Lake Oconee Living - Fall 2025 by Times Journal Media

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Set among 1,100 lush wooded acres, and bordered by nine miles of Lake Oconce shoreline, Harbor Club is an award-winning golf and lake community located an hour east of Atlanta in prime Georgia lake country, Whether you are looking to build the home of your dreams or revel in the comfort of a move-in-ready residence, Harbor Club offers an array of real estate opportunitics for you to craft your greatest lake lifestyle.

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Since 1987, Reynolds Lake Oconee Properties has represented buyers and sellers alike in the sale of thousands of properties, all of them only at Reynolds Lake Oconee. Our team is connected every day with club operations; plugged in daily with the social rhythms of clubs and events; and not distracted by, or obligated to buyers and sellers of any properties beyond the gates of Reynolds.

Reynolds Lake Oconee is what we do. It’s also all we do, and it shows.

VOLUME XXVIII, NO. 3, FALL 2025

The magazine that reflects the lifestyle of residents of the Lake Oconee area and beyond.

PUBLISHER

GENERAL MANAGER

EDITOR

ART DIRECTOR

SALES & MARKETING

CIRCULATION

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

OTIS BRUMBY III

LEE GARRETT

PATRICK YOST

BETH POIRIER

ALEXIS BROWN

DAVE GOSSETT

BETH SLAUGHTER SEXTON, JUDITH GARRISON, LEN GARRISON, CRYSTAL JACKSON, SCOTT KEY, EMMA CLAUSE, HEATHER COUSINS

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

MALLORY AGNEW, KAREN PETERS, TRACEY BRILL

WEBSITE

Please visit our website at www.loliving.com.

SUBMISSIONS

Unsolicited queries and submissions of art and writing not accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope will not be returned. Response time varies and Lake Oconee Living cannot assume responsibility for unsolicited materials. To contact the editor by email, address correspondence to editor@loliving.com.

ADVERTISING

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SUBSCRIPTIONS

Lake Oconee Living is published for the United States, its territories and possessions. Four issues per year: $17. Single issues in the U.S. $5. If you are moving, renewing, or have a question, please enclose subscription label with all correspondence; allow four weeks for change of address. Address all correspondence pertaining tosubscriptions to:

Lake Oconee Living, 259 N. Second Street, Madison Ga. 30650, or call 706.342.7440 or fax 706.342.2140.

By The Book

Emma Clause revises a chilling story by Georgia author Anne River Siddons that takes a suburban setting and fills it fully with dread.

In The Garden

Crystal Jackson makes a compelling, fact-based argument on why you should think twice before removing leaves from your landscape.

In The Spirit

Master Mixologist Scott Key gives us a unique, and original, take on tail gate drinks, all with an SEC twist.

Running Down A Legend

Dr. Bradley Rice spent a decade chasing the legend of Joshua Hill. The noted historian found the answer and wrote a book.

Total Transformation

Interior Designer Sarah Yerger knew immediately she has something special with a Club Drive home. Months later, her work completely transformed the elegant home.

All In For Habitat

The annual Lake Oconee Showcase of Homes is a community driven event with a lasting impact for the Greene County Habitat for Humanity’s mission to provide safe, affordable housing.

65 74 83 88 94 98

Discovering Secrets

The purposeful renovation of Augusta’s ‘Meadow Garden’ continues to astound and amaze historians who continue to sift through the mysteries of one of the region’s most fascinating houses.

Destination Everywhere

Reynolds resident Alla Campbell has trekked to more than 300 countries in a life spent with curiosity and learning. She’s got some important tips, too.

Forged By Fire

A group of blacksmiths get together monthly to work on the their craft. The results are intriguing and beautiful.

A Frightfully Fun Time In Eatonton

The Haunted Eatonton Tour provides two weeks of actordelivered stories of some of the city’s famous haunts.

The Moulthrop Legacy

The wood turned bowls of the Moulthrop family are prized possessions of statesmen and titans of industry and the works are on display for a brief time at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center.

How To Survive Auburn and Knoxville

Taking road trips this fall to watch the Dogs play? Learn the ins and outs to Auburn and Knoxville to make your trip unforgettable.

Same lake, different take.

Nestled 70 miles east of Atlanta on Lake Oconee, Cuscowilla is an exclusive residential community that blends luxurious lakefront living with world-class golf. Home to Georgia’s only Coore-Crenshaw designed golf course, Cuscowilla offers breathtaking lake views and embodies the essence of genuine Southern Hospitality. Here, you’ll find the perfect setting to create a timeless lakefront legacy for your family to treasure for generations.

Ilove the fall. The idea of cooler weather, of woodsmoke and a long hike that ends with an overnight stay in the woods next to a flowing river.

I love the idea of it all, especially if some of the wood smoke is drifting up over a piece of pork.

Fall brings with it the eternal hope of a fan. If you live here, in the beautiful South, you know what I’m talking about. Fall is football season and, as of this writing, my team has not lost. Yet.

I’m not dismissive of the lure of the eternal hope of a football fan. Around here, it happens to be college, not professional football, that seems to be the draw but football, a game Morgan County Head Coach Clint Jenkins swears is “the greatest team sport ever played” dominates most weekends this time of the year.

We obsess about the players, kids really, as if their actions on a Saturday afternoon warrant driving our emotions for an entire week. We read, we watch, we argue. It is a beautiful and fierce distraction.

I play golf. I know a thing or two about hope. Other than the disassociated hope of forcing your football team to do well by screaming or staring really, really hard at the television set, golf provides you with the false hope of success and your importance in the universe. I am so important, by the way, that if I am watching my team play and they start doing poorly, all I have to do is walk out of the room and they start doing, oddly, much better. I know, it makes no sense but it has worked at least three times in my 63 years. Works with golf tournaments, too, by the by.

Golf, at least while standing on the first tee, is a game of hope and optimism. For a brief, glorious moment, we stand poised to shoot the greatest round of all time. Then, of course, reality sinks its long fangs and the first double bogey arrives followed by a lipped out par putt followed by a lost ball and a drink order (make it a Hobnail; page 20). Regret, in golf and as a football fan, is an affirmation of life and a strong emotion, too. Don’t trifle with it.

I was recently blessed with two grandchildren.

The sun is rising.

I am filled with hope and it is eternal.

Editor Lake Oconee Living

New Medical Office Building

This fall, Morgan Medical Center is breaking ground on an essential expansion and renovation project at our campus on 1740 Lions Club Road. The centerpiece? A brand-new, 23,000-square-foot Medical Office Building, along with additional upgrades inside our hospital.

These renovations are not a response to funding or quality concerns; they’re about doing what’s right for Morgan County and surrounding communities, including Lake Oconee.

Because of the trust and support from our patients, Morgan Medical Center has experienced tremendous success in recent years, which has allowed us to offer more services. But now, we’ve outgrown our space, and it’s time to grow again so we can meet increasing demand and continue delivering excellent care.

What You Can Expect:

Modern Medical Office Building with multi-specialty physician suites

Expanded services, including Cardiac Rehab, Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine Rehab

Renovated hospital featuring a new OR suite, more ER treatment rooms, and expanded pharmacy and lab

Advanced imaging with in-house MRI suite, cardiac scan, and nuclear medicine technology

(D)read Between the Lines

By Emme Clause

“And as a writer, one of the things that I’ve always been interested in doing is actually invading your comfort space,” says the famous horror fiction writer Stephen King. “Because that’s what we’re supposed to do. Get under your skin, and make you react.”

One of the most popular book genres is horror, which is especially relevant during this time of the year. As the leaves

change color and the air gets colder, chilling narratives and haunting images cling to readers’ minds like a curse that cannot be broken. But what makes a scary book truly terrifying? How does an author manage to successfully spook their audience?

The art of scaring someone is no easy task—especially when they’re expecting the fright to come. Tropes in horror books and movies are common and can be a “dead” giveaway! So, to successfully terrify readers, the writer must approach horror writing differently.

King recognized Georgia author Anne Rivers Siddons for her ability to do just that in his 1981 nonfiction book, Danse Macabre Danse Macabre highlights horror in various forms of media—not just books—from movies to television to radio.

King discussed Siddons’ book, The House Next Door (1978), in a section on the top recently published and influential horror novels, in his opinion. The House

Next Door follows a woman named Colquitt “Col” Kennedy and her husband, living in an Atlanta suburb. Their familiarity to good, everyday people establishes a connection with readers early on.

The horror begins with a newly built, modern-looking home next door. As this house welcomes in multiple new owners, each family has their lives destroyed. From murder to madness, Col and her husband watch the drama unfold next door. Col begins to warn others about the house’s dark power, which leads to the house going after them.

The premise of the story is not completely unheard of, as haunted house stories have been around as long as humans have needed shelter. But the relatability makes it personal. Siddons writes a tale that many of her readers could see themselves in—just an average, nice, well-to-do person doing their best when faced with the supernatural. Thoughts like “If this is happening to them, it could happen to me,” seep

Anne River Siddons hard a work pool side. Siddons’ ‘The House Next Door’ is a psychological thriller that turns a suburban setting into a thrilling nightmare.

| by the book |

through the cracks of the reader’s mind, infiltrating their brain. And that is exactly what King meant when he said he wanted to “get under your skin.”

Siddons, a master of Southern fiction, writes these characters authentically. They exist outside of the supernatural occurrences—they have dreams, hobbies, and desires all within their social context. This makes the readers root for Col even more so.

It wasn’t just the characters that made The House Next Door so terrifying, but the psychological dread. The mystery of how the house operates, the complete unknown, is enough to turn typical suburbia into a nightmare.

Siddons uses language to achieve this effect masterfully. She doesn’t try to cheaply shock readers with unexpected violence, much like a “jump scare” in a horror film does. Instead, she builds psychological dread over the course of the entire novel. The tragic, horrific instances that occur all make up the monster that neither the reader nor Col can see.

This monster itself, which has taken the form of the house next door, is another indicator of Siddons’ talent. Most haunted house stories begin with a family moving into an old, run-down, clearly spooky property. It is a trope that has been repeated time and time again. In Siddons’ novel, however, we get to experience the haunted house from a neighborly perspective. Not to mention, the house in question is newly built and modern. Siddons flips the trope on its head, and readers are left scrambling to solve the mystery alongside Col!

The House Next Door, by Anne Rivers Siddons, is one example of many horror stories that can stay in readers’ minds and haunt their dreams long after they’ve finished reading it. The familiarity combined with the unknown makes a book full of tension, fear, and dread. As this novel is so deeply grounded in reality, it can make a reader question everything they think they trust.

As carved pumpkins adorn front porches and leaves gather on the sidewalks, more and more readers reach for nail-biting stories. While horror novels can be divided into subgenres like slasher, psychological, and sci-fi, one thing remains the same—these authors want to scare you! How they go about doing that all depends on their ability to master language. Georgia native Anne Rivers Siddons was one of those masters. She proved that true horror doesn’t need gore or monsters; it needs a quiet street, a beautiful house, and the feeling that something is very, very wrong.

Emme Clause is the Communications Coordinator at Georgia Writers Museum. She is also the graphic designer for Page Turner, GWM’s quarterly magazine. She earned her degree in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University in 2023.

Leaving the Leaves A Case for

STORY & PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRYSTAL JACKSON

For gardeners, fall is a time of transition. From planting late-season crops to putting in bulbs for a showy spring, the work of a gardener is never done. Even in the depths of winter, a true garden enthusiast is planning for the next growing season.

Many believe that leaving fall leaves on the ground will kill the grass and ruin the lawn. While this might be a factor if a homeowner has an abundance of trees with thick leaf cover, for most homes, it’s a non-issue. Rather than spending the glorious autumn months constantly raking and blowing leaves away, there is a simpler solution.

Just leave the leaves where they fall.

Leaves are a natural mulch that can become a precious soil amendment if left in place. As the leaves decompose, they benefit the soil beneath. If a pile of leaves proves too thick for the health of the lawn below, remove some of the leaves to place around plants over the fall and winter seasons. This natural mulching process will reduce how

many leaves are sent to the landfill and will be a great help for plant survival in the cooler months.

Fallen autumn leaves also provide a necessary shelter for native wildlife like bees, moths, butterflies, worms, turtles, frogs, and chipmunks – just to name a few. Leaving the leaves where they fall can help provide a habitat for native pollinators and wildlife.

If one must rake, rake wisely.

Some neighborhood HOAs do require that leaves are raked away. In the event of this requirement, leaves can still be removed without sending them to a landfill. Instead, they can be placed in a compost bin to create rich compost for the next growing season or added as mulch around existing plantings. This can create the look of a tidy lawn required by many homeowners’ associations.

Reconsider lawn equipment.

Gas-powered leaf blowers and mowers contribute to climate change by polluting the environment. They also

The look of falling leaves season in one of Madison’s many walking trails.

add to noise pollution, which can damage one’s hearing. With this in mind, consider replacing gas-powered lawn equipment for a more eco-friendly batteryoperated variety. This could help improve air quality and reduce noise within the community. If replacing one’s lawn equipment simply isn’t feasible, reducing the need to blow or mow leaves could be a step in the right direction.

Children often associate raking leaves with play and jumping in a crisp pile of multicolored leaves. Adults, however, see it

as a necessary job to be done to keep the lawn tidy. A failure to rake the leaves could be equated to some type of personal failure to maintain a garden.

For the butterflies and bees settling down to nest for the season, it is not a failure. Leaving the leaves where they fall or creating spaces where they can stay is a great way to protect pollinators, improve the soil quality, and show a level of critical thinking that goes beyond curb appeal alone. It’s an act of kindness in a world that could certainly use more.

Sully Archer McPuppy, a Welsh Terrier, enjoys the autumn season and a romp through the leaves.

A butterfly enjoys a beautiful Marigold flower.

A bumblebee visits a garden Zinnia.

At JEDT, we understand that each individual is truly unique, and so are your insurance needs. That’s why we are dedicated to tailoring our services to align perfectly with your net worth and specific circumstances. As your assets grow, so does the necessity for robust protection; we are here to ensure that you have comprehensive coverage that safeguards what you’ve worked hard to build. Allow us to guide you in crafting a personalized insurance strategy that not only meets your current needs but also adapts with you as your financial journey evolves. Your peace of mind is our priority, and together, we can create a secure future that reflects your individuality.

Tailgating Cocktails a/k/a Breakfast Bevies

BY SCOTT KEY // PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK YOST & KAREN PETERS

Parking lot alcohol consumption is, more often than not, a bad look. It’s a shameful thing, typically involving quart-sized vessels clad in brown paper sacks. It carries consequences — most of them negative — ranging from derisive stares to criminal trespass warnings to quality bonding time with law enforcement. The only upside? Sometimes, people give you tiny amounts of money.

But for a few sacred months in Autumn, parking lot drinking is not only accepted — it’s encouraged, provided that it’s done:

1. Near a college football stadium

2. On a Saturday

3. In monogrammed cups

4. Accompanied by pulled pork

5. In proximity to a recreational vehicle large enough to transport a boy band and valued in excess of a starter home

This sacred ritual is called tailgating. And if you’re exploiting this parking lot loophole with Natty Lite, Jim Beam, and Fireball, it’s time to evolve. Here are three elevated tailgating cocktails to help you graduate from undergrad swill to gameday greatness.

