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April 26, 2014
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TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONGeorgia Archives/The News
Celebrations during Conyers’ 50th anniversary in 1926
Conyers 160 Years..................... Clay Theater.............................. Firefighting Monks.................. Inspirational Educators............ RCPS school namesakes........... Sherman’s March......................
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Saturday, April 26, 2014 • 3
Conyers marks
160 years
A look at the past, present and future of the city By john ruch
jruch@rockdalenews.com
From rough-and-tumble railroad town to Olympic Games venue, Conyers has gathered a wealth of history in the 160 years since its founding, an anniversary that arrived on Feb. 16. Today, the city is a growing player in booming metro Atlanta, with new businesses and homes springing up everywhere. But it has retained an unusual historic heritage in the preservation of Olde Town. Mayor Randy Mills said that today’s City Council aims to keep that mix for Conyers’ next 160 years, too. “You would hope that you re-
tain the Olde Town flavor and the new urban environment, where you still have the old and embrace the new—maintain the historical perspective and historical foundation,” Mills said. “You always hope you have a Beasley drug store downtown, and at the same time, have the CVS’s, too.” From frontier to mills As easily seen in today’s railroad and interstate, transportation routes have always been crucial factors in Conyers history. That goes all the way back to ancient times. For at least 1,000 years before European colonists, artifacts found at the Georgia International Horse Park site show,
Indians traveled through the area and later established a trading route known in modern times at the Hightower Trail. Local tradition says the trail was the border between the Creek and Cherokee Indians’ territories. Europeans began colonizing the area in the late 1700s. Along the Yellow River, they started a mill industry handling cotton, grain and lumber. The last local Indians were forced out by the military in the 1830s in the infamous “Trail of Tears” By that time, a significant mill community called Long Shoals, apparently named for a prominent local family, was established. Later known as the village of Milstead, its mill industry would become a major local
employer for Conyers, which expanded over the years to absorb some of the village. The railroad Meanwhile, scattered settlements a couple of miles to the southwest got a development jolt when the Georgia Railroad announced plans to run a line there in the 1840s. Much of today’s Olde Town was owned by a blacksmith named John Holcombe (or Holcomb), who lived in a log cabin where the county courthouse now stands. Legend has it that Holcombe refused to give up his land and threatened to kill any railroad workers on sight. William D. Conyers, a Covington doctor
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and banker who was a railroad investor, somehow convinced Holcombe to sell for $700. That smooth deal got the doctor’s name on the railroad’s Conyers Station, which began operating in 1845. A rough and sleazy boom town full of bars and brothels immediately sprang up around the station. William Conyers was a teetotaler who banned liquor sales in properties he owned and built an anti-booze Sons of Temperance lodge that later doubled as Conyers’ first schoolhouse. Various stores and churches sprang up, as did the first local newspaper, the Conyers South. See ANNIVERSARY Page 14
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4 • Saturday, April 26, 2014
rockdale’s first
movie theater
faces uncertain future CURRENT OWNERS STILL LOOKING FOR TENANTS By john ruch
jruch@rockdalenews.com
The mysterious granite building at 874 N. Main in Olde Town gives only a couple of clues about its glamorous past: the oddly windowless façade and the building’s extraordinary length as it runs down Carter’s Alley. You’d still have to be something of a Sherlock Holmes to guess that this was Rockdale’s first movie theater. The Conyers Theatre operated from 1941 to 1969. The long-vacant building nearly became a movie theater once again in recent years, the News discovered, until the deal fell through. The theater was established by James and Alice Clay, an Illinois couple who settled in Conyers after visiting with their traveling movie show in the early 1930s. In that era, small towns and rural areas that didn’t have movie theaters were visited by such traveling shows, where people could watch popular movies inside a large tent. James Clay’s brother Ernest was a traveling entertainer, too. James helped him set up his “Clay’s Comedy Show” traveling show. In turn, Ernest helped James establish “Clay’s Cinema Show.” James and Alice eventually took the movie show to the village of Milstead, the Callaway cotton mill community just outside Conyers. They showed short films and already-classic features such as “The Jazz Singer” and “The Birth of a Nation.” The Clays’ children, James and Betty, were nearly school age, so the couple decided to plant roots here. They moved into a house on Oakland Avenue in Conyers and began planning a permanent movie theater. In 1940, they began showing films in a Commercial Street building while conducting a $20,000 rehab of 847 N. Main, an old feed store built around 1880. A prominent upgrade was a large triangular marquee on the front bearing the title of the latest movie. The Conyers Theatre held a grand opening on Feb. 24, 1941. The debut film was the romantic comedy “Strawberry Blonde,”
The Conyers Theatre operated from 1941 to 1969. the long-vacant building nearly became a movie theater once again in recent years ... until the deal fell through.
