MUSCOGIANA Muscogee Genealogical Society P.O. Box 761 Columbus, Georgia 31902 MUSCOGIANA
1989 2019 1989 th 2019 30 thAnniversary Issue 30 Anniversary Issue SPRING 2019 ʹͲͳʹͲͳͻͻ ͵Ͳ͵Ͳͳͳ VOLUME 30 NUMBER 1 MUSCOGIANA Journal of the Muscogee Genealogical Society
Mike Bunn, Editor Rachel Dobson, Assistant Editor
Editorial Board Dr. Hugh I. Rodgers Daniel Olds Kenneth H. Thomas, Jr. David Owings Dr. John Lupold
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On the cover: Bluffs along the Chattahoochee south of Columbus near the site of Snake Shoals and the 1830s plantation of James Boykin, photograph of Rachel Dobson MUSCOGIANA Muscogee Genealogical Society P.O. Box 761 Journal of the Muscogee Genealogical Society ______Columbus, GA 31902 MUSCOGIANA
MUSCOGIANA VOLUME 30 SPRING 201 9 NUMBER 1 2019 Membership Application ______Journal of the Muscogee Genealogical______Society ______Journal of the Muscogee Genealogical______Society______Name: ______CONTENTS VOLUME 30 SPRING 2019 NUMBER 1 VOLUME 30 SPRING 201 9 NUMBER 1 Address: ______An ______“Agreeable Villa in the Suburbs” and a Mansion in______the Northern Liberties: _ James Boykin in Stewart and Muscogee Counties CONTENTS City, State, Zip: ______Rachel Dobson 1 CONTENTS
Phone: ______An “Agreeable Villa in the Suburbs” and a Mansion in the Northern Liberties: How the Tie-Snake Came to Snake Shoals—An Unusual Creek Legend JamesAn “Agreeable Boykin inVilla Stewart in the and Suburbs” Muscogee and Countiesa Mansion in the Northern Liberties: Rachel Dobson 19 E-mail: ______James RachelBoykin Dobsonin Stewart and Muscogee Counties 1
Rachel Dobson 1 The Monument at 140 Membership Dues January 1 to December 31, 2019 How the Tie-Snake Came to Snake Shoals—An Unusual Creek Legend Daniel A. Bellware 24 How theRachel Tie-Snake Dobson Came to Snake Shoals —An Unusual Creek Legend 19
Choose one: Rachel Dobson 19 William Dudley Chipley: Forgotten Columbus Native and Icon of Florida History The Monument at 140 Mike Bunn 43 Individual – includes electronic access to two 2019 issues: $20.00 ______The MonumentDaniel A. atBellware 140 24
Daniel A. Bellware 24 Focus On Columbus State University Archives 54 Individual + – includes electronic access to two 2019 issues William Dudley Chipley: Forgotten Columbus Native and Icon of Florida History PLUS print copies of same: $25.00 ______WilliamMike Dudley Bunn Chipley: Forgotten Columbus Native and Icon of Florida History 43
Mike Bunn 43 Family – includes electronic access to two 2019 issues : $25.00 ______Book Reviews 56 Focus On Columbus State University Archives 54
Focus On Columbus State University Archives 54 Family + – includes electronic access to two 2019 issues
PLUS print copies of same: $30.00 ______Index 59 Book Reviews 56 Book Reviews 56 Library – includes electronic access to two 2019 issues : $25.00 ______In Memoriam
Library+ – includes electronic access to two 2019 issues Index 59 PLUS print copies of same: $30.00 ______Index C. Dexter Jordan, Jr. 59 In1939 Memoriam- 2019 In Memoriam
AMOUNT ENCLOSED ______JudithC. Dexter Massey Jordan, Wickham Jr. C. Dexter19451939 -Jordan, 20192019 Jr. Send a check made out to the Muscogee Genealogical Society to the address listed above. 1939d- 2019 Website: www.muscogeegenealogy.com Published and printed in conjunction with Judith Massey Wickham Contact: [email protected] (executive director) The Columbus State UniversityJudith Archives,Massey Wickham Simon Schwob Memorial Library Copyright 2019 by1945 Columbus - 2019 State University All 1945rights - reserved 2019 Published and printed in conjunction with The Columbus StatePublished University andISSN printedArchives, 1042 in-3419 Simonconjunction Schwob with Memorial Library The ColumbusCopyright State University 2019 by Archives, Columbus Simon State Schwob University Memorial Library Copyright 201All9 by rights Columbus reserved State University All rights reserved ISSN 1042 -3419 ISSN 1042-3419 From the Editor
It is a testament to the steadfast support of the Muscogee County Genealogical Society’s membership that with this issue, we celebrate an incredible thirty years of publication. It is only through your interest, encouragement, and financial backing that the ournal has endured. I am proud to ha e played a small role in this success story o er the past few years, and look forward to helping the ournal grow and thri e as it enters a new era. s we start a new year, I wanted to let you know about a small change the MGS Board has recently made which affects how you recei e this publication. Beginning with this issue, MGS will offer members digital copies of the current year’s issues as part of their membership. Online access to current issues will be ia password to all dues paying members. ny member who prefers to recei e, in addition, a print copy of the current year’s two issues, will be asked to pay $5 more in annual dues. lease note these changes on the re ised Membership orm, and choose your membership le el accordingly. egardless of the format in which you access it, Muscogiana will stay true to its mission to play an important part in the preser ation of the history of the city of Columbus and surrounding region. Speaking of that mission, I belie e the articles we are pleased to publish in this issue make that point well. In our feature article, Muscogiana assistant editor achel obson presents us with an intriguing article on ames Boykin, a little known but influential resident of early Columbus. ssociated with the curiously named but important Snake Shoals region south of Columbus and ha ing a section of the city named in honor of his estate of ose ill, Boykin is a man readers will surely want to know better. obson follows up this informati e article with a related one sure to appeal to readers of the ournal. he legendary ie Snake, a Creek Indian legend associated with the muddy waters of the lower Chattahoochee which flow by the site of Boykins’ plantation, is a myth many no doubt ha e likely heard something about but one with which few likely ha e much familiarity. obson sheds light on this fascinating legend by bringing to us an original account of the story as published in an early edition of a local newspaper. e t, fre uent contributor aniel Bellware unearths another important story from Columbus’s past, this time chronicling the history of the Confederate monument which has stood downtown for years. In this fascinating retrospecti e, Bellware details its origins, purpose, and place in our community for generations. e round out our articles with my chronicle of the life and times of illiam udley Chipley, perhaps the most accomplished nati e of Columbus most residents of the city probably ha e ne er ha e heard of. Our regular features on what’s happening at the Columbus State ni ersity rchi es and re iews of books of interest to readers of the ournal wrap up the issue. I hope you en oy it, and encourage you to contact me at any time if you ha e something you would like to ha e considered for publication. Mike Bunn, ditor amesmichaelbunn gmail.com An “Agreeable Villa in the Suburbs” and A Mansion in the Northern Liberties: a es o in in Ste art and Mus ogee ounties
a hel obson
James Boykin (1792-1846) was one of the Chattahoochee Valley’s wealthiest and most influential citizens, tied in with the state’s highest political and religious circles from the late 1820s into the mid- 1840s. He came to the area about 1828; ran a large plantation in Stewart County; built a home north of Columbus; corresponded with the governor; worked to remove the Indians; speculated in land; and was a devoted servant in the Baptist church. Yet today, his name has almost disappeared from the Valley’s historical memory.1 I hope this essay – the first of two – will begin to bring James Boykin and his family back into the published record and provide a more complete history of Muscogee County. James Boykin was born in 1792 into a large landowning family in Kershaw County, South Carolina, that proudly traced its roots back to an immigrant ancestor from Wales who settled in colonial Virginia about 1685.2 From Virginia, some branches of the family moved to South Carolina. James’ father, Major Francis Boykin, as well as his uncles, fought in the Revolutionary War, and acquired land in Georgia through grants and land lotteries, all made possible after the displacement of the native Creeks and Cherokees. By 1800, Francis Boykin and his wife, Catherine Whitaker (1748-1820?), had moved their family to the former Indian lands on the Oconee River southeast of Milledgeville, then the capital of Georgia.3 Living close to the state capital gave the Boykins opportunities for social and political influence
1 James Boykin is not mentioned in any of the canonical histories of Columbus, including Robert M. Howard, Reminiscences (Columbus: Gilbert Printing, 1912); Clason Kyle, Images: A Pictorial History of Columbus, Georgia (Norfolk, Va.: Donning, 1986); Joseph B. Mahan, Columbus: Georgia’s Fall Line “Trading Town” (Northridge, Ca.: Windsor Publications, 1986); John H. Martin, compiler, Columbus, Geo., From Its Selection as a "Trading Town" in 1827, to Its Partial Destruction by Wilson's Raid in 1865 (Columbus, Ga.: Thomas Gilbert, 1874); Nancy Telfair, A History of Columbus, Georgia, 1828-1928 (Columbus: Historical Publishing, 1929); Etta Blanchard Worsley, Columbus on the Chattahoochee (Columbus: Columbus Office Supply, 1951), 258, mentions James Boykin once in passing. 2 Edward M. Boykin, "History of the Boykin Family, from their First Settlement in Virginia, 1685, and in South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, to 1876,” typescript copy, Alabama Department of Archives and History Surname Files, 2. In the record, he is occasionally referred to as James W. Boykin and James William Boykin, but, throughout his life, he signs himself simply James Boykin, so that is how he is known here. I am deeply grateful to my uncle, Cliff Tucker, the great-great-great-grandson of James Boykin, for laying the strong genealogical foundation on which I have built the research presented here. 3 Find A Grave Memorial no. 186798359, page for Catherine Whitaker Boykin (1748–1820), (no source or photo given), https://www.findagrave.com: accessed December 12, 2018; Georgia Archives, “Georgia Colonial and Headright Plat Index,” http://vault.georgiaarchives.org/: accessed 29 March 2017: entries for Francis Boykin in Burke County 1786, 1787, and in Washington County, 1785, 1808; Rev. Silas Emmett Lucas Jr., Index to the Headright and Bounty Grants of Georgia, 1756-1909, Vidalia, GA: Georgia Genealogical Reprints, 1970), 59; Sarah Cantey Whitaker Allen, Our Children's Ancestry ([Milledgeville, Ga.]: self-publ., 1935), 93; “Boykin, Rev. Samuel,” and “Boykin, James,” The Baptist Encyclopedia - A Dictionary of the Doctrines, Ordinances, Usages, Confessions of Faith, Sufferings, Labors, and Successes, and of the General History of the Baptist Denomination in All Lands with Numerous Biographical Sketches of Distinguished American and Foreign Baptists, and a Supplement, ed. William Cathcart (Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1881), 124, 123; Edward Boykin, History of the Boykin Family, 9; Anne
1 like the family had had in South Carolina. In Baldwin County, Georgia, the previously piscopalian Francis Boykin was active in county public service and in statewide Baptist organi ations, and two of his sons became exceptionally wealthy and influential.4 James was the youngest, or almost the youngest, of five children. Two siblings, illiam and ary, died young and very little is known about them. His two surviving siblings were as successful as James, if not more. lder brother Samuel ca.1786 1848) was highly educated and became a physician, state legislator, civic leader, banker, planter and slave owner, as well as an amateur botanist and naturalist who corresponded with the noted botanists of his day. Samuel married aria axwell in 1818; their son Burwell was born in 1819 and aria died in 1820.5 In 1822, Samuel married arcissa Cooper of Hancock County, daughter of the Reverend Thomas Cooper and sister of Samuel’s friend and fellow banker, ark Anthony Cooper. In the mid 1830s ark Cooper followed Samuel to Columbus where he founded the Western Insurance and Trust Company and made Samuel a director. James’ older sister Eliza married illiams Rutherford of Baldwin County. 6 About 1813, James married Clarissa wens, daughter of li ah wens and granddaughter of ehemiah Howard, both wealthy and prominent middle Georgia families. Their children were Francis . Boykin 1814 1891), li abeth Boykin oodland ca. 1816 before 1840), Ann Catherine Boykin Jones 1817 1886), Dr. James wen Boykin 1821 1901) and Clara Boykin Billups ca.1826 1873). Although I have found no marriage document for James and Clarissa, Clarissa’s brother, John J. wens, married Lucinda Long on June 9, 1813, ust two months before General Floyd began assembling his troops at Fort
Jacobs Boykin urphy, History and Genealogy of the Boykin Family Richmond, Va.: rs. Robert eal urphy and Bernard Carter Boykin, ca.1964), 57. 4 For example, according to Georgia Journal, Jan. 19, and June 5, Francis Boykin is a magistrate in ashington County, Ga., and on the Grand Jury of the Superior Court in Greene County, Ga., in 1810. Allen, ur Children s Ancestry,134; Anna aria Green Cook, History of Baldwin County, Georgia Spartanburg: Reprint Co., 2004), 105. In a discussion of the prominent Baptist leaders, Cook writes, “We should notice that illedgeville was then the Capital of the State, and members of the Baptist church en oyed exceptional advantages, social and political, as well as religious and educational.” History of the Baptist Denomination in Georgia with Biographical Compendium and Portrait Gallery of Baptist inisters and ther Georgia Baptists, vol. 1 Atlanta: J. P. Harrison Co., 1881), 46, indicates Francis Boykin participated in the Powelton Conferences of 1801 1803, a precursor to the Georgia Baptist Convention. He was the author of a circular letter, “What are the probable causes of the present languishing state of religion?” 5 dward Boykin, History of the Boykin Family, 9; Allen, Our Children’s Ancestry, 92, 109 111. According to Allen, Burwell Boykin b. Feb. 14, 1819) died ov. 18, 1835. illedgeville Reflector, arch 31, 1818, p. 3. 6 Walter G. Cooper, “Mark Anthony Cooper,” in en of ark in Georgia: A Complete and laborate History of the State from its Settlement to the Present Time, Chiefly told in Biographies and Autobiographies of the ost minent en of ach Period of Georgia s Progress and Development, illiam J. orthen, ed., vol. 2 Atlanta: A.B. Caldwell, 1910), 209; “Cooper, Thomas,” Baptist ncyclopedia, 276; David B. Parker, ark Anthony Cooper 1800 1885), ew Georgia ncyclopedia, https: www.georgiaencyclopedia.org articles history archaeology mark anthony cooper 1800 1885, accessed 4 June 2018; “To Incorporate…the Western Insurance and Trust Company of the City of Columbus,” Georgia General Assembly, Acts of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, Passed in illedgeville at an Annual Session in ovember and December 1836 illedgeville: P.L. Robinson, 1837), 146; dward . Boykin, 1876, 9; Allen, ur Children s Ancestry, 93.