STORY

RECIPES

Scott Key is a Master Mixologist who creativity with alcohol is without compare.

The Long Snapper

You’ve been in your tailgating spot since Thursday. It’s game day. You’re feeling — let’s say “compromised.” Don’t reach for vodka and store-bought Bloody Mary mix. Reach for this bold, gin-based tomato cocktail instead.

Ingredients:

2 oz Uncle Val’s Zested Gin

3 oz tomato juice

0.75 oz dry sherry

2 dashes celery or smoked chili bitters

2 dash Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon of old bay seasoning

Pinch of sea salt + lots of cracked black pepper

Dash of pickle juice

Instructions:

Prepare the mix (leaving out the gin and sherry ) the night before your tailgate. Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Roll gently back and forth between shaker tins (don’t shake — preserve the texture). Strain into a tall glass over fresh ice — or, more appropriately, into a red Solo cup or overpriced Yeti tumbler. Garnish: Olives and a pickled okra spear.

Kyle Cook and Annie Sullivan enjoy tailgating beverages from the tailgate of Kyle’s grandfather’s 1954 Chevy pickup truck.

Nothing says pick me up and put me back in the game like The Long Snapper.

The Hobnail

A rugged riff on the Rusty Nail. If you need to ask why it’s called the Hobnail, you may be a Communist.

Ingredients:

2 oz bourbon

0.75 oz Amaro Averna

0.25 oz honey syrup (1:1 honey to water, warmed until fully dissolved — store in glass and bring to the tailgate)

2 dashes Angostura bitters

Orange peel for garnish

Instructions:

Stir all ingredients (except the peel) in a mixing glass filled with ice for 30–40 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass over a large cube. Express the orange peel over the drink, rim the glass, drop it in, and proceed accordingly.

Tailgate Tip: Repeat twice if you’d prefer not to enter the stadium.

The Hugh Freeze Speed Dial

If the name doesn’t ring a bell, consult your nearest SEC scandal archive.

Ingredients:

1 oz St-Germain

0.25 oz fresh lemon juice

0.5 oz Earl Grey syrup (steep 1 tea bag in 1 cup water and 1 cup white sugar; remove bag just before boiling. Allow it all to cool and store in a glass container)

1 sprig fresh mint

4 oz Prosecco, Champagne, or Cava

1–2 oz club soda

Instructions:

Muddle St-Germain with mint in a wine glass. Fill with ice. Add lemon juice, Earl Grey syrup, sparkling wine, and soda. Stir gently with a cocktail spoon.

If you don’t know the inspiration for The Hobnail, well, bless your heart.

Final Move:

Contemplate whether your next call should be from the company phone.

Enjoy irresponsibly and look down your nose at the people in the other tailgating spot who are losing at beer pong.

Scott Key is an amateur mixologist with aspirations of owning an upscale establishment where the patrons are sophisticated, low maintenance, and pay in cash. When he is not mixing the greatest cocktails the world has ever beheld, he practices complex trial an appellate law out of his Madison, Ga. law office. And he is a law professor at Mercer University’s school of Law, which he is told is a dry campus. Before you write us: yes, he knows that he shares a name in common with the guy who wrote the national anthem.

When the going gets tough, professionals reach for a Hugh Freeze Speed Dial for both inspiration and the ability to forget unpleasant memories.

‘Is the Legend True’

Dr. Bradley Rice spent 10 years tracking down the truth swirling around Joshua Hill. Rice’s book: ‘Joshua Hill of Madison: From Legend to Life” brings the truth into perspective

BY HEATHER COUSINS | PHOTOS MALLORY AGNEW

In 2010, retired history professor Dr. Bradley R. Rice moved to Madison. Born and raised in Oklahoma, he spent most of his professional career at Clayton State University in suburban Atlanta. After his wife Vivienne passed away of complications from lung cancer, he decided to relocate to the picturesque town at the center of Morgan County. Although Madison is well known for its nationally recognized historic district, it attracted Dr. Rice for a more personal reason: his son’s family lived there. Dr. Rice looked forward to spending time with his school-age grandchildren and volunteering with local civic organizations.

Although he authored and edited several books during his academic career,

Dr. Rice had no intention of writing another in his golden years. Yet, whether through fate or circumstance, Dr. Rice “crossed paths” with a historical figure in Madison who deserved a book: Joshua Hill, a Civil War-era politician who opposed secession. Long celebrated as a local hero, Hill’s story has persisted largely in oral tradition. Dr. Rice’s move to Madison was fortuitous—not only for the professor himself, but also for history lovers, as Rice had the ideal background to piece together the facts of Hill’s story.

This past April, Dr. Rice’s comprehensive biography of Joshua Hill, titled Joshua Hill of Madison: Civil War Unionist & Georgia’s First Republican Senator 1812-1891, was published by Mercer University Press. The fascinating book

thoroughly investigates the life of a statesman popularly known as “the man who saved Madison.”

Joshua Hill of Madison

If you have visited Madison, you may have heard of Joshua Hill. His portrait hangs over a mantel at the town’s most popular house museum, Heritage Hall; his top hat is prominently displayed at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center; and a bronze plaque on South Main Street points to the home where he and his wife Emily lived for more than 40 years.

Since Hill’s death in 1891, his life has become legend. There are probably as many iterations of the Joshua Hill story as there are tellers of the tale, but the essential distillation is this: During the

Dr. Bradley Rice outside the historic Joshua Hill house in Madison.

Civil War, when General Sherman’s Army approached Madison on the destructive “March to the Sea,” Joshua Hill rode out to meet the Yankees. Hill asked the Union command to spare the town, and, because Hill was an acquaintance of General Sherman, the request was granted. Through Hill’s intervention, no private homes were torched, which is why Madison’s historic district, which includes more than 100 antebellum homes, is well-preserved today.

Is the legend true?

“Not without qualifiers,” according to Dr. Rice. “A more defensible characterization,” says Rice, “would be to call him ‘the man whose connections with Sherman and Union forces most likely resulted in less damage to Madison than would probably otherwise have occurred.’” Rice adds, with typical jocularity, “Unfortunately, that’s a bit cumbersome to print in tourist brochures.”

In Joshua Hill of Madison, Dr. Rice clarifies that General Sherman himself

was never in Madison. It was Union General Henry Warner Slocum who passed through town, commanding 20,000 troops, one of several corps in Sherman’s total force. (Sherman himself traveled through Covington, having strategically sub-divided his Army.)

Additionally, Dr. Rice explains that Sherman’s Army did not indiscriminately burn homes. While the torching of private residences by Union soldiers on the March did occur, it was the exception rather than the rule. Dr. Rice notes that the Georgia towns that suffered nearcomplete devastation were generally military targets, such as Millen, site of a large war prison and railroad junction. Federal orders were to destroy Confederate resources—railroads, depots, warehouses, and factories, not houses (provided the local inhabitants remained peaceable). Soldiers were permitted to help themselves to any food along the route, which led to hunger in Southern households; the cavalry and artillery “acquired” horses, mules, and wagons at will; and there are many

ABOVE: Dr. Bradley Rice’s books were just released and are available for purchase at the MadisonMorgan Cultural Center.

reports of the common soldiery overstepping orders, harassing, burglarizing, and, yes, occasionally torching houses; however, private dwellings in most towns along the March were left largely intact. In Madison, railroad tracks were ripped out, and the depot, jail, “slave pen,” and several supply warehouses were burned. Madison was not exceptional in having these sites, associated with the Confederate effort destroyed, but not homes.

Nonetheless, according to Dr. Rice, Madison might have suffered more extensive looting and damage had it not been for Joshua Hill. Hill did know General Sherman, having met him in Atlanta prior to the March to the Sea, and that relationship was likely leveraged by the politician. Rice found substantial evidence that Hill met with Union leadership on November 19, 1864, when General Slocum’s corps came to town. Several sources from the period state that Hill requested Union guards be posted throughout town, which would have kept errant soldiers from plundering. Dr. Rice

LEFT: Dr. Bradley Rice works at the Morgan County Archives Building under a portrait of Marshall “Woody” Williams. Williams is regarded as the founding father of the Morgan County Archives organization.

concludes: “The degree to which [Hill’s] intervention made a difference in what transpired in Madison cannot be precisely determined, but the welldocumented effort was real and most likely had a noticeable impact.”

Three Years of Intensive Work

Brad Rice is affable and welcoming. He sprinkles conversations with delightful knowledge and joyful humor. If asked, he will thoughtfully explain the fundamental differences between mid-19th century political parties like the Know-Nothings, Constitutional Unionists, and Southern Democrats. He will also likely lighten his discourse with the occasional, endearing “dad joke” or pun.

After 10 years of research on his subject, he speaks about Joshua Hill as a close acquaintance, sometimes calling him “Josh” or “Old Josh.” This informality does not reflect any casualness in Rice’s work. Joshua Hill of Madison is an impressive, meticulous masterwork.

One glance at the bibliography, and it is clear what tremendous effort went into the book. Dr. Rice’s list of sources is twenty-four pages long and includes articles, pamphlets, dissertations, archival collections, historical memoirs and diaries, popular and academic books, and private letters.

“It required about three years of intensive work, but I spread that three years over ten,” Rice jokes with typical humor. “The internet has made sources much more accessible,” he states.

Nonetheless, much research had to be done in person. Rice examined documents in Putnam and Jasper counties, where Joshua Hill had lived before moving to Madison in 1848. Rice also found source material at the University of Georgia, Emory University, the Georgia Archives, and the National Archives branch in Morrow. Rice even spent time at the Rutherford B. Hayes Archives in Ohio and the Lincoln Library in Illinois.

“Most importantly,” he says, “I ‘travelled’ about four-tenths of a mile from my house to the Morgan County Archives in the old jail in downtown Madison. I talked with archive founder Woody Williams and worked closely with Terry Tatum and Linda Williams.”

Visiting the local archives, Rice learned of letters from Hill preserved by Morgan County’s Saffold family. Their ancestor, Thomas P. Saffold, had been Hill’s friend.

One of Dr. Rice’s greatest challenges was that Hill did not save his personal papers: “I did not have access to letters that correspondents sent to him,” says Rice, adding regretfully, “Historians love to wade through troves of old letters.”

While many former Congressmen donate their personal papers to libraries, Joshua Hill did not. This may be why Hill has never been a subject of a doctoral dissertation or book, and Rice himself was a “bit cowed” at the prospect of digging up source material, “but not deterred.”

Another reason the book took ten years was Dr. Rice’s busy calendar. He and his wife Deneice, a childhood friend with whom he reconnected and subsequently married, both enjoy travel, and they are also active with a variety of local organizations. Within a few years of moving to Madison, Dr. Rice was volunteering with Kiwanis, the Morgan County Landmarks Society, the Historical Preservation Commission, and the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center. “The Madison community has a way of finding one’s talents and putting them to use in civic endeavors,” says Rice.

Dr. Rice’s involvement with the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center (MMCC), a performance, art, and history center (where Joshua Hill’s top hat resides), is partly responsible for the genesis of the book. Rice’s work for MMCC includes writing a guide to Madison’s semiannual “Tour of Homes,” an event for which local museums, churches, and private homes open their doors to ticketholders.

The Joshua Hill House, where “Josh” and wife Emily raised eight children, was

featured on the Tour in 2013. Writing about the home, Dr. Rice realized there were unanswered questions about Hill. The very next year, for the 150th anniversary of Sherman’s “March to the Sea,” Dr. Rice coordinated a symposium at MMCC to commemorate the Union Army’s passage through Madison. “For that event, I did even more research on Hill. I came to the conclusion that his important career merited more study,” says Dr. Rice. “I knew the book would be of significant interest to historians of the period and Civil War buffs, and I came to realize that Joshua Hill’s life would also be of particular interest to residents of Morgan County and the surrounding area.”

Historians are certain to find the book invaluable. James Hill Welborn III, a professor of history at Georgia College and State University, describes the book as “deeply researched and elegantly written.” Welborn observes, “Through Hill, Rice shows white southern cultural identity and political ideology to be far more nuanced than any prevailing conception of a ‘Solid south’ before, during, or after the war has tended to perpetuate.”

With thorough footnotes and source documentation, the biography could intimidate a layperson. However, there is plenty in Joshua Hill of Madison to interest the casual reader, particularly its coverage of the Civil War. Some chapters, like one about the death of Hill’s son Legare, who— against his father’s wishes—joined the Confederate Army, are particularly affecting and hard to put down.

A Staunch Southern Friend of the Union

One of the most interesting aspects of Joshua Hill’s life is that he was a Unionist; equally as interesting is that his support among white, male Southern voters was not as modest as modern readers might assume. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1857, he was still in office when Georgia seceded from the Union in 1861. Hill was, Dr. Rice

explains, “determinedly opposed to secession.” Georgia’s seven other members of the House withdrew as a group, declaring the union between Georgia and the United States “hereby dissolved.” Not Hill. Dr. Rice learned that Hill “made a point of submitting to the speaker of the House a separate letter of resignation that refrained from acknowledging secession.” The letter was, Dr. Rice writes, “a deft statement” that “acknowledged political reality without accepting the legitimacy of secession.”

Hill’s opposition to secession was not a consequence of sympathy toward the South’s enslaved population. “Hill was a ‘Unionist,’” observes Dr. Rice, “but he most certainly was not an ‘abolitionist.’” A lawyer and politician, Hill also invested in one of the most lucrative businesses in the Georgia Piedmont at that time—running a plantation that grew cotton. Though he resided primarily in town, Hill owned considerable land in Morgan County, and he enslaved 59 people. Hill benefitted directly and substantially from chattel slavery in Georgia. If he did not have abolitionist leanings, why was he against secession? Dr. Rice explains that before the war, Hill “genuinely hoped that northern politicians could be convinced to allow slavery to continue, at least for a while, in states where it already existed.” Hill was also adamant that secession would lead to a long and bloody conflict.

As the war raged, Hill continued to advocate for the Union. He ran for governor of Georgia in 1863 and was known to be the “peace candidate”—if elected, he would work to pull Georgia out of the devastating conflict. In a three-way gubernatorial race, he lost to incumbent Joe Brown; however, he took second place and secured 28 percent of the total votes, including 22 percent of the Confederate soldiers’ votes. He carried his home county of Morgan, and he even carried both of his opponents’ home counties, Cherokee and Sumpter. For the balance of the war, he worked behind the scenes, conversing with Governor Brown and various legislators, trying to secure peace.

When the war finally ended in 1865, Hill continued his political career. He aligned himself with the Republican party and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1868. After bureaucratic delay, he was seated in 1871. Hill had come around to favoring black freedom and suffrage, but he fell short of endorsing full civil rights, arguing for social segregation—essentially a “separate but equal” policy. In this and other matters, Hill was more conservative than many fellow Republican party members. “To use 21st Century rather than 19th Century parlance,” says Dr. Rice, “Hill was, to some extent, a RINO— Republican In Name Only. Unlike today’s RINO, however, he was too conservative for the mainstream of his party rather than too liberal.”

