Moonshine Still, Dawson County, GA

Moonshine still on display in downtown Dawsonville, GA

Moonshine stills have been a fixture in Appalachia since the settlers took over the area in the 18th and 19th century. It was prohibition, from 1920 to 1933, that resulted in an explosion of bootlegging activity in Dawson County, primarily because of its proximity to Atlanta. Located approximately 50 miles north, the heavily wooded areas, countless ravines and gullies, and being sparsely populated made Dawson County an ideal location for the manufacturing of moonshine (also called white lightning, hooch, corn liquor, and mountain dew, among others).

The demand for spirits by the population of Atlanta was so great that an entire culture rose out of the hills to meet this demand. Stills were constructed; corn was grown and fermented; drivers were hired to transport the product south on back roads, where they learned how to out-maneuver the police cars. Even after prohibition ended in 1933, moonshine was big business in Dawsonville. It is believed that today's modern stock car racing rose from this culture of bootlegging.

The best drivers were hired by the moonshiners, and they in turn altered their cars to be able to outrun the revenuers. Apparently, nowhere was this done better than in Dawson County, where the drivers transitioned from a life of crime, to making an honest living from fast driving. Dawson County boasts five winners at the Daytona Speedway, going back to the 1930s with Lloyd Seay, to the 1980s with Bill Elliott.

Whether you are a stock car racing fan or not, you have to admit that a small, rural county in north Georgia that boasts 12 Daytona victories, is pretty impressive. All because of the driving skills that were honed while running the end products made from stills like this one. The Moonshine culture here is acknowledged with the Mountain Moonshine Festival, which will be holding its 50th annual celebration this October.

Old Farmhouse, c. unknown, Franklin County, GA

Harrison Bridge Road, photographer facing east

Founded in 1784, Franklin County, located just northeast of Athens, GA is noted for its open pastures, rolling Piedmont hills, and poultry farms, lots of poultry farms.

The agricultural history of the county was rooted in a crop that is grown rarely in this part of Georgia; cotton. However, lack of crop diversification, erosion issues, and the Boll Weevil ended cotton's reign as the top crop in the region. Corn and sorghum were also staple crops of the county.

Today, poultry and livestock dominate the agricultural scene, with Franklin County being the top poultry producer in the state. The Franklin County Livestock Market is the largest in the state.

The county is dotted with older homes and a few schools, like this one, that are no longer occupied, and haven't been for some time.

Home to two state parks (Tugaloo and Victoria Bryant), as well as a few miles of Lake Hartwell shoreline make Franklin County a draw for outdoor activities.

Better known natives include baseball legend, Ty Cobb, former Georgia Governor Ernest Vandiver, and agricultural giant D.W. Brooks. You can read more about Mr. Brooks here. His story is a fascinating one.

With a dusting of snow

The photos shown here were taken at different points over a period of a few years around 2002-2005. I drove past this spot everyday on my way to Carnesville from Athens, and stopped to take a shot when the setting really caught my eye. The last time I drove by there several years ago, the home is almost covered on the front by vines and other brush. Maybe some of my Franklin County friends can shed some light on the history of this home and its former occupants.

Under a full moon.

Old Homes Along Matt Hwy, Forsyth County, GA

5240 Matt Hwy, c.1936, photographer facing NE (house has been demolished).

Traveling west of Hwy 9 on Matt Hwy (Hwy 369) in northern Forsyth County, you can see the new creeping in on the old. Forsyth County is one of the fastest growing counties in the country. Located near Coal Mountain, just 45 miles from downtown Atlanta, this area has seen steady growth. Old houses fade away to be replaced by large, and quite expensive developments.

5240 Matt Hwy, photographer facing east.

The home shown in these first few photos is no longer standing. These photos were taken in 2015, and I'm not certain when the home was razed. This location will more than likely end up being a commercial development, given the lot size of less than one acre.

A tin roof, large wrap-around front porch, and an old well located right behind the house were some of the neat features of this home.

5240 Matt Hwy, photographer facing south. Well house on the left.

5240 Matt Hwy, photographer facing west.

Matt Hwy, c.1926, photographer facing east.