2
awkins to fight the ed Stick Creeks in Alabama. John J. Owens and James Boykin both enlisted to fight in the Creek War with the Georgia Volunteers under Newnan’s Command, Owens as a sergeant and Boykin as a private. Adjutant General Daniel Newnan was part of Brigadier General Floyd’s forces that reported to ort awkins in the late summer and early fall of 181 , preparing to march southwest through Georgia into Alabama, building forts along the way.8 rivate James Boykin may have first laid eyes on west Georgia and east Alabama while marching down the ederal oad with the Georgia olunteers to build ort Mitchell. After serving as one of two representatives from Stewart County to the Anti Tariff Convention in Milledgeville in 18 2 Georgia’s early brush with nullification there is little evidence that James Boykin was involved in public service or politics in the way his peers were.9 While his brother, r. Samuel Boykin like several of their elite circle), served in both houses of the Georgia legislature, and on boards, and state and local committees, any political influence James wielded seems to have been less formal and more behind the scenes.
19 9 map of istrict 22 of Stewart County where Boykin settled, showing numbered lots Courtesy of achel obson
e S. Owens, The James Boykin amily, 19 , typescript Alabama epartment of Archives and istory), 1; Edward M. Boykin, 18 , 9; Allen, Our Children s Ancestry, 108; Georgia, Marriage ecords from Select Counties, 1828 19 8, https www.ancestry.com, accessed Oct 1 , 2018. 8 Gordon Burns Smith, istory of the Georgia Militia, 1 8 18 1 Milledgeville, Ga. Boyd ublishing, 2000), 2 1 0. nder ewnan s Command, Georgia olunteers, were Sergeant John I. or J.) Owens, and t. William utherford, and TC Joseph . oward, all kin by marriage to James Boykin. TC oward led the Baldwin Independent Blues. “James Boykin,” National Archives and ecords Administration, Inde to the Compiled Military Service ecords for the olunteer Soldiers Who Served uring the War of 1812 Washington, .C. ational Archives and ecords Administration), M 02, roll bo 22, https www.ancestry.com search collections 1812muster ?f 000 C ewnans fh 0, accessed Oct. 20, 201 ; John . Mahon, aniel ewnan A eglected igure in lorida istory, The lorida istorical uarterly, , no. 2 all, 199 ) 1 8; Mike Bunn and Clay Williams, Battle for the Southern rontier The Creek War and the War of 1812 Charleston, SC The istory ress, 2008), 9 0, 1 . 9 Georgia Telegraph, ovember 21, 18 2; ee G. Barrow, Stewart County Georgia, Superior Court Minutes Stewart County ecords, Gainesville, Ga. BarGraphica , 201 ), 28 29. Georgia’s Anti Tariff Convention came about in response to South Carolina’s declaration that federal tariffs imposed by President Jackson were “null and void” in the ullification Crisis.
SNA S ALS LAN A N Early on, James Boykin’s business enterprises were wide ranging and highly productive. e bought and sold land, slaves, cotton, corn, and other commodities. Alone, with his brother Samuel, or other partners and associates, James was an enterprising land developer and speculator whose holdings spanned Barbour, ee, acon, and ussell counties in Alabama, and Baldwin, uscogee, and Stewart counties in Georgia. In the early 1830s, Boykin’s Stewart County plantation totaled between 3,200 and , acres. By , Boykin had established himself as the wealthiest and largest slave owner in andolph County at his “Snake Shoals” plantation. According to the census, among all slave owners in andolph and uscogee counties, he ranked third in terms of slaves held, just behind the two largest slave owners in uscogee County, Seaborn Jones and Daniel aught. James Boykin’s Snake Shoals plantation was located on the Georgia side of the Chattahoochee at two large bends in the river roughly thirty river miles south of Columbus, encompassing modern day landmarks Bickerstaff anding and pper Bradley Place. After the reaty of Cusseta divided ndian lands in Alabama into individual allotments, white speculators immediately began ac uiring land from Creeks by any means, including deception, stealing, and even murder. Although James Boykin worked closely with several of the men who were later implicated in unethical and illegal behavior regarding these sales, there is no evidence that he was directly involved in the land frauds. During the year , he bought land from seven Creek ndians, all from the town of olowarthlocko, in ussell County, directly across the Chattahoochee from his Georgia holdings. These purchases increased the plantation’s area by
his section of andolph County became Stewart County in December of . Deeds in which James Boykin is selling off lots in the later s reveal the land he originally owned Stewart County Deed Book A , homas G. Gordon to James Boykin ract , District , November , the earliest purchase by James Boykin have found Stewart County Deed Book , James Boykin to John D. and ichard . Pitts, July , , tracts , , , , , , District , pp. Stewart County Deed Book A, James Boykin to estern nsurance and rust Company of the city of Columbus, November , , District , pp. the deed was copied in uscogee County Deed Book A, .S. census, andolph County , Georgia, p. , line , James Boykin, https www.ancestry.com, accessed arch , , citing NA A microfilm publication , roll .S. census, uscogee County, Georgia, Columbus, p. , line , Seaborn Jones, https www.ancestry.com, accessed arch , , citing NA A microfilm publication , roll .S. census, uscogee County, Georgia, Columbus, p. , line , Daniel aught, http www.ancestry.com, accessed arch , , citing NA A microfilm publication , roll . James Boykin owned slaves, Seaborn Jones owned slaves, and Daniel aught owned enslaved people. homas . Foster , Archaeology of the ower uskogee Creek ndians, uscaloosa niversity of Alabama Press, , . itchiti speakers had been there since at least the early seventeenth century and uscogee speakers since the mid seventeenth century. See also pages , , , . District Plats of Survey, Survey ecords, Surveyor General, G , Georgia Archives ee County, District Joe Cook, Chattahoochee River User’s Guide Athens niversity of Georgia Press , 186. Cook’s coordinates for Bickerstaff anding are . , , . ark . Fretwell, his So emote Frontier he Chattahoochee Country of Alabama and Georgia ufaula, Ala. istoric Chattahoochee Commission, , . A separate “Boykins Landing,” is below Burr’s Landing, possibly on land that Boykin’s grandson, James illiam Boykin owned later. James H. Wheatley, General Land Office Records, “Fractional Township No. 14 of Range No. 30 East,” Sections 1 ashington, D.C., Bureau of and anagement, , accessed https glorecords.blm.gov, Nov. , .
more than one third, adding 1,8 1 additional acres by 183 . By 183 , the Boykin land on both sides of the river totaled more than 4, 0 acres.12 The land that James Boykin purchased along the Chattahoochee had been the site of native settlements for hundreds of years and had included the important town of palachucla or alachoocle . In the late 1600s, to defend their territory against the English, the Spanish built Fort palachicola nearby. In 1775, William Bartram visited both the old abandoned town of “Apalachucla” or “Talwa Thlako,” and the newer settlement “upon a high bank of the river,” to which the inhabitants had moved, in part because of recurring floods. Bartram described traveling to the long settled area “over a level plain, consisting of ancient Indian plantations, a beautiful landscape diversified with groves and lawns.” When he was taken to the “site of the ancient Apalachucla,” he described the land and the distinctive river formation that would become part of James Boykin’s plantation:
“[the old town] had been situated on a peninsula formed by a doubling of the river, and indeed appears to have been a very famous capital by the artificial mounds and terraces, and a very populous settlement, from its e tent and e pansive old fields, stretching beyond the scope of the sight along the low grounds of the river.”13
Indian gent Ben amin Hawkins reiterates what was by 1 common knowledge about the town of “Pa la chooc le” on the west bank, about a mile below Ihagee Creek:
“This was formerly the first among the Lower Creek towns; a peace town, averse to war, and called by the nation, Tal lo wau thluc co big town. The Indians are poor, the town has lost its former consequence, and is not now much in estimation.”14
Hawkins goes on to note that the land on the west side of the river was a “poor, pine barren flat; the land back from it is poor, broken, pine land; their fields are on the left side of the river, on poor land.”
12 Sen. ocs., No. 42 , 24 Cong., 1st Sess. Sen. ocs., No. 4 2, 2 Cong., 2nd Sess. Winn, Triumph, 3 2 3 3, and passim. Russell County eed Book Fi its ho ya to James Boykin, Jan. 2 , 1834, Township 14 Range 30, fractional section Sar ho ye to James Boykin, Feb. 4, 1834, Township 14 Range 30, fractional Sec 24 pp. 104 106 Harpelik had o to James Boykin, Feb. , 1834, Township 14 Range 30, west half Sec 23 pp. 101 103 Ne har Thlocco principal chief to James Boykin, Feb. , 1834, Township 14 Range 30, fractional Sec 13 pp. 106 108 Chow ho ye to James Boykin, Feb. 10, 1834, Township 14 Range 31, fractional section 18 and 1 pp. 108 110 arlarthly to James Boykin, ar. 1 , 1834, Township 14 Range 30, east half Sec 23 pp. 101 Tuk o sar oholo to James Boykin, ar. 20, 1834, Township 14 Range 30, east half Sec 22, pp. 6 8 Bureau of Land anagement, General Land Office Records, labama land patents, atent No. 046 ug. 2, 183 , Township 14, Range 30, west half Section 22, originally sold by Fola ti ka to John J. Owens, pril 23, 1834, subse uently duly assigned to Samuel Boykin. John J. Owens was James’ brother in law. Total acreage includes Bureau of Land anagement General Land Office Records, labama land patents, atent No. 046, Nov. 13, 183 , Township 14, Range 30, Section 14, originally sold by Ene ha tus he he ne haw to James Wadsworth, “subsequently duly assigned to Samuel Boykin.” By 183 , the Russell County lands originally owned by James Boykin were held by Samuel Boykin or by the Western Insurance and Trust Company. 13 Travels of William Bartram, 246. 14 Ben amin Hawkins, The Collected Works of Ben amin Hawkins 1 6 1810, H. Thomas Foster II, ed. Tuscaloosa University of labama ress, 2003 , 6 s.
Historic marker commemorating ort Apalachicola in ussell County, AL Photograph by achel obson
etail of Lee County, istrict , istrict Plats of Survey ap, 1 7, Courtesy of the eorgia Archives
If the land was still in poor condition in 1 , it did not discourage James Boykin from buying Indian allotments on the west side of the river. By at least 1 1, he had established what was known as Boykin’s erry, although it was likely to have been one of the first improvements he made to the land by 1 . The ferry, probably near present day Bickerstaff Landing in ussell County, below the Blessed
ini y in s o on o o o s y s s n n i ns in o o i n oin s on o s y o o n s in ss o n y in i is n o a “Road from Ft. Mitchell to McCloud’s Ferry,” leading southwest from Fort i s o so y o o s in i o o o soon Boykin’s land, where Daniel McLeod’s ferry was located at the mouth of Bluff Creek s south would reach Boykin’s Ferry, just a short way off the Fort Mitchell Road, o y o o McCloud’s. A ossin n n k o s s i si o s on y n no so o in o o s Boykin yin s no on y n i ion iss s Boykin in oosin n o n “doubling of the river.” n James’ lifetime and later, a natu o ion kno n s n k o s o s no o y s i o s n i ion n o o i s in ion o s i n is s s s o s n o ks s nk s o io in n k n n y o s o n in s sy in o n i n y By n y o s o n i s no s o o o s nsuring the embryonic town’s future success in the all i o n o on B s ss s no always a sure bet. In fact, James Boykin purchased land along one of the Chattahoochee’s most n o s s ions ossi y s kn ski s o i n i ion o s i is o in os iss o o s n i i on n i o in “the principal and indeed only obstructions of an important nature are the Auchee and Snake Shoals, n olumbus and Fort Gaines.” James, like his father before him, had served as “commissioner of the Oconee navigation” in Baldwin County, where his responsibility was to oversee the clearing of the y o i i i y s o i n o kin on on i s o n o n s o s s o s o s is ik y i no si n s os s n n ski s n y n o so o
on in o o s n i is i s n ion o n o Boykin’s Ferry, regarding a shooting that occurred there on March 19, 1831; H n i is o y o o n y o i o s o s i y i is o y o o s Wheatley, “Fractional Township No. 14 of Range No. 30 East,” Sections 4 ss s o o s o o o n iso on k – n ni on i n o sion on o sin on i (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2010), 141, fig. 3. Ellisor places the location of the Battle of Boykin’s Ferry in in neral area of Boykin’s 22nd District lots at what is now Upper Bradley Place, but does not ci so o o ion o o o o i o s k is o o on i , 102; and Mike Bunn, “All Roads o o Center of Colonial Era International Diplomacy on the Chattahoochee, Part Two,” s o i n no in The Travels of William Bartram: Naturalist’s Edition n is in ns ni si y o o i ss n ni si y ss no s B nnon s i that Fort Apalachicola was at Burr’s Landing. o s n i i o n s in y o o s o s n i s in i s ssion o on ss in i n o s s in on i o son in o i o n s in y o o s o s n i s in n ssion o n on ss s in on n in in i n o s s i i o os 000 to remove “34,800 cubic yards of marl” at Snake Shoals.
the same e perienced enslaved workers with him to west Georgia) to manage this famously dangerous to navigate part of the Chattahoochee.18
1832 33 survey map indicating “Road from Fort Mitchell to McCloud’s Ferry” beginning at the mouth of Bluff Creek and passing through some of James Boykin’s lands, bypassing fractional section 13 which may be where Boykin’s Ferry was located.
