Georgia Natural Wonder #189 - Yellow River - Rockdale County (Part 1). 1,245

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Georgia Natural Wonder #189 - Yellow River - Rockdale County (Part 1)

We floated the Yellow River down to Yellow River Park in Gwinnett County for our last Georgia Natural Wonder #188. Today we continue to float the river past a small flat water stretch in DeKalb County. There are no real rapids of note as you pass Norris Lake and Highway 124. There is a dirt road next to 124 in front of the graveyard that will take down next to the river. There is a good spot to put in or get out right next to the old rock bridge.


Norris Lake. Punkin14 posted "I pee off the dock in Norris Lake multiple times a week which dumps into the Yellow River..wouldn’t advise any swimming in said river"

Then you come into Rockdale County and American Whitewater says that you find that portage is mandatory just below GA 20 due to Milstead dam. They did left side and said it was sketchy at best.


This TRD image would not stitch properly for a panoramic shot.

All American Whitewater said about this special place was that "The rapid below the dam is a fun but bony class 2".


Milstead Rapids.

The only other American Whitewater description of the Rockdale section of river was that "After that it is class 1 down to GA 138. Watch for a sewage pipe crossing the river just above the water at normal flows. It is approx 1 mile above GA 138 bridge."


Looking upstream Milstead Rapids.

Well, that is the section I consider a separate Georgia Natural Wonder. The rapids of old Milstead in Conyers Georgia.



The Village of Milstead is located two miles north of Olde Town Conyers. In its day it was a bustling, closely-knit, industrial town located on the banks of the Yellow River. Milstead was founded by Frank Milstead. He opened his cotton mill as Milstead Manufacturing Company in 1902 on the site of an old paper mill on the Yellow River. 



From 1902 until it's closing in 1960 and 1961 the Milstead thrived. The mill provided it's employees with bungalow homes, paved streets and sidewalks, a golf course, tennis courts, a bowling alley, a private school and a swimming pool. The mill sponsored a semipro baseball team that competed with other mill town teams throughout Georgia.


It was established on the south bank of the beautiful Yellow River. The mill employed some 700 workers and also provided exceptional amenities to its workers that included churches, a public school, post office, hotel, railroad, company store, drug store.



Though founded independently, the mill was later purchased and operated by Callaway Mills throughout the early 20th century.


Spillway supports by dam.

As the mill grew, so did the village, which eventually featured nearly 200 houses and many more families.



In 1960, Callaway Mills closed the Milstead operation, however the churches and bungalow-type houses of the village still stand today and are home to many residents who continue to enjoy this unique and historic area of Conyers.


TRD pictures of homes in old Milstead. Manager Home and Mill house home.

TRD Addendum

Now I traveled out here for some personal images. You could not get near the old mill on the south side of the river, all covered in Kudzu and marked off No Trespassing. There was a bad flood on the Yellow River back in 2009 as viewed from the south side..



Tad high for floating during flood.



This is my view of spillway from north side of river.



I crossed over the Hwy. 20 bridge and took the first right on Yarbrough Road. Turned into dirt road with lot of low income houses and trailers, kinda rough country road. No parking and no trespassing signs everywhere. Saw this this older Black gentleman in yard in front of trailer and spoke to him. Tall lanky white fellow named Jody came out to get in discussion. Said we could park down on his property, and sure enough there was a handwritten parking sign. Paid him $10 even though he didn't ask for it. There is a steel cable right at the main trail. Jody said some boy scouts camped down here few weeks ago. Ignore the No Trespassing sign and tell em "Jody" gave you permission.


Trail down from Jody's.


Then you step out of this spectacular vista of solid granite just above the main rapids.


Like climbing down Stone Mountain to main rapid.


Looking upstream toward dam, so I headed that way.

It was kinda tricky getting to dam for above attempted panoramic shot. Then I began to notice the true wonder of the spot going back downstream.




Kids and spray paint, large trees felled.

Not bad for GNW #189.



Going downstream from dam and looking back up stream.



Trying to get main rapid in one shot.



These main rapids looked tricky for an inner-tube.



The rapids continue downstream for another half mile.



There is a pretty swimming hole below some lesser shoals.



Panoramic of swimming hole.



Keep following Yellow River downstream.


There is a concrete diversion wall making the river go down the left channel.


Tried to do a panoramic lower left section. Left two photo's stitched, right two images did not.


Downstream and swirl holes.


Cactus and reaching back to top of Rocky bank on way back to Jody's. 

