Georgia Natural Wonder #201 - Broad River - Elbert County (Part 2). 1,190

[Top Row Dawg]

Broad River  - Elbert County (Part 2)

We found another Wonder in Elbert County which affords us the opportunity to tangent again on the history of the county. Now I have floated the Broad River from Royston down to the Hwy 172 Bridge four times in my life. One trip required a trip to Royston ER where I got stitches in my head from diving head first into shallow rocky put in as a tube got away from me and my first date girlfriend. Retrieved tube and did float the river that day keeping head dry. Bad day as Rangers on bridge at take out gave us tickets for no life preservers too. 


Wasn't much older than this fellow.

The Broad River is among the last free-flowing rivers in Georgia. It flows south from its headwaters in Banks and Stephens Counties through Madison and Elbert Counties to its confluence with the Savannah River at the Clark Hill Reservoir.



The Broad River is critical to the health and economic well-being of the citizens of northeast Georgia. It provides drinking water for the cities of Royston and Franklin Springs and it is an industrial and agricultural water supply for the region. The river provides residents with an array of recreational activities including boating and fishing. The river supports a variety of fish including bass, catfish, and as of last year the robust redhorse. Currently public access to the river is quite limited.



The National Park Service recognized 99 miles of the Broad River as being pristine enough to qualify as part of the Federal Wild and Scenic Rivers System. In 1976, The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, recognizing its good environmental condition, proposed that the Broad River be designated an environmental corridor.



Additionally, in 1993, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs designated the Broad River a Regionally Important Resource (RIR) initializing the development of a resource management strategy.

Wikipedia

The Broad River is a 60.0-mile-long tributary of the Savannah River in northeastern Georgia. The North Fork of the Broad River begins in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Stephens County, then joins the Middle Fork west of Royston in Franklin County to form the main stem. The Broad River continues south, being joined by the Hudson River flowing from the west out of Franklin County. The Broad was used for reference as the county line between Madison and Elbert counties as it turns southeast.



Below Carlton, the South Fork Broad River joins the Broad River from the west at what is now the junction of Oglethorpe, Madison and Elbert counties. The South Fork originates at Minish's Lake near Danielsville and passes through Watson Mill Bridge State Park (GNW #126), which borders Oglethorpe and Madison counties.



The Broad River continues its flow uninterrupted toward the Savannah River between Elbert County to the north, and Oglethorpe, Wilkes and Lincoln counties to the south. Most of the Broad River's course runs across the Piedmont Plateau.



It flows into the Savannah River in Elbert County, where the confluence is inundated by Lake Clark Hill, formed by a dam downriver. The watershed of the Broad River is one of the least developed watersheds in the Georgia Piedmont.



Efforts to protect the Broad River as one of Georgia's last free-flowing rivers include a local group, the Broad River Watershed Association, as well as legislative protection at the federal, state, and county levels.



The Broad is known for its relatively unspoiled nature, with numerous shoals and mild rapids snaking through farmlands and bounded by bluffs of up to 200 feet in height.



Prior to the 19th century, the Broad River in Georgia was used as a border between the territories of the Cherokee bands to the north, and the Creek people to the south.



Meriwether Lewis, later known for the Lewis and Clark expedition, grew up in this area in the 1780s, where he honed his skills of exploration and wilderness survival. He also gained first-hand knowledge about some Native American peoples while living beside the Broad River in Wilkes (now Oglethorpe) County.


Meriwether Lewis and monument where Lewis found dead at Grinder's Stand Inn on the Natchez Trace, about 70 miles southwest of Nashville.

We link a tangent on the Stephens County Broad River Trail. It is a 7.7 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Toccoa, Georgia.



Broad River origins Stephens County.



Broad River Water Trail

The Broad River Water Trail runs from the confluence of the Hudson River and Middle Fork Broad River to Bobby Brown State Park. It includes 10 access points (2 public and 8 on private property with public access to boat launches), plus 8 highway bridge crossings. Counties within the Watershed include: Athens-Clarke, Jackson, Habersham, Stephens, Banks, Franklin, Hart, Madison, Elbert, Oglethorpe, and Wilkes and Lincoln. The water trail will ultimately be 70 miles long beginning on the Hudson or 75 miles on the Middle Fork, continuing downstream along the Broad River, and finishing in Clark’s Hill Reservoir. The Broad is one of Georgia’s last free-flowing rivers and is known for its historical importance and relatively unspoiled nature, with numerous shoals and mild rapids meandering through farmlands and bounded by bluffs of up to 200 feet in height. Leaving this supersized so you can read and study it.