James H. Wheatley, General Land Office Records, “Fractional Township No. 14 of Range No. 30 East,” Sections 1 33 (Washington, D.C., Bureau of Land Management, 1834), https: glorecords.blm.gov
18 Edward A. Mueller, Perilous Journeys: A History of Steamboating on the Chattahoochee, Apalachicola, and Flint Rivers 1828 1928 (Eufaula, Ala.: Historic Chattahoochee Commission, 1990), 1 ; Richmond En uirer, May 10, 1831; atherine Bowman Walters, Oconee River Tales to Tell (Eaton, Ga.: Eaton Historical Society, 199 ), ; A Compilation of the Laws of the State of Georgia, Resolutions 1823, No. 21 , 30.
8
NAN AL L SS S The latter half of the 1 30s in the Chattahoochee alley were turbulent for everyone, rich and poor, and James Boykin was no exception. Clarissa Owens Boykin, James’ wife, died about 1835. By 1 3 , ongoing sporadic violence between Creeks and white settlers turned into the larger skirmishes – including one at Boykin’s Ferry – of the econd Creek ar, which resulted in the final removal of the Creeks from their homeland to ndian Territory west of the Mississippi. Cotton prices plunged during the national financial crisis of the anic of 1 3 . The drop dealt a hard blow to Boykin and others who made their money on cotton sales. Likely related to this financial chaos, sometime in the mid 1 30s or the first half of the 1840s, Boykin lost $100,000 in a “security debt” to someone he knew, very likely a friend. E uivalent to more than two and a half million dollars in today’s currency, the loss must have been a devastating turn of events.1 James Boykin took several actions during this time that may have been in response to this momentous financial loss. n 1 3 , he sold off parcels of his lands in the nd istrict of tewart County. n 1 3 , he took another ma or step when he deeded his nake hoals plantation – including fifty seven enslaved people and livestock – to the estern nsurance and Trust Company of Columbus, in e change for more than 1,000 worth of stock. lthough the reason he did this is unclear, he may have been protecting the property for his family. The estern nsurance and Trust Company was headed by his friend and fellow Baptist Mark . Cooper, with his brother amuel Boykin on the board of directors, as well as other friends. Cooper, James’ brother Samuel, and James’ son in law, James Randall Jones, all cosigned the document. robably not coincidentally, 1 3 was also the year that the patents for most of the Russell County sections Boykin had bought from the Creeks of Tolowarthlocko were legally transferred to his brother amuel and his son in law James Randall Jones. nd, in the first half of the 1 40s, James Boykin advertised both his tewart County plantation and his residence north of the city for sale. 0
1 Le . Owens, 1. The location of Clarissa Owens Boykin’s grave (and James Boykin’s) is not known, although they are both likely buried in Linwood Cemetery. “Boykin, James,” in Baptist Encyclopedia, 1 3. Murphy, istory and Genealogy of the Boykin Family, 59, says the person was “a friend.” The meaning of the term “security debt” here is not clear, either in 1 th century or modern day usage, but am assuming that it means that James Boykin either lent money to someone he knew or that he agreed to be the “co signer” for that person in a bank transaction, and that person could not pay back the money owed. $100,000 in 1839 is $2,710,086.02 in today’s money, according to this site http www.in 013dollars.com , accessed ec. 1, 01 . 0 tewart County eed Book , James Boykin to John . and Richard M. itts, July 4, 1 3 , tracts 33 , 33 , 33 , 34 , 344, 34 , istrict , pp. tewart County eed Book , James Boykin to estern nsurance and Trust Company of the city of Columbus, November 1 , 1 3 , istrict , pp. 1 1 . The e act figure was 1, . 0. Cooper, Men of Mark in Georgia, 0 . igned patents returned from the resident are dated this year. hotocopies of the original Russell County deeds show that Boykin transferred most of the allotments ust four months after he bought them. On a more positive note, in 1 3 , James married Eli abeth Rutherford, the first cousin of his brother in law illiams Rutherford, in County Marriage Records, 1 1 Morrow, Ga. Georgia rchives , 3. Columbus En uirer, Jan. 1 , 1 44.
The land patent of tract fractional section 24, Township 14 of ange 30 ast, originally owned by Sarhoye, sold to James Boykin, and transferred to Samuel Boykin (1834 1839).
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n 1840, James Boykin was living in the 774th istrict of uscogee County and his son Francis . Boykin was running the Snake Shoals plantation in Stewart County, but only temporarily.21 n advertisements published in 1841 and 1843, James advertised his “Snake Shoals” (or occasionally “Snake Hill”) plantation for sale:
“2,250 acres…near 700 cleared and in good order for cultivation, with all necessary buildings, and a gin, with good mill going by water. The place is in a large bend of the Chattahoochee iver, and entirely detached from all others. 1100 acres are of bottom land the balance good oak and hickory, and pine land. The place is well and favorably known by many planters, and by gentlemen in this city. Terms satisfactory.”22
Notice of the sale of Boykin’s plantation, ugusta aily Chronicle Sentinel, September 14, 1841
By 1846, the plantation was still in Boykin hands, although it may not have been owned outright by James. long with the cultivated wealth produced on the Snake Shoals plantation, the surrounding river and woodlands also held a rich variety of plants and fossils, two lifelong interests of James’ brother Samuel. Since his twenties, Samuel had collected plant specimens for nationally known botanists such as John Torrey, Thomas uttall, Stephen lliott, and illiam Baldwin, as well as species of freshwater mollusks, and fossil shells. n 1846, ust a few months before James Boykin died, the eminent British geologist Charles Lyell visited r. Boykin at Snake Shoals. Lyell, on the second of what would be four visits to orth merica, was continuing his study of the coastal plain of eorgia begun in 1842, and Columbus, on the fall line, had prime examples of the Cretaceous strata he wanted to see firsthand. n
21 1840 .S. census, uscogee County, eorgia, istrict 774, p. 324 , line 30, James Boykin, http www.ancestry.com, accessed June 17, 2018, citing microfilm publication 704 no roll no. given 1840 .S. census, Stewart County, eorgia, 22nd istrict, p. 153, line 13, Francis Boykin, http www.ancestry.com, accessed June 17, 2018, citing microfilm publication 704 no roll no. given . 22 “My Snake Hill Plantation for Sale,” Columbus n uirer, September 9, 1841. While mostly referred to as “Snake Shoals,” occasionally it was called “Snake Hill plantation.” Boykin ran ads like this in the ugusta Chronicle, Charleston ercury, and the Camden SC Journal. By 1843, he was also advertising in the acon Telegraph, the ecorder and Journal illedgeville, and the Charleston Courier.
11 fact, Snake Shoals was a geological rarity situated ust below the fall line and studded with a treasure trove of ancient life forms collected by Samuel. yell had probably heard about it through his scientist friends who corresponded with Samuel Boykin, as yell brought with him a letter of introduction for Boykin.2 isiting Stewart ounty during a rainy January, yell hints that he may not have gotten the full fossil hunter’s experience with the high level of the river:
“The geologist should visit the country in November, when the season is healthy and the river low, for then he may see e posed to view, not only the hori ontal strata, but the sub acent cretaceous deposits, containing ammonites, baculites, and other characteristic fossils. These organic remains are met with some miles below the town, at a point called ‘Snake’s Shoals;’ and Dr. Boykin showed us a collection of the fossils, at his agreeable villa in the suburbs.”2
or the ne t several generations, those retaceous fossils described by yell made Snake Shoals an internationally known destination venue for geologists and other scientists.25
n e cerpt from a letter Samuel Boykin wrote to John Torrey in June 1 7 describing plants specimens from the olumbus area Boykin was sending him, courtesy of the Biodiversity Heritage ibrary
2 Samuel Boykin, Samuel Boykin and John Torrey correspondence, 1 5 1 7, John Torrey papers, series 1, New ork Botanical arden, u sther T. Mert ibrary vailable in the Biodiversity Heritage ibrary http: www.biodiversitylibrary.org bibliography 125501 summary, accessed June , 2017. Jeannette . raustein, Thomas Nuttall Naturalist – plorations in merica 1 0 1 1 ( ambridge, M : Harvard niversity Press, 1 7), , 257 25 Thomas ary Johnson Jr., Scientific nterests in the ld South (New ork: . ppleton entury o., 1 ), eorge . ogers et al, “Dr. Thomas Jarram Wray (1781 1851): Pioneer Botanist of Augusta, Georgia,” The eorgia Historical uarterly, 71, no. 1 (Spring, 1 7): 75 0. Samuel Boykin also probably knew and traded specimens with Thomas Wray. History of the Baptist enomination in eorgia, Proceedings of the merican Philosophical Society, 1, no. 1 ( ug. ct.,1 0): 2 2 harles yell, Second isit to The nited States of North merica, ol. (New ork: Harper and Brothers, 1 ), 5 eonard . Wilson, yell in merica – Transatlantic eology, 1 1 1 5 (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins niversity Press, 1 ), 1 5, 1 . 2 yell, Second isit to The nited States, 5. 25 Jethro tto eatch, loyd William Stephenson, Thomas Wayland aughan, Preliminary eport on the eology of the oastal Plain of eorgia ( tlanta, a.: oote and avies o., 1 11), 7, 7 , 120 oland M. Harper, “Development of Agriculture in Lower Georgia from 1850 to 1880,” The eorgia Historical uarterly, , no. 2 (1 22): 7 121 olan Hoye argle, Stratigraphy of the utcropping retaceous ocks of eorgia, olume 101 , S eological Survey Bulletin ( nited States eological Survey: .S. overnment Printing ffice, 1 55), 2 .
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Looking north to bluffs in the area ust before where Boykin’s Ferry may have been (on the right). Photograph by achel Dobson
retaceous bluffs on the Stewart ounty side overlooking a high river; this property was part of Boykin’s Snake Shoals plantation from about 18 until about 18 . Photograph by achel Dobson
1
“Bluff at Snake Shoals, Chattahoochee River, thirty mi es be ow o mb s a right bank showing gray a ero s san s with one in rate ayer be onging to the ombigbee san member of the taw formation over ain by eistocene deposits.” From ethro tto eat h oy i iam tephenson homas ay an a ghan re iminary eport on the eo ogy of the oasta ain of eorgia ( t anta Foote an avies o ) p ate B
Detail of “Sketch map of Chattahoochee River, Columbus, Ga., to Fort Gaines, Ga.” showing o ation of nake hoa s from ethro tto eat h oy i iam tephenson homas ay an a ghan re iminary eport on the eo ogy of the oasta ain of eorgia ( t anta Foote an avies o )
L V N A S LL long with his Stewart Count plantation, ames Bo kin, like other local elites, also owned a mansion in the “Northern Liberties” of Columbus. While he and his family lived there by 1830, James probabl divided his time between Columbus and Stewart Count , with an overseer to run the da to da operations. n , ames regularl commuted b horse to the Snake Shoals plantation. James’ friend Seaborn ones began building his home l Dorado later renamed St. lmo in . is son in law, ames Randall ones, built the ones home later known as Glen ora and owned b the Chappell famil between and 1835. It is likely that James Boykin built his home, named “Rose Hill,” north of the city in , as it is where state legislator and future ma or of Columbus ames S. Calhoun and nna . Howard Williamson, Clarissa Boykin’s first cousin, were married in Februar of .
he earliest mention of Rose ill is found in the Southern Recorder, Februar ,
ike St. lmo, ildwood, and Dinglewood, Rose ill was originall a large estate whose name later designated the surrounding “village” or neighborhood. ccording to an earl Bo kin famil historian, James’ son, Francis E. Boykin, and his new wife Frances Hudson Boykin, lived in the “Boykin ancestral home, Rose Hill,” in 1837, and their son, James William Boykin, was born there in 1838. In the years after his death in 1846, James Boykin’s home was owned or rented by several individuals, and newspaper advertisements reveal some of this histor . n , two ears after Bo kin died, an advertisement appeared in the Columbus n uirer: “Rose Hill for sale or rent. he premises once the residence of the late ames Bo kin, ad oining the commons on the orth ast, now occupied b the Rev. ohn . Dawson,
“Site of New City Hospital Was Home of the Boykin Family for Many Years,” Columbus n uirer Sun, ugust , Di on et al, istor of Stewart Count Georgia, . lthough not named as an overseer for the plantation, a man named ile Bullard was listed in the Stewart Count a Digest of as the agent for ames Bo kin with two four wheel carriages, considered “somewhat of a luxury.” James’ son Francis, living at the plantation in 1840, reported four four wheel carriages. ames Bo kin and Grigsb . homas to Governor George R. Gilmer, une , Governor s Sub ect Files, ecutive Dept., Governor, RG , Georgia rchives, Digital Collection, d oc Collection. http vault.georgiaarchives.org cdm compoundob ect collection adhoc id rec , accessed une , ational Register of istoric laces, eracoba St. lmo istoric District, Columbus, uscogee Count , Georgia, ational Register , regarding St. lmo, see also F. Clason le, mages – ictorial istor of Columbus, Georgia irginia Beach, a. Donning Co., , . Regarding ames Randall ones and Glen ora, see Columbus n uirer Sun, Sept. , Columbus n uirer Sun, Aug. 6, 1909; Roger Harris, “Some Childhood Memories of Miss Loretto Chappell,” uscogiana, , no. Summer Southern Recorder, Feb. , Rebecca chols err , ehemiah oward and is Famil untsville, la. self publ., , . err uotes the content and the correct date, but cites the newspaper incorrectl .
containing 30 acres.” Reverend Dawson had come early to Columbus to serve as the fifth pastor of the First Baptist Church in 1835 1836, where James was a trustee and deacon. he charismatic awson and the reserved Boykin were both closely involved in the support of the local church as well as statewide Baptist education and were likely friends. awson returned to Columbus just after Boykin’s death to serve a longer pastoral term, from 1847 to 1856, and remained close to the Boykin family. 7 Again in 1851, a home named “Rose Hill,” “situated on an eminence three fourths of a mile from the city, and containing thirty acres, ad oining lands of William A. Redd, James R. and John A. Jones, with comfortable improvements,” was for sale. It was after this point that James’ nephew, Samuel Rutherford, the son of his sister Eli a Boykin Rutherford d. 1837 , purchased the home, but by 1855, Rutherford was eager to return to his own plantation in Crawford County, eorgia, and advertised the estate: “my residence, Rose Hill, for sale. It ad oins W. . Redd sic and James R. Jones in the northern liberties; it also ad oins the City Corporation. he place contains 9 acres, one half woodland.” After 1856, the name “Rose Hill” no longer indicated the Boykin estate, but instead became the name of the surrounding neighborhood where it was located, as had occurred with other large estates around Columbus. By the 1860s the house was known as the Cowdery place. In 1914, an article in the Columbus En uirer about the new city hospital reminded readers that before the Cowdery family lived in the house, it had been the “Boykin ancestral home” built by James Boykin, although by then its original name, “Rose Hill,” had been forgotten. 8
Columbus En uirer, ct. 31, 1848, advertised Rose Hill, “once the residence of the late James Boykin,” for sale or rent.