Rockdale County

Ok we came to Rockdale County with Georgia Natural Wonder #55  - Panola Mountain. we mentioned the Monastery of the Holy Spirit. But we really didn't tangent on Rockdale County. So here we go .....



Rockdale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,570. The only incorporated community in the county is Conyers, the county seat, although two other communities, Magnet and Milstead, are included on current maps.



History

Rockdale County was created on October 18, 1870 and received its name from Rockdale Baptist Church (est. 1846), which was named after the granite strata that rests under the county's red clay top soil.



A bill introduced by John F. Hardin and John Harris carved Rockdale out of the northern portion of Newton County; parts of Rockdale County also came from neighboring Henry, Walton, Gwinnett, and DeKalb counties.


Rockdale Baptist Church

The history of Conyers and Rockdale County is diverse and dates back over ten thousand years. Early natives known as "The Mound Builders" were one of many groups who visited Rockdale's gentle hills, lakes and streams. Much later the land was inhabited by the Creek and Cherokee Nations and they shared a common border, the "Great Indian Road," now known as Hightower Trail in northern Rockdale. In the early 1800s, this trail was a main route for white settlers moving inland after the American Revolution.The Hightower Trail began as a notable trading route dividing the Cherokee Nation and Creek Confederacy long before also being used by early European settlers. Its name is believed to come from the Native American word "italwa" (Etowah), for town, people or tribe. Burial remains have been discovered in the Honey Creek and Hi-Roc areas.

 
It served not only as a boundary but also as a wagon train route as it skirted treacherous river crossings & led to shallow fords where the rivers could be safely crossed. 



Georgia stretched all the way to the Mississippi River, and this Indian Road provided an irresistible magnet for European immigration. State authorities officially opened up what is now Rockdale County to settlers in 1816 and 1821. One of several settlements grew up around Costley's Mill on Big Haynes Creek. This settlement grew to include the first school, a gristmill, a sawmill, a planing mill, and eventually a cotton gin. The area's Salem Baptist Church still performs baptisms in the sparkling waters of the old millpond. A dozen or more mills appeared quickly including the three-story Kennedy-Baker Mill which used French burrs for grinding corn and wheat, but several were eventually burned down by Indians.


Indian trouble Rockdale early days.

Camp meetings, originating in Kentucky in 1800, are a distinctly American contribution to the history of Protestantism. Salem Camp Ground , one of the South's oldest camp meetings, has been held every year since 1828 except during the Civil War. As such, Salem is one of the oldest thriving camp meetings in the nation.



The earliest settlement occurred in the extreme northern edge of the county. The southern end of the county was settled as Scots and Scotch-Irish began moving up along the rivers and streams from what is now Henry County. These early families founded numerous churches including Smyrna Presbyterian in 1827, the oldest Calvinist Campground in the United States.


Smyrna Presbyterian Calvinist Campground, vintage and current images.

In pioneer days, after the crops were "laid by," families in several surrounding counties packed a week's provisions in the wagon, tied on the cow, and headed to Salem for their one vacation of the year. These people came for the serious purpose of seeking salvation.Awakened at dawn by a trumpeter, they attended four services a day. At first there was simply a cleared space with a stage lit by bonfire and logs for benches. In 1854, the present tabernacle was built.


194 years.

Whites began migrating to the area in the early 19th century and initial white settlers suffered from Indian raids. Early white settlements developed along Big Haynes Creek in the northern part of the county, the Yellow River in the middle portion of the county, and Honey Creek in the south. Communities formed around grist mills and newly formed churches such as Haralson Mill, Costleys Mill, Dial Mill, Zacharys Mill, McElroys Mill,


Dial Mill will be featured as part of our next Natural Wonder of Rockdale County.

The early churches included Union Grove Baptist Church, Ebenezer Methodist Church, Philadelphia Methodist Church, Salem Baptist Church, Smyrna Presbyterian Church, Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Bethel Christian Church, Honey Creek Baptist Church, and Whites Chapel Methodist Church.


Salem Baptist Church

Other communities included Milstead as mentioned above, and Magnet and Zingara. These settlers were largely subsistence farmers.



Conyers was incorporated in 1854 but had been inhabited for several decades before that under the name Rockdale. Between 1816 and 1821, the area known as Rockdale was open for settlement. The first known settler of Conyers was John Holcomb, a blacksmith, who built a log cabin where the current Rockdale County Courthouse is located, in the middle of Conyers on Main Street.


The present county courthouse was built in 1939.