starring James Cagney and Olivia de Havilland. James Clay operated other local businesses as well, including a flower store and a radio repair shop. He was also something of a filmmaker himself, shooting home movies of street scenes in Conyers/Rockdale and the Scottsdale area dating from 1931 to 1948. Some years ago, the family issued videotapes of those movies. James Clay died in 1962. Alice and their children continued the theater until 1969. Alice died in 1991. A church took over the space for some time, and then it was converted into offices in the 1970s. But it has been vacant for many years. For decades it bore a sign dubbing it the “Clay Building” in honor of its history, but even that is gone now. The building was bought in 2001 by a “Clay Management Company” of Atlanta. The actual owner is Diane McIver, president of Corey Airport Services, a prominent advertising company based at the Corey Tower
complex in Downtown Atlanta. McIver previously lived in Conyers for 30 years and wanted to preserve the building, according to John Hahn, a Corey company engineer who rehabbed it again in recent years. “I had a deal with a movie theater to go in at one point about two years ago,” Hahn said. “The deal also involved acquiring the building next door to become a restaurant serving movie-goers, but, the partners couldn’t get full financing.” Despite the building’s great location in Olde Town, right across the street from the courthouse, leasing it has proven difficult. Its large size and the costs McIver sank into rehab are obstacles, Hahn said. “We’re still looking at tenants. A lot of people look, but they just want a piece, not the whole building,” Hahn said, adding it is probably best suited for shared offices for lawyers or other professionals. “We rehabbed it at a time when it was very costly to rehab,” he added. “The 1970s offices had to be gutted.” Hahn found some unusual cast-steel pillars in the basement that had to be removed by diamond-tipped saws. They now stand at the rear of the building as decorations. Anyone with a business proposal for bringing this piece of Olde Town history back to life can contact Hahn at 404-419-9759 or jhahn@coreycompanies.com.
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Despite the building’s great location in Olde Town, right across the street from the courthouse, leasing it has proven difficult. Unusual cast-steel pillars were found in the basement that had to be removed by diamond-tipped saws. They now stand at the rear of the building as decorations.
2014 Taste of Conyers Join us in Olde Town Conyers for food, music, cars and fun! The Taste of Conyers features samples of culinary delights FREE ADMISSION to the from restaurants in the Conyers Taste of Conyers area, live entertainment, and complimentary children’s Seventh Annual activities, and a Boy Scouts and Kids Zone! Conyers Car Show Trophies for 1st and 2nd Runners Up, Best Original, Best Restoration, and More! Registration required.
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Monastery of the Holy Spirit
rOCKDALE’S FIRST VOLUNTEER
FIREFIGHTERS By LEE UDELL
NEWS@rockdalenews.com
In 1944, 21 Trappist monks left Kentucky bound for rural Georgia, with one goal in mind: form a new community focused on God’s word. But about a decade after they arrived in Rockdale County, their mission took a surprising turn. “Somebody donated a fire truck to the monastery, and we saw it as a way to make inroads with the local residents,” said Fr. Anthony Delisi, who joined the order in 1948. “It was a ministry that nobody else had in this area.” So, the monks became the county’s first
volunteer firefighters. “In the beginning, most people around here didn’t know much about Catholics, and they were especially leery of monks,” Fr. Anthony continued. “The story goes that the county even sent out a grand jury to investigate the monastery. And, of course, the black community thought we were the KKK because of our white robes. Nobody was sure what we were up to.” But before too long, word got around and people started calling the monks to put out fires. “They were mostly forest fires or grass fires,” said Fr. Anthony, “because, in those days, there weren’t too
many people living here – just a few tenant farmers.” Despite their lack of formal training, the monks soon learned about firefighting techniques like backfiring, where a second fire is deliberately set in the path of an oncoming fire to contain a wildfire. “It doesn’t take much to fight a fire,” said Fr. Anthony, in his typical unassuming way. “Nobody taught us anything. We just jumped on the fire truck and off we went. There were usually about 10 monks hanging all over the place on the truck.” The monastery’s first fire chief See MONASTERY page 9
Courtesy of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit Monastery volunteer firefighters in action.