7 Weracoba St. Elmo Historic istrict, 3. For views on how Rose Hill came to be named that omit its earlier history, see elfair, A History of Columbus, 01; Worsley, Columbus on the Chattahoochee, 53, 55; enneth H. homas Jr., “Placenames in Columbus and Muscogee County, Part One,” Muscogiana, , no. Fall 011 : 1 18. Lex S. wens, 1; Murphy, History and enealogy of the Boykin Family, 59; Columbus En uirer, ct. 10, 1848; History of the Baptist enomination in eorgia, 149 15 ; History of the Baptist enomination in eorgia, Appendix, 44 46, 181 185. Rev. Samuel Boykin the younger notes that Rev. awson was instrumental in his own conversion and bapti ed Boykin’s brother, the future Reverend Thomas Cooper Boykin. 8 Columbus imes, Nov. 4, 1851; Columbus En uirer, ct. 16, 1855; Edward M. Boykin, History of the Boykin Family, 1876, 9; homas, “Placenames in Columbus,” 3, 6; Columbus En uirer, July 7, 1863; September 1 , 1865; September 20, 1870; “Site of New City Hospital Was Home of the Boykin Family for Many Years,” Columbus En uirer Sun, August 4, 1914.
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L S L At least three generations of this Boykin line were devoutly religious and part of the inner circle of major eorgia Baptist organi ers in the nineteenth century. ike his father Major Francis Boykin, James served as a young man in what later became the Mount Olive Primitive Baptist Church of Milledgeville, then as a deacon in the First Baptist Church of Milledgeville. After he moved to Columbus, he served on the First Baptist Church, Columbus’ first board of deacons and later as a trustee. James was also one of the largest of the initial donors to Penfield Institute, which became Mercer niversity. In Milledgeville, the Boykin family was close with the family of the influential Reverend Thomas Cooper, a close friend and colleague of Adiel Sherwood, founder of the eorgia Baptist Convention. Rev. Cooper’s son, Mark Anthony Cooper, was a friend and business associate of James and Samuel, and Rev. Cooper’s daughter, Narcissa Cooper, married Samuel Boykin in 1822. Samuel and Narcissa Cooper Boykin’s son (and James’ nephew , the Reverend Samuel Boykin 182 18 , was a prolific and influential writer and editor for the Baptist press in eorgia. He owned and edited the Christian Inde through the Civil War years and wrote several periodicals after the war. He co wrote Memoir of Adiel Sherwood, D.D. with Sherwood’s daughter, Julia . Sherwood, and edited the History of the Baptist Denomination in eorgia.2 In fact, his nephew probably was the author of the document that tells us more about James Boykin than any to date, a moving and revealing description of him, published in 1881, thirty five years after his death. The entry appears in the national publication, The Baptist ncyclopedia, from which this is e cerpted:
“He was…quite wealthy, and gave liberally of his means to sustain the gospel and to establish Mercer niversity. He was an e ceedingly kind man. To his children he was the most tender and affectionate of parents; to his wife the most devoted of husbands; he was a Christian without reproach. A security debt swept away nearly 100,000 of his property, yet he never murmured, or spoke an unkind word of the man who caused his financial ruin but preserved his cheerfulness and gentle serenity until called ‘up higher’ at the age of fifty four. He did much in founding and sustaining the church at Columbus, and was a most useful, ealous, and liberal Christian, whose memory is even yet fragrant among those who knew him.”30
2 History of the Baptist Denomination in eorgia, Appendi , 6; Allen, Our Children s Ancestry, 108, 13 ; Cook, History of Baldwin County, 106, adds that Francis “was a prominent member of the Hephzibah and Ocmulgee [Baptist] Associations.” Baptist ncyclopedia, 123; Robert . ardner et al, A History of the eorgia Baptist Association, 178 1 8 Atlanta: eorgia Baptist Historical Society, 1 88 , 527 528; Richard Hyatt, Return to the Water – The Story of First Baptist Church, Columbus, eorgia (Macon, Ga.: Nurturing Faith, 2017), 10; “An Act to Incorporate…the Baptist Church Columbus in the City of Columbus,” Georgia General Assembly, Acts of the eneral Assembly of the State of eorgia, Passed in Milledgeville at an Annual Session in November and December 18 0 Milledgeville: William S. Rogers, 18 1 , 85 86, names James Boykin as a trustee; History of the Baptist Denomination in eorgia, 1 3, 156; Baptist eneral Tract Society, The Fourteenth Annual Report of the Baptist eneral Tract Society Philadelphia: Rackliff ing, 1838 , 26, listed James Boykin with “Other Directors for Life,” along with his friend the Rev. Thomas Cooper. Jarrett Burch, Adiel Sherwood: Baptist Antebellum Pioneer in eorgia Macon: Mercer niversity Press, 2003 , 207 208. 30 “Boykin, James,” The Baptist ncyclopedia, 123. James’ nephew, the Rev. Samuel Boykin (Jr.) probably wrote the entries for all the Boykins in the ncyclopedia. What served as James Boykin’s obituary was much less informative: “Tribute of Respect,” Columbus n uirer, Aug. 12, 18 6, written by his friend Hines Holt two days after James’ death on Aug. 10, 18 6.
17
The paragraph is an official acknowledgment of James’ status as a large donor to Baptist education in Georgia, yet is imbued with a more personal, even intimate, description of James’ kindness, spiritual piety, and reserve, through the eyes of someone who knew him well. This posthumous passage also reflects nineteenth century ideals of honor, self control, and a strong sense of social and civic responsibility, which guided his conduct throughout his life. art two of this essay will discuss how these ideals – for better or worse – played an important role in influencing James Boykin’s actions in support of Creek removal.
James Boykin was a trustee and a deacon in the First Baptist Church, Columbus, where Rev. John . Dawson served as pastor two different times. hotograph courtesy First Baptist Church, Columbus
18
o the ie Sna e a e to Sna e Shoals – An nusual ree Legend
a hel obson
istorical marker on the heni ity iverwalk interpreting the legend of the Tie nake hotograph by achel obson
n the same month and year – January – that irabeau Bonaparte amar published the prospectus for the olumbus n uirer, the first steamboat made it safely up the hattahoochee through the notoriously ha ardous nake hoals to the new port of the ust laid out city of olumbus 1 newspaper and a clear trading route up the river from the third busiest port in the ulf were vital to let the world know that the city of olumbus was open for business The ndians who had lived in the area for centuries had been forced through treaties to move across the river to the new reek ation in Alabama and white settlers would soon be flooding in, as world traveler Basil Hall observed, like “birds of prey attracted by the scent of some glorious quarry,” building roads, homes, businesses, plantations, mills, factories, and more 2 By age twenty two, the ambitious amar had already tried unsuccessfully to publish a newspaper at Alabama’s state capital of Cahawba before Georgia’s Governor George M. Troup (1823 hired him to be his secretary amar wrote press releases and made speeches promoting the governor’s views, including reek removal 3 When Troup’s term ended, Lamar moved to Columbus and established the n uirer as a voice for Troup’s political beliefs, for news, and, as did many newspapers of the day, to entertain and culturally enrich its readers 4 amar, a prolific poet with a omantic sensibility, supported ndian removal and the idea, shared by many elites, that white settlers were the rightful and inevitable inheritors of the land n a story below published in one of the earliest issues of the new olumbus n uirer, amar transformed a local indigenous legend into a omantic fable, as well as a promotional piece, to entice white settlers looking for adventure to come to olumbus 5 In his essay, Lamar asks an “old Indian” acquaintance to tell him about “the Monsters that, in ancient times, had frequented the falls.” The man tells a tale of the Tie nake, a familiar character in uskogee reek, itchiti, and atche myth and – for him – a present day danger to ndian and white
1 rospectus for the olumbus n uirer, January , irabeau B amar apers, , Te as tate ibrary and rchives ommission https www tsl te as gov e hibits presidents lamar m lamar an html, accessed Jan , olumbus n uirer olumbus, a , https gahistoricnewspapers galileo usg edu lccn sn accessed Jan , dward ueller, erilous Journeys istory of teamboating on the hattahoochee, palachicola, and lint ivers ufaula, la istoric hattahoochee ommission, , 2 Basil all, Travels in orth merica, in the ears and dinburgh, cotland adell and o , , , uoted in ike Bunn, ell orth topping to ee – ntebellum olumbus, eorgia, Through the yes of Travelers acon, a ercer niversity ress, , 3 Natalie D. Saba, “George Troup (1780 1856),” ew eorgia ncyclopedia, https www georgiaencyclopedia org articles government politics george troup , accessed Jan , 4 Virginia Claire Cooksey, “The Columbus (Ga.) Enquirer – tudy of iterary ulture as eflected in ne outhern Newspaper,” master’s thesis, labama olytechnic nstitute, , iv 5 acon Telegraph, June , , reprinted from the olumbus n uirer e know the article today only because it was reprinted in the Telegraph, as the earliest issues of the n uirer, which began printing pril , , have not been preserved Though unsigned, at this early stage of the newspaper, amar is undoubtedly the author or more on Lamar’s poetry, see Mary L. Scheer, “Mirabeau B. Lamar: Poet, President, and a Namesake for a University,” ast Te as istorical Journal , no , esp. 52. For more on his and his readers’ literary influences, see Tim ulford, omantic ndians – ative mericans, British iterature, and Transatlantic ulture ford ford niversity ress,
alike. In this story, the Tie Snake originally lived in the Chattahoochee iver north of Columbus but, with the arrival of white settlers, moved south of the new town to the notoriously dangerous “Snake Shoals,” soon reputed to be one of the two most ha ardous places to navigate on the river.6 There the Tie Snake destroyed steamboats in revenge for “the wrongs done the Indian race” by whites. Then, the Indian gave numerous e amples of the “decay” of the “gifts” of the natural world and his own culture that had come about because of the “rapacious encroachments of the White Man.”
Mirabeau Bonaparte Lamar From his book of poems, Verse Memorials
In Lamar’s literary retelling of the myth of the Tie Snake, the Indian becomes a omantic figure mourning for a life that is passing away as quickly as the Indian runs off into the forest, figuratively and literally making room for white settlers. While e pressing sympathy for the Indians’ plight and acknowledging, in a detached way, the role of his own people, Lamar characterizes the Indians’ removal
6 ichmond Enquirer, May 10, 1831, wrote: “the principal and indeed only obstructions of an important nature are the Auchee and Snake Shoals, between Columbus and Fort Gaines.” Later, the Indian estimates that Snake Shoals is “fifty or sixty miles below” the town, which is twice as far as the actual distance, even via the river.
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“far to the west across the great Mississippi” as unfortunate but certain, reassuring n uirer readers that Columbus is now safe for settlement, although still full of the romance and legends of “ancient times.” uried beneath the omantic and promotional aspirations of this tale is a nugget of local ative belief. Lamar’s site specific tale of the Tie Snake, with its uni ue reference to a known landmark, does not appear in the most famous collections of Creek myths. nly ev. Francis Lafayette F.L. Cherry, whose history writings were published in the pelika Times in the early 1880s, relates a similar story of the Tie Snake. Some of his phrasing is similar to Lamar’s, with the addition of Coweta Falls and Lover’s Leap, landmarks Cherry’s readers would have been familiar with, but he does not reveal his source, so we cannot be sure if he has read Lamar’s newspaper essay or if both authors had access to a common source, now lost.7 The well known collectors of Creek myths and legends, Indian agent William rrie Tuggle and ethnologist John Reed Swanton, who did their work after the Creek’s removal to Oklahoma, did not record tales similar to Lamar’s.8
“ — ” Among the many interesting and curious traditions handed down to us from the Indians, the story of the Tie Snake is not the least remarkable. In one of my hunting excursions a few days ago, along the banks of the beautiful and romantic Chatahoochee sic , a few miles above the town of Columbus, fatigue, and the scorching rays of a tropical sun, inclined me to rest under the cool shade of a large Magnolia, opposite the greatest fall of water on the river. While musing there on the grandeur of the pictures ue scenery around heightened by the foam of water thrown into a thousand channels and counter currents by the rapidity of the stream, my attention was arrested by the approach of an old Indian, with whom I was well ac uainted. After the usual salutations had passed, I bade him sit down with me in the shade and give me an account of the Monsters that, in ancient times, had fre uented the falls, to the great terror of his nation. The Tie Snake, he said, was perhaps the most dangerous serpent that ever infested those huge rocks, pointing to the falls — In times gone by, many hundred moons ago, the serpent, in length about one hundred feet, and having the appearance, when floating in the water, of a number of kegs tied together, could at any time be seen catching its prey by folding its helpless victim in the coils, or tie of its tail, and instantly depriving it of life by a deathly hug: — Many of his people, he continued, had been destroyed in crossing the river by this amphibious monster, which the vil Spirit had sent as a curse upon the ed Men for their misdeeds, until of late years the Tie Snake had descended the Chatahoochee sic , fifty or sixty miles below, as far as the Snake Shoals, where he is to be seen to the present day.