Eventually, pressure arose for a railroad to cross Georgia; the railroad was intended to run from Augusta, through neighboring Covington to Marthasville (now known as Atlanta). John Holcomb was against the railroad and refused to sell his land, and threatened to shoot anyone from the railroad who came onto his property.


Dr. William Denson Conyers

Dr. William Denson Conyers, a banker from Covington, eventually persuaded John Holcomb into selling his land for $700. Conyers became one of the pioneer settlers of Newton County. Minutes of the Inferior Court for the period 1822-1838 contain numerous documents bearing his signature as a justice of the Inferior Court. He owned a large plantation which extended into what later became Rockdale County. When the Georgia Railroad was being built westward to Atlanta in 1843, he kindly deeded the necessary right-of-way through his property, a generous act which resulted in the present county seat being named for him. What is now Conyers began as a watering post along this line, named after Dr. Conyers. By 1845, the railroad was in full operation.


Old Water Tower downtown had evolved to the Lewis Vaughn Botanical Garden,


By 1854, nearly 400 residents lived around the watering post, and Conyers was incorporated.

This unique garden features a wide variety of native and indigenous plants, a fountain and stream with koi fish and pond bloomers. Stroll through 1.5 garden acres nestled in the heart of downtown Conyers. The site offers examples of native plants of Georgia's Piedmont region. The pond is fed by the city's downtown water tower built in 1900.



The garden offers examples of native plants of Georgia's Piedmont region.


Aggressive Fish in park pond.

Since Conyers developed as a train station, the Depot remains in Olde Town as the most historic site. It is used for meetings, weddings and other special events.  In 2005, the Depot became the home of the Conyers Welcome Center. 



Found these images while visiting the Welcome Center.



Wonderful gal named Misty was very helpful.



Fellow named Towns really fixed up town around depot for passengers to get out and stretch legs.



Marker denoting downtown park.



During the American Civil War, General William Tecumseh Sherman marched the Union Army north of Conyers on his way to Covington from Lithonia.





Seizure and destruction of property accompanied his army's march through the area. Many of the residents of Conyers, fearing Sherman would raze the city, fled to nearby Social Circle in Walton County, since Conyers was an important stop on the Georgia Railroad, but Conyers remained unscathed by the war. It is said to have survived Sherman's March to the Sea due to a friend of Sherman's who lived in the area between Conyers and Covington. The story goes that the houses were spared because Sherman was uncertain where his friend lived.



The city is a fine example of residential and commercial architecture of the 19th century. According to a historical marker on U.S. Highway 278 west of Conyers, Major General Joseph Wheeler of the Confederate States Army and part of his staff were captured by Union troops pursuing Jefferson Davis on May 9, 1865. Wheeler was later released in Athens only to be recaptured again. He was wounded three times and had his horse shot out from under him sixteen times.



Union Troops used the Hightower Trail to March To The Sea.



They marched past the Philadelphia Church.



Confederate Memorial on Courthouse Lawn then and today.



The City has been destroyed at least partially by fire three times.


1884 Fire map.

During Reconstruction, Conyers and Rockdale County experienced tremendous growth. According to the local newspaper, The Weekly Farmer, the population of Conyers increased from 300 to 2,000. During the heyday of textile manufacturing in the South, Rockdale County was a prosperous place with several mill towns. The number of stores, businesses, schools, and churches of the county rapidly multiplied as well.


TRD wanders Conyers.

In 1870, the Georgia legislature acknowledged Rockdale as a county. The name reflects the underlying granite strata that runs beneath the surface of the land, creating rocky hills and dales.


Boulders in backyards in Conyers.

The surrounding area was incorporated into Rockdale County out of Newton County, Georgia, and Conyers became the county seat.



During that decade, Conyers quickly grew to 1,800 and boasted 12 saloons and five brothels. This wild town also had a more reputable side of the town. It had 40 stores, Conyers College, a hotel, and good schools. There was 12 lawyers and just as many doctors.


Among the Law Books

There was a large carriage manufacturer.


Back Alley's of Conyers.

Parts of the county were infamous for moon-shining and the county became dry in 1882, prohibiting the sale and manufacture of liquor except by a licensed pharmacist as prescribed by a physician.


Lot of Granite buildings in Conyers.

One Conyers resident, Sally Fanny Gleaton, emerged as a leading suffragette during the progressive period following Reconstruction. She was well-educated and traveled extensively throughout Europe and North America, working with Carrie Chapman Catts, Eleanor Raoul and "Kit" Hepburn (Kathryn Hepburn's mother) to see the 19th Amendment to the Constitution become law. Even though Georgia was one of the states that did not ratify the Susan B. Anthony Amendment in 1920, granting women the right to vote, the state had an active woman suffrage organization.