Throughout Joshua Hill of Madison, Dr. Rice does a superb job of explaining the heated 19th century politics in which Hill was embroiled. Political history is Dr. Rice’s professional area of expertise. As a professor at Clayton State University, Rice

Dr. Bradley Rice used information found at the Morgan County Archives Building on Hancock Street in Madison for his book. The Archives Building was dedicated to Marshall ‘Woody’ Williams upon its completion. Williams is a tireless proponent of the compilation and preservation of historical documents.

Joshua Hill’s top hat is part of the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center’s permanent history collection.

Bound real estate and court books stored at the Morgan County Archives Building.

researched, taught, and wrote about the relationship between business and government in 19th and 20th century America. He also served for over 15 years as the editor of the Atlanta History Center’s academic journal.

In addition to his scholarly work, Rice credits competitive debate in high school and college as shaping him as a writer and thinker. “It taught me the importance of looking at a topic from all sides and of coming to conclusions based on evidence and logic rather than emotional appeals,” says Rice. “Debate was probably the most important non-family influence in shaping my career and approach to life.”

In writing Joshua Hill of Madison, it might have been tempting for an author to leap to a conclusion based on just one source, exaggerate events, or minimize Hill’s white supremacy. Rice does none of these things. The book also brings attention to the often-overlooked perspective of Madison’s largest demographic during the Civil War, enslaved Georgians, who made up nearly 70 percent of Morgan County’s population in 1860 and who, as Dr. Rice documents, joyfully welcomed Union troops.

Dr. Bradley R. Rice’s masterful biography clarifies Hill’s legacy and provides critical insight into Georgia during the 19th century. Often described as “honest” and “clear-headed,” always seeking to understand his own milieu, and strongly opposed to the sensationalism of demagogues, Hill would surely appreciate the thoughtful and sound book that Dr. Rice has produced.

Joshua Hill of Madison, hot off the press and highly recommended, is available at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center, online from Mercer University Press, and on Amazon.

After a decade of research, Dr. Rice speaks of subject Joshua Hill as one would an acquaintance, “sometimes calling him “Josh” or “Old Josh.”

The Transformation

When a not-so-older-house meets award winning designer Sarah Yerger, the end result is dramatic

STORY BY BETH SLAUGHTER SEXTON PHOTOGRAPHY BY TRACEY BRILL / 2B MEDIA DESIGN

More than simply deciding a color palette or which stone to use as a backsplash, for award-winning designer Sarah Yerger it is a matter of connecting on a personal level. Yes, of course, the client. But perhaps even more so, the house itself.

“There’s just something special about an older house,” she said. “There’s a soul to a house and for me, I can see a house that once was really something. It’s like a person. We all need a little rebirth. I love seeing that and bringing that joy and beauty back to a house.”

For more than a decade, the founder of Sarah Yerger Interiors has made that her niche and estimates she has totally renovated almost 60 houses at Lake Oconee. One of her most recent “rebirths” is the home at Club Drive.

“With this particular house, it is interesting because this was not an older home, but a newer one and a spec home,” Yerger said. “The clients loved the lot, but didn’t like the inside of the house. We were given very specific instructions. They have three boys and we had instructions to make this feel calming and make the wife feel happy when she entered, but make her boys a space they could grow into.”

Yerger said the boys’ rooms were theme-based featuring camping or fishing, something they would be able to enjoy now and grow into since she designed the space using organic and natural colors, or the colors one finds in nature.

While it was only a few years old, Yerger said the house simply lacked charm.

Sarah Yerger, the founder of Sarah Yerger Interiors, has found a niche in Reynolds renovations. “There’s a soul to a house and for me, I can see a house that once was really something. It’s like a person. We all need a rebirth.”

MIDDLE: The kitchen table overlooking Lake Oconee has room for 10 guests.

view with updated lighting and added wood elements give the room warmth and texture.

LEFT:

RIGHT TOP: The kitchen

RIGHT BOTTOM: Wood beams were added in the ceiling in the living room.

“We added so much to the ceiling with a lot of millwork,” she said. “We transformed the bathrooms. There was a small room off the foyer and it was really important for her to have a reading or prayer room where she could just sit and get away from all the noise. We came up with the arched bookcases for her. This is a really sweet family from Miami with a mother, father, three sons and a puppy. This is a vacation home for them and they love it.”

Yerger and her team worked on the Club Drive house for about seven months full force, she says, adding that one of the biggest challenges was the master bedroom.

“When I walked in, I said, ‘Gosh, what am I going to do?’” Yerger said. “Nothing was symmetrical in that bedroom. That’s where we added the beautiful white oak on the ceiling, wainscoting on the walls and transformed the master bath to feel like a place of luxury.”

Yerger did a top-to-bottom renovation on this lakefront five-bedroom, five-bathroom, two half-bath home. She used Jimmy Stanton’s Home Furnishings for most of the furnishings throughout the house.

“The kitchen felt very blah,” she said. “We kept the layout and we added the white oak beams in the kitchen seating area. It was really important to get a 10-person table in there. We put a marble backsplash in it that was kind of creamy white. We used beige and gray tones and changed out the hardware to champagne gold. We changed the light fixtures. In the laundry room, we did a doublestack laundry so they can do twice as many clothes. That was important to them with three boys and having so many guests come. Every room was changed in some way. We used Alabaster from Sherwin Williams as our base color and added some sagey

A master bedroom that will take your breath away with added paneling to the walls, custom

greens throughout the house as our secondary color and kept the white oak look throughout the rest of the house.

“We did not do a ton of exterior work. The house was not old in that sense. We added stone to the terrace patio and the pool company came in and put in their pool and landscaping did a pathway down to the lake.”

On the Club Drive house, Yerger’s team included Mitchell Jones as general contractor with other vendors HD Flooring of Lake Oconee, Custom Built Cabinetry, Lights of Oconee, PDI for plumbing and Greenwise Electrical. Tracey Brill with 2B Media Design is photographer for the house.

This is just the latest in Yerger’s many success stories. The young wife and mother has become one of the most sought-after designers in the region and was most recently named one of the Best of Modern Luxury Luxury Design Winners for 2025 in its Faces of Design Southeast awards. Modern Luxury is a publication that focuses on high-end interior design, showcasing cutting-edge trends and luxury aesthetics for sophisticated living spaces. Also, for the sixth year in a row, Yerger won the Best of Houzz Award, an annual recognition given by the home renovation and design platform Houzz to top-rated home professionals and popular home designs. It acknowledges professionals who excel in design, service and photography based on user engagement and reviews.

Sarah Yerger Designs offers full interior design services at Lake Oconee and Madison. In addition to her remodeling and new construction services, she has thousands of designer drapery and upholstery fabrics to choose from, as well as designer wallpaper, custom window treatments, custom upholstered furniture, brand name accessories and lamps, brand name furniture and unique antique pieces. She says her specialty is remodeling and knowing options for refreshing a dated space on any budget. She works with clients who want to give their home a

RIGHT TOP: A transformed bunk room that includes a twin set and queen set with shiplap on the walls.

RIGHT BOTTOM: An added bedroom with new custom vanity, tile, lighting. A bedroom designed to match a lake lifestyle.

drapes and white oak on the ceiling.

“facelift” to update it or to sell it and she works with area real estate agents in staging houses that are for sale. Yerger is busy with both residential and commercial properties.

In 2021, she was hired as the interior designer to fix a building that sat empty for almost a decade. That building became a finalist for “Most Innovative Office Design” recognized by Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and Luxury Portfolio International.

Yerger says she did not come by her career in the usual way. However, her talents were well known even when she was a child. Her parents tell her she would rearrange her room at least once a month and when they would go out, they would come home and pictures would be on different walls and furniture had been moved around. Yerger describes it as her “passion.” But first, she was just a theater kid growing up in Richmond, Va. A child model, Yerger did a lot of commercial and print work, including advertisements for Schwinn Bikes, Cabbage Patch Kids and Busch Gardens, to name a few. In high school, she was involved in cheerleading, tennis and loved her school’s theater program. After graduation, she moved across the country to Los Angeles, Calif., hoping to write scripts, act, produce and make movies.

It was while she was in California that Yerger began working with contractors and flipping houses. House flipping is when someone buys a property, often a fixer-upper with the intention of quickly reselling it for a profit after making improvements. She found her calling.

“I was learning every aspect of construction and working with designers and real estate agents,” Yerger said. “I said, ‘Hey, I’m good at this.’ I ended up loving that more and decided that’s what I was going to do.”

Yerger moved to Atlanta in 2012. She was still doing commercials, but was mostly focused on being newly married to husband William, a CPA attorney specializing in international tax. A few years later, they started a family with daughter Evelyn, who is now 8-years-old and a student at Westminster Christian Academy. Once she had her baby, Yerger said she no longer wanted to live in Atlanta. She began working with contractors and real estate agents, flipped the home she and her husband bought in Vinings and moved to Madison in 2017.

“God has been very good to me,” Yerger said. “My faith is most important to me and determines my every direction. Our family prays over everything we’ve done.” The family is active in Bethlehem Church in Oconee County.

It was during the pandemic that Yerger and her husband bought what she calls a “fixer upper” on the golf course at Lake Oconee.

“We made good money on that and turned it around and bought another house and did the same thing,” she said. She and her family lived at the lake from 2020 until last year when they bought a 10-acre farm in Watkinsville. Already home to two dogs and two cats, Yerger says they hope to create a “mini farm.”

“We went from lake life to farm life,” she said. Her family loves animals and has supported Oconee Regional Humane Society and been involved with animal rescue. Yerger has also supported Farm of the Free in Madison, the Lake Oconee Humane Society and Habitat for Humanity.

Her design work finds her at the lake four to five days a week. For more than 10 years, Yerger has been working in new construction, remodeling and full-home renovations. She says 90 percent of her business is in Reynolds Lake Oconee and are

A complete transformation of the master bathroom add intrigue and value to the renovation.

The back hallway wainscoting painted in a sage green with organic textured lighting.

mostly luxury, high-end homes. She is a member of ASID, the American Society of Interior Designers. Yerger said the pandemic played a big role in her business, much of which has come to her by word-of-mouth from her clients.

“The pandemic really kicked off everything in overdrive,” she said. “There’s more work than you can handle and it hasn’t stopped since. People didn’t travel as much, so they focused on their home. Homes have now become multi-generational. A lot of children, grandchildren, grandparents moving in. People finding in Reynolds who have a vacation home that they maybe turned into use for a lot of family members.”

Yerger praises the craftsmanship of the older homes in Reynolds, which she adds are on some of first-chosen prime spots within the community.

The main level porch overlooking Lake Oconee features Kingsley Bate furniture.

“I love finding the beauty and walking into something and going ‘wow’ about what we can do and doubling the price the house is worth,” she said. “It’s exciting for me to bring the real estate agent in. Ted and Riezl Baker were real estate agents on the house at Club Drive. Ted came by to see it and he was wowed by what we had transformed it into.”

The Club Drive home sold for $2.9 million in 2024, according to Realtor.com and other online real estate sites. Yerger estimates the 6,000-square-foot house is now close to $4.2-$4.6 million in value today.

While the Club Drive house was a total renovation, Yerger also works with clients on all sizes of projects from selecting window treatments for one room to a complete top-to-bottom remodel. She also works with clients on new construction.

“I feel very blessed to have a core group of contractors, cabinet designers, electricians, plumbers—a core group I enjoy working with who have become good friends of mine,” she said. “That’s what makes my job so fun. I thoroughly enjoy everyone I work with and the clients...One thing that sets me apart from other designers is I don’t just do what I want. I listen to what the client is saying and I make that pretty. If they’re asking for rustic modern or traditional, part of being a designer is understanding the client, their lifestyle, their habits, their grandkids and how they use their home functionally and make that work for them.

“I will always interject and tell them how I feel about something, but I really value that I want them to make it their home. At the initial consultation, we talk about colors that make them feel happy and what they like and what they don’t like. A lot of people have pets and we design around pets now. Can the dog or cat get on this furniture?”

When asked about the house she and her family moved into in Watkinsville, Yerger answers with, “Are they ever perfectly ready for me? No. That’s always going to be a labor of love.”

Yerger finished a house last year in Richland Pointe that was featured in Atlanta Style and Design magazine in July. She is currently working on two more full home renovations for waterfront houses built around 1998, at Lake Oconee.

“We’ve got walls to be moved around and beams to be moved around,” Yerger said. “They’ll be fabulous when they’re done...I’m finding a lot of older homes in Reynolds sitting on gorgeous land. They just need some love.”

TOP: The renovated reading room off the foyer with custom built shelving and a swivel chairs with a marble table.

BOTTOM: The terrace bar was updated with upper cabinets and hardware and a new backsplash. The space was painted in an organic color and finished with beautiful bar stools.

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You’re going to love browsing all of our recipes, each with an instructional video and printable shopping list.

The 2025 Lake Oconee Showcase of Homes, set for October 25, 2025, is more than a tour of stunning architecture and inspired interiors, it’s a community driven event with a lasting impact. Each ticket sold, sponsorship secured, and auction bid placed directly supports Greene County Habitat for Humanity’s mission to provide safe, affordable housing for families in Greene County, Georgia. Since 2018, funds raised through the Showcase have helped build 12 new homes and rehabilitate 10 others, creating stability and hope for hardworking families in our community. This year, the goal is to raise critical funds to build 5 new homes in 2026, continuing a powerful legacy of transformation, one home, one family at a time.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JARROD BROCK

INDEX

THIS IS MY HOME

Stories of Showcase of Homes impact from two Greene County Habitat for Humanity home recipients.

TIMELESS EDGE

Bold, edgy design combines with classic architecture to create a timeless retreat.

LUXURY OASIS

Stunning exterior elevations reveal dramatic interior design details.

MODERN SERENITY

Modern, one-of-a-kind details make this spa-like sanctuary shine.

CHARMED SHORE

Classic elegance meets whimsical charm in this stunning lakeside estate.

POINTE HAVEN

The beauty of nature harmonizes with designer details in this Richland Pointe haven.

PANORAMA PERFECTION

Spectacular views and dramatic architecture are enhanced by organic elements in this masterpiece.

TOP SPONSORS

We are so thankful to all of our sponsors, including our top sponsors being featured here.

This Is My Home

How Two Parents Built Legacies, One Nail at a Time

For Clarence Hilsman and Talekia Wright, saying, “This is my home,” isn’t just a milestone, it’s a declaration of triumph. Through Greene County Habitat for Humanity, both found more than four walls and a roof. They found stability, legacy, and a new beginning, not just for themselves, but for their children.

Clarence, a proud Greene County native and father to Lauren, never envisioned homeownership as part of his story. “Honestly, it wasn’t

“It’s not a mansion in Beverly Hills, but it’s ours. It’s everything.”

-Clarence Hilsman

even in the front of my mind,” he admits. But everything changed when Lauren began asking for the simple joys of childhood: a yard, a playground, a place to call her own.

“If it hadn’t been for her, I’d have stayed complacent,” he says. “She pushed me to step out.”

Clarence picked up a Greene County Habitat for Humanity brochure at work and hesitantly applied. “I told them, ‘Y’all don’t give houses to men anyway,’” he laughed.