7 F.L. Cherry, “History of Opelika and Her Agricultural Tributary Territory – mbracing More articularly Lee and ussell Counties, from the arliest Settlement to the resent Date,” Alabama istorical uarterly, vol. 1 , no. Summer 1 3 , 18 18 , http: cdm1 1 .contentdm.oclc.org cdm ref collection uarterly id 1 , accessed an. , 01 . 8 Willam rrie Tuggle, Shem, am, and apheth – The apers of W. . Tuggle, Comprising is Indian iary, Sketches and bservations, Myths and Washington ournal in the Territory and at the Capital, 18 188 , ed. ugene Current Garcia and orothy . atfield Athens: niversity of Georgia ress, 1 3 , , 1 3 ohn . Swanton, Myths and Tales of the Southeastern Indians Washington, .C.: ureau of American thnology, ulletin o. 88, 1 , http: hdl.handle.net 0 mdp.3 01 011 1 , accessed an. , 01 .
There, said he, the reat Spirit has placed him, for many purposes and as the hite Men had taken the poor Red Man’s home away, and were ascending and descending the river with large smoking boats, the Tie Snake, as an avenger for wrongs done the ndian race, would fre uently enfold his coils around the oats and retard for months, their progress. Look, said he, around at the magnifick [sic] grandeur of Nature’s works; seek the tall forest filled with herds of deer and game of every description behold the monarch trout that fills the li uid stream the ndian corn that luxuriantly “rustles to the breeze” —see the mighty eagle, chief of his trib e , sitting in silent ma esty on yonder illegible watching the industrious heron, for its prey — look up yonder glade, where the long moss waves its sombre tresses thick among the forest, as if nature was in mourning for the decay of some of her handy work — all, all these gifts were once the son’s sic of the forest — poor, wretched race, where are they now Forlorn, miserable, and de ected — reduced to the miserable remnant of a once powerful nation, they were to end their days far to the west across the great Mississippi, and relin uish the land of their childhood, and the bones of their fathers, now laying sic silently under the clod of the valley, to the rapacious encroachments of the hite Man. Farewell, he franticly e claimed, my once happy land and rushing into the forest, was uickly lost amongst its thick foliage. almost repented that had solicited from him the tradition of the snake, since the history of this monster had led to a digression so affecting.
Columbus n .
onfederate Monument in olumbus hotograph by aniel ellware
he onfederate monument in olumbus is not something most people encounter unless they find themselves on roadway between th and th treets ucked away among the trees, ust north of eritage ark, is the thirty seven foot high relic of the city’s past which has been in place for years t honors not only onfederate soldiers but memorializes the founders of the Memorial ay holiday who built it he idea of memorializing the southern dead with a monument started less than a year after the last ma or military engagement of the ivil ar, the so called “Last Battle.” Union General James Harrison ilson swept through labama capturing elma and Montgomery before taking olumbus on pril , y anuary , an editor of the olumbus n uirer began agitating for a monument to the memory of the rebel dead he push for a monument lagged with the drive to establish Memorial ay and the lack of resources in post ivil ar olumbus Mrs harles illiams mentioned the inability to raise a monument in her plea to the press and ladies of the south to assist in establishing the holiday
Mrs harles Mary nn illiams and Mrs Robert arter, first president of the Ladies’ Memorial Association rom istory of the onfederated Memorial ssociations of the outh
he desire to memorialize the dead after the war was widespread owever, finding resources was difficult due to the economic devastation of the war Military occupation during Reconstruction also interfered with building plans everal locations were able to overcome these hurdles but monuments
“A Monument to the Fallen Brave,” olumbus aily n uirer, anuary , , “The Graves of the Soldiers,” aily olumbus n uirer, March , ,
ere fe in the early years. hera , South arolina erected a small monument in June ut never used the word “Confederate.” Romney, West Virginia claims the first true Confederate monument in Septem er of that year. ichmond, irginia raised over , for their first monument in . But that monument is more an e ception than the rule. onstruction progressed slo ly. n Georgia, the cities of Griffin, Atlanta, Athens, Savannah, aynes oro and Augusta managed to raise monuments in the decade efore olum us. t as not until after the turn of the century that the ma ority of the Southern monuments ent up. The United aughters of the onfederacy U , founded in , as the driving force ehind many of them. The idea arose again, on the heels of the Memorial ay holiday success. A ooden cenotaph constructed in Lin ood emetery and used for the and Memorial ay addresses proved to e the first effort at a monument to the onfederate dead in olum us. The cenotaph as he agon shaped ith a dome supported y si pillars. The name of General aul Semmes prominently adorned the dome at the top ith the names of officers painted on the pillars. ainted on the sides ere the names of mem ers of the lo er ran s. n total, the cenotaph included the names of almost t o hundred and fifty of the soldiers of Muscogee ounty. The eather as no friend to the ooden structure, though, plus the acoustics made it difficult to hear the addresses delivered from it. The necessity of repainting the inade uate memorial and all the names inspired a push for a more permanent monument. n the meantime, Temperance Hall too over hosting o servances in , follo ed in later years y the Springer pera House, hich due to its acoustics allo ed more people to hear the oratory. Financing a more permanent memorial in olum us, estimated at the time to cost as much , , as the iggest o stacle to o taining a monument. The community as, for the most part, in favor of the memorial and fundraising too many forms. oung men of the city organi ed the Thespian ompany, an amateur theater group, to help raise money for that purpose in . They elected former e or er Fran Golden as president. The group, ho ever, made little head ay. The first real success to ards the creation of a monument in olum us came hen the ladies of the Memorial Association persuaded rofessor George . hase to hold a fundraising concert in . The concert succeeded in raising nearly , to that date the most money earned at one time for the cause. The olum us
Mrs. illiam J. Behan, History of the onfederated Memorial Associations of the South, e rleans The Graham ress, . ynthia Mills and amela Simpson, eds., Monuments to the Lost ause, omen, Art and the Landscape of Southern Memory, no ville University of Tennessee ress, , viii. Mrs. illiam J. Behan, History of the onfederated Memorial Associations of the South, e rleans The Graham ress, . ynthia Mills and amela Simpson, eds., Monuments to the Lost ause, omen, Art and the Landscape of Southern Memory, no ville University of Tennessee ress, , v. Max Kutner, “As Confederate Statues Fall, the Group Behind Most of Them Stays Quiet,” e s ee , August , , https .ne s ee .com united daughters confederacy statues monuments udc , accessed January , . “Thespian Corps.,” olum us aily n uirer, ecem er , , . “Memorial Monument,” olum us aily n uirer, January , , .
ndustrial Association hatched another scheme in which the adies ran the dining hall at their fair in Septem er to collect money for a monument. The adies Memorial Association put the money they earned to work. They loaned the lion’s share of its funds to Burrus and Williams, a large cotton warehouse, at per year simple interest per month . Although not compounded, the high rate rought in more money than some fundraisers. The “Olde Folkes’ Concerte” in April 1874 raised nearly $200. Deposited with G. Gunby Jordan at the Eagle and henix Sa ings epartment, the money earned interest per year, compounded uarterly. The editor of the paper wondered in print if the adies’ cause was more important than providing for those suffering in Columbus with the call to “Care first for the living.” owe er, the amounts directed toward the monument would do little to alle iate any suffering. ac luster fundraising still hampered the adies’ efforts, though. At the beginning of February 1875, they reported that they had accumulated less than $800 since 1867. E.B. Brown’s troupe performed a show called the “Marble Heart” but raised only a little over $5 . The matinee performance of the drama “Destiny,” attended by 140 women, 50 children and even a few men, only generated $75. Some in the community uestioned the earnestness of the adies in achie ing their goal while the fundraising continued. ne correspondent recommended that the adies donate the cost of their calico dresses instead of attending the planned all. e suggested that they could easily raise if they donated the cost of each dress. Another wondered if gi ing a all is e en an appropriate way to raise money for the monument, as it would not e appropriate for a church or cemetery fundraiser.
Advertisement for Professor Chase’s concert (Colum us n uirer, April , and the Olde Folkes’ Concert Colum us n uirer Sun, April ,
10 “A Novel Idea,” Colum us aily Sun, Septem er , , . 11 “Suffering in the City,” Colum us aily n uirer, anuary , , . 12 “The Matinee,” Colum us aily n uirer, anuary , , . 13 “A Recommendation,” Colum us aily n uirer, anuary , , . “The Dance of Death,” Colum us aily n uirer, Fe ruary , , .
The adies’ efforts finally began to pick up steam in late 1875. One surprising source of support came from Jackson Andrews, an African American hack driver. He offered his services to the adies of the Memorial Association as his contribution to the monument.15 Amateurs performed the single show pantomime “The Mistletoe Bough” on December 20, 1875 to help generate funds for the effort. The local performers included . . Salisbury, proprietor of the Columbus En uirer, as the Baron, with Professor Chase in the orchestra and G. Gunby Jordan managing the stage.16 Following close on its heels was the Monumental Festival given at the Perry House shortly before Christmas, 1875. The two events raised over $1,100, the biggest boost to the effort so far. ith almost $2,000 in the fund, the monument was at last beginning to appear possible. However, the ne t big event, a Grand Boat E cursion, in the spring of 1876, charging a dollar for the ride down the river and back with music and food, actually lost $25 instead of making money.17 The adies then hit on the idea of charging admission to the Memorial Day oratory. In 1876 and 1877, they charged ten cents admission to hear the speakers at the Springer Opera House. The adies chose Henry H. Hilliard, former congressman and charg d affaires to Belgium as orator in 1876 and Capt. J.R. McCleskey, attorney of Americus in 1877, to address the crowd. The adies planned to have General Robert Toombs speak at the 1878 Memorial Day tribute and charge admission of twenty–five cents for gentlemen and ten cents for ladies to raise enough funds to complete the pro ect.18 Toombs declined the invitation, however, and Alabama professor of agriculture at the A M College in Auburn, illiam H. Chambers, spoke instead.
Columbus Daily En uirer advertisements for three monument fundraisers in 1875 1876 E.B. Brown’s “Marble Heart” benefit of January 1875, “Mistletoe Bough” pantomime Dec 19, 1875, and the “Grand Boat E cursion” held April 21, 1876
15 “Contribution from a Colored Man,” Columbus Daily En uirer, December 16, 1875, 4. 16 “The Entertainment Last Evening,” Columbus Daily En uirer , December 21, 1875, 4. 17 “Local Briefs,” Columbus Daily En uirer, April 2 , 1876, . 18 “The Confederate Monument,” Columbus Daily En uirer Sun, April , 1878, 4.
28
Before the monument could be erected, the Ladies would need to decide on a suitable location. This issue became the basis for a fundraiser, as well. n election determined the site of the monument with votes costing ten cents each. Locations considered included alisbury ark on Broad between Baldwin and ew treets modern 7th and 8th treets , the intersection of Broad and andolph treets, Mott’s Green, and Prospect Park. John King, H.H. Epping, G. Gunby Jordan, and Col. . . hepherd managed the voting. nyone giving 5 or more could take it back if their location lost. The vote and collection occurred during the Memorial estival at the City Light Guards rmory on May 9, 1878. The event raised 5 1.25 from the vote and 180 from the refreshment tables. ctual votes cast should have raised almost 1, 00. There must have been a considerable number of votes over 5 returned for unsuccessful candidates.
illiam L. alisbury, from the Columbus unday Ledger En uirer, pecial es uicentennial upplement, May 7, 1978
Salisbury Park won the election. The murder of the park’s namesake, the popular William L. alisbury, the previous month made it a sentimental favorite.19 G. Gunby Jordan gave an address to announce the election results while honoring . L. alisbury, calling it “a fitting exponent of the memory of him whose name it bears—Columbus’ best and most liberal citizen—a man whose proudest ornament
19 illiam L. alisbury was shot in the back at the train station in eale, labama on the night of pril 20, 1878. Earlier that day, alisbury had lost a libel suit based an editorial in his newspaper accusing Dr. . . almer of lawlessness in ussell County, labama. lthough almer won the suit, his award was only one cent in damages. Two years later. almer stood trial for alisbury s murder and was found not guilty of the crime. “Murder!,” Columbus Daily En uirer un, pril 2 , 1878, .
29 was pure integrity, whose success added to the bounds of his generosity.” Salisbury was a successful businessman, city alderman and a trustee of the public schools that he helped to establish for both white and black children. The description of his funeral procession demonstrates the honor gi en him by the children of both races, noting that “On reaching Troup street the children from the Public Schools, white and colored, were lined on each side while the main procession passed between. t this point a grand spectacle was presented. The children then oined the line and the mile long procession then made its way to the city cemetery. ollowing the ote, the Ladies were in a position to purchase the long sought monument. They announced the contract with Muldoon o. of Louis ille, Kentucky, shortly thereafter. The document included these features ot less than thirty two feet in height, foundation to be built by Muldoon o. with labor and materials supplied by the Ladies, onfederate battle flag, two hundred names engra ed free of charge and deli ered on or about pril , . n o ember , Mr. Karins of Muldoon o. announced that he would be coming to town to ascertain the exact location of the monument. He also wanted to stress the importance of allowing the foundation to settle before placing the monument on it. The foundation was still being discussed in March of when the Ladies stated they did not want “haste” to spoil the effort. ceremony for setting the foundation occurred on pril , with full co erage of the e ent in the next day’s paper. Members of the Ladies’ Memorial Association placed bricks to honor arious people. Mrs. M. R. Jones laid a brick in memory of Lizzie Rutherford as “one whose devotion to the Lost Cause, and zeal for the ssociation places her on the long list of noble women of the South.” Mrs. W.G. Woolfolk laid a brick in honor of Mrs. Charles J. Williams “the first one in the South to suggest the custom of annually decorating Confederate soldiers’ graves.” The inclusion of an elaborate set of lucky charms between the bricks and co ered with cement completed the foundation. The bizarre collection of items sealed in bottles included
“sweet milk, kerosene oil, syrup, vinegar, writing fluid, wheat, rye, oats, millet, peas, corn, beans, barley, pepper, spice, clo es, mace, mustard seed, a piece of drain tile, a specimen of soap, candles, three fresh hens eggs, three small china dolls, plaster of Paris ornaments, a ar containing specimens of the type in use with a chase of type set.”
