Wishing everyone a safe and happy 2025! It’s been another great year traveling around Georgia, looking for the obscure, as well as the well-known places and people that make our state so interesting. As always, I’m grateful to you all for coming along with me. From murder and mayhem (always popular for some reason) to soul food and some preservation success stories, I think I covered a lot this year.
Thomas Jefferson Johnson (1793-1847), who came from Pulaski County to southwest Georgia in the early 1820s to establish a plantation, was one of the legislators responsible for the creation of Thomas County in 1825. The county was named for one of Johnson’s relatives, soldier-architect Gen. Jett Thomas (1776-1817).
Dairy Complex, designed by Abram Garfield, 1928. This now houses the Visitors Center.
Johnson built his first house on the property that came to be known as Pebble Hill circa 1825 and married Jane Wilkinson Hadley in 1827. According to the National Register of Historic Places, it was “…a simple two-story dwelling with farm outbuildings and slave cabins nearby.”
Statue of a prized bird dog, one of several found throughout the property. Pansy Poe was an avid sportswoman long before it was fashionable and dogs were her greatest passion.
Jane died after the birth of their third child and Johnson remarried in 1839, to Martha Evans Everett. They had no children. Julia Ann was the only one of Johnson’s three children to live to adulthood.
Log dogtrot cabin, used as a schoolhouse and playhouse. Built in 1901 for Kate Harvey’s children, it’s the oldest surviving structure at Pebble Hill.
At the time of Johnson’s death in 1847, he owned 3000 acres and twenty slaves, who made the plantation a model of self-sufficiency.
Walkway to main house
When Martha Johnson died in 1850, the property was inherited by Julia Ann, who married John William Henry Mitchell, Sr., soon afterward.
Main house, 1936
The Mitchells replaced the original house with a more refined structure, commissioning English-born architect John Wind, who had already built many fine area homes and the Thomas County Courthouse.
Formal garden in front of the main house, designed circa 1934 by V. Ethylwyn Harrison, one of America’s first female landscape architects
Their eldest daughter, Jane Temperance Mitchell, complained of constantly sweeping pebbles from the walkways around the house, and complained that the family lived on a “pebble hill”. The name has been synonymous with the property ever since.
Tunnel arbor
Mr. Mitchell entered Confederate service late in the Civil War, as an adjutant of local militia, serving in the defense of Atlanta at the request of Governor Joseph E. Brown, but upon returning home to a greatly reduced labor force, died from pneumonia in March 1865.
Side of main house
The land was subdivided among the Mitchell heirs in 1876. Julia Ann and her children, Jane Temperance Stevens, Martha Josephine Stubbs, Mary Elizabeth (Bettie) Davenport, and John W. H. Mitchell, Jr. all received parcels. Julia Ann died in 1881.
Whimsical statuary at side entrance of house. There are several of these, all with different instruments, and two turkeys, as well.
By the 1890s, Pebble Hill as it had existed in its heyday had been further subdivided and sold to Horace J. McFarlan of New Jersey.
Pool and fountain in the arbor behind the main house
During this time, Thomasville and Thomas County had become a popular destination for wealthy Northern tourists seeking winter relief.
View from formal garden behind the main house
After briefly being owned by McFarlan and Thomasville judge Henry W. Hopkins, Pebble Hill was purchased by Howard Melville ‘Mel’ Hanna circa 1900. In 1901, Hanna gave Pebble Hill to his daughter, Kate Hanna Ireland. Mrs. Ireland increased the size of the property to around 4000 acres in short order and brought her children, Robert Livingston ‘Liv’ Ireland and Elizabeth ‘Pansy’ Ireland for long visits each winter.
Rear elevation showing the central section of the main house
They began spending more time in Thomas County and became very attached to the property. Kate Ireland added gardens near the main house, increased the living space through the construction of a new wing, and built structures to accommodate the growing number of visitors who came to hunt and explore the land.
Pebble Hill Plantation Cemetery
Kate established a championship Jersey herd in the 1920s and with it, a corporate function of the plantation, known as Pebble Hill Products.
