
Slaves had begun to appear in large numbers in Georgia even before
the ban against them was lifted, & by the time of the Revolution
almost half of the colony’s population was black. They were nearly
universally considered to be unthinking, inferior beings, but
regardless of their attitudes or motives, most owners found it in
their own interest to keep their slaves as happy, healthy, & well
cared for as possible. SLAVE CABINS were grouped together in rows
in a specific area of the plantation grounds & were designed to
provide for only the most basic functions of living. Most were
one-room, without floors or windows or any furniture beyond an
occasional table or chair. Beds might be collections of straw or
old rags boxed in with boards. Treatment & maintenance varied as
widely among the various colonies as it did among individual owners,
but in GEORGIA a typical planter might give each of his adult slaves
a weekly food allowance of some sort of meat or fish--usually pork
or salt herrings--& about 8 quarts of corn meal. On some
plantations they were permitted to raise chickens or plant small
gardens to supplement this diet. Holidays & other special occasions
often meant a gift of sugar, coffee, extra meat, or perhaps some rum
from the owner. Clothing was likewise very limited. On the
average, enough coarse tow cloth--known as “Negro cloth” was handed
out each year to make 2 garments per slave. Hats & shoes were on
most plantations given only to those who chopped wood or built
fences, & then only in winter. Young children wore nothing but
shirts; older ones & adults received either pantaloons or a gown, &
some sort of jacket or overcoat for cold weather. The great
majority of slaves worked in the cotton or rice fields on crops
which required long hours of careful & tedious tending. Their day
was a long one--from daylight to noon, when a meal was served, &
then on until dusk--but usually it did not end even then until the
field hands had also completed such additional chores as gathering
wood or feeding the livestock.
In great contrast was the life led by a small & elite group of
slaves who were separated from their families & other slaves as
children to become “house Negroes.” They were raised in the owner’s
house, often sleeping on pallets on the floors of the bedrooms, to
become maids, butlers, & personal valets. Frequently they were much
petted & given many favors, & consequently most slaves believed that
to be selected as a house servant was the highest possible honor
they might receive. Most of them were model slaves, reporting any
rebellious talk, thievery, or other wrongdoing among the other
slaves. Not surprisingly, the house slaves were often more feared &
resented by their counterparts in the field than were the masters
themselves.