“Location of the Monument” olumbus aily En uirer Sun, May , , . “Honors To The Dead,” olumbus aily En uirer Sun, pril , , . “Memorial Association”, olumbus aily En uirer, May , , . “Confederate Monument in Columbus,” olumbus aily En uirer, o ember , , . “Memory of the Dead,” olumbus aily En uirer Sun, pril , , . bid. “Confederate Monument,” olumbus aily En uirer Sun, pril , , .
The inclusion of these “foundation deposits” is probably Masonic in origin but the practice dates back to ancient gypt. However, this list paled in comparison to the items placed in the cornerstone. Masons, led by rand Master Mobley, laid the cornerstone on April , with a box supposedly containing well over a hundred different items donated by the community. t contained coins, currency, photographs, newspapers, books, buttons, flags, lists of voters and civic organization members and a host of other trinkets and souvenirs. t is noteworthy that the April and April editions of the Columbus Daily n uirer Sun carried stories directly related to the history of the Ladies’ Memorial Association. The April 2 edition included the description of the bricklaying ceremony where Mrs. Woolfolk gives credit to Mrs. Williams for suggesting Memorial Day. Since none existed at the time, the April edition made a point to include a historical sketch of the Ladies’ Memorial Association. It said, in part, “To a deceased member of the association, Mrs. Chas. J Williams, is due to honor of first suggesting the custom of annually decorating the soldiers’ graves with flowers – a custom adopted throughout the South and followed by the orth towards ederal graves.” That custom refers to the May version of the holiday inaugurated by eneral John A. Logan of the rand Army of the Republic in .
Muldoon Co. advertisement, entucky Advocate, Danville , December ,
The talian marble shaft arrived by train in time for Memorial Day but as Mr. arins of Muldoon Co. explained, heavy rains delayed the granite bases in arriving from Stone Mountain. Although guaranteed by the contractors otherwise, the monument would not be ready for the th annual Memorial Day in . To make matters worse, the Ladies arranged for eorgia’s governor, Alfred Col uitt, to be orator for that observance. To resolve their dilemma, the Ladies created a floral
27 Maarten Delbeke and Minou Schraven, ds., oundation, Dedication and Consecration in arly Modern urope, Leiden rill, , . “Confederate Monument. Cornerstone to be Laid To morrow,” Columbus Sunday n uirer Sun, April , , and “To the Confederate Soldier.” Columbus n uirer Sun, April , , . bid. “Explanation of Muldoon & Co.,” Columbus Daily n uirer Sun, April , , .
monument and had it erected over the foundation. A thirty foot framework festooned with flowers and evergreens took the place of the missing marble shaft. The Columbus aily En uirer published a full description of the monument with a drawing a few months later. 2 A recian urn surmounts the monument emitting the eternal flame and rests on a Confederate national flag. According to the contract, it was to be a Confederate battle flag. Instead, it appears to be the second or third national flag. The canton containing the battle flag only appears on the north side of the monument. That side is the most highly decorated of the entire monument and contains the most Civil War symbolism. It begins with “Our Confederate Dead,” the most prominent words inscribed at the bottom of the marble shaft, ust above the granite base. The north face also includes the only human figure, eorge ashington, who appears in the center of the reat eal of the Confederate tates. Above the seal is the eorgia coat of arms and further up, one cannon, cannon balls, a saber, a bugle and ten bayoneted muskets. The national flag, the seal and reference to Confederate dead also fall in the category of Lost Cause symbolism. owever, they are not primary symbols, according to the ew eorgia Encyclopedia. Those would include the battle flag, the Confederate soldier and the triumvirate of obert E. Lee, efferson avis and tonewall ackson, none of which appear on this monument. The Lost Cause mythology started almost immediately after the war. It began as a way for outherners to cope with their defeat in the Civil ar. The symbols of the Lost Cause represent the perceived ideals of the ld outh. The ma or tenets of the myth are that the ld outh was noble and chivalrous, that ortherners were the aggressors in the conflict and that victory would come if the southerners maintained their superior culture. roups like the nited aughters of the Confederacy spread the ideas of the Lost Cause into the twentieth century and beyond. The most benign inscription, etched on the east side is “In Memoriam” with “No Truth is Lost for which the true are weeping nor dead for which they died” on the panel below. This is the last line of the poem nder the illows by local doctor and poet rancis rray Ticknor. The other two sides contain the bulk of the monument’s Lost Cause mythology.
“Memorial Day. Floral Monument to be Erected,” Columbus aily En uirer un, April 22, , . 2 Columbus aily En uirer, uly , , . David S. Williams, “Lost Cause Religion,” ew eorgia Encyclopedia, https www.georgiaencyclopedia.org articles arts culture lost cause religion, accessed anuary , 2 . 34 Cynthia Mills and amela impson, eds., Monuments to the Lost Cause, omen, Art, and the Landscape of outhern Memory noxville niversity of Tennessee ress, 2 , xv. David S. Williams, “Lost Cause Religion,” ew eorgia Encyclopedia, https www.georgiaencyclopedia.org articles arts culture lost cause religion, accessed anuary , 2 .
2
North face of the monument with pedestal and pediment. hotograph by Daniel . ellware
(Left) The monument’s east side. Photograph by Daniel A. Bellware Right Francis Orray Ticknor from Southern Life in Southern Literature, by Maurice arland Fulton
ather A. . yan ourtesy of i imedia ommons
Inscribed on the west side is “Honor to the Brave” below the pediment and on the panel, the first stanza of Father Ryan’s poem ar h of the Deathless Dead: “Gather the sacred dust. Of warriors tried and true. ho bore the flag of our nation’s trust and fell in the cause tho’ lost, still just and died for me and you.” Father Ryan was a Catholic priest, poet, and early adherent to the Lost Cause. Several of his poems appeared in the pages of the olumbus n uirer in s. n the south side is engraved, “Their Glory Shall Not Be Forgotten” on the pediment. Inscribed on the panel below that is “Erected by the Ladies of the Memorial Association May, 1879. To honor the onfederate soldiers who died to repel un onstitutional in asion to prote t the right reser ed to the people and to perpetuate forever the sovereignty of the states.”
“Make Me A Song,” olumbus Daily n uirer, December 9, 1877, 4 and “Have Hope,” olumbus Daily n uirer un, February 23, 1879, 4 and “A Memory,” olumbus Daily n uirer un une .
The monument as it originally appeared without steps in a sketch which appeared in the Columbus En uirer on uly , 1879
3
hoto of the monument shortly after dedication Courtesy of Historic Columbus
The monument’s physical appearance today is quite different from its first installation. Originally, it did not have steps. Instead, it rested on a five foot high mound of earth, covered in grass. Muldoon Co. finished the job in early May 1879 but the Ladies found it needed more dirt mounded around the base by August.37 By October, it was apparent that despite all the good luck charms placed in the foundation, the monument had settled unevenly. The local paper noted that the city of Macon was using the same firm to install their monument and e pressed hope that their monument, unlike the one in Columbus, would be level.38 By December, the papers called for re plumbing the monument, even if it meant taking it down. The lack of plumb was not the only problem with the monument. The Ladies were unsatisfied with the general presentation of the monument. They decided that it needed steps around the base and an iron fence instead of the earthen mound. After settling with the original contractors no pun intended , they had about 2 left in their treasury. They put the job of adding steps out for bids in March 188 . The local firm of A.M. and .H. Elledge won the job to replace the mound with stone steps for , promising to do everything possible to finish by Memorial Day.39 nfortunately, they came up short by more than a couple of weeks. In the meantime, the Ladies staged a Gypsy Opera to raise the remaining money for the steps.
37 “Ladies Memorial Association,” Columbus Daily En uirer Sun, August 14, 1879, 4. 38 “Georgia News,” Columbus Daily En uirer Sun, October 28, 1879, 3. 39 “Steps at the Monument,” Columbus Daily Enquirer Sun, March , 188 , 4.
3
Ad ertisement for Elledges’ Monumental Marble or s, from the Columbus Daily Enquirer Sun, uly ,
or the second year in a row, the monument was not presentable for its biggest day of the year. The Ladies contemplated decorating the monument for Memorial Day. owe er, they determined that the situation was beyond hope. The mound was gone and the foundation lay bare for all to see. However, all agreed that decorating graves was a better use of the flowers than hiding the monument’s indignity. The Elledges finished the ob in May , adding fi es steps made of entuc y limestone. The Ladies delayed the issue of a fence for a year, most li ely due to funding. n , a cost estimate from A. M. Elledge came in at o er . The idea of a fence died at that point and no e idence of one appears in later drawings or photographs of the monument.
mage of Lower road Street showing the monument with steps but no fence, from the Columbus Daily Enquirer Sun, September ,
“Fence for the Monument,” Columbus Daily Enquirer Sun, March , , .
lmost immediatel , the monument became a landmar , used, among other things, to direct eo le to rental ro erties in the area he monument also became the rall ing oint for Memorial a e ercises nfortunatel , it also became the focus for local bo s to ractice their mischief he image of eorge ashington on horsebac was a favorite target for stone throwers
ental advertisement from the olumbus n uirer un, ugust ,
, some in the communit were see ing to relocate the monument fter twent ears in alisbur ar , the wanted to see it at road and th instead his was one of the original locations ut to a vote in er road was and is commercial with more traffic than ower road, which is residential ontem oraneous re orts stated that the adies referred that location then road and andol h streets rior to the vote that awarded alisbur ar the honor eo le wanted the monument to be more visible to guests in the cit he com lained that it was necessar to loo for it and onl eo le living around the ar could en o it However, several rominent eo le announced their o osition to the move, including Ma or ha ell, marblewor er M lledge, Henr oetchius, and Captain William Redd, of Camp Benning, a local veterans’ organi ation onetheless, the assignment went to he herd, ommander of am enning, to a roach the Ladies’ Memorial Association about moving the monument
“The Monument Defaced,” olumbus ail n uirer, ctober , , “Confederate Monument,” olumbus unda Herald, March , , “Mayor Chappell’s Views,” olumbus ail n uirer, March , , “’Let It Stay,’ Says Capt Elledge,” olumbus ail n uirer, March , , “Moving of Monument,” olumbus ail n uirer, March , , “As to the Monument,” olumbus ail n uirer, March , , “Monument May Be Moved,” olumbus ail n uirer, March , ,
Colonel William Smythe Shepherd, courtesy of Colum us State niversity Archives
The relocation effort collapsed. The failure did more than stop the monument’s move. It also prevented the opening of the cornerstone, e posing the historical revision occurring in Colum us at the time. In 1898, the Ladies’ Memorial Association, under the direction of its second president, Mrs Annie Leonard arrard, sought to rewrite the origin story of the holiday through the pu lication of its official history in oo let form In it, the Association gives credit to Li ie Rutherford for originating the holiday Affidavits ta en in support of that claim from the two surviving attendees of the organi ational meeting of the Ladies Memorial Association at the Tyler ouse are included in the oo let It has een noted, however, that the affidavits provide only a “lukewarm endorsement” of that claim. An e amination of the information related to the Ladies’ Memorial Association, including the newspaper articles, within the cornerstone could undo all the wor put into stripping Mrs Williams of the honor of originating the holiday
Mrs. Annie Leonard Garrard, second president of the Ladies’ Memorial Association, from istory of the Confederated Memorial Associations of the South
A istory of the rigin of the Memorial Day oliday, Colum us il ert rinting, Daniel Bellware and Richard ardiner, The enesis of the Memorial Day oliday in America Colum us Colum us State niversity, ,
Mrs. illiams received credit for originating the holiday in her 18 o ituary, the 18 9 rick laying on April 1, and the cornerstone ceremony on April 1 . n the other hand, Li ie utherford received no such recognition in her o ituary of 18 or the ricklaying and cornerstone ceremonies of 18 9. Mrs. illiams was widely credited throughout the country as the originator of the holiday. In fact, a historical account of Memorial Day given in an 1895 newspaper article in General Logan’s home state of Illinois pictured oth General Logan and Mrs. illiams, as the founders of the holiday.
Gen. ohn A. Logan and Mrs. illiams rom the aily Illinois tate egister, May , 189
The monument remained a landmark. ears later, it played a pivotal role as a plot device in the first movie filmed in olum us in 191 . . . hepherd played an aged veteran who introduces flash acks of the “Last Battle” to a young couple as they stroll by the monument and ask its meaning in the film pirit of olum us 18 – 191 . 8 The attle scenes were re enacted in the orth ighlands area almost fifty years to the day after the attle.
