Tag Archives: Georgia Water Towers

Leslie, Georgia

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Commerce Street

Leslie was established by J. W. Bailey in 1884. Bailey was a timber operator with financial interests in the area. The post office opened in 1889 and the town was incorporated by the Georgia General Assembly in 1892. According to Ken Krakow, “Bailey first named the town Jeb, the initials of his father, J. E. Bailey, but the post office was erroneously given the name of JOB. Bailey disliked the name “Job” so he circulated a petition to rename the town Leslie for his younger daughter, Leslie Vestell Bailey.”

Commerce Street

Leslie is also the home of the Georgia Rural Telephone Museum, which boasts one of the world’s largest collection of antique telephones. It is presently closed to the public, however.

Bailey Avenue. The two large buildings (center of photograph) are no longer standing.

Note: This post replaces “Commerce Street, Leslie”, which was published, with slightly different photographs, on 15 June 2010.

Beautiful Butts

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I like to think this water tower, and its slogan “Welcome to Beautiful Butts County”, [with Beautiful Butts in a noticeably larger font], is a cheeky response to Don Earnhart’s doomed appeal to give the county a more forward-facing name. In 2003, Earnhart, owner of local radio station WJGA, used his daily call-in show to suggest what proved unthinkable to most.

At the time, he told the Associated Press: “We catch so much flak, and it’s holding us back. You hear the name Butts County, Ga., and it conjures up an image of a doublewide with a car up on blocks in the front yard. Let’s say I’m a manufacturer trying to get my shareholders to invest in a plant. And the plant’s in someplace called Podunk, Mississippi. You see what I’m saying?” The story got lots of national attention but ultimately, nothing happened, other than a renewed sense of pride in the name.

And though community sentiment was overwhelmingly against the change, it should be pointed out that the name wasn’t even used on the county’s courthouse, nor the high school, which is named for the county seat of Jackson. Not a single business in the county used Butts in its name, either.

As to the source of the name, it was Captain Samuel Butts, a Virginia native who died in the Battle of Calabee (Alabama) during the Creek Indian War of 1811-1815. It was created from Henry and Monroe County in 1825. Scores of locations were honoring “Indian Wars” heroes at this time, so that probably explains “Why Butts?”

Ultimately, Butts is Beautiful, and a bit of a rural refuge wedged between Macon and Atlanta. I’m glad they have fun with the name.

Cotton Gin, Dudley

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Like most rural Southern towns, Dudley was an agricultural center and cotton was one of the most important crops. This old gin looks to have been abandoned for some time. Note the water tower in the background, with the cardinal logo. I believe this may have been the mascot for the local school’s sports teams.

Farmers & Merchants Bank, Circa 1907, Junction City

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This structure, which now serves as the city hall for Junction City, was built circa 1907 as the Farmers & Merchants Bank. It is a brick structure which at some point was sided with stucco. Junction City was incorporated in 1906.

Rome Clock Tower, 1871

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Rome’s most iconic location wasn’t originally built as a clock tower, but rather as the tower for the first public water works in Northwest Georgia. The decagonal structure, 63 feet high and 33 feet in diameter, was built atop one of the city’s Seven Hills, known as Neely Hill. The facility was designed by John W. Noble and built the Noble Brothers firm. The Noble Brothers had come to Rome from Reading, Pennsylvania, and ran a successful steel works nail factory, railcar works, and pottery, among other industrial pursuits.

The clock was made by the E. Howard Clock Company of Waltham, Massachusetts, and installed in October 1872. This was important for the industrialization of Rome, as it acted as a “regulator”, or central timepiece for the community. While the water tower has long been in disuse, the clock still keeps time. For the best views of Rome, you can even climb the stairs to the top for the Clocktower Tour.

National Register of Historic Places

Water Tower, 1914, Milstead

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This water tower supplied the mill village of Milstead. It reaches a height of 100 feet and is 14 feet in diameter. It was built by contractor J. B. McQuary for $3000 and was used until 1965.

Historic Farmstead, Lowndes County

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Isolated in the countryside near the Lowndes County ghost town of Delmar, this historic farm is one of the most intact collections of original agricultural structures I’ve ever seen in South Georgia. I’m grateful to Mandy Green Yates for bringing it to my attention. Mandy travels the back roads of South Georgia and North Florida finding lots of places like this. Follow her to see what she finds next.

I believe this was primarily a turpentine camp, as the area was well-known for large scale naval stores production. There would have been tenant houses here at one time, also. The structure above was likely the office for the operation.

My favorite structure is the commissary, which would have served all the needs of this small community.

The shingle-sided barn and water tower are amazing survivors, as well. The owners of the property should be commended for keeping this place in such relatively good condition throughout the years.