Hmmm. Georgia did not give women the right to vote. Did not know that.

Like many Georgia towns, Conyers takes pride in its "sidewalk churches." Along Main Street today, Presbyterian and Methodist churches stand side-by-side. In 1878, First United Methodist began a legacy of joint action in a joint revival with its Presbyterian neighbors. The revival resulted in more than 100 new members.



At some point, the congregants are thought to have persuaded the brothels and saloons to close and leave Conyers for Covington, using a mob.


Presbyterian (Stone) and Methodist (Brick) churches stand side-by-side. Presbyterian Church (1918), Late Gothic Revival, with granite veneer. Atlanta architect Willis Denny designed the Methodist church (1902), Late Gothic Revival, in red brick.

Dinky

Tightly connected to Conyers is Milstead where our GNW was located above. At its peak, Milstead and Conyers had a private railroad that delivered products, such as cotton, from the mill to Conyers for shipping to the textile mills.



The Rockdale Historical Society maintains the "Dinky," a 1905 Rogers steam locomotive that transported thousands of cotton bales and bleached cotton duct to and from nearby Milstead until 1961. The Dinky is one of only three such locomotives of its type in the world. It is permanently parked on the side-rails across from the Depot, between Green and Railroad Streets.



Rockdale County Jail

Rockdale County Jail is a historic building at 967 Milstead Ave. in Conyers, Georgia. It was built in 1897 and served as the jail for Rockdale County, Georgia from then until a new jail was built in 1968. It was entered into the National Register of Historic Places on August 26, 1982. It now serves as the headquarters for the Rockdale County Historical Society and is known as the Old Jail Museum.



Rockdale County was created in October 1870 from parts of adjacent counties. The new jurisdiction authorized construction of a stone jail in 1872. By 1897 the county had outgrown the original jail. Construction of this replacement jail was authorized and architects Golucke & Stewart were hired to design it with F.P. Heifner as the builder. The resulting structure is a two-story rectangular building of red brick, with a basement. The building has a hipped roof and iron bars provide security on windows on both levels.


The jail entrance at rear

The first floor contained offices and living quarters for the sheriff and his family. The second floor contains the jail and consists of three rooms. One contains a four-cell jail block, one is the drunk tank and the last is a jailer's room that could serve as a "hanging room" when needed. At the southeast corner of the first floor is an outside entrance that leads directly up to the jail.



Designed and built to be a county jail, the building therefore reflects the state of the art in jail design at the time. J.W. Golucke was "one of the state's foremost courthouse architects" who often designed jails as well. For this project he employed jail equipment from Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing Co. of St. Louis, Missouri.


New Rockdale County Jail.

When a new county jail was built in 1968, this building sat vacant for several years. In 1975 it was bought from the county by the Rockdale County Historical Society, which restored it at a cost of $15,000.The building is now called the Old Jail Museum. The first floor is now used as offices and museum space. Exhibits include an old television set from 1930 and petticoats from antebellum era weddings. The upper floor containing the jail looks "pretty much as it did ... when prisoners were held there." The cells still contain old graffiti including the names of some incarcerated in the jail.


Deputy William Christian

Deputy William Christian was shot and killed when he and the county sheriff responded to a shooting near Milstead. Two men who were playing a card game got into an argument over ninety-cents that was at stake, and one of the men shot the other. When Deputy Christian and the sheriff arrived at the scene the suspect immediately opened fire on them, striking Deputy Christian in the abdomen.

Rockdale County has several sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including two districts in Conyers that incorporate numerous individually historic buildings. Among the others are Panola Mountain, a 100-acre granite mountain in a state park, added to the register in 1976, and the Rockdale County Jail in Conyers, added in 1982 and now a museum.


Panola Mountain GNW #55

Olde Town features lovely streetscapes, a pavilion, a botanical garden and stream.



Many homes and buildings in Olde Town are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.



The Conyers Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.



The district is roughly bounded by N. Main St., Warehouse St., GA RR, and Center St. It included 39 contributing buildings, a contributing structure and a contributing object.

Conyers Residential Historic District

The Conyers Residential Historic District is an irregularly-shaped historic district in Conyers, Georgia, the only city in Rockdale County, Georgia, located 24 miles east of Atlanta. The district's development dates from the 1840s.