Advertisement for “Spirit of Columbus 1865 1915,” olum us n uirer, April 1 , 191
“History of the Day,” aily Illinois tate egister, May , 189 , 1 . 8 aniel Bellware, “Movie Makers Come to Columbus,” Muscogiana , o. 1 pring 1 , .
he monument embodied tradition as few other landmarks could he Memorial Day parade generally made a stop at the monument Some military unit would customarily fire a salute before heading off to the cemetery for the decoration ceremonies After orld ar , the monument was the rallying point for the Armistice parade in 1919, as well 9 n 19 6, the end of a forty year tradition was reported when om eabody relin uished his role of opening the decoration of the monument to a local fireman 5 During those years, Mr eabody threw the first streamer of bunting over the top of the monument n another break with tradition, the April 19 8 Memorial Day parade was re routed to e clude the stop at the monument with the salute fired over General Benning’s grave at Linwoood, instead.51
iring a salute on Memorial Day 19 , courtesy of Historic Columbus
n 1969, the Historic Columbus oundation submitted a nomination for the Columbus Historic District to the ational egister of Historic laces he area included in the nomination encompassed Salisbury ark and the monument as well as several blocks in all directions from it Historic Columbus submitted an amendment to the nomination in 1988 that e tended the historic district and called out the monument specifically as an ob ect contributing to the historical significance of the area he monument remains much as it has for the last 1 years t was the sub ect of a structural inspection in 1 and found to be level and plumb he brick and mortar foundation was intact and in good condition he only problem noted was with the settling of the steps ver the years, seeping water
9 “Columbus is to Celebrate,” Columbus Ledger, ovember 5, 1919, 1 5 “Another Record,” Columbus Daily n uirer, May 1 , 19 6, 6 51 “Monument Out,” Columbus n uirer, April 8, 19 8,
1 eroded the earth from the original mound that supported the steps, leaving gaps and voids. neven settling of the steps and crac s followed but had no impact on the monument itself. he steps were sub ect to an emergenc repair in but a detailed assessment concluded that the would remain serviceable for the ne t ears. nli e the cenotaph or the ler ouse, the monument is one of the few intact ph sical artifacts left of the Ladies’ Memorial Association of Columbus, the true creators of the Memorial a holida in America. After ears, it would be appropriate to e plain the histor and add conte t to the monument. ith eritage ar and eritage Corner at the end of the bloc , it is the perfect place for interpretive signage. anels e plaining the histor of the monument as well as the Lost Cause m tholog that helped shape it would be valuable additions. hile others rush to erase their histor , Columbus can leverage theirs to educate future generations.
iew of the monument showing its residential setting hotograph b aniel A. Bellware
Criterium ollie ngineers, tructural nspection, Confederate Monument in alisbur ar , Columbus, GA, unpublished report . avid ia and Associates, Conditions Assessment of the Confederate Monument, Columbus, Georgia, unpublished report, .
o erin o er la a erdinand, a ublic ar at the heart of do nto n in the historic cit of ensacola, lorida, stands an obelis dedicated to the memor of man from Columbus hom fe in his hometo n toda remember at all illiam udle Chi le , both born and buried alon the ban s of the Chattahoochee, made a name for himself in the state of lorida hich sur i es in both the ostentatious ensacola memorial as ell as in a to n named for him and a le ac of railroad and communit buildin reco ni ed in numerous histories of the re ions in hich he or ed his brief bio ra hical s etch ill ho efull better ac uaint those interested in Chattahoochee alle histor ith Mr Chi le and his accom lishments in lorida
illiam udle Chi le , courtes of ensa edia com
This brief overview of Chipley’s life was compiled from the following sources: Jesse Earl Bowden and Virginia Parks, Iron Horse in the Pinelands: Building West Florida’s Railroad, 1881 Lillian Cham ion, iant rac in illiam udle Chi le and ther iants of Men Columbus uill ublications, , anc M elfair, A istor of Columbus, eor ia Columbus istorical ublication Co , re M urner, A ourne into lorida ailroad istor aines ille ni ersit ress of lorida, re M urner, A hort istor of lorida ailroads Charleston Arcadia ress, and Edward C. Williamson, “William Dudley Chipley: West Florida’s Mr. Railroad,” lorida istorical uarterl A ril,
William Dudley Chipley was born on June , 18 in Columbus, the son of a doctor from entucky who, like so many others in town at the time, had arrived on the banks of the Chattahoochee in pursuit of the opportunities a new and promising trading town represented. Because his parents either found their future not as bright in eorgia as they had hoped or because they missed home more than they thought, Chipley’s first stay in Columbus proved rather short lived. t age four he moved with family back to entucky, residing in the e ington area. He spent the remainder of his formative years in the Bluegrass state, where he attended the entucky Military Institute and studied medicine at Transylvania niversity. Chipley enlisted in the Confederate army at the outbreak of the Civil War, serving in the th entucky Infantry and seeing action in several western theater campaigns. Chipley sustained at least three serious wounds in the course of the war—at the Battles of hiloh, Chickamauga, and Peachtree Creek—and ended the war with the rank of ieutenant Colonel. nfortunately, he ended his wartime service in the infamous prison at Johnson’s Island in Ohio after being captured in the fighting around tlanta on July , 18 .
Chipley as a young man From iant Tracking: William Dudley Chipley and ther iants of Men, by illian D. Champion
or reasons that remain lost to history, shortly after the end of the ar Chipley chose to return to his hometo n to begin his post ar career actly hen he arrived bac in Columbus is un no n, but advertisements promoting his ne ly established grocery business appear in Columbus papers by early e evidently asted no time in getting involved in local society, as in ecember of he married nn li abeth illups, the daughter of a ell to do ussell County, labama planter hortly after, local emocrats chose him to serve as chairman of the party’s county executive committee, and around the same time he on election alderman for the city ard in hich he resided y the spring of , hen udley and his ife hosted a mas uerade ball attended by some of Columbus’ leading movers and sha ers at his home on upper road treet, he had become a respected and ell no n leader in Columbus On the evening of arch 30, though, Chipley’s life would take a sudden and dramatic change of course and hasten to an end this second so ourn in his native city Around 2 a.m. on March 31, long after Chipley’s gathering had concluded, a group of men forced their ay into a room of a nearby hotel called the erry ouse and shot do n a former plantation overseer and local epublican party affiliate eorge shburn shburn as a uintessential scala ag, having been a native outherner ho openly or ed ith epublican officials, many of them blac , at a time hen doing so as not only unpopular but often dangerous in eep outh communities such as Columbus. He was known to have worked with both the Loyal League and the Freedman’s Bureau, had served as a delegate from uscogee County in Georgia’s constitutional convention of 1867 , and as no n to be angling for a seat in the state legislature hile e may never no e actly ho as behind his murder or e actly ho many men ere involved, at least five reportedly ell dressed and mas ed assailants battered down the door of Ashburn’s apartment. After a brief scuffle and a furious exchange of fire, shburn lay dead, riddled ith gunshots and his murderers made a uic geta ay elve suspects ere arrested in short order, one of them none other than illiam Chipley The Ashburn case and the fate of the “Columbus Prisoners” became a national scandal in the ee s after the murder, pitting as it did so star ly the forces of redeemer and radical reconstruction rule and laying bare the deep and dangerous divisions in post ar outhern society eople in Columbus and across the outh follo ed the fate of Chipley and the other prisoners held at ort ulas i, near avannah, here he as held after his arrest and confined to a small, airless cell e as released after a short stay only to be arrested a second time later in the year, this time being sent to c herson arrac s in tlanta here he as condemned to solitary confinement in another e ceedingly uncomfortable cell is letters complaining of the poor and inade uate rations, suffocatingly hot and cramped uarters, and the “dreadful closeness of our cells (to the)…penetrating stench of the guard house sink,” cast him as some hat of a martyr in the eyes of many at home, suffering as he did for a crime he denied having any part in hich many ere in truth not disappointed to have happened lthough proceedings in the case ere eventually suspended by military authorities and Chipley and the other suspects ere released and celebrated by some upon their return, he still paid a high price for his involvement in the affair nable to
tend to his business during his confinement, Chipley experienced severe financial setbacks and soon found himself in financial straits. To make matters even worse, a daughter born shortly after his time in jail died at the tender age of only 17 months. Chipley’s personal and professional life was in an uproar. After a few years attempting to get his financial house back in order and casting about for new opportunities, Chipley finally caught the break that would propel him into wealth and fame. n February of 1872 he began work with the orth and outh ailroad of Georgia as secretary and treasurer, and later served as superintendent. His career in the railroad industry took off after that first post, as he passed through a variety of positions with di ying speed. He accepted a position with the Baltimore and hio line in 187 , where he worked as the southwestern agent for the branch irginia Midland line. n 1876 Chipley went to work for the Pensacola ailroad, and by 1880 had become the superintendent of a line running out of the Florida port city as well as the superintendent of the Havana teamship Line. ther progressively influential positions followed in short order, including stints with the Louisville and ashville and the Mobile and Montgomery lines. He moved to Pensacola shortly after becoming involved with the Pensacola line, and would reside there for the remainder of his life. The city traced its history to the arrival of uropeans in the 1600s but had never grown at the pace or scale many supposed it would. n 1880 its population stood at about 6,500, making it the third largest city in Florida. Chipley immediately recognized the city’s promise as a center for rail and shipping commerce and potential tourist spot and devoted himself to promoting its potential. He worked tirelessly to develop the railroad lines in the region with which he was affiliated, a highlight of which being his successful lobbying for the expansion of the Louisville and Nashville lines’ presence in the area in the form of the chartering of the Pensacola and Atlantic ailroad. He also accepted the presidency of the Pensacola Board of Trade, and compiled a sort of promotional travel guide for the city which highlighted its developing rail connections but also touted its scenery and cultural assets. His influence began to expand well beyond the confines of Pensacola in the 1880s during his rapid ascent into the ranks of the leading industrial tycoons of the day. hen the Columbus and ome line reached the tiny village of Hood, north of Columbus in Harris County, Georgia, in 1882, the community was renamed Chipley in honor of the man who had put the spot on the proverbial map. (Chipley was renamed Pine Mountain in the 1 0s) Meanwhile back in Florida, Chipley used his growing wealth and power to launch himself into local and state politics. He served a term each as chair of the local emocratic executive committee, as mayor of Pensacola, and as a state senator. n a bitterly contested race in 18 6 in which he at one point served on a committee that helped welcome presidential candidate illiam ennings Bryan, he narrowly lost a bid for nited tates enate.
6
Chipley, eorgia, historic marker
Chipley’s home in Pensacola, from iant racking illiam udley Chipley and ther iants of en, by Lillian . Champion
7
Pensacola he aples of merica, compile y Chipley
Chipley’s reputation as a man of action in the business and political arenas was only enhanced by a i ely circ la e acco n of his enco n er i h le en ary o la ohn esley ar in ar in ha an ere in o Pensacola see in o e a e a hori ies in he ime he as perhaps he mos an e men in merica, r more o ha e ille o er o o en men in he co rse of an nseemly rail of criminal ac i i y omeho he o en e p a he same a le for a po er ame, an ar in, as he s ory oes, in roduced himself as “Jim Swain.” Later that evening an apparently drunk Hardin pointed a n a Chipley o er some ri ial isp e an Chipley s mmarily oo he n a ay from him an hi him in he head. When Chipley learned of Swain’s true identity an ha e as an ers ere near y an loo in for him, he arran e for a special rain o ranspor he la officers from Pollar , s across he or er in la ama, o Pensacola he officers apprehen e ar in in shor or er, an he as ranspor e on one of Chipley’s trains to Texas to be tried for crimes in that state. As might be expected of anyone of Chipley’s ambition and stature, he could be a polarizing fi re hile most viewed him as a wise and kindly benefactor for Florida’s panhandle region, some ecame s spicio s of his ro in consoli a ion of po er in he re ion in he s ennis olfe, e i or of he Pensacola Commercial, ecame a mo hpiece for e rac ors as he a firs praise Chipley as
“enterprising and liberal” but later derided him in the paper during his service as mayor of ensacola for alleged misuse of public funds and his overbearing personality. “Woe be to him who seeks to thwart his will,” advised Wolfe to those who attempted to interfere with Chipley’s plans after observing how he seemed to always get his way. Referring to him as “Major Octopus” for the way he seemingly had his hands in everything, he was one of several who uestioned his incredible influence in local and state politics, railroad enterprises, and real estate development. He humorously predicted at one point that his “tentacles will get tangled and suckers exhausted by too much labor.” ut among most living in northwest Florida during Chipley’s time, he seemed to be regarded as a respected leader. He served as Pensacola’s leading cheerleader in one of its most rapid periods of development, developed critical infrastructure in a long stagnant region, and employed thousands of people as he oversaw expansion of the area’s railroad network. Chipley won plaudits for his participation in cultural affairs in northwest Florida, as well. He served as an important figure in developing the Florida Chautau ua event at eFuniak Springs—an annual arts celebration featuring operas, plays, lectures, concerts, and other events, and also served as a trustee of both Florida State Agricultural College and Stetson niversity. He even had a second town named for him. Chipley, Florida, established in along a railroad he operated, eventually became the seat of Washington County and an important regional shipping point for a variety of locally produced goods.
