Most small towns once had a public well and pump for the use of citizens. A few of these still survive throughout Georgia and are usually sheltered by a gazebo or pavilion.
Old Town Well, Oakfield
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown
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Yes, there was a depot in Oakfield. My dad grew up there and recalled when they brought watermelons from the farm to be loaded into boxcars. The depot later became the schoolhouse and in later years was moved to the Stripling’s farm between Oakfield and Warwick. From there, they sold the sausage that they also sold in their store in Warwick.
I spent summers in Oakfield, Albany and Baconton and can tell you the pump in Oakfield worked throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s. There was no gazebo at that time.
Yes there are photos of the town when the commercial buildings were in use. I was told the equipment the rail road used to take up the track tore up in front of the post office. The railroad then abandoned the effort and that is why the rails are still present. Years ago someone was caught stealing the rails for scrap between Oakfield and Warwick. The well was at one time repaired and was working until someone ran into it with a vehicle. You might notice it sits at an angle now.
We would like to have any digital images of the early days of Oakfield if possible. Berrien County has a historical connection to the town and would like to add an early photo to our powerpoint presentation, “The Last Hanging in the Berrien County Jail”. Please feel free to contact me at 229-563-0586, or email me at onearmshaw@mchsi.com. Bryan Shaw, Curator, Berrien Historical Foundation, Nashville, Georgia.
The well pump seems to be sitting on the old railroad bed that the Albany & Northern Railroad used to run until it was abandoned in 1977. Not sure if there is actually a well there. The old railroad bed still has its rails in place for about a hundred yards or so in the woods just north of this little shelter. Like to know if there was ever a depot there in Oakfield. Would like to know if anyone has photos of the town in its earlier days.