It has examples of high style architecture, including the Pierce Home Place (c. 1840s) Greek Revival style, at 988 Milstead Avenue.



Atlanta architect Neel Reid designed the Langford House, at 900 Main Street, which has a mix of Classical Revival and Italian Renaissance styles. It has identical side porches and a front porch with a columned portico.



The district has several churches. There were the two churches above and the Macedonia Baptist Church (1925), Late Gothic Revival, with granite veneer.



Olde Town Conyers was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It was deemed significant for its architecture and in the area of community planning and development, the latter "because it reflects how a small railroad town grew to accommodate not only the railroad but also the major roads leading to other nearby towns. It was this irregular growth, rather than a planned grid pattern, which became the core of this district. The district developed in a radiating pattern from the wedge-shaped central business district. Railroad, Main, and Milstead are the three main arteries where development occurred."


TRD wandered Conyers.

In 1990, the district included 120 contributing buildings, one other contributing structure, and 16 non-contributing buildings.



National Register of Historic Places listings in Rockdale County, Georgia

The Almand-O'Kelley-Walker House, in Conyers, Georgia, is a historic house built around 1870. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.



It is a one-story folk Victorian frame house on brick piers. It has four original chimneys and six original fireplaces. It has been referred to as a House of Seven Gables. The listing included three contributing buildings and two contributing structures.


View of front door from Green Street.

The Aaron and Margaret Parker Jr. House is a historic farm house built circa 1830 that is one of the oldest houses in Rockdale County, Georgia, United States. It is located at 4835 Flat Bridge Road inside the Panola Mountain State Park. It is one and a half stories, constructed in the Plantation Plain style.



It is three bays wide and one room deep, with an extra travelers room adjacent to the front porch. There are two chimneys, one on each end wall.

History

Aaron Parker Jr. was born November 12, 1788 in North Carolina to Aaron and Charity Shuffield Parker, Sr. The family moved to Clarke County, Georgia the following year, and Parker was raised there. In 1806 he married Margaret Browning (born June 30, 1789), also originally from North Carolina. The couple would eventually have 14 children over 55 years of marriage.


View from across the street showing the entrance to the Panola Mountain State Park.

Parker purchased land and moved his family from Clarke County in the spring of 1822. Parker purchased additional plots of land in the area and built the house here around 1830. Parker was active in the community, serving as county justice of the peace and postmaster general, but his primary occupation was farming. By 1850 he owned almost 3,000 acres of land, as well as 15 slaves. That increased to 24 slaves by 1860, though his land holdings had decreased to 1,000 acres.


View including the yard, stone wall and a historical plaque placed by the state.

Parker died on January 5, 1881. His wife had died 10 years earlier. Both are buried in a cemetery in Rockdale County. His children inherited his property including 606 acres of remaining land. The house and land were sold several times during the 20th century. At times the house was rented to tenants.


The rear of the house.

In 1991 the property was being developed into the Southerness Golf Club, and the house was to be demolished. Community efforts prevented that, and instead the golf course incorporated the house, using the first floor as an office. A paved turn-around connected to the parking lot was built surrounding the house and the rest of the golf club's buildings were built nearby. The rear (north) facade of the house is directly adjacent to pavement but the other sides of the house are buffered by a small yard with a low rock wall. While it was included in the golf club, several changes were made including: new wood siding, reconstruction of the rear porch, brick veneer on the chimneys, and new doors and windows.


Another front view showing the historic stone wall.

The golf course eventually closed and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources bought the 110 acres property for $790,000 in 2004. Since then the state has demolished the former golf club buildings and made other changes to create a more rural landscape. The Rockdale County Historical Society partnered with the state to perform a structural assessment and restore the house, which was in a "deplorable" condition. Although it is not open to visitors generally, the park sometimes holds living history demonstrations at the house.

The Conyers post office contains a mural, The Ploughman, painted in 1940 by Elizabeth Terrell. Murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through the Section of Painting and Sculpture, later called the Section of Fine Arts, of the Treasury Department.



The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious American New Deal agency, employing individuals to carry out public works projects.



Art around Conyers.



Pine Log Cemetery downtown.



125 photos in this post and I took 80 of them.



We are going to leave our tangent of Rockdale County off around World War II. We found some other pretty County spots rich with Natural Beauty and History. So we have squeezed in a third Rockdale County Natural Wonder of Georgia for our next post, which affords us a chance to wrap up Rockdale County with a second modern day tangent.

Our GNW Gals today are all women of Rock for Rockdale County!


All still alive too!