Lake eFuniak in eFuniak Springs, Florida where the Chautau ua Chipley helped organize took place. hotograph by ike unn
Chipley Monument in Chipley, , courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Chipley died suddenly on ecember , at age during a trip to Washington, .C., where he had journeyed to lobby for federal assistance with further development in the region. s Chipley owned a plot in Columbus’ Linwood Cemetery, he was buried there alongside his infant daughter’s grave. e was survived by his sons, unt and udley, daughter Clara, and wife nn li abeth. Pensacolans determined to memoriali e him in their own way since he was to be buried in eorgia, and in short order erected a stone obelisk in Pla a erdinand in tribute to him. t stands still as one of the more impressive monuments to a Columbus native anywhere, even if relatively few who pass by today know much about the remarkable life which inspired its creation.
eadline in the ensa ola tar announcing Chipley’s death, from iant ra ing illiam udley Chipley and ther iants of en, by Lillian . Champion
Chipley’s grave in Linwood Cemetery hotograph by i e unn
t the ase of the monument is a pla ue praising this forgotten figure, communicating the heartfelt tri ute of the people of ensacola
“Soldier tatesman u lic enefactor n the attlefield he as ithout fear, and ithout reproach n the councils of the state he as ise and sagacious, and in his pu lic and pri ate enefactions he as e er alert and tireless he history of his life is the history of the up uilding of est lorida, and its e ery material ad ancement, for t o decades, ears the impress of his genius and his labor.”
he Chipley onument in la a erdinand in do nto n ensacola hotograph y i e unn
he hi le onu en in la a erdinand in do n o n ensa ola
ho o ra h b i e unn
as su er e ere or una e o ha e S l ia arshall in ern i h us in he r hi es. She a e o us ro nes S o olle e in e a ur eor ia. hile she is no a s uden a olu bus S a e she is ro his area and sou h us ou hile she as ho e or he su er. She s en oun less hours on a rela i el ne a uisi ion a series o ho os ro he ibb anu a urin o an . She no onl arran ed and des ribed e er ho o ra h she also di i i ed ea h one and u loaded he o our online i i al r hi es. he en ire olle ion en o asses si bo es i h ho o ra hs ie able online. he olle ion o ho o ra hs and ne a i es is no re eren ed as he ibb anu a urin o an ho o ra h olle ion . onsis s o ho o ra hs and ne a i es ro around ibb i and olu bus. Sub e s ran e ro indi idual or rai s and a il ho os o i ures o he ibb olu bus ill and s enes ro around ibb i . a e da es ran e ro he earl s o he la e s. hile hese ho o ra hs re ord he ills and he or ha en on in he ore i or an l the photographs capture what life was like outside of the mills. Scenes document children’s and adult s or s ea s s hool la s hur h ser i es bir hda s hris as ar ies and so u h ore. he ibb anu a urin o an as ore han a series o o on and e ile ills. enin i s doors in he o an on inued o ro ell in o he s bu i s de line a e in he la e s. ibb anu a urin ills ould be ound in a on olu bus or erdale ine ille and an o her en ral eor ia i ies. s he o an be an o ro so did he surroundin o uni ies in hi h i o era ed ills. he s he o uni ies around he ills had hur hes s hools and re rea ional a ili ies unded b ibb anu a urin o an . o ind ou ore abou he ibb anu a urin o an and see he di i i ed ho o ra hs isi • h s ar hi es. olu buss a e.edu indin aids . h • h di i alar hi es. olu buss a e.edu olle ions sho • h di i alar hi es. olu buss a e.edu i e s bro se olle ion
sampling of images from the i anufacturing ompan hotograph ollection
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a id . wings ni ersit rchi ist ssistant rofessor Schwo emorial i rar olum us State ni ersit wings a id colum usstate.edu
he almost s uare shape and right co er painting illustrating a ri er aptism remind one of a picture ook and eteran ournalist ichard att has warned potential readers that he has written a “story,” rather than a “traditional church history book,” about one of the oldest churches in olum us eorgia founded one ear after the cit was founded. Hyatt’s new histor of the irst aptist hurch of olum us written with the assistance of the church’s History Committee, is filled with historic images and will e alua le to local historians as well as church mem ers. att proceeds more or less chronologicall from the late s eering off at different points to write chapters on church related topics and important pastors in the church’s history. The first chapter covers the city’s founding, with some contextual history of Christian missionaries in Alabama and Georgia who were here efore the cit was esta lished as well as the de elopment of other earlier aptist churches and the state organi ation. he second chapter egins the stor of the organi ation of phesus Baptist Church by its twelve founders. Hyatt writes, “their names are preserved, but little is known about how they are connected or what they later became,” (p. 7) although he cites historian and uscogee Genealogical Society editorial board member Dr. Hugh I. Rodgers’ research on the Gray family (p. 11). At the third chapter att shifts from chronological to topical narrati e to write a out Sa ath or Sunda School from its contro ersial eginnings during the term of e . homas . and pastored and following its development throughout the church’s history to the present day. He quotes Baptist historian ruce ourle to e plain the importance of Sunda School in recruiting mem ers and instilling the church’s teachings and church culture, as well as discipline. att de otes su se uent chapters to special topics that place church mem ers in the conte t of national and world e ents. hapter nine descri es the effects of wars and conflicts on irst aptist congregants and the city, and the church’s responses to those events. He writes about First Baptist’s relationship with amp – then ort – enning its actions at the om ing of earl ar or and during orld ar and how church leaders responded to members’ emotions after the destruction of the orld rade enter in naming deacons la workers and other indi iduals along the wa who
huck illiams, “Columbus Journalist Completes ‘Story’ of First Baptist Church,” edger n uirer ec. .
organi ed events and pitched in to help (p. 7 ). Hyatt dedicates chapters to the history of music at First Baptist, the ministry to the hearing impaired, women’s roles in the church, First Baptist’s use of broadcast media from radio and television into the era of the internet, as well as chapters on particularly notable pastors. The years when the Rev. James H. De otie served at First Baptist (1 1 7 ) include some of the most dramatic and turbulent of the church’s early development. A New York native, DeVotie was largely responsible for the growth and development of the Baptist church in Alabama and Georgia from the early 1 s through the Civil ar. De otie, who saw education as the way to bring more people into the church, helped found what is now Judson College in arion, Alabama, and Howard College (now Samford niversity in Birmingham) at its earliest location in arion. He preached to racially mixed congregations, established African American churches, and supported black church leaders. In Columbus, De otie built the First Baptist sanctuary that stands now (minus the Greek Revival fa ade) and shepherded its congregation through the Chattahoochee Valley’s prosperous pre war years, the Civil ar, and the traumatic years of Reconstruction. Hyatt quotes excerpts of DeVotie’s letters to his wife and daughter (archived at Samford niversity), to let the preacher vividly describe the Columbus invasion of Wilson’s troops as well as his personal encounters with Union soldiers at his home (p. 68 ). In telling the church’s more recent history, Hyatt covers some apparently controversial topics gingerly, sometimes only alluding to issues that older members may understand without explanation, but which may leave readers unfamiliar with the events in the dark. For example, the reasons for the congregation’s groundbreaking vote in 1990 to withhold monetary support from the Southern Baptist Convention are left unspecified (p.104). On the other hand, Hyatt doesn’t shy away from discussing First Baptist member Carson McCullers’ rocky relationship with the church, devoting a chapter to her life and conflicts with the church and mildly chastising its membership for forgetting (or not knowing) that the now famous writer was once one of them (p. ). The history of the First Baptist Church of Columbus is inextricably tied with the history of Columbus, uscogee County, the Chattahoochee Valley and the South, and Hyatt’s account will be valuable to local historians as well as church members. His attractive and thoughtfully constructed book, based on research from excellent primary and scholarly sources, previous histories, and interviews with current and past church members, is a valuable gift to local Baptists as well as others with their roots in Columbus and the Chattahoochee alley. The book suffers from abrupt transitions and several typographical errors, as well as a lack of dates and credits for sources on most of the historic
Christopher Morgan Peters, “James H. DeVotie, Leading the Transformation and Expansion of Baptists in Alabama and Georgia 1 1890” 201 , h.D. dissertation, The niversity of Alabama, , excerpt accessed August 1 https ir.ua.edu handle 1 7 .
7 photographs. However, with the rich collection of resources that Hyatt used listed in the bibliography at the end, curious readers will have a good umping off point for more research.
Rachel Dobson Assistant Editor, Muscogiana
8
Agnes Scott College, 4 Camp Benning, 8 Americus, A, 28 Carter, Mrs. Robert, 2 Andrews, Jackson, 28 Chambers, William H., 28 Anti Tariff Convention, Champion, Lillian D., 44, 1 Apalachucla, Chappell, Mayor, 8 Ashburn, eorge W., 4 Chase, eorge W., 26, 28 Athens, A, 26 Chattahoochee River, 4, , , 8, 14, 20, 21, 44 Atlanta, A, 26, 4 Cheraw, SC, 26 Auburn, AL, 28 Cherry, Rev. Francis L., 22 Augusta, A, 26 Chipley, FL, 49, 0 Augusta Daily Chronicle, 11 Chipley, A, 46, 4 Baldwin County, A, 2, Chipley, Ann Eli abeth Billups, 4 , 0 Baldwin, William, 11 Chipley, Clara, 0 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, 46 Chipley, Dudley, 0 Barbour County, AL, 4 Chipley, Hunt, 0 Battle of Chickamauga, 44 Chipley, William Dudley, 4 Battle of Columbus, 2 Christian Index, 1 Battle of Peachtree Creek, ,44 City Light uards Armory, 29 Battle of Shiloh, 44 Colquitt, ov. Alfred, 1 Bellware, Daniel A., 24, , 42 Columbus Confederate Monument, 24 42 Benning, en. Henry, 41 Columbus Daily Enquirer, 1, 2, 40 Bibb City, A, 4, Columbus Daily Enquirer Sun, , 8 Bibb City School, Columbus Enquirer, , 1 , 16, 20, 22, 2 , 2 , Bibb Manufacturing Company, 4, 2 , 28, 4, Bickerstaff Landing, 4, 6 Columbus Industrial Association, 26 2 Billups, Clara Boykin, 2 Columbus Ledger Enquirer, 29 Biodiversity Heritage Library, 12 Columbus State University Archives, 4 Blessed Trinity Shrine Retreat, Cooper, Mark Anthony, 2, 9, 1 Bluff Creek, , 8 Cooper, Rev. Thomas, 2, 1 Boykin, Burwell, 2 Coweta Falls, 11 Boykin, Clarissa Owens, 2, 9 Crawford County, A, 16 Boykin, Dr. Samuel, 2, , 4, 9, 10, 11, 12 Creek War, Boykin, Eli a, 2 Daily Illinois State Register, 40 Boykin, Francis, 1, 1 Danville, Y, 1 Boykin, Francis E., 2, 11, 1 Davis, Jefferson, 2 Boykin, Frances Hudson, 1 Dawson, Rev. John E., 1 , 16 Boykin, James, 1 18 Decatur, A, 4 Boykin, James Owen, 2 DeFuniak Springs, 49, 0 Boykin, James William, 1 DeVotie, Rev. James H., Boykin, Maria Maxwell, 2 Dinglewood, 1 Boykin, Mary, 2 Dobson, Rachel, 1, , 1 , 19, 8 Boykin, Narcissa Cooper, 2, 1 Eagle and Phenix Savings Department, 2 Boykin, Rev. Samuel, 1 El Dorado, 1 Boykin, William, 2 Elledge, A.M. and J.H., 6, , 8 Boykin’s Ferry, 7 9, 1 Elliott, Stephen, 11 Brown, E.B., 2 Ephesus Baptist Church, 6 Bryan, William Jennings, 46 Epping, H.H., 29 Bunn, Mike, 4 , 49, 1 Federal Road, , Burrus and Williams, 2 First Baptist Church, 16, 1 , 18, 6, Cahawba, AL, 20 Florida Chautauqua, 49 Calhoun, Mayor James S., 1 Florida State Agricultural College, 49
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MUSCOGEE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
Purpose
he Muscogee Genealogical Society is dedicated to the preser ation of the history of the Columbus Original Muscogee County area and its people, as well as the education of indi iduals in the techni ues of disco ering their own heritage.
Board of Directors 2018-2019
ecuti e irector Callie McGinnis resident inda McCardle ice resident aniel Bellware Secretary Claudya Muller reasurer Cheryle adsworth ast residents om and udy anley, Carol anieri ournal ditor Mike Bunn ssistant ditor achel obson ebmaster ac ueline adebaugh Member at arge inda mes Member at arge esse Chariton Member at arge Martha agan Member at arge r. ugh odgers Member at arge r. Brian Schwart Member at arge Cliff ucker
Become a member by completing and mailing the form below. nnual membership dues include a subscription to the biannual publication Muscogiana ournal of the Muscogee Genealogical Society, ISS . hose with family memberships will recei e only one ournal per family. nnual membership runs from anuary through ecember.
Muscogee Genealogical Society P.O. Box 761 Columbus, GA 31902
2019 Membership Application
Name: ______
Address: ______
City, State, Zip: ______
Phone: ______
E-mail: ______
Membership Dues January 1 to December 31, 2019
Choose one:
Individual – includes electronic access to two 2019 issues: $20.00 ______
Individual + – includes electronic access to two 2019 issues PLUS print copies of same: $25.00 ______
Family – includes electronic access to two 2019 issues : $25.00 ______
Family + – includes electronic access to two 2019 issues PLUS print copies of same: $30.00 ______
Library – includes electronic access to two 2019 issues : $25.00 ______
Library+ – includes electronic access to two 2019 issues PLUS print copies of same: $30.00 ______
AMOUNT ENCLOSED ______
Send a check made out to the Muscogee Genealogical Society to the address listed above. Website: www.muscogeegenealogy.com Contact: [email protected] (executive director)
MUSCOGEE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY . O. Bo Columbus, Georgia ebpage www.muscogeegenealogy.com
Index to Muscogiana A cumulative personal name index is available at the Society’s website. A subject index is also a ailable at that site. Muscogiana – Back Issues (Digital) In 5, the Muscogee Genealogical Society, in con unction with Columbus State ni ersity rchi es, began a digiti ation pro ect. ll but the last years of the ournal are a ailable at https archi e.org search.php uery muscogiana sort date. or more information, go to the Society’s webpage and click on the Muscogiana Surname Inde tab. Muscogiana – Back Issues (Print) $ . for each issue ordered.
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lease include $ .5 for shipping and handling for one issue $5. for two or more issues. Make check payable to “Muscogee Genealogical Society” and mail to the address above. An order form is also available at the Society’s website.
MUSCOGIANA Muscogee Genealogical Society P.O. Box 761 Columbus, Georgia 31902 MUSCOGIANA
1989 2019 1989 th 2019 30 thAnniversary Issue 30 Anniversary Issue SPRING 2019 ʹͲͳʹͲͳͻͻ ͵Ͳ͵Ͳͳͳ VOLUME 30 NUMBER 1