The National Park Service recognized 99 miles of the Broad River as pristine enough to qualify for consideration in the Federal Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

American Whitewater

River Description

The gauge is located in Carlton GA, 18 miles south of Hwy 281. It will take the water 6 to 12 hours to hit the gauge. 2 foot is the minimum for this run. 3-4 foot is optimal for beginners. Levels above 6 foot the river takes on a totally different character and is better suited for more advanced paddlers.



Around 7 or 8 feet the outpost start shutting down trips, and the surfing starts to get nice! At levels above 15 feet or so, large surf waves and holes abound, some have good eddies, many are caught on the fly. Roostertail Rapid at the end is an incredible sight and fairly intimidating with large standing waves and holes. At these levels, come with a bombproof roll or you will be looking for your boat in Augusta. The river has been run upwards of 20 feet or 17,000 cfs.



There are two outfitters available on this run. One is located at the put-in and the other is located at the take-out.



The Broad River Outpost is located at the put-in. They have a large parking area, and charge $5 for parking and shuttle. According to the Broad  website, there are 7 rapids in this stretch. At flood stage, Roostertail Rapid makes a huge 10 foot tall surfing wave.



A note from the BRO Owners:

'I own and operate the Broad River Outpost on Hwy. On our gauge at the put-in, we tried to 'mimic' the USGS gauge' at Carlton. It's similar at low levels but gets progressively lower at the high water levels. In the years past we had a painted gauge on the bridge itself. Like our new gauge, the Bridge Gage has a proportionally lower reading than the gauge at the 72 bridge . . . wider channel, steep gradient, etc ???? We should do a mathematical comparison / curve . . . maybe one day.'



There are many old paddlers who've run the Broad River at the high water levels - it turns into a wonderful 'big water' class 3-4 run. We thought an update on the gauge system would be helpful. We do get calls from confused older boaters . . . but then it could be our age.

For more info: Broad River Outpost.

The other outfitter for this section of river is The Sandbar. They are located about 1 mile past the bridge on river left.  Driving directions if you're coming from Athens on Hwy 172 go over the bridge for the Broad and about 1/2 mile on the right is a dirt road King Hall Mill road.  Go about 1 mile look for their sign on the right. Their shuttle service costs $5 and puts you in right above the first ledge. It also cuts out a mile and a half of flat water.



If you are into creeking, and the Broad is too high for mere mortals, a 2 mile run that opens up is Mill Shoal Creek which is a class 3 run where the owner of the Sandbar, Gerald Carey, owns all of the land on river right and will arrange shuttle. Or if you do your own shuttle, the owner does not mind as long as you notify them. They will give you directions to the put-in and take-out.

For more information call (706) 245-4163 or visit the website for the Sandbar.

River Features

The Sandbar put-in

Distance: 1.5 miles - Put In - Access Point


Rookies.

This is the put-in for The Sandbar outfitters, it cuts out all the flat water at the beginning of this run and puts you at the top of the first ledge.

First Ledge

Class: II - Distance: 1.7 mi - Surf Spot



Large shoal with a small island in the middle. Last checked there were the remains of a Coleman canoe wrapped on a rock at the bottom left. At low water run left side of island.4ft and above there are lines everywhere with a nice wave train at the end.

Lunch Stop Rock

Class: II - Distance: 3.3 mi



A left to right move.

3 Falls

Class: II+Distance: 4.3 mi - Waterfall / Large Drop



A five foot tall vertical ledge is on the right side of the island.



There are 3 lines you can take. Far right has a piton rock so hug far right bank as much as you can.



Center line opens up around 4 feet, make sure you have speed because the lip is very shallow.



At levels over 6 feet a keeper hole develops on the center line.The left line is a fun slide.



On the left side of the island are some class 2 shoals. There is an easy to avoid undercut in this rapid.



Skull Shoal Creek

Distance: 4.4 mi



Skull Shoal comes in below the waterfall on the right.

Roostertail Rapid

Class: II+Distance: 5 miles - Surf Spot



Roostertail is a riverwide broken ledge shoal. Its best run on the right,punch the wave and watch out for the pillowing rock. You will be able to see the Hwy 172 bridge below.