Talekia Wright and son, Colby, at the groundbreaking ceremony.

But what he heard in return stayed with him: “We don’t give you anything, you earn it,” said Brinkley Pound, the Executive Director at the time. Every Habitat home recipient completes a rigorous process that leads to home ownership, including an affordable mortgage that they repay themselves. And earn it he did. He showed up for financial literacy classes, worked side-by-side with volunteers, and put in the sweat equity to build not only his home, but those of his neighbors. When his acceptance letter arrived, fittingly, on his birthday, he and Lauren began the journey to home ownership and have since christened their new home The Hilsman Estate, as they so lovingly call it. “It’s not a mansion in Beverly Hills,” Clarence says, “but it’s ours. It’s everything.”

For Talekia Wright, the dream of homeownership was always wrapped in a deeper purpose, to give her son, Colby, the stable childhood she never had. Their journey was filled with uncertainty. First, they lived in a deteriorating mobile home until a fallen utility pole forced them to seek refuge with family. Then came a cramped subsidized apartment with little privacy, strict rules, and no space for Colby to play. “It didn’t feel like home. It felt temporary,” she recalls. “I kept thinking, this isn’t living. We deserve more.”

When Talekia discovered the Greene County Habitat for Humanity home build program, she poured herself into the

Clarence Hilsman and his daughter, Lauren, breaking ground on their new home.

Clarence Hilsman, with his mother, Marie Smith, and daughter Lauren.

process. She completed classes, fulfilled every requirement, and never gave up. “I still remember the moment they called my name,” she said. “It felt like magic, like all those hard years finally meant something.”

Today, she and Colby live in a home filled with warmth, laughter, and pride. Colby finally has a yard to run in and a bedroom that’s all his own, and Talekia has the peace of mind knowing she has not only built and purchased a home, built with the love and support of her community and her own two hands, but she is also building

“It felt like magic, like all those hard years finally meant something.”

-Talekia Wright

Talekia Wright and her son, Colby, in front of the site of their future home.

Mentor, Mary Beth Schmidt with Talekia Wright and son, Colby on their front porch.

generational wealth for her family.

Both Clarence and Talekia’s homes are more than physical spaces, they are declarations of hope, strength, and generational change. They are reminders of what happens when a community comes together to lift others up, one home at a time.

This October 25, 2025, Greene County Habitat for Humanity invites the community to celebrate hope with the 2025 Lake Oconee Showcase of Homes, a fundraising event showcasing an exclusive tour of five beautifully designed homes within the prestigious Reynolds Lake Oconee community. All ticket sales help build more homes for families like Clarence’s and Talekia’s, families who are working tirelessly to create a brighter future for their children.

Because when we build together, we do more than construct houses. We build hope. We build dignity. We build futures.

Local Habitat volunteers help construct the new homes.

Timeless Edge

For their newest home, Bob and Charity Hatfield of Hatfield Custom Homes, partnered with interior designer Ashley Martin to create spaces that honor traditional design principles while embracing modern sophistication. Together, they’ve built a testament to thoughtful design and timeless appeal.

“People are really gravitating toward a more timeless feel, and I love that they’re leaning into that,” says Martin. “Bob is great at creating rooms you can walk into five years from now, switch up a few things, and still feel completely current.”

Martin’s approach to the home was manifested through care-

fully curated color palettes, soft off-whites drenched in dramatic undertones, bold wallpapers, and an effortless mixture of textures that create depth and character throughout.

The Hatfield’s expertise in construction allowed for innovative approaches to traditional elements. The kitchen exemplifies how functionality combines with aesthetics through hidden doors and storage solutions that create an uncluttered environment. Cast stone elements around the hood echo the nearby great room, while quartzite countertops that look like soapstone offer durability with classic elegance.

Architectural details become the

PHOTOGRAPHY BY:

JARROD BROCK

home’s signature. Arched doorways create visual interest, while oversized lighting fixtures against dramatic ceiling heights transform ordinary rooms into flexible spaces that are both intimate and spacious.

“Design is pushing back to a traditional, calming feel,” Martin notes, “but with an edgier, more nuanced aesthetic.” Moody design elements and strategically designed indoor-outdoor spaces elevate this family home into something truly special, functional spaces that feel sophisticated, proving that timeless design never goes out of style.

“This house has a moodier, edgier feel to it because we used a lot of darker paint colors to drench the rooms and brought in statement lighting to go with Bob’s beautiful wood details and cast stone throughout each space. We layered in a lot of texture on an off-white color palette to add depth to design elements.”

– Ashley Martin

Luxury Oasis

Perched majestically on the shoreline in The Homesteads at Reynolds Lake Oconee, this 18,000-squarefoot architectural statement represents the pinnacle of modern luxury living.

The exterior showcases a stunning combination of limestone and brick, creating a distinctive silhouette that commands attention from the water. The outdoor spaces feature professionally designed putting and

chipping greens, fire pit, and expansive pool that come together in an entertainer’s paradise.

Inside, architectural details take center stage. Builder, Kevin Aycock of Southern Luxury Homes and Designer, Summer Wood of Black Sheep Interiors worked with homeowners Alison and Ken Brown to tailor the home’s vision. Massive timber beams, stonework, and statement lighting anchor the great

room, while a floating staircase with expansive windows creates a dramatic focal point. The kitchen boasts twin 12-foot islands underneath layered white oak coffered ceilings, adorned with eye-catching pendants.

“This house is truly transitional,” says Wood. “We’ve got floating stairs, stonework, and really interesting lighting that creates a unique aesthetic downstairs.” Upstairs has

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: JARROD BROCK

“Everything about this house had to be perfect. It took time and precision, but it has just turned out to be really spectacular.”

–

Kevin Aycock, Southern Luxury Homes

“It’s all about the lighting. I love big lighting. When you’ve got massive homes, lights tend to just get overwhelmed, so I make everything big because that’s what draws your eye first.”

– Summer Wood, Black Sheep Interiors

a more traditional feel, she says. “I always love to do one look upstairs and another downstairs.”

More innovative design elements include hand-painted wallpapers, floating stonewrapped vanities, and a lacquered bar that promises to be the ultimate gathering space. The primary suite, with a black marble fireplace, speaks to a Parisian-inspired aesthetic, while an outdoor shower adds a lake living luxury.

The home is a testament to bespoke design with specialized spaces that elevate everyday living. Hidden doors reveal

unexpected spaces in the foyer and the home’s haven for home entertainment, which includes a dart hall wrapped in reclaimed wood, driving and golf simulators, a movie theater and a spa. The homeowner’s office was designed entirely around his green Porsche, with custom art, wall colors, and cabinetry chosen to complement the vehicle.

Extensive customization, complex craftsmanship, and attention to detail are what Aycock says set this home apart. “The finished product is stunning,” says Aycock. “It has just turned out to be spectacular.”

Modern Serenity

Through thoughtful design and meticulous attention to detail, Legacy Homes by Freedom and Black Sheep Interiors crafted a space that seamlessly blends contemporary comfort with modern sophistication, creating a spa like sanctuary for homeowners Yasmin and Erik Papenfuss.

“We wanted to create very subtle,

luxurious details,” explains Luke Wood of Black Sheep Interiors. The home’s design philosophy centers on achieving a serene, spa like atmosphere while incorporating unique, custom elements that set it apart from traditional lake houses.

Utilizing bold wall coverings, deep wood tones and cohesive black accents, the home reveals art

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: MCKENZIE EDDY

deco-inspired details throughout, like custom designed fireplace mantels with a stairstep design. “I created these mantels to be one of a kind,” Woods says. The interior fireplace features a black Venetian plaster with a white mantle, while the exterior fireplace mirrors this with white brick and a black mantel, a stunning yinyang visual effect visible from the same room.

Luxurious materials elevate the design, with marble used throughout key spaces like the kitchen and wine cellar. The powder room showcases a show-stopping crystallo stone countertop backlit to create a diamond-like glow.

The designers took a holistic approach,

involving the homeowners’ two teenage daughters in the process. Each bedroom tells a unique story, with custom fabrics and personal touches that make the spaces truly their own. “I wanted them to walk in and feel like it’s their space, not a hotel room,” says Wood.

From the meticulously designed pool area to the carefully curated interior spaces, this home represents a balance of modern design and personal comfort. A true contemporary hideaway that feels both luxurious and inviting.

“The homeowners told me every time they come here, all their stress just washes away,” says Wood. “That tells me we did our job.”

The powder room’s crystallo stone countertop, backlit and meticulously mitered, represents Black Sheep Interior’s commitment to details. “It looks stunning in person,” - Luke Wood.

Charmed Shore

Nestled along the shore of Lake Oconee, DreamBuilt’s newest creation for Jim and Angela Anderson masterfully blends whimsical imagination with sophisticated craftsmanship.

Architectural details captivate from the moment guests arrive on the reclaimed antique cobblestone driveway, laid in an intricate spiral pattern that hints at the thoughtful details awaiting within.

Inside, the home showcases other exceptional materials, including solid walnut beams sourced from

an Amish company in Indiana.

“They’re incredibly heavy... full solid walnut beams in the living room, and they’re beautiful,” says Jep Pound of DreamBuilt. “Each one had to be carried in by 14 guys.”

These reclaimed elements, including live edge walnut wood from a West Texas mill, create rich textural depth throughout the interior.

The design philosophy was centered on creating distinctive spaces while maintaining a sense of togetherness for the family. “We wanted to create some destinations

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: JARROD BROCK

to escape and not have everything in one open area,” says Haley Patten of DreamBuilt, “but it was important to the owners that when the kids come to visit, everybody’s under one roof and having breakfast in the kitchen.”

DreamBuilt capitalized on “found spaces” throughout the home, utilizing roof line manipulation

to accomplish this vision. Dual staircases lead to upper floors featuring train berth-style bunks, while a spiral staircase ascends to a charming crow’s nest study. The terrace level transforms into an entertainment sanctuary with stone-walled workout facilities and an impressive wine cellar.

The property’s crown jewel, the

underground “Hobbit House,” began unexpectedly. “We started out thinking it was going to be a pool bathhouse, and then it evolved into this unique ‘Hobbit House,’” says Pound. The cozy retreat features a custom round door, hand-made stained glass windows, and layered arch reinforcement. “Huge emphasis was made on the landscaping to make it look like the ‘Hobbit House’ is really carved into the landscape and not applied after the fact,” says Pound. The landscape features hand-picked boulders along a creek and strategically planted weeping willows to complete the authentic Shire aesthetic.

Inside what is quickly becoming a local landmark on Lake Oconee, DreamBuilt’s Jep Pound brought in rich, walnut tones for the walls and sloped ceilings, appointed with custom lighting, to give a rustic, authentic feel to the space. In true Shire style, The “Hobbit House” was built into the hillside and features a stone chimney emerging from the top, a custom-made round door punctuated with gas lanterns and a handmade stained glass window, creating a storybook retreat for the homeowners.

Pointe Haven

Surrounded by nature in Richland Pointe, the lakefront home of Jeanne and Alan Steiden shows how thoughtful design can create the perfect balance between elegance and livability. Frank Herdzina of H&H Quality Homes, together with interior designer Rachael Bell, designed the home to honor its surroundings while creating a warm and inviting space for family living. The architecture harmonizes with its waterfront setting through expansive steel and glass windows that frame breathtaking lake views. Two primary

bedroom suites anchor the main floor, while all living areas open toward the water, creating seamless indoor-outdoor flow.

“No matter the season, nature provides beauty for these spaces,” says Bell. Her design philosophy centered on this natural inspiration, incorporating organic textures and a palette of soft blues, greens, and warm wood tones that shift subtly throughout the year.

The open concept living spaces flow together, enhanced by distinctive architectural elements like boxed beams and wall plank-

ing that add texture to the aesthetic.

A standout bourbon room celebrates the homeowners’ Kentucky heritage with rich, saturated tones and sophisticated detailing, and a charming bunk room with deep blue planking that provides a cozy retreat for visiting grandchildren.

“Spaces like this, richly steeped in family tradition, show the most heart in a home,” Bell says.

The collaboration between Bell and Herdzina made every detail align with the homeowners’ vision, creating a lakeside sanctuary that proves intentional design can produce spaces as beautiful as they are livable.

Interior designer Rachael Bell used a cohesive color palette of soft blues, greens, and warm wood tones throughout main living areas to complement the home’s organic textures crafted by Frank Herdzina of H&H Quality Homes. “No matter the season, nature provides beauty for these spaces,” she says.

Panorama Perfection

The home of Pat and Mary McClain, an architectural masterpiece crafted by DreamBuilt and interior designer Tim Green, while not on the tour, will play host to the Top Sponsor Reception to kick off the Lake Oconee Showcase of Homes.

Dramatic archways on the front porch establish the home’s signature aesthetic, carrying through to the great room’s back windows that frame spectacular lake views. “The arches are a nice way to soften the transition between spaces without fully separating them from one another, still allowing an open concept flow,” says Jep Pound of DreamBuilt.

Beveled corners on a cased opening give the kitchen its own defined space while remaining open to the great room and keeping room.

An arched hallway leads to the guest wing, originally conceived as a separate two-bedroom cottage

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: JARROD BROCK

but masterfully integrated into the main structure. It reveals dramatic ceiling heights bathed in warm woods, anchored by a floating staircase leading to the guest rooms above.

“We tried to be really intentional about proportions because it’s so tall, a full two stories,” says Haley Patten of DreamBuilt, “but the scale of everything is appropriate for the space and we were able to soften the room so it didn’t feel too contemporary.”

Green approached the interior design of the home with the same attention to balance and scale by bringing in larger pieces that, as he says, “play to the scale of the rooms,” along with organic accessories to enhance the homeowners’ vibrant art collection that includes custom paintings and bold glass sculptures.

“I feel like every house has a soul and you have to figure out what that is and then work towards it,” says Green. “This house has a lot of organic elements with all the wood and limestone, and it’s very familyoriented, so it has to be livable, but still maintain that luxury.”

“The arches are a nice way to soften the transition between spaces without fully separating them from one another.”

– Jep Pound, DreamBuilt

“I feel like every house has a soul and you have to figure out what that is and then work towards it.”

– Tim Green

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When A House Holds Secrets

Preservationist, led by the Georgia Daughters of the American Revolution, peel back the secrets of time at

George Walton’s ‘Meadow Garden’

By Rebecca Rakoczy | Photos contributed and Rebecca Rakoczy

Greg Jacobs knows walls can talk. That’s why, on a starless night in Augusta, the Savannah preservationist is armed with a black light inside an old broom closet in the historic Meadow Garden house. He’s looking for a trace of an old stairwell.

It’s pitch black in this 18th-century home, a place where history and spirits coexist, if you believe it so. Jacobs sweeps the light over what he and fellow preservationists think is the location of a stairwell.

Bingo.

The hidden “ghost marks” of stair treads reveal themselves in the eerie translucence of the black light, proof of the former stairs.

It was a ‘geek out’ moment for Jacobs and his crew.

“There was an old theory that the original access to the upstairs was a rope ladder. We thought that sounded hokey,” he said.” Staircases as the ‘main event’ for homes of this type weren’t common during this period,” he said. But the story-and-a-half home would need stairs, they reasoned.