Celebrating 70 Years Of Foundation
The monks invite you to share in their journey
The Monastic Heritage Center
at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit An interactive testament to the legacy and spirit of 70 years of monastic witness.
In 1944, a group of 21 Trappist monks journeyed from Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky to Conyers, Georgia, to lay the foundation for a new community, making their first home in a barn on part of what had once been the Honey Creek Plantation. Today, the monastery is home to 36 monks who lead a cloistered, contemplative life, dedicating themselves to the worship of God within the monastery. This year marks a 70-year milestone in their history. The Heritage Center prepares visitors to experience the monastery church and the gifts of prayer, silence, and reflection offered here. Interactive displays, historical exhibits and informative videos provide insight into the history, life and purpose of
MONASTERY
the monastic living. The original barn that served as home to our founders is part of the new complex, providing insight into the monastery’s humble beginnings. The monastery is a sanctuary, a preserve, a peaceful place surrounded by over 2000 acres of Georgia woodland. We welcome visitors from all walks and faiths to come and benefit from the amenities offered here: • Shop for gifts, books and monk-made wares in the Abbey Store, Georgia’s largest Christian bookstore. • Relax and browse the monk-crafted miniature beauties of the Bonsai Garden. • Shop for bonsai trees, pottery and accessories in the Bonsai Store and Bonsai Pottery Sales.
of the HOLY
• Take a relaxing walk through our meditative grounds, enjoying the natural beauty we call home. Allow at least 2 hours for a visit.
The monastery church and grounds are open all church and grounds are open all The monastery day, closing at 8:00PM, all week long. day, closing at 8:00PM, all week long.
MONASTIC HERITAGE CENTER HOURS: Mon - Sat, 10am–5pm
SPIRIT
2625 Hwy. 212 SW • Conyers, Georgia 30094-4044 • 770-483-8705 • www.trappist.net
8 • Saturday, April 26, 2014
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Monastery - monks taking a break for prayer while at work - next to garage that probably housed firetruck 905 MONASTERY from page 7
was Dom Augustus. “He really enjoyed it, but he only did it for a couple of years before becoming abbot in 1957,” Fr. Anthony said. “Actually, most all the monks enjoyed it. The ones who were closest and ran to the truck the fastest were the ones who fought the most fires. It was kind of a good distraction for all of us.” Fortunately, it was a harmless distraction for the monks, none of whom was every injured while fighting fires. In fact, Fr. Anthony has nothing but good memories of his time as a firefighter. “I remember one time we got called out, but when we got there we didn’t see a fire,” said Fr. Anthony. “We saw a man and asked him if there was a fire, and he said, ‘No. But if
there was a fire, I know you’d put it out.’ Our reputation must have been pretty good,” Fr. Anthony chuckled. For more than a decade, the firefighting monks of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit served Rockdale County. However, in about 1967, Rockdale County government took over fire protection services
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for unincorporated areas. Today, Fr. Anthony is one of only a handful of monks at the monastery who can remember their firefighting days. “I don’t know what happened to that fire truck,” said Fr. Anthony. “I kind of wish we had it back, though, because it would bring back a whole lot of memories.”