Hwy 172 bridge

Class: I - Distance: 5.5 miles - Access Point Surf Spot



There is another ledge under the bridge. At some levels there is surfing on the left. Avoid the rock island with the tree there is rebar here from an old bridge.

Broad River Outpost takeout

Distance: 6.5 mi - Access Point Take Out


We made it.

Look for the steps on river right, a little past the island.

Moores' ledge

Class: II+Distance: 6.75 miles - Surf Spot Take Out



Right at the Sandbar take out is a nice long sloping ledge. At low levels run river right then take-out on the left at the Sandbar outfitters. At higher levels lines open up everywhere.


Broad River rocks!!


Prime location for HOTD float.

East Broad Dawg (addendum 1) 

East Broad pointed out a spot I did not know about right before the river hits the headwaters of Clark Hill Lake.



He grew up in Washington and as a kid a trip to Anthony Shoals was better than Six Flags. Love where Anthony Shoals flows into Clark Hill. Catch white bass and a buzz. Last stretch of Broad River before it backs up into Clark Hill. There are some bluffs/ ledges along this stretch of river.


I did a deep dive on this and its still pretty remote.

Having never been there, I did some Cyber exploring. One writer remembers the shoals had mountain laurel and rhododendron. They had fish fries and a lot of get-togethers up above the shoals in a place that amounted to a natural campground. He assumed the entire shoals were beneath Clark Hill Lake as the dam was built in 1954. But Anthony Shoals still exists. In fact, it’s part of the Broad River Wildlife Management Area.You’ll find rapids at Anthony Shoals, a very long series of rapids of Class II difficulty.


Fuzzy images from video below.

You’ll also find a channel cut through ledges so barges from yesteryear could travel upstream. Canoeists and kayakers love the shoals.



Grassy islets, forest-clad slopes, and a rocky streambed hosting rushing water make for a picturesque setting. And it gets even prettier come spring. Anthony Shoals is the only place on the Broad River that supports the rare shoal lilies that dwell on Southeast fall line rivers. Tom Poland wrote A Rare Spectacle about these flowers and ties to William Bartram.





History lives here too. The area also harbors remnants from previous settlements, including Native American mounds and the ruins of old mills and factories from the 1700s.



A UGA Landscape grad, Phillip Juras, said “There is no river scene in the Piedmont of northeast Georgia more stunning than Anthony Shoals on the Broad River. This final stretch of the Broad is the only place in the upper Savannah River watershed where the sound of a wild river still rises from such a wide swath of bedrock.”


Juras did several paintings.

If you imagine an earlier time when Native Americans inhabited this area, it’s likely the scene would appear much as it does today.



The Broad River Manufacturing Company was along the shores and used cotton referred to as “Goshen cotton.” The cotton’s long gone and its gift to us today is some of the more interesting ruins from the nation’s early industrial settlements. Brick walls and towers rise from the forest floor.


Old bridge trestle from 1800's - Shoal Lilies.



And now I discover that people actually pursue rock climbing there on a small group of challenging boulders, several of which have “climbable problems.”



Broad River Outpost hosts an annual Shoal Lily Float at Anthony Shoals on the Broad River in Georgia. The Shoal Lily is an endangered plant with beautiful white flowers that lives exclusively in shoal environments on rivers in the Piedmont region of the Southeastern U.S., many of which are lying completely underwater in manmade lakes.



Footage taken during a trip guiding students from The University of Georgia Ecology Club.



“The river at Anthony Shoals is wide and multi-channeled, with shoal ledges and rock islands that you could explore all day if you wanted to. The site is also home to a healthy population of shoal lilies, and we were lucky to see many of them still blooming … The whitewater was not out of this world, but I really can’t get over what a remarkable place Anthony Shoals is. As you come down the final run of whitewater and dump into the flat water at the top of the reservoir in which the Broad River effectively ends, rising above you on the right bank is a great, tall slope covered with gorgeous hardwood forest. Looking back up at the shoals from there, you see countless channels of water streaming down through small islands and, on the left against the bluff, patches of lilies. The place is incredible.”

.

I can’t wait to go there. I’ll spend an afternoon at a place where generations since the 1700's spent some of their more memorable childhood days, a jewel of a place that still sparkles.



East Broad Dawg (Addendum 2)

East Broad has sent me his own images.



These were taken a few years ago in winter (bare hardwoods in background) and the river was low and clear.