Magnificent oaks are found throughout the property
Kate divorced in 1919 and married Perry Williams Harvey, an executive with the Hanna Company in Cleveland. The focus of the Pebble Hill property at this time had shifted to a shooting plantation. In fact, it was the crown jewel of the Thomas County quail plantations. My friend Joe Kitchens, who served as the first director of Pebble Hill when the site opened to the public in 1983, and who wrote the text accompanying Hank Margeson’s photographs in The Quail Plantations of South Georgia & North Florida (UGA Press, 1991), gives an excellent background at his Longleaf Journal: “There is history behind this story. When the railroads first began bringing northern tourists and outdoors men and women to Georgia, the track literally ended in Thomasville. Below was Florida- still malaria and yellow fever country. In addition to its comfortable winter weather, the “piney woods” of Thomasville offered health benefits- or so it was claimed-as well as outdoor adventure. Five large resort hotels, a carriage course around the town and a “Yankee Paradise” Park attracted winter visitors from the “frozen north.” Horseback riding, coaching, fishing for largemouth base (gigantic in the warm waters of nearby alligator-infested lakes, Iamonia and Miccossuki), and above all the chance to shoot quail (not “hunt”- in sporting parlance the dogs “hunted” and the humans “shot”). Dogs, horses, warm weather and shooting. An enticing alternative to freezing weather, snow and soot- filled air in Cleveland and other northern cities…Many of the new owners were partners and beneficiaries of the boom in oil-and the monopolizing enterprise of John D. Rockefeller, whose Standard Oil Company made Cleveland the heartland of financial and industrial ambition. Among those who flourished there were the Hannas, the family and kin of Senator Mark Hanna of Ohio. Hanna emerged as a “king maker” in national politics by managing the campaign of presidential aspirant William McKinley. Mark Hanna seems to have nourished ambitions of being president himself. In the Gilded Age, potential Republican presidential candidates were vetted in Thomasville by the wintering millionaires. A grand niece of Mark Hanna, Mrs. Parker Barrington Poe, or “Pansy” as she was universally known, owned Pebble Hill. It was said you could walk across Thomas County and never leave Hanna- owned land.”
This appears to housing for workers, or a small office.
The National Register of Historic Places notes: “Large expanses of land were burned off each season to allow freedom of movement for both wildlife and hunters, and fields of corn and other grains were planted and left, unharvested, to attract game birds, particularly quail. Local residents were hired and trained to assist in running the plantation and in organizing the hunts. Since hunting season meant many guests remained for extended periods, a large house staff was required to meet the needs of the family. To house all of these workers, cottages were constructed on the grounds. More than sixty such families lived on the property.”
Plantation Store, 1911. This is where Pebble Hill Products were sold to plantation workers and others.
During this period, Kate oversaw an expansion of the built environment at Pebble Hill, commissioning numerous support structures and landscaping that reflected her passion for the property.
Overflow Cottage, Circa 1917. This accommodated guests when the main house was full.
Abram Garfield, son of President James A. Garfield, designed a complex of service buildings, including a dairy, cow barn, stables, and a carriage house. Apartments and offices for workers were also constructed at this time.
Nurses’ Station, 1929
Besides Easter and Christmas celebrations for the employees and their families, Black workers were feted on Emancipation Day. This was unheard of in the rest of the South, but Northern Republicans of this time were quite progressive and it was the norm at Pebble Hill and other plantations in Thomas County.
Nurses’ station, interior
Perry Harvey died in 1932, and in 1934, the historic plantation house was destroyed in a fire that left just a 1914 expansion wing intact.
Dog Hospital, 1920s
Kate Harvey again called on Abram Garfield to build a new residence, and V. Ethylwyn Harrison, one of the few female landscape architects in the nation, designed new gardens and landscape features to complement the house.
Fire House, 1920s. The constant danger of fire made a working fire engine a necessity.
Another innovation at the plantation in the early 1930s was felt throughout Thomas County, thanks to Kate Harvey’s foresight. The Pebble Hill School and Visiting Nurse Association was ahead of its time and was encouraged and supported by other plantation owners. At a time when simple medical care was out of reach for many in this region, Kate Harvey provided registered nurses who traveled throughout the county tending to sick plantation workers and other laborers.
‘The Waldorf’, 1929. This was the plantation laundry.
In May 1936, just four months after the completion of the house, Kate Harvey died.
‘The Waldorf’, interior
Elizabeth ‘Pansy’ Ireland inherited the estate and spent the rest of her life preserving its legacy, especially the improvements her mother had made during her ownership.
Kitchen garden shed, 1920s
She also inherited her mother’s love of the outdoors and of Pebble Hill itself, and continued many of the traditions associated with the property.
Kitchen garden, 1917
She was one of the few female polo players of her era, and kept several champion thoroughbred horses on the property.