The second old farm place, shown here is located only about a mile from the first home in this post, and looks very similar from the side. Also with a well house located immediately adjacent to the home, the roof on this home has shingles, and the front of the house has more of a Craftsman look. Ten years older and in much worse shape than the 5240 home, this home, if not gone already, will be soon. The roof on the back section is open, and the front porch roof was also failing in 2015.

Matt Hwy c.1926, photographer facing south.

This site also has an out building and a barn (also built in 1926, according to tax records) still standing just 100' or so from the house.

Outbuilding and barn, c.1926, photographer facing south.

I haven't been by this site in a while, so I don't know if these buildings are standing, or not. Being next to a 60+ acre parcel that sold for $1.25 million in 2014, you can be sure that  this farm will soon be a memory.

Wilson House, Union County, GA

Photographer facing East

On the north side of Pat Haralson Drive, across from the rolling hills that are now home to Butternut Creek Golf Course, you may be able to find the remnants of Cicero and Roxie (Smith) Wilson's farm. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson raised four daughters and two sons along this road that is currently an area with commercial establishments (such as a dental office, the Sawmill restaurant, a town home development, Davenport Trucking), interspersed with single family homes, but in the early 20th century it was primarily farmland. The road begins in the city limits of Blairsville, and winds its way west until it brushes the eastern limit of Lake Nottely at Hwy 129 North.

Photographer facing NE

Born on March 25, 1885, in Hall County, GA, Mr. Wilson's family moved to Union County when he was five. Coincidentally, Pat Haralson Drive was named for the man that would become one of Mr. Wilson's teachers when he attended Fairview School.

Mr. Cicero Wilson

Roxie Smith was born September 27, 1887, and married Mr. Wilson in 1910. Their four daughters were Imogene, Montine, Ella Ree, and Audrey; the two sons were Woodrow, and James Ford.

Mr. Wilson worked for a time as the superintendent of the County's Pauper's Home (also known as The County Poor Farm), a place for indigent men to live out their lives. There is a good article about the Pauper's Home here, written by Ethelene Dyer Jones, a prolific author on Union County history.

At the age of 50, he took up farming, perhaps at the subject location in this post.  Sadly, Mr. and Mrs.Wilson twice had to face a parent's worst fear, the death of not one, but two of their children.

Back L-R, Montine, Ella Ree; Front L-R, Woodrow, Imogene

Wilson Farm Outbuilding, photographer facing north

Both Woodrow and James Ford served during World War II in Europe. Sadly, Woodrow was killed during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944, and Imogene passed away in 1963 at the age of 46.

The following quote is from the Union County Heritage book,

"When Grandpa Wilson was 11, he got kicked in the head by an old mare. The dent stayed in his head his whole life.....Whenever Grandpa Wilson bought anything, he paid the money all at once. He never owed any money to anyone. Once when he was small, he drank milk and got sick. He never again drank milk. All he ever drank was water and juice. He never drank coffee, tea, or soft drinks. Grandpa died in 1980 after his 95th birthday. Grandma Wilson died two years before him."

Charolette (Adams) Conley, one of their 33 grandchildren informed me that Mr. Wilson was a Mormon, and Mrs. Wilson was a member of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. He was also known to have never had a drivers license. If he wanted to go somewhere, he'd simply start walking in that direction, and eventually someone would stop and give him a ride. He could also cane the bottom of chairs and make cane baskets.

Wilson Family, back, L-R Montine, Ella Ree, Woodrow, Imogene, James Ford, Audrey, front Cicero and Roxie

As I mentioned above, with 33 grandchildren, and 63 great-grandchildren (as of 1980), I'd say the Wilson's certainly did their part in adding to the legacy of Union County.

Robinson Service Station/Big T Auto Parts, c.(1915 or 1950)?, Dawsonville, GA

Photographer facing NE

Located directly north across Court Square from the Dawson County historic courthouse, this sturdy looking block building has been vacant for many years (at least since 2013). According to the official history of Dawson County, before Big T it was known as the Robinson Service Station. Most of the property now serves as parking for visitors to the new courthouse, and the Law Enforcement Center.