The clues were all there. It just took a little black light forensics to find them.

Over the past seven years, Jacobs’ company, Landmark Preservation, LLC, has been slowly rediscovering “lost” pieces of history in this house, which was once home to George Walton, one of three Georgia signers of the Declaration of Independence. The company was contracted in 2018 by the Georgia State Society, Daughters of the American Revolution, to create a master plan for further restoration and preservation of the building.

That Jacobs and his company are even uncovering the home’s origins can be credited to a group of women who banded together more than a century ago to save the structure from demolition.

At the time of its purchase by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution in 1900, the house had not been lived in for years. Walton died in 1804, and his family left for Pensacola, Fla., in 1821. In 1834, the house was sold to Matthew Nelson, a local grocer and Augusta councilman. The Nelson family would hold

the property until 1894, when it was put on the market. Over the years, the Nelsons would make significant changes to the home’s roof line and the orientation of the front door; they also added a cellar kitchen; dendrochronology dates the timbers from these additions to 1834-35, said Jacobs.

The plan for preservation was “ first and foremost to identify the architectural features of the building that relate to the point in time when the Waltons owned the property, from its origin in 1791 to the 1820s,” said Ransom Schwerzler, director of Meadow Garden. In 2020, the Georgia DAR received a stewardship award from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation for its dedication to the home’s preservation and restoration.

Walton lived in the home for just 13 years. Built in 1791, he called his new homestead Meadow Garden. It was located on 100 acres in Augusta, in what was then considered the outskirts of the city, notes Schwerzler. At the time, more than 80 percent of the houses in the area were log cabins; the frame structure was a step above and befitting the Waltons’ social status, she said.

By the time he moved into the home with his young family, Walton had already proven his mettle for the American cause. At 26, he was one of the youngest signers of the Declaration of Independence–Ben Franklin was the oldest at 70. He joined fellow Georgians Lyman Hall and Button Gwinnett; their signatures appear on the far left of the document.

A colonel in the Georgia Militia, Walton was wounded and captured by the British during the Siege of Savannah in 1778 and spent nine months in prison before being traded in a prisoner exchange. It was no secret that the British knew that their prisoner was a member of the Second Continental Congress; his imprisonment dragged on as the British negotiated his release in a trade for an officer of higher rank, said Schwerlzer.

Walton would go on to serve brief terms as governor of Georgia and as a U.S. Senator; he also served three times as Chief Justice of Georgia. He was also involved in a duel with fellow Continental Congress member Col. James Gunn in 1787. Walton was shot in

The home as it looked in the 1890s, before being purchased by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

the thigh. No one is sure why the two fought, only that Gunn was involved in a ‘number’ of similar incidents, living up to his surname, she said.

His colorful history aside, Walton’s home’s provenance was unquestioned. But when the DAR bought the house in 1900, it wasn’t in great shape, and its former pastoral location had changed dramatically. The Augusta Canal, which had been built in 1845, was practically at its front door. The railroad cut through its pasture, and much of the original acreage had been subdivided, and the towers of the new Augusta Brewery advertising the “Belle of Georgia draught beer” were rising less than a half mile away. (The brewery was demolished in 1964.)

Still, when it was purchased for $2,000 after a vigorous fundraising campaign by the Georgia State DAR and the national DAR organization–about $77,000 in today’s dollars– the home was thought to be “stronger than many other wooden dwellings,” according to the Georgia State Society Daughters of the American Revolution proceedings of 1899. After some early restoration efforts, the home opened to the public in 1901 as a house museum.

With its Sand Hills style frame construction, with brick piers to protect it from the temperamental flooding of the Savannah River, Meadow Garden was an unusual sight in this backcountry of Augusta. But it may have been a typical style for homes lived in by patriots like Walton, who fought and risked their lives and fortunes for the nation’s independence from Britain, Schwerzler said. It featured whitewashed plank walls and dense pine floors; the kitchen was located in a separate building. (The recently discovered stairs may have led to the room upstairs for the Walton boys, Thomas and George Jr., but the original kitchen site has yet to be uncovered.)

The house didn’t look like the fancy estates of Virginia planter Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello or James Madison’s Montpelier,

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Landmark Preservation workers identify the hidden treads of a former staircase in an old broom closet.

notes Schwerzler. But it did have a parlor for entertaining guests, and a wide porch to catch the occasional breeze in muggy Augusta. After initial painting and renovations, the early Georgia DAR ladies immediately began contributing furniture, many pieces from their own homes across the state, with a good deal dating from the 1820s. A smaller version of the piano, called a pianoforte, is in the parlor and probably dates from the early 1800s. It was one of the first items in the initial 1909 inventory of the home, she said.

A Chippendale-style dining room table with two extensions that also act as side tables was also donated. (While the early DAR ladies decorated this room as a dining room, Jacobs and his team are determining that it was more likely the bedchamber for Walton and his wife.) Walton’s real desk–a large piece featuring carved sea monsters on its legs–is in the Georgia Governor’s Mansion in Atlanta, Schwerzler said.

Over the years under the GSSDAR ownership, the home underwent several ‘restorations” that were not keeping with the home’s origins, she said. “Modern was thought to be better,” she said. Harder portland cement was poured to shore up cracks in the foundation, replacing the more traditional lime cement; fireplaces received treatments that included ‘colonial style’ mantels with dentil moulding and judges’ paneling, and another gable was built to create a more “symmetrical” look to the home which still features a step down porch and two front doors.

The simple whitewashed plank walls in the parlor were covered up, along with the original canal-facing front door. Recently, the windows that once faced the Waltons’ original front porch were uncovered. They had been walled over more than a century ago by the Nelsons when that family added a new hallway.

A 1960s renovation removed all the original ceiling and wall plaster from the Walton era, and that meant the original wall paint colors were also lost. That is, until Jacobs and his team discovered a small chip of the original green paint that still clung to a closet frame, allowing them to recreate the original paint color of the home’s rooms.

These finds are exciting for preservationists like Jacobs, who

Ransom Schwerlzer, director of Meadow Garden, shows current restoration efforts in the front living room, which features simple whitewashed plank walls and plaster lathe.

A table extension is also a side table in the current dining room.

The front living room/parlor shows the original paint color on the fireplace mantel. After this photo was taken, an old door was revealed next to the fireplace.

see the value in restoring the simple 18th-century structure back to its origins. “I believe the heart of preservation is understanding the building, so our approach is to go into a restoration with an open mind; we still don’t understand the building yet, but we know that there have been a lot of alterations over time,” he said.

As Jacobs and his team are uncovering these original windows, walls, stairs, and doors of the home, and returning the structure to its 18th-century roots, new narratives are being researched by the DAR to give a fuller picture of the time the home was built, said Schwerzler.

As director, she runs the daily operations of Meadow Garden and is also one of the many docents who love to tell the story of the home and its famous owner. During a house tour, she points out an excavated wall showing the original plaster and lathe and where the shadows of original wainscoting can be seen, and the outlines of covered-up windows.

“I want to give the DAR credit for wanting to get to the original of the home, which is quite modest,” said Jacobs.” In the early days, I think those early women (originally) thought the home was too plain for a signer. But they have saved the house and have been taking care of it all these years. So many of the 18th-century buildings are gone in this state,” he said.

Upcoming plans will be moving the current HVAC systems that are currently blocking the original front door, to allow that original “canal-facing” doorway to be opened. The vents will be moved inside the home’s chimneys. It’s a practice Landmark found while studying Montpelier’s restoration, Jacobs said.

While the restoration process is occurring in the ‘old’ part of the home, the ‘newer’ 1830s addition is also of interest; these rooms include a library with the busts of all three Georgia signers–Walton, along with Hall and Gwinnett, and a 19th-century print of the Declaration.

There are plans to shore up the second floor as well for visitors. Currently, the hallway stairs put in by the Nelson family are closed to the public.

Meadow Garden is a National Historic Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is thought to be one of the oldest continuously running house museums in the country. This year marks the historic home’s 124th year open to the public.

Since its first opening in 1901, the property has been run by the volunteer Georgia State Society DAR and financially supported by the DAR and local supporters. As more knowledge about Walton and the home becomes available, the narrative of who built the home and the lives of those who populated the house over the century is being told, said Schwerzler. Today, visitors to the home may hear stories of the enslaved individuals who helped build the home and worked the adjoining fields; it may also include weaving demonstrations that show how Colonial women kept their families clothed. Last year, almost 2,000 visitors made the trek to the house, including local school children.

Like the full and colorful life of its famous former occupant, the home continues to reveal its secrets as preservationists slowly peel away the years. That’s what’s exciting, said Schwerzler.

“We are still ‘reading’ this house,” she said.

Visitors can find this restored sturdy cedar-roofed frame cottage on 1320 Independence Drive in Augusta. Meadow Garden is tucked next to a rehabilitation hospital and still boxed in by the 19th-century canal and an active railroad. Walk through the iron gates through a manicured lawn. An adjacent visitors center built in 2004 offers patriotic souvenirs and books; you might even be visited by the resident patriot cat, Thomas, named after Walton’s first son.

Parking is free.

Meadow Garden is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and by appointment on weekends. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children, with discounted admission of $8 offered to military, seniors and teachers.

For information, go to www.historicmeadowgarden.org

Landmark Preservation workers uncover old bricks in the cellar of the house.

During a 2019 restoration to remove changes made in the 1960s, a front gable was removed, and cedar roof shingles were replaced.

Destination Everywhere

Alla Campbell has taken a passion for travel and learning to more than 300 countries

There might only be a handful of people in the world who have traveled to more than 300 countries. Madison native and Reynolds Lake Oconee resident Alla Campbell, 80, is in that small club.

Growing up in Madison, Campbell wasn’t a traveler. “I never went anywhere as a child,” she says. Campbell, born in 1944, was a student at what is now the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center in Madison and grew up in the shadow of that school on Foster Street.

Her first trip abroad followed college in 1966 when she took a European tour. Her travel passion started with an African cruise. Twenty-five years ago, Campbell started traveling the world – her curiosity with learning and the world has not stopped.

“The first time I went anywhere was out of college I went to Europe, and then in 1997, we went on a cruise with my sister and her Charles. Then, we did a few cruises after that. The big one was in 1998 or 1999

Campbell points to a location on a globe sitting on top of travel books at her Reynolds home.

when I was playing tennis, and a friend of mine who is a travel agent mentioned that they had a cruise to Africa with a cabin left. I’d always wanted to go to Africa. I didn’t expect that we would go, but I came home and told my husband and he said, “okay.”

“Our middle daughter Chris went into the Peace Corps in 2000, so when she was finishing her time, my other daughter Beth and I met her in Australia and backpacked through Southeast Asia for three months. Maybe that’s what started things. I would go on at least two trips a year. These were always tours. I never went anywhere by myself. Except for backpacking through Southeast Asia. Chris figured out the travel for that using the Lonely Planet book. She planned it, and we were on a very strict budget. We couldn’t afford to do very much.”

Despite a limited budget and a tight schedule, the trip was not without fanfare. “We had finished a cruise, and we were going to visit Chris briefly in Tonga and then go on to New Zealand. We flew into Tonga, and we were trying to get to her island, which was Matamaka. We went to the airport to fly there, and there was no plane. When they get ready to leave, they just leave. We found somebody, and they took us back to the

Peace Corps office in Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga. After a while, they worked it out. There was another plane going to Matamaka. We went back to the airport and got on the plane, and everything was real quiet. All of a sudden, there was a big stir. All the seats at the front of the airplane had been removed. Here came the King of Tonga with his entourage. Special fur and material was set up there for them. A lot of natives were upset because they didn’t know he was going to be on the plane, and they needed to be

World traveller (and then some) Alla Campbell at her Reynolds Lake Oconee home.

Campbell points to a map with pins at her Reynolds Lake Oconee home signifying the many places in the world she has experienced.

dressed properly for him. We got to Matamaka, and we waited for the King to leave the plane. There was a band playing when we got off the plane to meet our daughter.”

Despite a royal encounter and a backpacking adventure, Campbell didn’t start out with lofty travel goals. “About 10 or more years ago, we discovered a website called Most Traveled People. It’s not an organization. It has a list of places, and you can check off where you’ve been to keep up with it. That was interesting, and then we discovered Traveler’s Century Club, an organization with chapters and meetings. It was another way to keep up with where I was going. The Traveler’s Century Club has 330 places, which are countries and territories of countries. Most Traveled People had, at that time, about 800 places, and it had all the states in the United States. What was nice about Most Traveled People, your cell phone’s GPS would click off the places you’d been. That really helped. At that time, I hadn’t really thought about how many places I had been. We started adding it up. I set a goal of going to all 193 United Nations sanctioned countries. That started

something!”

At her Reynolds home, Campbell treasures a statue gifted to her by her children in 2021. The inscription on the statue reads, “Citizen of the World: Awarded for Achievement of Lifelong Goal of Visiting All 193 UN Member States.”

For Campbell, travel is not a competition. “I’m not competing with anyone but myself. The criteria is that I have to have stepped foot in all of these places. I can’t just go sit at an airport for whatever time. I have to be feet on the ground, and that counts as having been there. Most places prefer that you have a Visa for wherever you go, but there were places where I was on the ground, but I was not there to stay and didn’t have a Visa to get in there. The Central African Republic was one of those places. I did have a Visa, but they don’t allow you to leave the plane. I went down the stairs and talked to the security people. I showed them my Visa, but they wouldn’t allow me to go in.’

“I spent about 5 minutes there arguing with them, so that counts for me.”

After achieving her goal of reaching all 193 UN sanctioned states, she reached 200

countries. Then, she hit 250. She became very interested in seeing if she could reach 300 places for The Traveler’s Century Club by the time she was 80. “These places, some of them, are very remote and difficult to get to.” Realizing that she had 19 places left to achieve her goal, Campbell offered an incentive to her middle daughter Chris who was finishing her PhD in public health. Once her daughter achieved her doctorate, they would go on the trip and complete the list of places.

“The biggest thing was getting Visas. Most of them you can get online. China was ridiculous, but we finally got that, and we started this trip. My daughter decided to call it Chris and Alla’s Excellent Adventure 2024. She decided to do a blog on the trip, which was fabulous. This was 41 days for 19 places, and we had 41 flights in that length of time. Each of us had a carry-on and a backpack. Most of these were in the South Pacific. We were very specific in where I needed to be. Sometimes, my daughter stayed in the main place, and I flew myself to one of the places I needed to be.”

“The way this worked, if I missed anything, it would completely ruin the trip.

