County club lists area's rich history
Special
Oliver Hardy's home in Harlem. Heggie Rock in Appling. The home of William Few in Winfield.
Three very different monuments with one common bond. Each is one of 28 historical sites listed in a recently released brochure by the Columbia County Historical Society.
"Something like this came out in 1976 by the historical society, but I thought we needed a new one," said society member and illustrator Bill Blackard. "I drew it up and have been working on it about a year or two."
Using information gathered from the 1976 brochure and the Internet, Blackard created the new brochure, Discover Columbia County's Historical Past.
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It gives a description about the origins of the county and how the boundaries have changed over the years. It also numbers 28 historical sites, giving a short commentary on each one along with its location on a corresponding map drawn by Blackard.
Historical sites in the brochure include the Columbia County Courthouse, Old Jail House, Daniel Marshall Monument, Walnut Grove School House, Harriet Allen grave site, grave of Abraham Marshall, Bohler House, McGruder Plantation, Famous Indian Trail Historical Marker, Woodville, Cedarvale and many more.
"The main purpose of the map is to make the public aware of the history of our county," Blackard said. "Of course, it wouldn't be a bad thing if we could use it as a tool to build up our membership.
"If we could build up our membership, I'd someday like to set up tours of these sites," he said.
In the meantime, Blackard, who illustrated Gerald Smith's book, To Seek a New World, about Columbia County's history, is distributing brochures at various locations. The historical society printed 2,000 copies of the brochure, but Blackard says they are prepared to print more if needed.
Brochures are available at The Columbia County News-Times office, several area banks, the Oliver Hardy Museum, Harlem City Hall, Grovetown City Hall, the Columbia County government complex in Evans and many other locations.