In Memory of Dr. Alexander Avera (3 October 1830 – 11 January 1907) Beloved physician and founder of Avera. In 1885 he donated the land for the town which was named in his honor. Born in Jefferson County, Ga, graduated Oglethorpe Medical College, Savannah, Ga. He, as a Lieutenant, formed a company and served with honor in the War Between the States. He gave liberally of his time, skill and means in the service of others and it was said of him “He loved his fellow man”.
One of Georgia’s smallest public libraries serves as a memorial to one of its patrons, Jacob Walter Frederick (1851-1928).
This historic concrete arch bridge, begun in 1915, delayed by World War I, and completed in 1920 as a memorial to its veterans, was a symbol of Albany throughout most of the twentieth century. Though a commendable effort by local preservationists stalled its fate, it was demolished in 2012.
Privately-owned Half Moon Lake is one of the most beautiful oxbows on the Altamaha.
Lake, Land, and Buildings Dedicated to the Memory of Joel Davis, Lizzie Davis Howell and William Edward Howell By Their Children, Grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren
This monument was placed memory of Bennie, Gladys, Faye & Samuel Brantley, and Franklin Haynes, who lost their lives in a boating accident at Gray’s Landing on 12 July 1956. Belinda Brantley writes: My husband had this placed, I think in the 90s. He said that he couldn’t give his Daddy (Bennie) and his sister (Gladys) anything else. My husband was in the boat also, but a bystander jumped in to save him. His mother could never find out who it was, but my husband met the man at Cornerstone Baptist one night, thanks to Roy Mimbs. He was on leave at the time of the accident, and went back to the Navy a day or two later. Like Frankie said it was a day no one that was there could ever forget.
Frankie Haynes Astrauckus recalls: I was in the accident that day at Gray’s Landing. I’ve never been back. Today online, I saw the Memorial placed there in memory of my father, Frank Haynes, Uncle Benny Brantley, cousins, Gladys, Faye and Skeets (Samuel). It’s touching and it is beautiful. Thank you to all the people who came along side our family the days following… Thank you for placing that Memorial to remind us of many things… as a community we lost family, friends and neighbors. Life changed for many of us that afternoon. The loss was profound and they are still missed by those of us who knew them. Some of them were heroes amidst the calamity. I know, I experienced what it means, “greater love has no man than this, that he that would lay down his life for his friends’. That morning as we were on the way to Gray’s Landing, Gladys, Faye and I were singing an old song, “How Far is Heaven”. (I think it was popular in the 50s). They found out- that same day!
This plaque was placed in memory of the 23 victims of the 28 June 1959 Seaboard Air Line railroad disaster on the Ogeechee River trestle near Meldrim. A fuel car derailed into the river and the ensuing explosion took the lives of many who had gathered on a nearby sandbar. Those who perished were: Jimmy Anderson, Elizabeth Dixon Barnes, Ted Barnes, Julian Beasley, Linda Jean Beasley, Reba Lamb Beasley, Michael Bland, Charles Carpenter, Billy Dent, Joan Dent, Edna Dixon, Frank Dixon, Barbara Hales, Claudia Johnson, L. B. Lamb, Terry Lane, Elbie Lane, Florence Lane, Leslie Lee, James Smith, Margie Hales Smith, Timothy Smith, Wayne Smith.
This monument pays tribute to Philip Edward Boyd (1839-1906). It notes that he spent thirty-three years (1873-1906) devoted to Leary. Boyd was a Confederate veteran. Carole Mallett Lechner notes that it was originally located in the middle of Main Street, at Hotel Street, but was moved because it kept being struck by cars.
In July 1893 delegates and members of vocal classes established by William Jackson “Uncle Billy” Royal assembled at Irwin Institute to organize the Royal Singing Convention. From 1893 until 1912 the Convention met in Irwin and surrounding counties in churches of different denominations or in school houses. In 1912 a huge tent was purchased to accommodate the large number of people attending. In 1919 the people of Mystic established a fund to build a tabernacle to serve as a permanent home for the convention. The tabernacle was erected on this site in time to house the 1920 session. Changes in society and advancements in technology brought an end to the Royal Convention after meeting continuously each July for 85 years. The final session was held in 1977. The tabernacle was razed in 1982. [The New Georgia Encyclopedia notes that the first documented gospel singing convention in Georgia was founded as the South Georgia Singing Convention by Uncle Billy Royal in 1875, prior to the convention profiled here].
As many of the old timers were passing on, the first commemoration of this special place was the placement of a granite marker by Uncle Billy’s grandchildren in 1953. It’s located at the entrance to the new memorial.
This memorial reproduces the plan of the original tabernacle at full size. A low brick perimeter wall supported wooden posts which held up a massive roof. Today granite cubes indicate where those posts were located. The singer’s stages is recreated with the monument to “Uncle Billy”. At its edge, permanent memorials are dedicated to friends and loved ones or recall precious memories, favorite hymns and treasured Bible verses. It was dedicated in 1991 after much work by the Royal Singing Convention Association. The Board of Trustees included: Charles C. Royal, Jr., President; Dorothy Royal Grimsley, Vice President; Helen Day Spacek, Secretary; Ralph W. Sims, Treasurer; and board members Eloise Royal Luke, Michael F. Royal, and Jacqueline E. Turner. Stanford Anderson, a nationally-known architect and professor at MIT was responsible for the design.
The memorial is located next to the historic Mystic Baptist Church on Highway 32 in Mystic. It’s an open air memorial and therefore always open to the public. There is no admission charge.
This is a view of the tabernacle tent in 1916. It was used from 1912 until 1919.
This photo from 1953 shows the tabernacle which was first used in 1920.
William Jackson “Uncle Billy” Royal (1850-1931) – Founder and 1st President of the Convention.
James A. “Uncle Jimmie” Royal (1872-1950) – 2nd President of the Convention, 1931-1950. Son of William Jackson Royal.
Erston B. Royal (1900-1989) – 3rd and last President of the Convention, 1950-1977. Grandson of William Jackson Royal. He also served eight two-year terms as mayor of Lake Helen, Florida.
Famed sculptor Marshall Daugherty, who created the John Wesley Monument in Savannah’s Reynolds Square, completed this bust of Uncle Billy Royal in 1953. It is the centerpiece of the memorial.
Big Creek is one of the most historic and well-loved congregations in Irwin County. Many members have shared memories over the years.
In almost every story about Big Creek is an appreciation for its long-serving pastor, Reuben J. Eldridge. A memorial in front of the church notes the years of his pastorate (September 1937-August 1980). His grandson, David Martin, writes: “Pap” Eldridge was my granddaddy and he pastored at Big Creek for 40 years…literally until the day he died. He and Granny Eldridge lived next to me and I remember him teaching other young preachers about the Bible in his home. The pastor of Big Creek, now, was one of those young men. Brother Reuben, as some called him, was one of the most gracious men to ever set foot in a pulpit. He could preach hard, but he could also love gently.