Now the Broad River eventually turns into Lake Clark Hill, I refuse to call it Lake Strom Thurmond.



See the dam was called Clark Hill Dam.



Oversized Map details Clark Hill Lake.



Communities

We left our history tangent on Elbert County at the Historical Markers and National Historic Sites (GNW #200). We now turn to the communities of Elbert County.

Cities

Bowman

Bowman is a city in Elbert County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 872.



History

The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Bowman as a town in 1907. The community was named after Thomas J. Bowman, a railroad promoter. We covered Bowman a bit more in our last post.



Elberton

The county seat of Elbert County in Georgia’s Piedmont region is Elberton. Officially incorporated in 1803 and originally known as Elbertville, Elberton has managed to outlive several rival towns in the area and is now the county’s largest city, with a population of 4,653, according to the 2010 U.S. census. It is also one of the nation’s most important producers of granite monuments and memorials. During the 1890s Elberton called itself the “Granite City” and, after the turn of the century, the “Granite Capital of the South”; soon thereafter it began to claim the title “Granite Capital of the World.”


Elberton

Elberton’s origins date back to the decade before the American Revolution (1775-83), when settlers from Virginia and the Carolinas, following Indian trails and wilderness passes through the lower Appalachian Mountains, began to filter into the Savannah and Broad River valleys. According to local lore, in 1769 William Woodley and a small number of pioneer families were driving flocks of turkeys through the area on their way to the market in Augusta. The party camped in a hardwood valley near a beautiful spring and decided that it would be a good place to settle. After selling their goods in Augusta, the party came back to the spring and established a frontier settlement.


Elberton Bicentennial Monument

After the American Revolution, Woodley’s settlement was variously designated as the “Old Town Spring” and, in honor of Revolutionary War patriot Samuel Elbert, Elbertville. In 1790 Elbert County was created from Wilkes County, and three justices were selected to find a suitable location for a courthouse. One of those justices was Stephen Heard, Revolutionary War veteran and former governor of Georgia.



At the time, Petersburg, located in the forks of the Savannah and Broad rivers at the southern end of the county, was the most prosperous and promising town in the region. Nevertheless, because of its central position in the new county, the justices decided to designate Elbertville as the county seat. Shortly afterward a courthouse and a jail were constructed, and Elbertville became known as Elberton.



Elberton’s population steadily grew as the eighteenth century ended and the nineteenth began. On December 10, 1803, Elberton was officially incorporated, and five commissioners were appointed “for the better regulation and government of the town.” By then, a leather tanning facility had been erected near the town spring.



During the antebellum era Elberton emerged as one of the premier towns in the region. The first major church in the town, the Methodist church, was established in 1815. Many years later, in 1860, the First Baptist Church near the square opened its doors to the community. By 1865 the Presbyterian congregation also had built a church within the town’s limits. According to local tradition, the first Christmas tree in Georgia was erected in the George Loehr Home, just south of the town square, in 1858. The main artery of traffic into the town was the Old Post Road (later Georgia Highway 77), which ran to nearby Lexington in Oglethorpe County.


Christmas Tree House



Elberton’s increasing importance was heightened by the slow demise of neighboring towns, including Petersburg and Ruckersville. While it never reached a pretentious size during the antebellum years, Elberton did become an economic hub for cotton and other agricultural products produced not only in the county but also in outlying rural districts and settlements within its wide circle of influence. Despite its position as the county seat, Elberton, at least before the war, never achieved the economic or political status of nearby Athens, or even Washington in Wilkes County to the south, and the effects of modernization were barely measurable.



Although General William T. Sherman’s forces never came through Elbert County, the impact of the Civil War (1861-65) was still keenly felt, especially by the numerous Elberton residents who served in the Confederate forces or lost a loved one in the conflict. After the war Elberton continued to exist as an agricultural center based on the production of cotton. During the 1870s it was still little more than a small, rural hamlet, although the signs of modernization were sluggishly beginning to wrap their sinuous cords around the town. As late as 1879, Elberton still lacked a bank and a telegraph line, but many new buildings were springing up in and around town. “That Elberton is 'on the incline’ but a casual glance is sufficient to affirm,” one person said. “Old dwellings have been repaired and modernized, new ones, of most artistic proportions, are fast covering the vacant lots, and everything partakes of that vim and energy that has ever characterized the people of this section.”