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Back in the Day
Inspiring Educators By Tisa Smart Washington
In 1948, students at Bryant Street School, later called the J.P. Carr School, witnessed history in the making, although many of them may not have realized it. The event was not ushered in with grand fanfare or great unrest at the only school for black children in Rockdale County, but rather, arrived in the form of the school’s first black male teachers – Sam Lester and Jim Hardwick. Armed with degrees from Savannah State College, they changed the face of educators in Rockdale and left a lasting impression on the lives of students like Conyers City Councilman Cleveland Stroud. “They were great role models. Schools were not integrated at the time. We didn’t know anything about college graduates. Not male and black college graduates. All of our teachers all through school had been young black women,” Stroud said. “In fact, when they came here, the only educated black person that we knew in Rockdale County was the principal. We didn’t know anything about black men being classroom teachers” Stroud recalled before meeting Lester and Hardwick, the only job prospects after high school for young black men, other than working at the cotton mill, in construction or on a farm, were limited to what he and others saw in the neighborhood around the school “We thought to be successful, you had to be the guy who ran the numbers, the bootlegger, or the guy who had a bricklaying company. These were the guys driving in the big cars and they had all the money in their pockets and the gold chains. These were our role models before these guys,” said Stroud. “We looked at them as the ones who had success ... They (Lester and Hardwick) showed us there were several vocations out there that black men could get into, but they had to leave their present environment to do so.” Lester, a math teacher and the school’s athletics director, and Hardwick, who taught 6th and 7th grades, were both hired by then Principal W.D. Tolbert, who attended Savannah State College with the pair. Tolbert was described as a man ahead of his time whose demands on behalf of the school brought a burning cross on his lawn and eventually a non-renewal of his contract. “The new principal recognized the need for strong black men in
the classroom. That was sort of a turning point in the black community,” said Bryant Street alumnus Walter Collins. “Sam Lester taught trigonometry and geometry; stuff we never heard of before,” said Stroud. “And Hardwick taught me the importance of judging a person by what he does, who he is, what he represents rather than what he looks like.” Hardwick taught English, spelling and a variety of subjects. He was a strict disciplinarian – teachers at the time did not hesitate to use corporal punishment – but he also knew how to bring out the best in his students through competition. Hardwick overcame physical handicaps, such as short, uneven limbs, and commanded respect in the classroom and in the community with his intelligence. Collins described Lester as no-nonsense with a sense of humor whose math classes set his students up for success. “He gave me the foundation in math I needed to pursue my career,” said Collins, who went on to earn two master’s degrees in civil engineering. Lester later became family when he married Collins’ cousin. Lester and Hardwick created a learning environment that encouraged critical thinking and inspired students to take ownership of their educational careers. As a result, Grover Simmons, Jr. learned lessons that still resonate with him today. “I enrolled in his class in plane geometry and was impressed with his method of teaching. He would assign a problem to be solved, put the student on the right track toward the solution, nudge the student along. Eventually, the student would find the solution to the problem,” said Simmons. Lester also worked to break
down conventions and provide students with athletic options that were not offered to people of color in Rockdale County. A former college basketball player at Savannah State, Lester created the school’s first sports team. “We had never seen a basketball. We didn’t know anything about it,” Stroud said. “He got a guy who used to scrape the dirt roads in Rockdale County to bring the scraper over to the school and level off an area. We built it ourselves. We put poles on each end. He bought the goals and taught us how to play basketball.” Although Lester grew the team large enough to compete against other schools, he never let his students lose sight of their educational goals. Stroud recalls neglecting one of Lester’s homework assignments to play in a basketball game. Stroud assumed Lester, who was the coach, would understand. “He embarrassed me in class the next day for not having my homework. He said ‘if you have to choose between academics and basketball, basketball is the one that will have to suffer.’ And he sat me out the next game and wouldn’t let me play at all,” said Stroud. “He told me ‘no matter how good you are at any sport, at some point, that air is going to come out of that ball.” Lester went on to become a principal in Virginia and then in Harrisburg, Penn., where he retired. He passed away in 2009. Hardwick taught at J. P. Carr until integration. He retired and moved back to Columbus, Ga. Lester’s and Hardwick’s arrival at Bryant Street school ushered in a wave of college-educated black male teachers and changed the lives of many who had the privilege to learn from their experience.