A map of world with pins indicating the more than 300 countries Alla Campbell has visited during a lifetime of travel.

country. My next trip will be to Kenya. Someone asked once if I had to leave here where I would go, and my answer was New Zealand. It’s a fabulous place. It’s beautiful with two islands. The people speak English and are really nice. I’ve been there three different times. Malta is another place. I’ve only been once. It’s in the Mediterranean and the only island there where everyone speaks English.” Campbell doesn’t speak any languages other than English but has found that has been enough in the majority of her travels. Campbell noted that one of the only places she wouldn’t return to is Cameroon. “They just weren’t nice. Africa is difficult. There are 54 countries in Africa, and to get to all of them is very difficult. I’d already been to Cameroon, and we were going through it to go somewhere else, and they stamped our passport, which was only supposed to be a pass-through for our Visas. Then, when we came back, they said we’d already been there. We were on a tour in the mangroves, and the police came and took our passports. We finally got back to land and got our passports back with some

We had to go absolutely everywhere we planned. After the first few days, something did happen. I got to Rabaul, which happened to be a big World War II place in the South Pacific, when we found out in the middle of the night that the flight going to Papua New Guinea was canceled. I was able to take the next flight. Fortunately, we worked it out. Just in case something happened, I planned for 301 countries. I went to the Marquesas, which was a 5-hour flight in the Pacific to stay for 6 hours, and then I flew back. That was 301.”

With 301 Traveler’s Century Club places achieved as of November 2024, she has no plans of stopping. Her travel hasn’t always gone smoothly. For Chris and Alma’s Excellent Adventure, she received a dog bite while riding a bicycle in Fiji. “It required a hospital visit for X-rays, a tetanus shot, and stitches. Fortunately, there were only four days left in the trip, but I had five flights and three more places to visit. Quite a grand finale, for sure.”

She has her favorites. “Africa is my most favorite

conversation and a $20 bill. But that’s just part of travel.” Campbell has achieved two of her bucket list travel goals. Evidence of her travels fills her home. In her study, over 100 Shutterfly photo books bring back memories of individual trips. Walking through her home, she is surrounded by art and decor purchased on her travels with many souvenirs in particular from Papua New Guinea, one of her favorite travel locations. A large map shows all the countries she’s been to over the years with pins dotting every continent. She has had five quilts made from travel t-shirts she purchased as souvenirs–one for each of her five grandchildren.

Every souvenir and travel memento brings back a memory. “One interesting place I visited was Christmas Island. It’s off the coast of Australia and is part of Australia. That’s a place we had to go early on in the trip. We had to spend four days there because they only have two flights a week. It turned out to be most interesting because there aren’t a whole lot of people there, but they are nice and speak

With a friend at the Okavango Delta, Botswana in 2005.

Campbell observing Silverback Gorillas in Rwanda in 2012.

All Campbell during an archeological dig at the Sabratha archeological site in Libya. Campbell travelled to Libya in 2021. Libya marked her 193rd country.

English as well as other languages. The first day we were there, it started to rain a little bit, which is normal. We discovered that every fall, the red crabs on the island come out of the sandbars when it starts to rain, and they march to the sea where they mate and then they come back. We just happened to be there when the rains started. On the first day, a few were coming out. On the second day, they were everywhere, even on the highways. By the time we left, they had closed some

roads. The citizens come with brooms and sweep them off the highway so the cars can get by. There are millions of the red crabs going to the sea. They’ve even built a bridge over one of the main roads to allow them to climb over the bridge to go to the other side. They have areas that are dug out under the roads for them to go under. When we got back, there was a feature on CNN about the red crab migration on Christmas Island. What we saw was just amazing. You just

never know what you’re going to see. That was one of the highlights to see that.”

“Another place on that last trip was Calamanthan, which had the Proboscis monkeys. It’s a huge monkey that you hardly see in zoos. This was a sanctuary. Chris had planned something for every single day of that trip, and we spent three days in the sanctuary seeing these monkeys as well as Sun Bears.”

“In all the years traveling, my interest

Paragliding in Pokhara, Nepal in 2018.

A stunning mural at the Etnias Dock, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

has been in the culture and the people, not the food. Maybe I should have tried more regional food. Whenever I am in doubt, I go straight to fried rice. I can survive a long time on fried rice. In the Amazon forest near Quito, Ecuador, I ate a large roasted grub, and it wasn’t too bad.”

Her sense of adventure didn’t end with roasted grubs. From an archaeological dig in Israel with a friend to paragliding in Nepal, Campbell embraced new experiences along the way. Speaking of her paragliding encounter in Nepal, she shared, “That was something I was thrilled about. We went up on one of the main mountains, and I found out that they have windsurfing. I paid for a guide, and what you do is you’re strapped onto him, and you run off the mountain, and the parachute opens. We were up there a little over 30 minutes just looking at everything. I had

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Campbell an archeological dig in Tel Tsaf, Israel in 2005.

my camera, and I could take pictures myself. He took pictures, too. While he was guiding the parachute, he was taking film, too. It was terrific.”

The world-wide traveller is sharing her passion with her family. When a grandchild turns 15, they get to choose a travel destination. “The last grandchild has chosen Kenya. The first granddaughter chose Spain. The twins chose Rome, London, and Alaska. The next granddaughter wanted to go somewhere cold, so we went to Iceland last year. I used the same tour guide I used when we went to Rwanda trekking mountain gorillas. With some unrest in Nairobi, the trip isn’t certain. We just hope for the best.”

Campbell also shared that traveling has changed her perspective in many ways. Having been to many of the countries that she now sees on

There are times when I had two passports because if I’d been to Israel, I couldn’t have gone to Iran. You have to know about things like that.”

Campbell has some recommendations for aspiring travelers. “We never check anything. Never. If you have several flights, you never know if your baggage is going to get there. Even back in 2000, when my two daughters Chris and Beth were on this adventure, we had really big backpacks, and we were gone for about 60 days. We can wash our clothes or wear the same thing all the time.”

She credits a quote by Mark Twain as her inspiration and best possible travel advice:

“Years from now, you’ll be disappointed more by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bow lines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the tradewinds in your sails, explore, dream, discover.”

the news, she has unique insight into them. Rather than believing an American journalist’s perspective of another culture, she leaves room for other interpretations. This was particularly evident on a visit to Iran when American headlines shared footage of what they believed was an anti-American protest that was really a local historical celebration that had nothing to do with anti-American sentiment. Being right there on the scene provided a worldview she wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Admittedly, this kind of travel, Campbell shares, takes two things: Time and resources. “I couldn’t have done this until 25 years ago when we had the time. The children were gone, and we did have the resources. You can travel lightly, but flights are expensive, and it’s getting more complicated to get Visas.

Alla Campbell on top of the world at Deception Bay, Antarctica in 2005.

With school girls in Khaka, Bangladesh in 2018.

Campbell at the top of Kaieteur Falls, Guyana in 2014

Members

A Future Forged In Fire

Blacksmith Guild

Architectural blacksmith pieces are shaped with both force and fire. The hammer and heat help to thin and shape the metal.

By Crystal Jackson | Photos by Mallory Agnew

On a warm summer morning, a group gathers near the barnyard at Dausett Trails Nature Center in Jackson, Ga. The traditional coal forge at the center of the pavilion is attended by a small group, and both the sound of laughter and the steady strike of hammers are offset by the clucking of chickens and the gamboling of goats in a nearby field. It’s the first Saturday of the month, and the Ocmulgee Blacksmith Guild, a guild in the Southeastern Blacksmith Association, gathers to forge the future.

Although blacksmithing is an ancient craft, it experienced a decline following the Industrial Revolution when technological advances made it possible to create similar items faster and in large quantities. It wasn’t until the American Heritage Movement in the 1970s that more people began to become interested in the trades of the past. Ocmulgee Blacksmith Guild members are all locals who are passionate about sharing the art and science of the trade.

In addition to his day job as a university biologist, guild president Brady Bennett is also the co-owner of Blue Collar Knife and Tool in Milledgeville. To the strike of metal in the background, he explained that a blacksmith’s philosophy is “need a tool, make a tool.”

“If we need something as blacksmiths, we have the opportunity to make it. There’s a blacksmith who travels around to events that only brings a pair of tongs and a hammer. He makes everything he needs to do his work on the spot.”

As Bennett opens the meeting, guild member Shawn Byrd quietly explains that they are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that’s open to the public.

“The collective knowledge here expands into everything. If you want to know something about anything, somebody here knows something about it. One of our principles is to teach, to spread the knowledge of blacksmithing.” When asked how he became a guild member, he shared, “One of our sons wanted to make knives, and we found this place. Later, he became uninterested, but we liked it.”

His wife and fellow guild member Barbara Byrd shares that she was fascinated by the different walks of life of the guild members.

““We’ve got Billy Bob (Sowell), a knife maker and one of two ABS Master Bladesmiths in the state of Georgia. He and James do blades. Jim Archambault does architectural blacksmithing. We’ve got some guys who make tools, and Chris Harper goes all over the state with a mobile blacksmith shop and does reenactments of 1700s-era blacksmithing.”

Barbara Byrd shows a knife made by their local Master Bladesmith. “This is a piece of Damascus steel, made when you take different kinds of metal and twist them and fold them to make patterns. I like doing hooks and leather work. We have guys who do woodwork as well as blacksmithing. Everyone has so many different hobbies. A girl friend of mine is learning about enameling on steel to melt glass onto steel to color it. We have people who do pottery, stained glass, or blown glass. If you have an interest, someone here has dabbled in it and is happy to share it.”

A blacksmith’s anvil stands ready for fire and hammer.

The sense of community is palpable. During the meeting, groups gather to show and even trade their wares. The guild also offers scholarships to members in good standing to take blacksmithing classes or classes that are related to the trade. The Byrds explain that making knives led to making sheaths to carry them, which naturally extended itself to other leather work. Barbara Byrd now does leatherwork full-time after taking a sheath class through the guild and now makes purses and journals as well as tooling leather under the business name Leather on My Mind.

Shawn Byrd shared, “People hear blacksmithing and think it’s antiquated, but I was more enchanted with the science behind it. Because of the knifemaking class I took, I learned the business aspect of being a knifemaker, the shop equipment, as well as the science behind the steel. The specialty steels have to be treated in certain ways because they form special crystalline structures. It’s fascinating. Treating the steel like that doesn’t exist in nature. It’s manmade. Blacksmithing, from heating the steel to using the hammer, leads to building cars and aerospace engineering. It all goes back to this craft. The principles still apply.”

Archambault of Elite Ironworks, another guild member, began his career as a welder and began to work in miscellaneous steel. When the company

A decorative and functional knife forged from fire.

Blacksmith apprentice Spencer Newman takes the edge off.

he worked for stopped doing that, he went out on his own. That was 27 years ago, and Elitel Ironworks recently got the contract to help restore the Torrey-West Estate (circa 1926) at Ossabaw Island and create custom ironwork.

Despite his impressive work experience, when asked about his favorite projects, Archambault gave a surprising answer. “We rebuilt the KFC chicken in Marietta, and I’ve worked on Jeff Foxworthy’s house. The Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Atlanta has my work. The big stuff doesn’t excite me as much as an older couple who need railings at their house. That’s not considered art, but to me, it’s functional, workable art where you can build something that people use every day. It’s the usable part of what we do. There are some beautiful, decorative pieces that we create, but they are seen and not used. I like doing things that get used every day. I’ve made firescreens that are both used and decorative. The hand-worn gates and railings that have worn down from use, I love that. A house that sits and no one lives in it deteriorates. But a house that’s lived in stays.”

The Ocmulgee Blacksmith Guild meets at Dauset Nature Trails on the first Saturday of each month. On October 10th and 11th, they’ll host a Hammer-In with a guest demonstrator who is a History Channel Forged in the Fire competitor. The Guild will also demonstrate their trade at the 22nd Annual Syrup Festival at Dauset Trails on November 23rd. At the festival, they’ll have an auction of handmade items made by guild members to raise money for the non-profit. Each of these events is open to the public.

Jim Archambault of Elite Ironworks, Social Circle, Ga.

Decorative pieces forged at Elite Ironworks in Social Circle, Ga.

A blowtorch forge is often used for shaping smaller, more intricate blacksmithing pieces.

Spencer Newman and Jim Archambault hard at work at Elite Ironworks, Social Circle.

HaunTed EatOntOn experience

IIn historic downtown Eatonton, the Georgia Writers Museum sits side-by-side with Sylvia’s Spooky Good Coffee. The buildings are connected, but it’s not only the building they share. Every year, the Georgia Writer’s Museum hosts Haunted Eatonton during the last two weeks of October. This 90-minute walking tour is unique in that it offers substantiated local folklore and evidence from paranormal investigations–including Eatonton’s most famous ghost, Sylvia.

On a Monday when the museum is closed, the building still hums with activity as The Distinguished Georgia Writers Hall exhibit is installed to feature 111 author portraits. These authors have either received induction into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame, received the Georgia Author of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award, or received the Townsend Prize for Fiction.

It’s an impressive display of local literary talent. A walk through the museum will also show the recent plans to expand the other exhibits including ones on Pulitzer Prize Winner Alice Walker, best-selling author Joel Chandler Harris, literary great Flannery O’Connor, and notable Georgia author Raymond Andrews. With the buzz of power tools in the background and the faintest trace of coffee in the air, Georgia Writers Museum board member Chip Bell explained the origin story of the Haunted Eatonton tours. “Southeast Paranormal Institute– we worked with them a lot for our Haunted Eatonton Tours every year. When they bring their equipment in and set it up, it registers that there’s a lot of extra stuff going on in the atmosphere.”

Georgia Writers Museum Executive Director Melissa Swindell pointed out that this will be the fifth year for the haunted tour. “We partner with the Arts Barn. We work with writers to produce the scripts based on true stories–people’s folklore of hauntings and some research from the archives that’s more true crime than haunted. The Arts Barn takes the scripts and turns them into 3-5 minute performances at each location. It comes to life–and then the ghosts go back to sleep.”

“The tour started with bringing in paranormal investigators, and we would go to different locations. They would teach people how to use all the different equipment they brought with them and read the room. We did that for about two years. One of the first years we had it, we went to the Williams Funeral Home in this old Queen Anne style house. We were in there with the equipment and researchers investigating, and the lead investigator who goes in cold to all these places came in and she said that there’s definitely a dog in the house. A ghost dog. She said it was just following us around.”

On the first night of the tour, we’re taking everyone through the stops, and we’re talking with this group of 10 or 15 people, and she mentioned something about the dog. The investigator, Denise, described the dog, and a woman in the audience said, ‘Oh my God, that’s my dog!’ We were skeptical, and she explained that before it was a funeral home, her parents lived there, and she grew up in the house in the 1960s or 1970s. She said she had a dog that ran out into the street one day and got killed.

It was this dog.”

Ghost dogs aren’t the only chilling story shared. Bell chimed in with another story about a location in walking distance from the museum. “The old furniture store housed the Adele Theatre from 1915 and showed silent movies there. Somebody left a purse that’s still there at the ticket counter. It was found in the basement when they were renovating. On the wall, they found a blood dispensary in the basement underneath the theater with blood on the wall. If it wasn’t real, it feels real to the audience when they see it.”

Perhaps the most prominent ghost story told locally is that of Sylvia from Panola Hall–and the inspiration for the coffee shop. As Bell tells the story, “There are

The Haunted Eatonton Tour takes place every year the last two weeks of October and features scripts based on true haunting stories.

two main stories. One story is that Sylvia was to wed a young man she didn’t want to marry. On the day of her wedding she had on her wedding gown and hid in a trunk in her upstairs bedroom, and the family thought that she went out the window. They couldn’t find her, and they didn’t think to look in the trunk until it was too late.”