Maxwell House

The Maxwell House, a hotel and boarding house, was located on the west side of the courthouse square. H.K. Gairdner owned this land and in 1905 he contracted with William E. Wallis, a local builder, to have the hotel constructed. Mr. Gairdner made arrangements with Mrs. J.H. Maxwell to manage the hotel. Signs advertise that baths are available on the basement level as well as the Harris Antiseptic Shaving Palace. Later when Mrs. Maxwell retired, the hotel became known as the Piedmont Hotel.



Elberton’s economic transformation was dramatically affected by the discovery and subsequent development of its granite deposits. The county’s first commercial quarry opened in 1882 to supply granite for railroad construction, home foundations, and chimney stone. The city produced its first significant granite memorial in 1889 and executed its first granite sculpture, a Confederate statue irreverently known as “Dutchy,” in 1898. The coming of railroads during the latter decades of the nineteenth century, particularly the Elberton Air Line to Toccoa and the Seaboard Air Line to Athens and Atlanta, significantly accelerated the pace of Elberton’s industrial growth. Even the town’s appearance seemed to mirror its newfound obsession with granite, which became, for a short time, the primary construction material for new homes, sidewalks, a library, and even a bank that was built on Sutton Square in 1893. Several features in the county’s present courthouse, constructed in 1894, are made of native granite.



Accompanying the town’s growth was a sudden influx of northern entrepreneurs and foreign laborers, particularly Italians, with extensive experience in granite production. Between 1900 and 1930, several Italian families came to Elberton, established their own granite businesses, and made the town their permanent home. Perhaps the most successful Italian migrant to Elberton was Charles C. Comolli, who along with Atlanta native B. F. Coggins, dominated the town’s granite industry during the Great Depression and World War II (1941-45). Over time Coggins emerged as Elberton’s preeminent granite entrepreneur. He was founder and president of the Coggins Granite Industries, a large conglomerate of sheds and quarries. After World War II the town’s industry entered its most successful and expansive stage. During the 1950s the Elberton Granite Association was created.



As a visual testament to Elberton’s civic pride, Elbert County High School’s football field, located on the site of the Old Town Spring, was remodeled in 1961 with rows of granite seats that encompass the entire stadium. Known as the Granite Bowl, the stadium has a seating capacity of 20,000 and is one of the most unusual high school football fields in the country. In the twenty-first century the granite business still forms the backbone of Elberton’s economy, and a large percentage of the city’s inhabitants are connected, in one way or another, to the stone industry.

Elberton’s Granite Bowl

Elberton, chartered Dec. 10, 1803 was settled because turkey hunters found a pleasant area situated around a spring. In 1812, town commissioners purchased the spring from a private owner. It was used for drinking water until the City of Elberton built a water system around 1899. From that time forward, the spring was forgotten.


The spring was unfortunately used as a trash dump and was overgrown with weeds and bushes. It was right off of the downtown square so citizens had to view this mess daily.

Local resident and Elberton City Parks Director Ben Sutton came up with the idea for improvement. He envisioned a football stadium for the Elberton School System, whose football team was the Blue Devils. After floating the idea by Elberton High School Football Coach Lee “Chunk” Atkinson, Mr. Sutton talked to City Council and convinced them to support his plan. The Council promised to purchase a culvert, clean the area and install lights and poles. Beginning in the summer of 1951, local contractors loaned bulldozers for the project. The spring was covered and a drainage pipe funneled it under the portion leveled for the playing field. Local granite companies (Elberton is the Granite Capital of the World) donated various sizes of sawed pieces of granite for the seating areas. Sand for mortar was donated, fill-in dirt was donated and money was contributed.



In 1954, the Elberton Blue Devils prepared for the first game. It had a field-level granite wall circling the field. On the home side five rows of granite seats were complete between the 20-yard lines. The visitors’ side had only two rows, with a 40-foot dirt hill rising above it. Unfortunately, the first game played in the Granite Bowl was lost in the fourth quarter to Morgan County, 7-0. A week later the Blue Devils celebrated a victory defeating Greenwood, SC, 33-0.



The Elberton School system operated from 1900 to 1956 when it merged with Elbert County. The high school became Elbert County High School.



The Granite Bowl has been upgraded through the years. The second major push to finish the stadium came in 1961 enlarging the seating capacity to 20,000.