Teachers Jim Hardwick, left, and Sam Lester, ight, were the first college-educated black male teachers in Rockdale County and brought in a new era of teaching rigor at J.P Carr school.
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What’s in a name
The people behind the names of six of Rockdale County’s public schools career. In 1978, a year after he retired, Edwards Middle School opened and was christened in his honor.
By Jessica Smith
jsmith@rockdalenews.com
Rockdale County owes a great debt to the men and women who forged early educational pathways in the community. Their legacy lives on inside the schools bearing their names. J.H. House Elementary, 1967
According to his granddaughter, Molly Roberts, one of James Harwell House, Jr.’s last tasks before succumbing to cancer in July 1967 was to pen a brochure recruiting prospective employees to teach at a north Rockdale Elementary School under construction. “Grow and prosper with vigorous Rockdale, a community featuring good schools and churches in the center of the south’s population explosion, good security with little political interference and pleasant working conditions,” he wrote. A few months later, when the school opened in August, his name was above its door, unbeknownst to him before he died. In 1955, the LaGrange native, known to friends as “Skipper,” and son of a Methodist minister, moved his wife and two daughters to Conyers to serve the dual role of principal at Rockdale County High School and superintendent of schools. He brought with him 25 years of experience as a history teacher, coach, principal and superintendent in various south Georgia locales, as well as degrees from Emory University, Duke University, Columbia University and the University of Georgia. During his Rockdale tenure, his active presence contributed to many organizations from the Board of Health to the Lions Club and Conyers First United Methodist Church. (Source: House’s widow Sallie Bird from “The Heritage of Rockdale, GA”) C.J. Hicks Elementary, 1969
For an accomplished man on many levels, Clyde Jerome Hicks considered his namesake school, founded in 1969, the same year Rockdale schools desegregated, his greatest honor. Born in 1898 to a successful Newton County farmer, he attended Emory University and UGA before beginning his career as a junior high school principal in Henry County. In 1925, Hicks arrived in Rockdale County as principal of the private Milstead Elementary School, owned by Callaway Mills, also becoming part of the company’s Industrial Relations Department. He served as chairman of the Board of Education before taking the reins as County School Superintendent.
Saturday, April 26, 2014 • 11
Barksdale Elementary, 1979
House
Hicks
Edwards
Barksdale
Sims
Davis
In 1948, after many years as an administrator, he entered the mathematics classroom at Conyers High School and was recognized as a STAR teacher. Along the way, he married his high school sweetheart and had four children. After retiring as an educator, Hicks went on to stints as a City of Conyers councilman and mayor. His other civic involvements included Lions Club, American Legion and chairman of the Rockdale County Hospital Board. (Source: Hicks’ daughter Nancy Hicks Elliot from “The Heritage of Rockdale County, GA”) Edwards Middle, 1978
From 1951 until 1969, George L. Edwards served as principal of J. P. Carr School, formerly Bryant Street School, the school designated for black students, and was part of the transition team during the pivotal time of integration in Rockdale County.