There are two references that cite very different years for the construction of the building. The Tax Assessor's webpage lists 1950 as the construction date, while this link references 1915 as the construction date.

Photographer facing NW. New Courthouse in the background.

The concrete block style is much like that of Salem United Methodist Church that is located in southern Dawson County. The church was built in 1914, so I'm kind of leading towards the 1915 construction date for this building.

If anyone knows more about this building, I'd love to hear about it.

Long's Chapel, c.1871, Rockingham County, VA

Photographer facing SE, 1999-2000

Located NE of Harrisonburg, VA, between the Valley Pike (U.S. Route 11) and the Massanutten Mountain Range, lies the site that was originally named Athens, but later changed to Zenda.

In 1869, four years after the end of the Civil War, newly freed slaves in Rockingham County were provided the opportunity to purchase land and begin building a community of their own. A couple by the names of William and Hannah Carpenter donated a sizable  portion of their land to the United Brethren in Christ for this purpose.

Long's Chapel was built the following year by Jacob Long, who was believed to have paid for the construction, thus the name.

Photographer facing south, 1999-2000

Slowly the community grew, and the Chapel served not only as a place of worship, but also as a school. The community also had a post office. By 1900, the community consisted of 17 homes and 80 residents.

The residents primarily worked as farm laborers, but the ability to own land gave them the opportunity to grow, financially.

Eventually a separate school was built in 1882, which the Rockingham County School District described as having seating for 28 students.

Photographer facing SE, 1999-2000

Over time, the community lost its steam, and by 1940 there was only one remaining African American family living in the community. Economic hardship, and manufacturing jobs lured people to large cities.

Long's Chapel, its cemetery, and the Wilson Family homestead ( the last remaining family) are all that remains of the community. At the time I took these photos, the building was in serious danger of being lost forever.

In 2004, a couple on vacation from South Carolina came upon the building, recognized its historical significance, and the rest is truly history. Read about it here, and also here.

The Chapel has since been fully restored, and in 2006 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. An often too rare success story in historic preservation.

Photographer facing SW, 1999-2000

Appalachian Farmhouse, Rockingham County, VA

Photo taken 1999 or 2000

Located in western Rockingham County, Virginia, north of Rawley Pike (US Route 33) near Rawley Springs, this old farmhouse's days were numbered at the time I took the photos. Rockingham County was home to me from 1996 until 2001, and includes some of the most beautiful, pastoral scenery that rivals any agricultural area in the world. Although it was officially founded in 1778, the first settlers began arriving in 1727, when German-born Adam Mueller made his home on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River.

Over the next 50 years, European settlers (a large proportion of them were from Germany) traveled south from Pennsylvania and Maryland via the Valley Pike (US Route 11) to take advantage of the areas fertile farmland. This route was a much easier road to travel versus having to cross the Blue Ridge Mountains if you were traveling from the east.

Even today, the vast majority of the county is made up of active farms, and is the top poultry producer in the state. After poultry (primarily turkey), dairy operations are prevalent in the County, especially in the southwestern area that is heavily populated by Old-order Mennonite farming communities.

Photographer facing NW, 1999 or 2000

The location of this old farmhouse is marked by the rise of the Allegheny Mountain Range to the west, and the disappearance of the large, open, rolling pastures, and hay fields. At this point the fertile soil gives way to shale, giving this area a more hardscrabble appearance.

A few miles west of this location, tucked away on the eastern slopes of the Alleghenies, on the banks of the Dry River, is the old site of the Rawley Springs Hotel.

Since 1800, people had been utilizing the natural spring water of the area as a tonic that were professed to cure an innumerable number of ailments. The area grew in popularity, and by 1880 there were three hotels present with a total of 800 rooms. Sadly, two of these buildings burned in 1886, were re-built, then burned again in 1915, which marked the end of the resort's glory years. Since then the resort area is more well known as a place to cool off in the summer at the Blue Hole, or to try your hand at trout fishing. For more on the fascinating history of the resort read this.

Though close to the resort, and it's wealthy visitors, this old farmhouse and it's inhabitants were certainly living what must have seemed like a world away.