Another interesting addition to the field is the scoreboard sign acquired from Sanford Stadium in 1991.

Nancy Hart Cabin

Nancy Hart Log Cabin was the home site of Nancy Hart. She was a staunch patriot, a deadly shot, a skilled doctor, and a good neighbor. A spy for the Colonists, she is credited with capturing several British Tories. The cabin is located off Highway 17, south of Elberton. In 1932, the Elbert County Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, recognizing the contribution of Nancy Hart, erected a replica of her cabin on the site of the original home place. The stones from the fireplace and chimney of Benjamin and Nancy Hart’s early home were used to recreate the cabin to its original state.



Tall Georgia pine trees were harvested, skinned, and notched to build the one room log house. The cabin was constructed for historical authenticity with short doors and wooden shutters over small windows. Holes were left in the mud chinking for “shooting Indians and other unwelcome visitors.” A large stone fireplace at one end of the room provided fire to cook the food and warmth for the winter. Water was carried from a spring less than half a mile from the cabin. The spring still produces a steady stream of clear water, feeding into the beautiful Wahatchee Creek.



The DAR deeded the Nancy Hart Cabin to the State of Georgia in the late 1940’s, and the 14 acre plot was developed as a state park. During this time, the park was used for a wide variety of educational and recreational purposes. The park was deeded to Elbert County because of state budget cuts in the 70’s.



In 1912 workmen grading a railroad near the site of the old Hart cabin unearthed a neat row of six skeletons that lay under nearly three feet of earth and were estimated to have been buried for at least a century. This discovery seemed to validate the most oft-told story of the Nancy Hart legend. The cabin was restored in 1992 through grants and donations and a generous outpouring of community effort.

Richard B. Russell Dam & Lake

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, in cooperation with Georgia Department of Natural Resources and South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, developed an overall master plan for recreational development and natural resources management for the Richard B. Russell Lake. Public input was encouraged and received through numerous public meetings. The Richard B. Russell Dam and Lake is the third multipurpose project built on the Savannah River by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District. Authorized in 1966 for the purpose of hydropower generation, recreation, and flood control, the project got underway in 1976.



The Russell Dam site is located between the existing Hartwell and Clark Hill Dams. It is 18 miles southeast of Elberton, GA, and 4 miles southwest of Calhoun Falls, SC. The dam was built in the headwaters of the Clark Hill Dam about 37 miles above the Clark Hill Dam. Hartwell Dam is located about 30 miles upstream from the Russell site.



Richard B. Russell Lake covers 26,650 acres with an additional 26,500 acres of land surrounding the waters. Corps of Engineers policy is to manage and protect the shoreline of the lake by properly establishing and maintaining acceptable fish and wildlife habitat, aesthetic quality and natural environmental conditions; and to promote safe and healthful use of these shorelines for recreational purposes by the public.



Thus, private exclusive use is not permitted on Richard B. Russell Lake. Boat owners are encouraged to moor their boats at commercial marinas, use dry storage facilities or motor their boats to public launching ramps for removal.

The Elbert Theatre

The Elbert Theatre opened on February 23, 1940, as the most advanced movie theatre in Northeast Georgia.



Built by Lucas and Jenkins, the original Theatre featured the best in modern conveniences for its time: air conditioning, RCA Hi-Fi sound, Simplex Eurprex projection, an Evenlight diffusing screen, hearing aids, extra large seats in a staggered formation for optimum viewing, and a “magic eye” drinking fountain.



For nearly 30 years, the Theater served as Elberton’s gateway to the world of motion pictures, a regular entertainment spot for local residents. Movies eventually were no longer shown and the building fell into disrepair.



The facility and land was purchased by the City of Elberton. Renovation began on the Elbert Theatre in 2000 and in 2005 it held its first theatre season.

Census-designated place
   
Dewy Rose

Dewy Rose is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Elbert County, Georgia, United States. Its population was 161 as of the 2020 census. Dewy Rose has a post office with ZIP code 30634.



Georgia State Route 17 passes through the community.





History

A post office called Dewy Rose has been in operation since 1882. According to tradition, the community was named for the dewy rose the postmaster's daughter found.



Stinchcomb Methodist Church was one of the first churches in this section of the state.



On Dec. 30, 1794, Middleton Wood granted to Absalom Stinchcomb, John Gatewood and John Ham, the "privilege to erect a meeting house on his land on waters of Dove Creek". The first building was a log structure. By 1850's the church acquired surrounding property. The present building has been in continuous use for over 100 years.