Backed by the school’s PTA, he was persistent in the school’s name change to recognize John Philip Carr, a black brickmason, carpenter and respected community member who donated a portion of the land for school grounds. According to E. R. Shipp, a journalism professor at Baltimore’s Morgan State University and RCHS alumnus, “Edwards clearly tried to negotiate a place between the two worlds – the whites had to see him as nonthreatening, but the blacks wanted him to be a strong advocate for their interests.” When he began work in Rockdale, though he loved big cars, he chose to commute in a small car, not wanting to attract unnecessary attention. Though he continued to live in Atlanta and was known as a private man, he was a leader in Rockdale’s black community, heading a March of Dimes drive among black citizens while serving as a special assistant to the superintendent for the rest of his
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founding member of The Rockdale Historical Society and helped to pen the key volume, “History of Rockdale County.” Ironically, other than her name on the volume there isn’t any mention of herself in the book. Barksdale’s son, A. R. (Gus) Barksdale, one of three children, was a key player in converting Conyers into a modern economy by attracting big industry such as Lithonia Lighting and Sweetwater Plastics to town after Callaway Mills closed. Wales Barksdale, A. R.’s son and her grandson currently serve on the RCPS Board of Education. (Source: Judy Mauran and Kathy Pattillo from “The Heritage of Rockdale County, GA”)
After Barksdale Elementary School moved into its current location in 1980, a dedication ceremony was held to honor the school’s namesake. “As part of the process in naming the new school, the Board of Education solicited ideas from the community,” current Principal Jana O’Kelley said. “The school was named after Margaret G. Barksdale, a beloved high school English teacher.” Barksdale taught for 36 years at the Conyers High School on Main Street, grounds of the current county office, and was a bastion of her Sims Elementary, 1988 community. Her service wasn’t limAfter graduating from Georgia ited to her teaching position. Fam- College in Milledgeville, Dorothy ily member Susan Vaughn recalls Lindsey Sims – “Dot” to those who that Barksdale would tutor Latin on knew her – began teaching first Saturdays to any student interested. grade at Pine Street Elementary The Peabody ATeacher’s College School. Kite, native was caring, friendly atmosphere with The Over 30 YearsGa. of Professional graduate was also very active in the following in the footsteps of her Dedication each patient and our community. Conyers Civic League andtoConyers see NAMES page 13 Presbyterian Church. She was a
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Sherman’s March through Rockdale “That night, the army was encamped the railroad track, you would have seen General Sherman ride into here, the people were afraid to have Conyers accompanied by the First lights in the houses, lest the Yankees come in; I sat up all night long with matches and candle ready to light at the first alarm.”
Courtesy of the Rockdale County Historical Society
Just Imagine – the date is November 15, 1864. As you look out your attic window towards the northwest, you see the smoke and red sky of the burning of Atlanta. In fear and apprehension, you wonder where General William T. Sherman is headed next. Conyers had already experienced a taste of war. Months before the historic March to the Sea, General Sherman had dispatched General Kenner Gerrard to burn the railroad bridges between the Yellow and Alcovy Rivers to destroy the Confederate Army’s supply line from Augusta. Though Gerrard’s eventual destination was Covington, he sent 50 men to disable Conyers Station. On the morning of July 22, 1864 — nearly 150 years ago — just as a train pulled into the Conyers Station mid-morning, the Union Army attacked, setting fire to the Depot and taking 16 Confederate soldiers and citizens prisoner. “In those sudden, short minutes the citizens of Conyers would have witnessed the fury and the ruin of war, and they would know that the heartland of Georgia, safe from invasion until now, was safe no longer,” Civil War historian and author Robert Jones said in a presentation last year. Confederate Major General Joe Wheeler’s cavalry was occupied in battle in Decatur when he heard of the attack and chased Gerrard through Oxford and Covington. Gerrard’s cavalry quickly burned bridges and stores
Mrs. Stewart, of Main Street and Milstead Avenue
of cotton, never giving Wheeler a chance to catch them. A few months later, Sherman and almost 15,000 of his 60,000 troops marched through Conyers. On November 16, 1864, the second and third divisions of Sherman’s 20th Corps entered the Sheffield community via the Hightower Trail. This trail crossed the shallow fords of the Piedmont region westward from Augusta to Alabama and began as a notable trading route dividing the Cherokee Nation and the Creek Confederacy before European settlement. During
the next 24 hours, this ancient trail was trampled by more than 14,500 Union troops under the command of generals Henry W. Slocum and Alpheus S. Williams At Hightower Trail stands Philadelphia United Methodist Church, established in 1837. The church was a point of reference on Union maps used during the march. Thousands of soldiers marched past here, but the church was spared during the destruction. If you had been at the Conyers railroad Depot mid-day on November 17, 1864, looking west along
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Division of his 14th Corps. During the next 24 hours, 13,500 men, 800 See MARCH page 13
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The News “In those sudden, short minutes the citizens of Conyers would have witnessed the fury and the ruin of war, and they would know that the heartland of Georgia, safe from invasion until now, was safe no longer.”