Mrs. Poe’s ‘speed limit’ sign
She also owned over a hundred hunting dogs at one time, even building a dog hospital and luxury kennels.
Pump house, Circa 1929
She married Parker Barrington Poe (1914-1991) in 1946 and at the time of her death in 1978, had established a foundation to preserve Pebble Hill in perpetuity and to open it for public visitation.
Kennel Cottage, Circa 1928. Also known as ‘Mack’s House’, for kennel manager Mack McQueen, this housed the kennelman and his family.
Mr. Poe oversaw this transition and the site was opened in 1983. It remains the finest example of the hunting plantations that put Thomas County on the map.
Learning Center
Pebble Hill not only offers a rare glimpse into plantation life, but is a living museum of two centuries of agriculture, architecture, social change, and preservation.
Richard B. Russell Lake, called Lake Russell by locals, has the most natural appearance of the three large lakes impounded by the Army Corps of Engineers on the Savannah River along the Georgia-South Carolina border. While all the lakes serve the dual purpose of flood control and hydropower creation, Richard B. Russell has restrictive covenants that prevent the construction of homes along its shoreline, unlike Lake Hartwell to the north and Lake Strom Thurmond to the south. As a result, it is a more pristine environment and an unusual recreational location in Georgia.
Originally conceived as Trotters Shoals Lake in 1966, it was authorized by the Flood Control Act. The name was later changed to memorialize the recently deceased U. S. Senator Richard B. Russell. Historic sites ranging in time from the last Ice Age to the time of the lake’s construction were inundated during the filling process, and about 68 of the 600 identified sites were documented. This work has been covered in two books, Beneath These Waters, Archeological and Historical Studies of 11,500 Years Along the Savannah River and In Those Days: African-American Life Near the Savannah River.
The lake is approximately 26,650 acres in size and levels do not fluctuate more than five feet in optimum conditions. The average maximum depth is approximately 167 feet. This is another distinction from neighboring Lake Hartwell and Lake Strom Thurmond.
Built as a gift to the people of Porterdale by James H. Porter in memory of his father and Porterdale founder Oliver Saffold Porter (1836-1914), the Porter Memorial Gym was one of the main gathering places in the community until the decline of the mills. It was designed by one of Georgia’s first female architects, Ellamae Ellis League.
Though a 2005 fire destroyed much of the structure and collapsed the roof, the foundation and walls remain were re-enforced and the site is occasionally used for gatherings and community events.
Porterdale Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Near the trailhead at Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Center
Arabia Mountain, like its neighbors, Panola Mountain and Stone Mountain, is one of several prominent monadnocks/plutons in Georgia. Monadnocks are roughly defined as isolated rock hills or small mountains rising prominently from a more gently sloping perimeter. Historically, they have all been mined for their raw material. While Stone Mountain and Panola Mountain are composed of granite, Arabia Mountain is composed of gneiss. This is the view as one begins the short hike to the summit at the Klondike Road trailhead within the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Center. There is some confusion as to the name of the summit, as Bradley Peak (954′) and Arabia Mountain (940′) tend to be connected, and some sources note that the actual summit of Arabia Mountain is located near an old quarry, beyond Bradley Peak. Very few maps identify Bradley Peak or Bradley Mountain at all, but it’s a big debate, apparently. Since signage and Department of the Interior identify the site as Arabia Mountain, I’m deferring to those sources in this context.
Cairn marking the trail at Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Center
The parking lot is often full at the Nature Center, so it’s probably best to go on a weekday. The trail is clearly marked with these stone cairns.
Woolly Groundsel (Packera cana)
Several unusual wildflower and native plant species thrive on the mountain. While its fall-blooming yellow daisies may be one of its most iconic symbols, Arabia Mountain is also home to these spring-blooming beauties, tentatively identified as Woolly Groundsel (Packera cana).
Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata)
Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata) is one of the most colorful and spectacular bloomers at Arabia Mountain.
Small’s Stonecrop, aka Diamorpha (Sedum smallii)
Springtime brings patches of endangered red plants around the solution pits that dot the landscape of Arabia Mountain.
Historically, they have been known as Diamorpha smallii, or simply Diamorpha, but are now classified as Sedum smallii. During their very brief bloom time, they are covered with tiny white flowers.
The flowers are a great aspect of the mountain, but Arabia’s charm lies in its rocky, other-worldly topography.
