Coffee
County, 1930
Size, Altitude—Longitude
and Latitude— Population about 20,000.
Coffee County, Georgia,
January 1, 1930, consists of six hundred thirty-two square miles of
territory situated about ninety miles west of the Atlantic Ocean, is
about three hundred feet above sea level. Its latitude is 31° 30°,
longitude 82° 83°. Population about 20,000
About 1800 when this
section of the country was first settled it had the appearance of a
beautiful pine park with many streams of water. With beautiful hills
and valleys, with hammocks on the east side of nearly all the large
streams. There was plenty of game here, birds, turkeys and deer and the
streams had plenty of fish. It will be observed that the hammocks and
sand ridges are located on the east side of all the large streams. It
is said by those who profess to know that when the waters of this
country were flowing into the Atlantic Ocean the waters moved east and
washed the sands into the streams from the west side over on the east
side and that is why great banks of sand, covered with black jack oaks
grow on the east side of the streams. You will further observe that the
east side of the stream contains many springs. This is especially true
of the Seventeen-Mile Creek. The reason for this is said to be when the
rain falls on the sand hill on the east side of the stream it sinks
down into the clay some ten or twenty feet and then seeps down to the
stream and bursts out into a spring which contains the best and purest
water in the world. It has been strained through a mile and more of
sand. Gaskin Springs on the east side of the Seventeen-Mile Creek, two
miles from Douglas, is a good illustration of what is here stated.
About the year 1800 there
was not a decent road or bridge in all the territory now occupied by
Coffee County. Later on the Blackshear Road and the Columbus Road were
"cut out" but were never graded nor bridges built. The only road which
tradition has brought to our notice is a single pathway that led from
old man Daniel Lott's home, near where John Peterson now lives to the
old Ward home where Mr. B. W, Tanner now lives. There was not a public
road any-where to any place in this territory. The first bridge in
Coffee County was built many years after the civil war.
In addition to the
wildwoods and a few pioneer citizens we had the Creek Indians and as
they owned this country and lived here when we came here, we have
thought it proper to give a somewhat extended write-up of the Creek
Indians. It seems that no real history of the Creek Indians has ever
been written—nothing describing their personal appearance, their habits
of life, nor their real economic lives as they once lived in Coffee
County. As a rule the Indian commissioners in their reports to the
Government, consisted of some Medicine Men or green corn dance or some
other matter that did not make a history of the Creek Indians.
A short biography of
Billy Bow-Legs, the celebrated Seminole Indian Chief of Florida will
appear in another place.
The information upon
which the story of the Creek Indians is written has been obtained from
many sources. From the reports made to the Government by Indian
Commissioners. Drake's History of American Indians and the "Seminoles"
of Florida written by Mrs. Wilson of Kissimmee, Florida. I am also
indebted to Mr. George W. Powers who lived in Florida in 1846 and many
years after that time; he had a personal acquaint-ance with Billy
Bow-Legs. Much has been learned from tradition about the Creek Indians
who lived in this section. They were friendly and were good mixers with
the Pioneers of this section of the country.
Coffee County has several
varieties of native trees. Also many native birds, native fish, and
native snakes. Each of these items is more fully discussed in spearate
articles in this book. And it may be truly said that Coffee County is
well watered. It is bound on the north by the Ocmulgee River. The
Satilla River runs all the way through the southern section of the
county. The Seventeen-Mile Creek is a large creek with numerous runs
and lakes all through it. It rises in the northwestern part of the
county and runs southeast entirely through the county.
There are several smaller
streams throughout the county. Otter Creek and Tiger Creek are in the
central eastern part of the county and flow south into Seventeen-Mile
Creek. In addition to these streams there are many other smaller
streams such as gullies, branches, spring heads, etc. Many of the
smaller streams never go dry. There are ever-running springs and so it
can be truly said that Coffee County is well watered. In Pioneer days
there were thousands of fish in these creeks and streams, but sad to
say, poison, dynamite, seines, traps, etc., have destroyed nearly all
the fish in small streams, and in like manner many of the birds have
been destroyed by high-powered shot guns and bird dogs. Forest fires
have greatly injured the trees and all growing plants in the wild woods
j but it is worthy of note, that in two or three years an abundance of
fish will raise in the streams, and when fire is kept out of the woods,
pine trees come back rapidly and when the hunter gives the birds a
chance, it only requires a few years to fill the woods again with quail
and other birds. The good Lord seems to be on the giving hand and when
we destroy one gift he sends another and so we find ourselves always in
"God's Country in Coffee County."
Douglas
The Capital City of Coffee County The Legislature of Georgia created
Coffee County in 1854. Mr. James Pearson gave the county fifty acres of
land on which to build the public buildings for the county. This
fifty-acre tract of land was surveyed into lots and blocks.
The court house was not
built until 1858.
