Jenkins - Backroads & Byways of Georgia

Copyright 2017 by W. W. Norton & Company

All rights reserved

Cover design by Steve Attardo
Cover photograph Jennifer Anne/Shutterstock

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book,
write to Permissions, The Countryman Press,
500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact W. W. Norton Special
Sales at specialsales@wwnorton.com or 800-233-4830

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Jenkins, David B.,1937-author.

Title: Backroads & byways of Georgia / David B. Jenkins.

Other titles: Backroads and byways of Georgia

Description: 1st edition. | New York : The Countryman Press, a division of W. W. Norton & Company, [2019] | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017016669 | ISBN 9781581574067 (paperback)

Subjects: LCSH: Georgia-Tours.| Scenic byways-Georgia-Guidebooks.|

Automobile travel-Georgia-Guidebooks.| Georgia-History, Local.

Classification: LCC F284.3.J46 2017 | DDC 975.8-dc23.

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017016669

The Countryman Press

www.countrymanpress.com

A division of W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110

978-1-58157-406-7 (pbk.)

978-1-58157-541-5 (e-book)

For Louise, who perseveres...
I will love you forever.

Earth is crammed with heaven

And every bush aflame with God.

But only those who see

Take off their shoes.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Soli Deo Gloria

Contents

G eorgia is a big statethe largest in land area, in fact, east of the Mississippi Riverand its densely packed with interesting things to see and do. Travelers buzzing through on Interstates 16, 20, 75, 85, and 95 can get off at just about any exit and find something worth seeing within a few miles; often even closer.

Since I dont know any of you, my readers, personally and have no way of knowing what you like, I decided to write this book for myself, visiting places that interest me and seeing the kinds of things I like to see.

So, what do I like to see?

I am a visual historian of mid-20th-century America and a recorder of the interface between man and nature; a keeper of vanishing ways of life.

Im drawn to the old, the historic, the quirky and offbeat, the strange and unusual, and the beautiful. Old houses, old churches, old courthouses, old mills, covered bridges, and historic sites.

The backroads and little towns are where you find many of these things, so Ive tried to stay away from towns of any size. We go through the larger towns when necessary, of course, and sometimes around them, but they are not off the beaten path, and so the many worthwhile things to see in Georgias cities are left to be explored in a different book.

The purpose of this book is not to build traffic for tourist attractions; however, some such sites are included when they offer interesting things to see and experience that are relevant to the overall theme.

Likewise, Ive given preference to local restaurants and lodgings, especially bed and breakfast inns, rather than hotel and restaurant chains. If youre not interested in something different, why leave home? One Holiday Inn is pretty much the same as another, while bed and breakfast inns are infinite and delightful in their variety. And good luck finding a Cracker Barrel or a Ruby Tuesday in many of the places on our itinerary. You might find some of the local eateries surprisingly good. Or maybe not. Thats life. Suck it up.

PRATERS MILL ON COAHULLA CREEK IN WHITFIELD COUNTY IS ONE OF GEORGIAS MANY BEAUTIFUL OLD MILLS

The listings for restaurants and lodgings are as correct as I can make them, but things do change. Phone numbers are provided for most facilities, and its always a good idea to call ahead.

I hope enough of you will like the same places and things I like to make this book a success. I need the money. But seriouslyI really do love to get off the beaten path. Sometimes, way off. So if thats what you like too, hang with me, cause were going to see some country!

MAPS, GOOGLE MAPS, AND GPS

All in all, I prefer paper maps. However, while they are usually accurate, they can be hard to read and often dont give sufficient detail, especially when youre searching for obscure byways.

Google maps can be helpful in that regard, but they arent always totally accurate. Although Google was very helpful in planning these tours, I found actually driving them was full of surprises. I hope Ive got all the surprises worked out so that you wont have any unpleasant ones of your own as you drive the tours.

I find GPS most useful in urban areas. When traveling the backroads, you can use it, but dont rely on it. You will sometimes find yourself out of range of a cell tower.

ODOMETERS AND APPROXIMATIONS

You might notice that I use the words about and approximately a lot when talking about distances. Thats because no two odometers seem to read the same. We own two Dodge Grand Caravans, one of which registers the distance to a certain crossroads on the way to Chattanooga as 17.1 miles, the other as 17.8 miles. As they say online, YMMVYour Mileage May Vary.

GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY

Georgia has three main geographic divisions. In the north, you have mountains, dwindling down to the rolling Piedmont Plateau, which forms a belt across the middle of the state. South and east of that is the coastal plain, which is mostly flat to slightly rolling. Even though its large, Georgia is an easy state to get around in because it has very good roads, at least at the level of state and federal highways. County roads vary widely.

THE UPSON COUNTY COURTHOUSE IN THOMASTON

THE GLORY OF GEORGIA (AND A PROBLEM NO ONE TALKS ABOUT)

The glory of Georgia is its courthouses. One hundred and fifty-nine of them, to be exact. Only Texas has more, and its a much larger state. The people of Georgia have obviously taken great pride in erecting the finest courthouse possible in each county, even though the county seat may be too tiny and poor to sustain a restaurant where the lawyers can eat lunch on court days.

So whats the problem? The problem is that the citizens of each county are paying the cost of workspace, equipment, and salaries of county officials and workers from top to bottom. For many of the smaller and poorer counties, this is a crushing load. And thats why we have so many unpaved county roads in Georgia.

Can something be done about it? Like, maybe, consolidating several of those smaller counties into one larger one? Well, what do you think? Does the sheriff of Jones County want to work as a deputy under the sheriff of Jasper County? Do the County Commissioners of Catoosa County want to look for jobs in the administration of the Walker County Commissioner?

So youll be traveling a few gravel and clay roads as you follow some of these tours. Just deal with it.