Clemson University TigerPrints All Theses Theses 12-2012 Through a Glass, Darkly: The hC anging Past of Coffee ounC ty, Georgia Jonathan Hepworth Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses Part of the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Hepworth, Jonathan, "Through a Glass, Darkly: The hC anging Past of Coffee County, Georgia" (2012). All Theses. 1568. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/1568 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Theses by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THROUGH A GLASS, DARKLY: THE CHANGING PAST OF COFFEE COUNTY, GEORGIA —————————————————————— A Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University —————————————————————— In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts History —————————————————————— By Jonathan David Hepworth December 2012 —————————————————————— Accepted by: Dr. Rod Andrew, Jr., Committee Chair Dr. Paul Christopher Anderson Dr. H. Roger Grant ABSTRACT In 1954, Coffee County, Georgia, commemorated its centennial with a massive celebration that essentially shut down the county seat of Douglas for a week. Parades, fireworks, speeches, and above all a large-scale historical pageant, the “Centurama,” were components of the celebration. The history celebrated in 1954, however, did not necessarily match up with Coffee County’s actual history. This thesis examines the history of Coffee County and its changing nature, looking at politics, economics, and culture. It finds that historical “memory” is not always planned out by society’s elites, but can change as the result of politics, demographic shifts, and commercial gain. The 1954 celebration is placed in a larger context since the 1950s saw a historical pageant fad during the tense first years of the Cold War. Communities that hired Ohio-based John B. Rogers Producing Company to run their centennial celebrations received a pre-fabricated history to celebrate that did not always match their actual history. At the end, the thesis deals with the consequences of the white majority’s ignorance of the history of their African-American neighbors and addresses the impact of desegregation on the white and black communities of Coffee County. Historical memory is therefore organic and drifts along the currents found in society. ii DEDICATION To Tara Helena Williams, Virginia Hepworth Gold, and Amy Carruth Hepworth. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My first thanks goes to my committee chair, Dr. Rod Andrew, Jr., who not only was part of the committee that brought me to Clemson, but who has taught me the better part of what I know of southern history. His patience, forthrightness, and encouragement have been above and beyond the call of duty. Dr. Paul Christopher Anderson has been an excellent Graduate Advisor, and I owe him thanks for encouraging me to pursue what really interested me. His words of advice have proven valuable and his assistance during desperate times has kept me going through many difficulties. Dr. H. Roger Grant has taught me many things about the community I thought I knew, and has given me a new appreciation for individual communities and how to view them in the larger context—especially if on a rail line. Other professors of mine at Clemson deserve recognition. Dr. Orville Vernon Burton has helped me understand the many sides of the Civil Rights movement, and I owe to him a better understanding of debates about southern identity. Dr. Steven Marks has made the history of the world come alive for me and his students, and I appreciate his skill as a teacher. Dr. Tom Kuehn introduced me to the complex maze of historiography, while Dr. Alan Grubb has encouraged me to not be afraid to speculate on the past—provided I bring evidence to support my conclusions. Dr. Caroline Dunn gave me a new appreciation for how the more distant past still influences our lives. My many graduate colleagues have provided much support and encouragement. While I cannot name all who gave me help over these past three years, I especially want to thank Anna iv Braunscheidel, Melissa Collum, Parissa D’Jangi, Madeleine Forrest, Matthew D. Hintz, Phillip Mullinnix, S. Michael Powers, Samantha Schmidt, Leslie Whitmire, and Adam Zucconi. I have also benefitted from professors not at Clemson, most notably John C. Inscoe at the University of Georgia, who was kind enough to listen to some of my ideas over lunch. In pursuing my research, no one has been as helpful as C. T. Trowell of Douglas, Georgia. Few people are better acquainted with the early history of Coffee County as he is, and he generously provided a copy of his “Douglas Before Memory,” as well as bibliographies he prepared of county history. I have been most fortunate to have his guidance. I also wish to recognize Lydia Lott of the Genealogical Department, Satilla Regional Library, for her help in finding items, pulling un-microfilmed newspapers, and for pleasant conversation. The staff of the Georgia Archives was exceptionally helpful, even while under threat of closure due to budget cuts. Steven Engerrand, Amanda Mros, Tina Seetoo, and Christine Wiseman were four of the staff I had the most assistance from, and I thank them for their kind patience and willingness to help. I regret that some are no longer working for the Georgia Archives due to reductions in force. Jennifer Moss and Leslie White of the Oconee Heritage Center in Walhalla, South Carolina, were crucial in aiding my discovery of a “centennial celebrations racket.” v I have had assistance from many libraries and librarians, especially the staff of the Robert Muldrow Cooper Library at Clemson University, who helped in everything from circulation to interlibrary loans. At the University of Georgia, I had help from the staffs of the Main, Map, and Special Collection Libraries, all of whom provided excellent service. Thanks to the librarians of the Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Books Library (MARBL) at Emory University who allowed me to get a lot of research done in a short period of time. I also want to thank my former colleagues at Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, for their generous help and support. On a more personal note, I wish to thank the family of William and Tracy Smith of Ambrose, Georgia, for opening their home to me whenever I was in Coffee County for research. Their daughter, Jessi, told me that if I wrote a history of Coffee County, she would be willing to read it. I hope she approves. I also thank my many other friends in Coffee County, including the Mizell family who pitched in a welcome meal. I certainly could not have succeeded in my venture without the aid of my Father, Karl C. Hepworth, my Mother and Stepfather, Susan and John Stacey, my parents-in-law, Brent and LaJean Carruth, and my siblings-in-law, Nathan and Celeste Carruth. My life would be much more unpleasant without the smiles and love of my son, Joshua David Hepworth, who was born during the making of this thesis. vi I dedicate this thesis to three incredible women. Tara Helena Williams introduced me to Clemson and was a solid help during my first semester here. Thank you, Helena, for making me a Tiger. Virginia Hepworth Gold, my Great-Aunt, helped connect me with my own past and always encouraged me in this endeavor. She passed away in November, 2012, and I dedicate a part of this to her. Above all, I dedicate this thesis to the woman who has worked harder than anyone to make this thesis possible: my dear wife, Amy Carruth Hepworth. I am grateful that she decided to marry me my first semester at Clemson, and she has supported me in every way possible. I love you, Amy. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE PAGE....................................................................................................................i ABSTRACT.....................................................................................................................ii DEDICATION................................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................iv INTRODUCTION: PATTERNS.....................................................................................1 CHAPTER ONE: POLITICS ........................................................................................11 CHAPTER TWO: PROGRESSIVES............................................................................42 CHAPTER THREE: PIONEERS AND PIETY ............................................................67 CHAPTER FOUR: PAGEANTS...................................................................................95 CHAPTER FIVE: PROBLEMS, PANDEMONIUM, AND PARADOX...................117 CONCLUSION: POSSIBILITIES...............................................................................137 APPENDIX A: POPULATION TRENDS FOR COFFEE COUNTY........................141 APPENDIX B: COFFEE’S MILITIA DISTRICTS....................................................144 APPENDIX C: THE CENTURAMA PAGEANT ......................................................148 APPENDIX D: MAPS OF COFFEE COUNTY .........................................................161 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................................168 INTRODUCTION: PATTERNS