—Civil War historian and author Robert Jones NAMES from page 11
mother, a seventh-grade teacher. Her daughter, Lynne Jones, remembers her mother being a hard worker who devoted summers to launching Head Start in Rockdale, but was never too busy to sit down and read with her. Sims earned a Master’s degree from the University of Georgia and left Pine Street in 1975 for a new role as a Language Arts Coordinator for RCPS, though she missed being in the classroom. When she was diagnosed with colon cancer, doctors recommended she retire, but Jones said her response was “This is my life.” She would continue to work until just months before her death. Cancer claimed her all too soon at the age of 52, three years before her namesake school would open. “She was well loved by the entire community and spent significant time and talent serving the schools. Her high visibility was well appreciated and admired by the staff,” said Barksdale Elementary Principal Jana O’Kelley. General Ray Davis Middle, 2006
Saturday, April 26, 2014 • 13
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wagons and 4,800 mules would pass through the little depot town, known then as Conyers Station (population 400). To give an idea of the scope, just as the front of his column arrived in downtown Conyers, the rear would have been leaving Lithonia. One of the reasons the March to the Sea is unique in military history is that Sherman succeeded in mov-
ing an army, which totaled 60,000 men, through 260 miles of enemy territory without supply support. Foraging details of 50 men strong were sent out daily. They systematically stripped the area farms of fodder, food stuffs, carriages, wagons, horses and mules, often helping themselves to other valuables along the way. Members of Sherman’s personal staff spent one and a half hours at the home of Mrs. Amanda Scott, which was on the opposite side of the rail-
spired military leader who served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The Fitzgerald, Ga. native graduated from Georgia Tech in 1938 with a degree in chemical engineering and became a Marine. He moved up the ranks from a major in WWII earning the Navy Cross to a lieutenant colonel in the Korean War receiving the Medal of Honor to a major general and commanding general in the Vietnam War winning the Distinguished Service Medal. All in all, he was one of the most decorated veterans in U. S. history. The dynamo’s retirement hardly sidelined him. Gen. Davis gave talks on U.S. foreign policy
in Northeast Asia to support veterans home and abroad. His background came into play as he engineered the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C. and for a stint he ran the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. The Rockdale County resident picked wisely when marrying Willa “Knox” Heafner in 1942. During long absences, she maintained home and family while corresponding daily with her husband. After a life well-lived and served, General Davis passed away in September 2003 at the age of 88. (Sourced from Davis Middle School’s site - http://portal.rockdale.k12.ga.us/schools/dms/Pages/School-Information.aspx)
March from page 12
road tracks of the depot. Whether Sherman, as local legend has it, ate a picnic lunch on the big boulder near the corner of present-day Scott and Green Streets, or joined his officers at Mrs. Scott’s residence, it seems certain that this noonday meal was “foraged” in Conyers. While here, Sherman learned that the Confederates had no suspicion of the plans for the March to the Sea. When Sherman’s staff was leaving, a group of local African-American men asked to volunteer. Colonel
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Beckwith, Sherman’s chief-commissary officer, hired three as teamsters. The others may have followed less officially. All along the route slaves saw the March as their chance for freedom, and many joined the column. On November 17, 1864 the First Division of the 20th Army Corps passed the Sheffield Post Office at dusk, leaving present-day Rockdale County, marching on to Social Circle, culminating in the capture of Savannah on December 21.