“The other story was that her lover was in the war and was killed. She was so distraught by his death that she jumped out the second floor window. There have been many sightings of her on the stairway (at Panola Hall) and still in the house. One of the most fascinating stories is from the current owners, Michael and Diana Homeier. They have a dog, and many times, the dog will sit at the base of the steps and look up like there’s something there. So, there’s a lot of evidence that something is there.”

“When I talk about ghosts in the presentation,

I usually start by asking people whether or not they’ve had floaters in their eyes. They have floaters their whole lives. It’s skin that comes loose inside the eye, but what happens is at some point, they go away. Only they don’t go away. We think they do, but they don’t. What happens is that the eye and the brain work out a deal and don’t report them anymore even though they are still there. The brain doesn’t bring it to your consciousness. Are there ghosts? Could be. It could even be the same phenomenon. We get more information than our brains can manage, and it has to sort them out so it builds these paradigms.”

Bell and Swindell both understand that many people are skeptical when it comes to the paranormal. They don’t expect every tour goer to believe the stories, but they are sure to leave entertained by them. Tour guests can also sample the spooky

The Haunted Eatonton Tour is a 90-minute walking tour filled with local folklore.

The impressive Moulthrop Legacy Exhibit includes work from three generations of master wood turners.

A multi-generational legacy turned in wood

The Moulthrop Legacy Exhibit at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center includes three lifetimes of innovation and skill

By Crystal Jackson Photography by Mallory Agnew

On July 22nd, the Moulthrop Legacy exhibit opened at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center (MMCC) in historic Madison. Visual Arts Chair Cathy Best says the expansive exhibit includes, “Three generations of Moulthrop family members… in what is a stunning example of multigenerational points of view from the artists’ hands.” Featured pieces were handcrafted using native southeastern wood by patriarch Ed Moulthrop (1916 - 2003), his son Phillip, and his grandson Matt.

Board Chair Chris Hodges said inspiration for the exhibit originated with a Moulthrop wood bowl owned by the Center.

“The Moulthrop bowl at MMCC has always intrigued me, and I wanted to learn more about its origin.” The bowl in reference is by Ed Moultrop and has been a part of MMCC’s permanent collection since 1978. “I reached out to Tina Lilly and the Georgia Council for the Arts to inquire about borrowing pieces from the state’s collection. They were enthusiastic and generous, and several local private collectors

also agreed to share their works. Kamden Ecker curated the exhibit beautifully.”

MMCC Managing Director David Nunn said the Moulthrop wood bowls have a distinctive and shimmering presence. “Having done a bit of woodworking, I have long been intrigued and amazed by the Moulthrop family and their amazing objects. Wood can be a cruel and confusing medium, and their ability to turn different types into beautiful pieces is awe-inspiring. It is an honor to share just a sample of the Moulthrop legacy.”

About Ed Moulthrop, the Father of Modern Wood Turning

An architect, professor, and self-taught wood turner, Ed Moulthrop is credited for turning woodworking into a legitimate art form and is considered the father of modern wood turning as well as a master craftsman. He was awarded two medals from the American Institute of Architects in 1978 and 1980 for the architectural scale of his wood turning

as well as the Georgia Governor’s Award in the Arts in 1981. He is also responsible for creating tools that are still used by modern wood turners. Rather than trying to source perfect pieces of wood, Moulthrop often searched for his art within flawed and fragile pieces. His art has been featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Chicago Art Institute, the Smithsonian Institute, and many others.

In 1989, Ed Moulthrop shared with The Georgia Council for the Arts his approach to coaxing art from wood.

“Wood is the most exquisite of all materials. One can sense that nature herself has created fantastic visual and sensual beauty in wood.”

“The exciting quest is to reveal this beauty hidden in the wood, and to attempt to discover those utterly simple shapes or forms which will display this beauty without distracting from it and without imposing conflicting shapes or designs upon the beauty which is already there.”

“It can be said that each bowl already exists in the trunk of the tree, and one’s job is simply to uncover it and somehow chip away the excess wood, much as you would chip away the surrounding stone to uncover a perfect fossil entombed in the stone. Thus not only simple shapes, but a search for a crystal clear finish, or special polishings, can be aimed at best revealing the myriad complexities, the subtle of exotic range of colors, and the etchinglike patterns of growth rings which nature has placed there in this amazing block of almost homogenous materials which has grown miraculously as a living material.”

“These feelings about wood guide me as I work with wood. The lathe and tools, important but not an end in themselves, become a means of expressing the special quality that is wood.”

The Legacy Lives On Through Phillip and Matt Moulthrop

Ed Moulthrops wood turning legacy lives on through his son and grandson. Ed’s son Phillip didn’t start out following in his father’s footsteps. He trained to be an attorney and limited woodworking to weekends at his father’s studio. Eventually, he became a full-time wood turner with a talent all his own. By the 1980s, Phillip Moulthrop was considered an artist in his own right, with his mosaic pieces considered his most popular. He continued the tradition by teaching his son Matt the family legacy of wood turning.

Matt Moulthrop takes this legacy seriously. “Being a third generation wood turner, it seems I have spent my entire life surrounded by wood. As a young adult, I learned that the artistry of wood turning comes not from the hand, but from the eye. Being able to “see” the shape of the bowl has been a legacy and a gift I have tried to improve upon with my own vision and version of style, form, and texture. In my quest to create, I strive to blend both tradition and innovation into an art form that honors my legacy and creates a new one.”

“Each piece I create is a unique experience for me and, hopefully, for the viewer. I endeavor to inject into each one a balance of color and form, shape and substance that fully displays the beauty and richness of the tree. Each tree has a story to tell. Worm holes convey past life, rings communicate growth, and certain colors tell the story of death by lightning or blight. My job is to tell the story in picture book fashion, showing rather than talking, lengthening the life of the tree rather than ending it.”

“Between the natural and the artificial, there is a bridge made by fusing the innate beauty of the material with the more modern

Kamden Ecker curated the Moulthrop Legacy Exhibit which is currently open at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center.

techniques and designs that accentuate the splendor that is turned wood. My hope is to build that bridge for you.”

Ecker, the MMCC membership coordinator and resident artist, carefully curated the exhibit. “This exhibit is truly breathtaking - showcasing an impactful family connection - illustrating dedication, innovation, and tremendous skill and understanding. It has been such a privilege curating this exhibit featuring local private collectors and the State’s collection of Ed Moulthrop’s bowls.” This exhibit will be available at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center until September 12, 2025.

The exquisite turned wooden bowls created by the Moulthrop family are currently on display at the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center.

Travel the SEC Road

Georgia Bulldogs with the TENNESSEE & AUBURN

STORY BY JUDY GARRISON // PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEN GARRISON

UGA V during a black-out game in Sanford Stadium.

Photo by Len Garrison, Seeing Southern.

Heat rises, and Athens is about to ignite. If the past seasons are any indication of the fire burning in the Classic City for their Georgia Bulldogs, it’s going to be a searing fall season, with the anticipation of another national championship title fueling the fire. Two of the toughest opponents will be on the road, and bringing home a title runs directly through Knoxville and Auburn.

Most 2025 University of Georgia (UGA) South Eastern Conference (SEC) battles take place between the hedges on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium, but two of the fiercest rivalries—Tennessee and Auburn—are on the road. Knoxville and Auburn will be overflowing with Georgia fans and knowing the ins-and-outs of these two Southern cities will make for a great getaway, win or lose.

Whether you travel north into the Great Smoky Mountains or southwest toward Alabama, consider these travel tips to make the UGA football victory even sweeter.

TAKING ON TENNESSEE AND THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS

Regardless of how much you dislike Tennessee Orange, everyone concurs that the Volunteer world is about as lovely as it gets. There’s no escaping orange crowds, but about 45-minutes from the chaos of Knoxville, discover a more peaceful side of the smokies, an ideal place to spend your September weekend. Townsend, located about 30 miles southeast of Knoxville, provides a slower pace without sacrificing the fun. Tagged as the “Peaceful Side of the Smokies,” it is the gateway to the oldest mountains in the land, rich in history and community.

LOOK FOR THE BEAR AND STAY

Look to the top of the arched entrance and find the dancing bear. Dancing Bear Lodge combines old-world charm with the region’s rich Appalachian heritage. A rustic touch shapes the modern, never sacrificing the amenities or comfort factor.

Cabins tucked in the natural landscape offer accommodations for up to six people. For a larger crowd, book two side-by-side cabins or cottages. Amenities include wood-burning or gas fireplaces, hot tubs and full kitchens; many are ADA compliant. Choose riverside locations, located a little over a mile from the Dancing Bear compound. Add-ons are available for special occasions, and when is a football weekend not a special occasion? A bottle of wine, chocolates, flowers or an in-cabin massage, even off-site excursions like horseback riding or fly fishing – it’s all possible. Inquire when booking your stay. One of the most popular destinations in Tennessee, book early.

1. The spike squad fires up the crowd between the hedges on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium. Photo by Len Garrison, Seeing Southern.

2. Students take over Neyland Stadium on game day. Photo by Visit Knoxville.

3. There’s room for everyone at Dancing Bear Lodge. Photo by Len Garrison, Seeing Southern

4. It’s game day in Knoxville for the Tennessee Volunteers. Photo by Visit Knoxville.

EXPERIENCE THE HISTORY AND ADVENTURE

When you’re not in the stadium stands, explore the mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center shares the area’s history and often performers will take to the stage to share the best in bluegrass. Likewise, the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont offers workshops, camps and other outdoor activities – perfect for the younger ones.

Go down deep at Tuckaleechee Caverns, a 30-million-year-old masterpiece and called “the greatest site under the smokies.” A mile-long guided tour delivers visitors into the “Big Room,” described as stadiumsized. Ticket prices are $26 for adults, $14 for children.

Never miss a chance to visit Cades Cove within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are ranger-led programs but still plenty to do if time is short. Open sunrise to sunset daily, the Cades Cove 11-mile one-way loop provides an opportunity to take a slower pace while viewing the wildlife and scenery. Traffic will be heavy so allow two-to-four hours for the driving tour. Take extra time at the Cable Mill Historic Area, the mountaintop meadow of Gregory Bald and the Cades Cove Primitive Baptist Church.

Explore the area with a morning ride through the mountains. Townsend UTV Rentals, closest to Cades Cove area, offers a variety of vehicles, including UTVs and slingshots. Drivers must be over 21-years-old and have a valid driver’s license and full-coverage insurance. It’s not off-roading, but it’s the next best thing. Make reservations online to ensure availability.

EAT AND DRINK APPALACHIA

At Dancing Bear Lodge, savor Appalachian Bistro, a fresh take on Appalachian cuisine prepared by award-winning Executive Chef Jeff Carter. Featuring fresh, organic produce from their private garden, combined with locally sourced ingredients, each meal is a work of art.

A farm-to-table experience, savor the highest quality food and drink in a beautiful rustic setting. Menus are based on seasonal availability. Taste everything at once with the Appalachian Charcuterie Board, follow with Smoked Trout Cakes, 28-day Dry Aged Rib-Eye Steak or Wagyu Bistro Burger.

After the meal, the fire pit greets you with warmth – and s’mores.

Looking for a more casual setting, Peaceful Side Social offers a fresh menu, great tacos, yummy ice cream, and cold beer on tap. Gear up or wind down at this family-friendly pub.

For additional spirit, ‘gather around’ at Company

Distilling, an official stop on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail. Owner and master distiller Jeff Arnett—former master distiller at Jack Daniels—puts his name on award-winning whiskeys and gins, and invites visitors to sip and enjoy good company. During weekends, enjoy the riverside Beer Garden.

To plan your entire weekend while at the UGA vs Tennessee game, visit these tourism sites: www. visitknoxville.com, www. smokymountains.org.

1. Pick your poison at Company Distilling in Townsend. Photo by Len Garrison, Seeing Southern.

2. The beauty of the Smokies is on display in Cades Cove. Photo by Len Garrison, Seeing Southern

3. Executive Chef Jeff Carter at Appalachian Bistro dishes up his best interpretation of Appalachian cuisine. Photo by Len Garrison, Seeing Southern.

4. Stop at the Primitive Baptist Church in Cades Cove. Photo by Len Garrison, Seeing Southern.

5. An Appalachian Bistro breakfast fuels the day. Photo by Len Garrison, Seeing Southern

TAKING ON AUBURN IN ALABAMA

Dubbed as The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, UGA takes on the War Eagles of Auburn in October just as they did in February, 1892, at Herty Field on UGA’s North Campus. Hoping for a different outcome than the inaugural clash, UGA fans will descend on Auburn and paint the town red.

SPREAD OUT AT THE MARRIOTT

Located twenty minutes from Jordan-Hare Stadium, stay at the Auburn Marriott Opelika Resort & Spa. Perfect for the entire family or large fan groups, the sprawling property has three pools for the gals, a splash pool for the kids, and 54-holes of golf across their courses for the guys. And the spa makes for an ideal conclusion to game-day.

On-site dining at the Southern Oak Bar and Grill offers the best in local farmers’ products. Begin the day with a buffet or al la carte breakfast and end the day with a butcher’s choice cut with bourbon peppercorn cream sauce. Win or lose the game, dining satisfaction is guaranteed alongside the massive oak trees that inspire the restaurant’s name. Enjoy a fall signature cocktail like Autumnal Apple Spritz or the best Southern beers on draft. Reservations are available through Open Table.

August 30 Marshall

September 6 Austin Peay September 13 @Tennessee

September 20 Open

September 27 Alabama

October 25 Open

1. The lights are on at JordanHare Stadium in Auburn. Photo by Heath Truitt.

2. A stay at the Marriott Grand National Resort and Spa will definitely remove the pre-game anxiety.

A TASTE OF AUBURN

Tradition is always a good path to follow. Since 1896, Toomer’s Drugs, on the corner of Magnolia Avenue and College Street, has served its famous fresh squeezed lemonade. Cool down with the lemonade but also time it right to see the “rolling of Toomer’s Corner.” Dating back decades, the Auburn tradition of celebrating anything good – like a football victory – by tossing rolls of toilet paper into the oak trees, wires, and posts. Every SEC team knows the importance of a time-honored tradition, and Auburn fans come prepared with rolls in hand.

Sophistication, charm and southern soil define the fare at Acre. Led by James Beard nominated chef David Bancroft, the experience highlights classic food with modern presentation, keeping everything as fresh as possible. Proud to be part of the Auburn experience, the restaurant is just three blocks from campus and welcomes guests to enjoy Alabama cuisine. Begin with Gas Station Boudin balls or the Solid Oak Sampler, a charcuterie featuring ‘all the fixin’s. For supper, consider braised prime short rib or redfish on the half shell.

What Southerner can resist pimento cheese? Auburn-Opelika Pimento Cheese

A good pimento cheese trail is always a good way to spend time while in Auburn

Trail introduces the region’s cheesy take on this staple. Try it at Acre but also consider these dining options. Hamilton’s adds their spicy jalapeno cheese to a fried chicken sandwich. Chicken Salad Chick—which started in Auburn— blends sharp cheddar and pimentos, kicking their salad up a notch. Try Lucy’s cheese, topped with bacon onion jam. A total of nine locations, the list will satisfy your cheese fix.