Nearly every solution pit and pool, whether filled with water or not, is host to a wide variety of vegetation.
The slope itself, from the Nature Preserve access point, has a low rise and is therefore an enjoyable walk for most people.
Fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus) near the summit
Finding this fringe tree near the summit was a surprise. It was quite windblown, as my hike with friends on Saturday was dominated by non-stop 40+mph gusts.
I’ve always called these pedestrian sections on the sides of bridges along the coast “fishing bridges” but I know there must be a better name. On a list of McIntosh County fishing piers, this is identified as the Champney River Bridge Catwalk, and catwalk seems a good description. It’s probably the safest, accessibility wise, of all of these public piers in the Altamaha Delta, because there’s a nice parking lot. The others generally have little more than a pull-over spot and US 17 is a very busy road most of the time. Tourists may use these from time to time, but locals, who know the tides and and the runs of numerous species, use them frequently.
If you’re not an angler and just want to take in the coastal scenery, or a birdwatcher checking out the diverse avifauna, they’re a good starting point.
No matter where I’m traveling, I always try to make at least one stop at a public park or natural area for a moment of decompression. There are many such places in Georgia just waiting to be seen. If you love water, you’ll love Georgia’s “Other Coast”. Sure, there are other big lakes in Georgia, but Lake Seminole lies near farmlands dotted with oaks as big as you’ll find on the actual coast. In your drive to get there, you’ll most likely see them. It’s just beautiful country.
This view of the Alapaha River looks north from the US 221/US 129 bridge just east of Lakeland at Pafford’s Landing. Heavy winter rains have resulted in a much higher water level than normal. The privately owned launch and beach are publicly accessible at the landing, but not all of the property is open to the public.
The Alapaha is popular with fishermen and kayakers today. It’s also of historical importance as an integral feature in the settlement of this section of the Georgia Wiregrass region.
Columbus, like Georgia’s other Fall Line cities, is defined by a dramatic shift in elevation [124 feet over a 2 mile stretch], and its lifeblood has always been the Chattahoochee River. Historically, the river’s waters ran freely over rocks and shoals and were known as the Falls of the Chattahoochee. Chutes de la Chattahoutchie, an 1838 painting by the French naturalist Francis de la Porte depicted a wild and scenic waterway and the river retained this wildness until it was dammed by Eagle and Phenix Mill [1882] and City Mills [1907] to provide the power which made their industries possible. Smaller dams were built earlier in the 19th century, but did not have the impact of the aforementioned examples.
The Falls of the Chattahoochee vanished as the mills grew over time. In the mid-2000s, a plan to breach and remove those dams took hold in an effort to make the Chattahoochee wild again and provide new tourism opportunities for Columbus.
The breaching of the Eagle and Phenix Mill dam in 2012 and the City Mills dam in 2013 brought back a resource which had vanished over a century ago. The Falls of the Chattahoochee, which had been important to the area since the days of Native Americans, once again flow through the city and have created what has been called one of the best urban whitewater runs in the nation.
The river reclamation has been a driver of revitalization in Columbus, and while I generally don’t make endorsements, I would direct you to the experienced folks at Whitewater Express.
They’ll gladly take you on an amazing adventure if you’re of a mind to get wet and get your adrenaline flowing.
Whether you’ve never done whitewater or you’re an old pro, they will make your experience worthwhile. It’s a great day trip if you’re in the area.
Originating in swampland east of Young Man Road in northern McIntosh County, the White Chimney River [also referred to as White Chimney Creek] flows southerly for several miles before joining the Sapelo River. I haven’t located an origin for the name, but would presume it to be related to an early house or other landmark with white chimneys. Seems logical, but who knows…
The White Chimney River is surrounded by marsh and hammock on both sides for most of its brief course.
This landscape is typical of estuaries along the Atlantic seaboard.
In the southeast, they generally feature palmettos, oaks, and cedars.
A web of smaller creeks feed into the river from all directions.
Like the rivers they support, they are dependent on the tides.
These estuaries are integral to the abundance of marine life that attracts fishermen to the region.
This floating dock is located at Cooper’s Point, now part of a residential development bordering the White Chimney River. It’s a private dock, but anyone can access the river at the White Chimney Creek Boat Ramp on Shellman Bluff Road. The river is particularly known for its abundance of Spotted Seatrout. Croaker is also common.
Oysters are also dependent on the estuarine environment and are quite abundant along the banks of the White Chimney River.