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But the newborn town remained roughneck. As the book “The Heritage of Rockdale County, Georgia,” puts it, the only development rule was “just build, but build far enough away so that the [train] passengers can’t smell the horse manure.” Seeing the need for more organization, local leaders got state permission to incorporate the Town of Conyers. Documents were issued Feb. 16, 1854, marking the city’s official birthday. The original boundary was a half-mile-radius circle (later expanded to 1 mile) around the train depot, which is why parts of the city limits are curves today. War and boom times During the 1860s Civil War, many local white men joined the Confederate army. The war eventually came to Conyers, with union raiders reportedly burning part of the business district. Union Maj. Gen. William Sherman’s army did not destroy the town during its 1864 “March to the Sea” as locals had feared. Sherman himself made a brief stay at a Conyers house, since demolished. According to a local tradition, Sherman gave a boy who lived in the house a nickel in exchange for staying quiet so the general could sleep. Confederate Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler was captured in the Conyers area near the war’s end in 1865. It is unclear how large the local slave population was and what the newly freed people chose to do, though reports suggest many stayed on as paid laborers on local farms. Conyers saw a huge postwar boom, its population rocketing from 300 to 2,000 by 1870. The growth led to the formation of Rockdale County from parts of Newton and Henry counties that year, with Conyers as the county seat. Conyers gained official city status in 1881, creating today’s mayor/city council government. The first City Hall was built sometime in that era at 931 Commercial St., where the granite building still stands. Conyers remain a wild place, even inside City Hall. “Some council meetings lasted well past midnight and at least two fistfights occurred between council members,” reports “The Heritage of Rockdale County.” A coalition of local ministers finally led a crackdown on local vice and managed to make Conyers a dry town for a number of years. Rise and fall of Milstead Cotton was such an important local industry of that time that the first known public protest in Conyers, in 1889, was against merchants who sold the rival fabric called jute. The protesters publicly burned a bolt of jute on Commercial Street.
Much of today’s Olde Town was owned by a blacksmith named John Holcombe (or Holcomb), who lived in a log cabin where the county courthouse now stands. Legend has it that Holcombe refused to give up his land and threatened to kill any railroad workers on sight. So it was big news when the aptly named F.D. Milstead arrived in Long Shoals in 1901, looking for a place to open a cotton and corn meal mill. He converted an existing paper mill and quickly built a mill town called Milstead, complete with homes and a company store. (The corn mill part soon shut down; another industrialist bought the equipment and ran a gristmill until 1957 at Railroad and Commercial streets in Conyers, now a parking lot.) He also built a 3-mile private railroad line connecting the plant with Conyers. Supplies and goods were pulled by a small steam engine nicknamed the Dinky. In 1905, the Callaway family bought the cotton mill, greatly expanding both it and the unincorporated village of Milstead. Milstead became home of unusual amenities, such as the county’s only public pool and community center. The mill employed 900 people by the time foreign competition forced its closure in 1960, a devastating blow to the local economy. The last of the Dinky engines is now on display in Olde Town. In the year 2000, the old mill reopened as a hydroelectric power plant. Interstate and tourism The 1960s was also the time that Interstate 20 came through Conyers, sparking major residential, commercial and industrial changes. The rise of private automobiles and the creation of the state highway system in the early 20th century made Conyers increasingly attractive as a bedroom community of Atlanta. But Rockdale remained a very rural, quiet place; the county would not have a traffic light until 1979.
The interstate set off a residential construction boom that resulted in the city expanding significantly, including swallowing part of old Milstead. Freeway traffic shifted the commercial center from Olde Town, first to West Avenue, then to the Hwy. 138 interchange. The fast connection to Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson airport made Conyers even more attractive to major industries and companies that helped to replace the old mills. The easy car access also opened Conyers to a new tourism and entertainment industry, some of it quite unusual. Rebranded as Olde Town, the old business district is now an attraction, with such sites as the old train depot preserved by the Rockdale County Historical Society. Catholic religious attractions spurred several hotels to open in Conyers. The Monastery of the Holy Spirit, home to Trappist monks who moved to the area from Kentucky in 1944, remains a popular site. The late Nancy Fowler, a Conyers resident who claimed to hear messages from Jesus and the Virgin Mary, drew crowds of up to 100,000 believers in the 1980s and ’90s. A more lasting impact was the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Conyers beat out seven other communities vying to host events. On land originally intended for the spraying of treated waste water, the city created the Georgia International Horse Park. The Olympic torch was run through Olde Town, and the horse park hosted equestrian and mountain cycling events, plus part of the pentathlon. The venue today hosts a wide variety of festivals, competitions and gatherings.
Submitted photos/The News Counterclockwise from the top: Summer Gailey in Olde Town; aerial view of Downtown Conyers; Old Rockdale High School.
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