And if the Dawg victory inspires a burger craving, there’s a trail for that, too. According to Auburn, there are 10 burgers that are on the must-try list. From smash burgers to a Juicy Lucy to a Niff Jr. Nifferized, hit the trail.

WALK THE WALK

Not that I’m suggesting a Bulldog fan attend the Tiger Walk, but it’s a sea of blue and orange you might not soon forget. Two hours before game time, the team walks from the athletic complex down Donahue Drive to Jordan-Hare Stadium, flanked by thousands of screaming fans cheering on their Tigers—a walk Bulldog fans know well.

Then, roughly 25-minutes before kick-off, get ready for a fly-by as an eagle soars over the stadium crowd, pumping up the Tiger faithful.

With game day done, head to the woods at Chewacla State Park, located 15-minutes from downtown. The park is also an option for lodging, offering six stone cottages as well as 36-full hookup camping sites and 10 primitive sites. Enjoy the 26-acre lake (non-motorized craft only) and the hiking and mountain biking trails surrounding the lake. A great way to enjoy the fall.

A twenty-five-minute drive from Auburn lands you at the Tuskegee Airman National Historic Site, one that memorializes the contribution of the Tuskegee Airmen during WWII. Explore the two hangers that share the stories along with its centerpiece – a full-size replica Red-Tail P-51 Mustang, the legendary fighter flown by the pilots.

Any Georgia football weekend is a great weekend to make a date with your friends and family. But when you add the SEC element, it makes for a spirited and sizzling adventure.

1. Quinch your thirst with Toomer’s Frozen Lemonade at Toomer’s Drugs. Photo by Ariel.

2. Toomer’s Corner is a gathering place for Tiger fans. Photo by Matthew Tucker.

3. The Auburn University logo water tower. Photo by Jake Evans.

Calendar of Events

September

Sept. 1

The Madison Artists Guild will host an art exhibit by Helene Roberts through Oct. 4 at the MAGallery. themadisonartistsguild.org

The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center will host Open Mic Night from 7–9 p.m. mmcc-arts.org

The Steffen Thomas Museum of Art in Buckhead, will host the Steffen Thomas: 1971 Germany Trip exhibit in the Hall Gallery and the Steffen Thomas: Through the Eyes of Young Adults exhibit in the Education Gallery through the end of September. steffenthomas.org

Sept. 2

The Georgia Writer’s Museum in Eatonton will host Meet the Author with Ann Hite on her just released book, “I’m a Georgia Girl” at 7 p.m. georgiawritersmuseum.org

Sept. 4

The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation in Watkinsville will host Scripts & Sips led by Taylor McKenna. Sign up at OCAF.com/events

The Madison-Morgan Boys & Girls Club will host the Charles Baldwin Hope and Promise Golf Tournament at Hard Labor Creek. register/sponsor at https://birdease.com/32768

Sept. 12

Linnentown the Musical will be presented at the Classic Center Theater in Athens on Sept. 12, 13, and 14. classiccenter.com

The Avett Brothers with special guest The Brook & the Bluff will perform at 8 p.m. at the Akins Ford Arena in Athens. classiccenter.com

Sept. 13

The Madison Artists Guild will host the art exhibit, “Resilience,” at the MAGallery until Oct. 11 with an Artist Talk at 6 p.m. on Oct. 3. themadisonartistsguild.org

Downtown Eatonton will host the Downtown Getdown Concert Series from 7–10 p.m. downtowneatonton.com

The Rutledge Community Depot will host Second Saturday Market from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. For more information email rutledgedepot@ gmail.com.

Sept. 14

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens will host the 35th annual Insectival from noon–4 p.m. botgarden.uga.edu

The Oconee Performing Arts Society (OPAS) in Greensboro will host a pop-up concert series from Sept. 14–17 with time and location to be determined. opas.org

Sept. 16

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens will host the Sunflower Concert Series: The 80s Walkmen at 7 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets visit botgarden.uga.edu

Sept. 18

The Artisans Village in Eatonton will host the opening reception for the art exhibit, Duel Vision: Art Through Different Eyes, at Barrel 118 from 5–7:30 p.m. All photos and art will be for sale at the Artisans Village Art Gallery during gallery hours. Wednesday–Friday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturday 10a.m.–3 p.m. theartisansvillage.org

Sept. 19

Cole Swindell will perform at 7 p.m. with special guests Priscilla Block and Logan Crosby at 7 p.m. at the Akins Ford Arena in Athens. classiccenter.com

The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center will host the band, Yacht Rock Schooner from 7:30–9:30 p.m. mmcc-arts.org

Sept. 20

Downtown Greensboro will host the Rock and Roll Cruise from 10 a.m–2 p.m. on North Main Street. downtowngreensboroga.com

The Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton will present the official and original Jimmy Buffett Tribute Band at 7:30 p.m. plazacenter.org

The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation in Watkinsville will host a live music event from 6–8 p.m. at historic Rocket Field. Visit ocaf. com/events for more information.

Sept. 21

The Oconee Performing Arts Society in Greensboro will host Broadway Sings for OPAS at 3 p.m. at Festival Hall. opas.org The Humane Society of Morgan County will hold Pistons for Paws Charity Car Show in downtown Madison from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. with registration at 9:30 a.m. Rain date is Sept. 28. Email info@humanemorgan.org

Sept. 25

An Evening in Eatonton will take place from 5–8 p.m. in Downtown Eatonton. downtowneatonton.com

Sept. 26

Downtown Eatonton will host a farmer’s market from 5–8 p.m. at Eatonton City Center Stage. downtowneatonton.com

The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation in Watkinsville will host an opening reception for the Local Arts Teacher Showcase and Jewelry exhibit by Barbara Mann from 6–8 p.m. More information available at ocaf.com

Sept. 27

Friends of Hard Labor Creek State Park will host a volunteer workday from 9 a.m.–noon at the park. Call 706-557-3001 for more information.

Sept. 28

Home Free and the Longest Johns - Into the Deep Tour will perform at 7 p.m. at the Classic Center Theater in Athens. classiccenter.com

Sept. 29

The Pete Nance Boys & Girls Club will host the Tee It Up for the Kids Golf Tournament” at The Harbor Club. Register/sponsor at https://birdease.com/32473

October

Oct 1

Downtown Eatonton will host the 2025 Scarecrow Contest and Showcase starting at 6 a.m. Oct. 1. It will be on display until 11:50 p.m. Oct. 31. downtowneatonton.com

Oct. 2–4

Millidgeville Players will present Father of the Bride @ Woodland Acres at Robbins Farm.

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia in Athens will host the 14th annual Native Plant sale from 2–6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. on Saturday. See details and a plant list at botgarden.uga.edu

Oct. 3

The Oconee Performing Arts Society in Greensboro will host Uptown: A Celebration of Soul, Pop and R&B at 7:30 p.m. at Lake Oconee Church. opas.org

Oct. 4

The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation in Watkinsville will host Family Day with artist Barbara Mann from 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Register at ocaf.com/ocaf-kids

Oct. 5

ZZ Top: The Elevation Tour will take place at 7 p.m. at the Classic Center Theater in Athens. classiccenter.com

Spin for Kids fundraiser will take place at Camp Twin Lakes in Rutledge camptwinlakes.org

Oct. 6

The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center will host Open Mic Night from 7–9 p.m. mmcc-arts.org

Oct. 7

The Georgia Writers Museum in Eatonton will host Carolyn Curry on her new book, “Trudy’s Awakening” at 7 p.m. georgiawritersmuseum.org

Oct. 10

The Madison Artists Guild will host an exhibit by Arlene Phillips at the MAGallery. A Meet the Artist reception will take place from 6–8 p.m. The exhibit will run until Nov. 8. themadisonartistsguild.org

The Artisans Village Guild in Eatonton will host its monthly meeting at 10 a.m. at the Peoples Bank, Lake Oconee Branch. theartisansvillage.org

Oct. 11

The Downtown Chili Cook-off and Fall Festival will take place in Madison. Chili sampling starts at 12:30 p.m. at a cost of $5 per person. madisonga.com/chili

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The Rutledge Community Depot will host Second Saturday Market from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Email rutledgedepot@gmail.com for more information.

Oct. 16

Rainbow Kitten Surprise - Thanks For Coming Tour will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Classic Center Theater in Athens. classiccenter.com

Oct. 17

The Downtown Madison Seasonal Sidewalk Sale will take place Oct. 17 and 18 from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Call 706-342-1251 for more information.

The Classic Center in Athens will host the World Ballet Company presenting Cinderella at 7 p.m. classiccenter.com

Gavin Adock - Need to Tour, with special guests, Conner Smith and Lanie Gardner will take place at 8 p.m. at the Atkins Ford Arena in Athens. classiccenter.com

Oct. 18

The 22nd edition of the Deep Roots Festival will take place in Milledgeville with live music, an artist market, food, an antique car show and children’s activities. visitmilledgeville.org

The city of Rutledge will hold its Spooky Fall Fest. Visit the Rutledge Rec. Department Facebook page for more information.

The 51st Annual Oconee Chamber Fall Festival will take place from 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. at Rocket Field in downtown Watkinsville. oconeechamber.org

The Madison Artists Guild will host the Annual Holiday Market at the MAGallery until Dec. 26. themadisonartistsguild.org

Oct. 24

The Oconee Performing Arts Society in Greensboro will host Rhythm & Brews: Blues Traveler at 5 p.m. at Sandy Creek Barn. opas.org

The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation in Watkinsville will host Homeschool Day with Barbara Mann from 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Register at ocaf.com/ocaf-kids

Eatonton will host the Lunch Break Day Party from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Eatonton City Center Stage. downtowneatonton.com

The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center will host the band, Nicholas Jamerson & The Morning Jays from 7:30–9 p.m. mmcc-arts.org

The Georgia Writers Museum in Eatonton will host its annual Haunted Eatonton guided spooky tours at 7 p.m. on Oct. 24, 25, 30 and Nov. 1. georgiawritersmuseum.org

The Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton will host a Halloween Party at the Plaza from 3:30–5 p.m. with free candy and crafts. plazacenter.org

TWO CONVENIENT LOCATIONS!

Oct. 25

The Lake Oconee Showcase of Homes benefiting Greene County Habitat for Humanity will take place at Reynolds Lake Oconee. lakeoconeeshowcaseofhomes.org

Rock Eagle 4-H Center will host the Boo Bash & Bonfire from 4–6 p.m.

Farmview Market in Madison will host the Flavors of Fall Festival from 9 a.m.–2 p.m. farmviewmarket.com

Hard Labor Creek State Park will host Haunted Village at Camp Daniel Morgan from 1:30–4:30 p.m. with a PG tour and from 6:30–9:30 p.m. with a PG-13 tour. Call 706-557-3001 for pricing and more information.

Oct. 31

Madison will host the The Spooktacular Costume Parade in Town Park, Costumed trick-or-treaters up to age 13 and costumed pets on leashes are invited to participate in a free parade around the park. madisonga.com/spooky

Eatonton will host Candy Mania Trick or Treat from 5–8 p.m. on Madison Avenue. downtowneatonton.com

November

Nov. 1

The Monticello/Jasper Chamber of Commerce will host the 59th annual Deer Festival from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. in downtown Monticello. monticellojasper.com

Nov. 3

The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center will host Open Mic Night from 7–9 p.m. mmcc-arts.org

Nov. 4

The Georgia Writers Museum in Eatonton will host Anne Byrne on her book, “Baking in the American South” at 7 p.m. georgiawritersmuseum.org

Nov. 6

The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation in Watkinsville will host Scripts & Sips led by Taylor McKenna. Register at ocaf.com/events

Nov. 7

The Humane Society of Morgan County will host its 5th annual Golf Tournament at noon at the Creek Golf Course. Sign up at humanemorgan.org/golf

Nov. 7–8

Downtown Greensboro will host a Holiday Open House from 10 a.m. Nov. 7–4p.m. Nov. 8. downtowngreensboroga.com

Nov. 8

Eatonton will host the Mistletoe Market from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. on the Courthouse Lawn. downtowneatonton.com

The Rutledge Depot will host the Second Saturday Market from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Email rutledgedepot@gmail.com for more information.

The Artisans Village Guild in Eatonton will host Swap, Shop and Sell from 10 am.–noon at the Artisans Village Livery Studio. Eatonton. theartisansvillage.org

The Artisans Village Art Gallery in Eatonton will host its Holiday Celebration from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. theartisansvillage.org

The Madison-Morgan Boys & Girls Club will host Grease Prom Night. More details available soon. Email kgcardwell@gmail.com for information about sponsorships.

Nov. 13

The Plaza Alliance for the Performing Arts in Eatonton will present, “On Golden Pond,” Nov. 13, 14, 16, 20, 21, 23, live on the Plaza Stage. Purchase tickets at plazacenter.org.

Farmview Market in Madison will host Holiday Supper Club: Supper with Santa from 4:30–7 p.m. farmviewmarket.com

Nov. 14

The Classic City Center in Athens will host the Rock Orchestra by Candlelight at 8 p.m. classiccenter.com

The Madison Artists Guild will host a showcase of the diverse talents of MAGallary artists with a Meet the Artists reception from 6–8 p.m. The exhibit will run until Jan. 6. themadisonartistsguild.org

Nov. 15

Madison will host Shop, Sip and Stroll giving shoppers an opportunity to shop while enjoying complimentary beverages and special retail and restaurant promotions. madisonga.com

Nov. 21

The Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation in Watkinsville will host a Holiday Market from Nov. 21 to 23. Learn more at ocaf.com/holiday-market

The Madison-Morgan Cultural Center will host the music of Leah Calvert from 7:30–9 p.m. mmcc-arts.org

Nov. 22

Madison will host Shop, Sip and Stroll giving shoppers an opportunity to shop while enjoying complimentary beverages and special retail and restaurant promotions. madisonga.com

The city of Rutledge will host Christmas in the Country. Visit the Rutledge Rec. Department Facebook page for more information.

Nov. 29

Eatonton will host Small Business Saturday from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. downtowneatonton.com

The Artisans Village Art Gallery in Eatonton will host its Holiday Open House from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. on Nov. 29 and 30. theartisansvillage.org

To have your community event included in the list of Winter Happenings in Lake Oconee Living send an email to ewhitten@mccitizen.com by Oct. 1. The upcoming winter edition will include happenings for the months of December, January and February.

Discover What GWM has to offer: Meet the Author - Writers Workshops - Book Clubs

There must be something in the soil! Nine of America’s most celebrated authors called middle Georgia their home. Pulitzer Prize winner Alice Walker and best-selling author Joel Chandler Harris began their literary journeys in Eatonton, Georgia. Five more lived and wrote within a 30-mile radius of the Georgia Writers Museum.

In total, more than 90 writers from across the state are recognized at the Georgia Writers Museum for their literary success by receiving the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame induction, the Georgia Author of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award, or the Townsend Prize. Only three authors have received all three honors – visit us to find out who!

Georgia Writers Museum is dedicated to inspiring today’s writers and readers and celebrating Georgia’s literary heritage through exhibits, programs, workshops, and student education.