The lumber for building
the court house was sawed at a mill on the Ocmulgee River. The lumber
was floated down the river to Barrows Bluff and then hauled out to
Douglas with ox teams. The court house was located back of the
Overstreet building. The offices for the county officials were located
on the second floor of the auditorium where the cases were tried on the
first floor. It is said that Coursey Cato nailed the last shingle on
the court house when it was covered and that he stood on his head as a
signal that the building was finished.
Several jail houses have
been built in Douglas. The first jail was a brick building and stood on
the corner where the Tanner brick residence now stands. The brick out
of which the building was built was a very poor grade and in a year or
two the building fell down. The next jail that was built was located
about where the Coca-Cola building now stands and was built of hewn
logs. The first story had no doors. The prisoner was taken upstairs and
the ladder let down from the upper floor and the prisoner went down the
ladder to his quarters in the jail below. When the ladder was taken up
the prisoner was safely in jail. The prisoner was taken out in the same
manner. The last jail is the building that you now see on the court
house square. It has stood there more than thirty years and two men
have been hanged within its walls.
The next building in
Douglas was built for a hotel and boarding house. It was built of logs
and was situated on the lot where the Peterson home now stands. The
building was constructed by J. K. Hilliard, who came from Holmesville,
Georgia. The log hotel was a big success and was the only hotel in
Douglas for many, many years.
The first store house
built in Douglas was occupied by Ive Kirkland. It was located near
where the Chevrolet building now stands. The Spivey home and store
stood where the court house now stands. He had a big family of girls
and boys. The next store house was a small wooden building with a back
room and a side room and stood where the Union Bank building now
stands. That building was occupied by Dr. Barber as an office and drug
store and post office.
From time to time other
buildings were constructed and other little store houses were scattered
around. The mail was brought here on horse back from Stockton, Georgia,
about twice a week.
There was a race track
leading from about where the court house now stands down the road by
the side of a fence and ended about where the A. B. & C. depot now
stands. We had some wonderful races on that track by some wonderful
horses by some won-derful riders. It often happened that the worse
looking horse won the race.
All the matters and
things written above transpired before the Civil War. When the war eame
on Douglas went to pieces. There was nothing here to make a town and no
town was made.
When the war was over and
the soldiers returned home, Douglas was only a wide place in the road.
It is said a troop of Yankees rode several days coming to Douglas,
Georgia. When they reached here, it is said they walked out in the
middle of the streets and looked north and east and south and west, and
not a man was in sight, and they said in wonder and astonishment, 4'Is
this Douglas?" "Are you sure this is Douglas?"
The old court house and
an acre of land on which it stood was sold to B. Peterson and a new
court house was built of wood where the present court house now stands.
The old court house was used as a school house, as a church house, for
shows, for political meetings, and for everything else that a house was
needed for in Douglas. I might add also that the goats had possession
of it a long time.
For many years after the
war Douglas was only a little country hamlet. There was nothing here
except big court twice a year. All the business that Douglas should
have had went to Ilazlehurst and to Pearson. We had no railroads and
nothing to build up the town.
The first train came to
Douglas from McDonalds Mill, now Axson, about 1895. The next train that
came to Douglas was the Waycross Air Line, a small railroad built by
the Southern Pine Company from Nicholls up to Douglas in 1898. In a
short time we had railroads to Fitzgerald and to Broxton. These roads
have now grown into the great railroad systems of the A. B. & C. R.
R. and the Georgia and Florida Railroad.
With the coming of the
railroads various enterprises came to Douglas. The Ashley-Price Lumber
Company, the Agricultural School, G. & F. R. R. shops, and the
Georgia Normal Business College. The first brick building in Douglas
was a school building. It was built in 1896. The railroad was extended
from Downing to Douglas primarily for the purpose of hauling the brick
to build the middle building on the campus in Douglas. Professor John
R. Overman taught the first school in the new building. The next
building was a large wooden building with auditorium upstairs and is
still standing on the southwest corner of the campus. The money for
that was one thousand dollars paid by Lucius Guthrey for permission to
sell liquor in Douglas.
Eighteen hundred and
ninety-eight the court house was burned, and in 1900 the present brick
court house was built.
With the coming of the
many enterprises mentioned above, Douglas put on a new life. Water and
lights were installed. Later on the streets of the city were paved.
Side walks were laid along the principal streets of the city. The
Baptist and Methodist churches were built. And from time to
time improvements have been made in the business section of the city
and also in the residential section.
Douglas has one of the
most beautiful cemeteries in South Georgia. The place is well kept and
has many beautiful trees and shrubbery of all kinds. There are many
very expensive tombstones. Among some of the very nice monuments are
those of J. M. Ashley, Prank Sweat, B. Peterson, and others. At this
writing, 1930, Douglas is a beautiful city of 5,000 inhabitants, with
all the advantages of a real city and the pleasures of a country town.
The water for the city is furnished by an artesian well which affords
an abundance of pure, fresh water. Douglas is a good city in which to
live and no one who lives here has ever been ashamed to say, "My home
is in Douglas, Georgia."
