My friends Roger & Laura Wiggins Norris raise these wonderful cows at their farm in Arp. They once had the largest herd in Georgia and though they’ve reduced their stock, it’s still an impressive bunch.
Texas Longhorns are a low-maintenance, high-yield variety; they’re one of the few Spanish varieties brought to North America in the pre-Colonial era to have survived. To learn more, visit the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America.
Many thanks to Laura & Roger for allowing me to share these images.
In preparation for an upcoming documentary, I’ve been reviewing my archive of over 2,000 photographs made on various film cameras before I made the switch to digital in 2007. I’m sharing some of them here and hope they are of interest. Amazingly, most of these structures are gone now and remind me why I do what I do. The image above, of a wintry landscape adorned with a crude pioneer cabin with a fieldstone chimney, was among my first favorites. I had 8x10s printed and looked at them with a sense of awe at the loss that was accelerating around me. As with many of the places I shoot, I’ve wished many times that I’d returned to this quaint little cabin for more photographs. I’m not quite sure when it was demolished but it was gone before 2010. Such stories of loss motivate me to photograph nearly everything I can that I believe to be of cultural or historical value and I hope my work inspires others to pick up their cameras and do the same in their neck of the woods.
Hunter’s was a local favorite and welcome stop for travelers along Highway 32 for years. They even had parking for semi-trucks. Their goat sandwich, with chips & Coca-Cola was my favorite. Though Hunter’s closed not too long after this photo was made, it’s legendary barbeque sauce has been resurrected by the Hutto family, who now operate the location as Hutto’s Barbeque. It’s just as good!
I can’t count how many times I passed this store traveling between Fitzgerald and Tifton over the years, though I honestly don’t remember it ever being open. It was razed in early 2012. (I’m not sure of the spelling of the owner’s name, but thanks to Dale Bledsoe for the information.)
This Folk Victorian, long a landmark in the area, was demolished before 2007. Thanks to a recent (2016) message from Daphne Griffin, I now know a bit more about the place: My father grew up in that house beginning around 1941. His name is Charlie Jesse Griffin, known as C.J. He grew up there with his mother, Osteen Roberts Griffin, his grandfather, Charlie Roberts, and his three brothers, Denzil, Herman, and Therman Griffin. My grandmother Osteen lived there until around 1960. The house was owned by Otto Griner at the time they lived there.
The second weekend in November will be the 19th year that Richland has been holing their annual PigFest, which is as much about community as it is barbecue, but the barbecue. That’s just magic.
Bill Ricks writes: Until about two years ago the top of the sign was covered by a Firestone sign. The J. G. Webbs opened their business in the late 40s after Mr. Webb’s military service ended. He was experience in radio and electronics, and both of them were frugal and hardworking retailers. They lived in the building up until about late 50s or early 60s, and the business was open until Mr. Webb died. Beside Firestone tires, they had the local franchises for Snapper, Zenith, GE, and others. Mrs. Webb was related to the O’Connors. The original horse and mule business was operated by John Fisher and Mr. Lowrey. J. B. O’Connor was a business and political leader in Treutlen and Montgomery counties.
James and Barbara Spires and family graciously open their beautiful farm each year to showcase those curious hybrid creations we call mules at the famous Mule Roundup in Guysie. A nice history of the festival can be found here. [There’s also a Mule Day, in Calvary, Georgia, and another in Wilkes County].
The photos in this post were made at the 16th Annual Roundup in 2010.
Art Bennett (right) with a friend, calling the mules.
Hands down this is one of the best festivals in South Georgia, with mule competitions, old-fashioned cane grinding, cloggers, and gospel and country singers, as well as antique automobiles, and plenty of vendors and fun for the kids.
The best part about it is that it doesn’t feel like a festival; it feels like you were just invited over for a hoe-down on the farm.
Don’t forget to stop by the Guysie General Store and buy a souvenir of your visit. They have great t-shirts.
In case you don’t know, mules are the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.
As a result, mules share similar colors and patterns with horses.
They also liver longer and eat less than horses, in general.
They can live up to 50 years.
Until modern tractors were commonly available, mules were preferred for plowing. They have also been in military use for over a thousand years.
And they’re actually not as stubborn as their reputation would suggest. They’re definitely smarter than donkeys.
The sign is a landmark in its own right.
UPDATE: Sadly, the Mule Roundup has ceased operation.
Built in 1948, and purchased by H. R. Wiggins in 1960, Turner County Stockyard has kept up with the times. By 2009, with sales of $30 million, they were the largest cattle stockyard in Georgia, and remain a vital part of agribusiness in the state.