The sills are hand hewn, 14 inches square. Among the old graves in the churchyard cemetery is that of Dionysius Oliver, Revolutionary soldier.



Dionysius Oliver served in the Revolutinary War as Captian of a Privateer. Served with General Lincoln at the sieges of Savannah and Augusta. It is said that he also served with General Francis Marion. He was captured by the British. He fought at the Battle Kettle Creek, GA, Feb. 14, 1779 and at the Battle of King's Mountain, S.C., Oct. 7, 1780. He established the old town of Petersburg, GA about 1786 on the point where the Broad River flows into the Savannah River.

Unincorporated communities
   
Fortsonia

The Fortsonia name is based on the Fortson family.The larger area in southern Elbert County, Georgia, was, and still is, known as Flatwoods. Only when the railroad was built, and a railroad depot needed to be named for the adjacent community, was that community named Fortsonia.


Elberton and Eastern RR Engine

The railroad built a depot on land provided by George T. Fortson. George’s cousin, Frank B. Fortson, Sr., owned the property directly across from the depot. Frank provided the railroad a right of way through his property to the depot. Frank’s brother, George Haley Fortson, City Attorney for Seattle, WA, volunteered for the Spanish-American War in the Philippine Islands. Captain Fortson was mortally wounded there.
   
Hard Cash

Hard Cash is an unincorporated community in Elbert County, Georgia, United States. In 1894, the settlement was noted as a stop on the Southern Railway. 


Nothing on Hard cash but look at this map of Elbert County and all the "Lost" towns.

Middleton

The Grogan home in Middleton, was built in the early 1870's by the Reverend John Henry Grogan, an itinerant Methodist minister, this house was of mortise and tenon construction. Known as the Grogan Home Place and owned by the Grogan family until 1974, the house was originally the center of John H. Grogan's milling and church activities.



The massive granite piers which supported the building are one of the first known uses of quarried granite in the area.
   
Ruckersville

Ruckersville is an unincorporated community in Elbert County, in the U.S. state of Georgia.


Old post office and general store

History

Ruckersville was founded in the 1773, and named after Ruckersville, Virginia. The pioneering Rucker family maintained the Rucker House at the site, which still stands today.



Joseph Rucker owned as many as 12 plantations and was called 'Squire' Rucker. He was also known as 'Georgia's First Millionaire. The Civil War devastated all of Joseph's plantations, including his home plantation called Cedar Grove. Joseph and Margaret died during the darkest days of the war; he on August 27, 1864 and she nine days later on September 5. Thus the inscription on their monument is fitting: "United during their long lives and in death they were not divided."

A post office called Ruckersville was established in 1823, and remained in operation until 1901. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Ruckersville as a town in 1822. The town's municipal charter was repealed in 1995.


Ruckersville Methodist Church

Joseph Rucker Lamar (1857–1916), an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, was born in Ruckersville.




   
Rock Branch


Nothing on Rock Branch found, but did find oversized map from 1933 of middle section of Elbert County.
   
Ricetown

You won’t find Rice Town on any map, but it’s a settlement of many Rice family members and descendants on GA 79, east of Elberton.

Ghost town
   
Petersburg

Petersburg, Georgia was an upriver market town located in Wilkes County, Georgia, United States (now Elbert County). Now dead or defunct, it was named after Petersburg, Virginia, and founded by Dionysius Oliver in 1786 to serve the rapidly growing Broad River Valley region of Georgia. It enjoyed connection via pole boat with Augusta, Georgia, following the Savannah River (Coulter 1965:49). Petersburg gained importance as a tobacco inspection station, vital to local planters in obtaining good prices for their casked produce. During the peak of its prosperity, from 1800 to 1810, it was the third-largest city in Georgia, after Savannah and Augusta.



Sibbald described the town in his 1801 Pinelands of Georgia:

    Petersburg, in point of situation and commercial consequence is second only to Augusta. It is situated on a point of Land, formed by Broad river, where it empties into Savannah river; is a handsome well built Town and presents to the view of the astonished traveller, a Town which has risen out of the Woods in a few years, as if by enchantment: It has two Warehouses for the Inspection of Tobacco: Is fifty miles North west from Augusta. On another point of land on the opposite side of Broad river is the town of Lincoln [Lisbon?], which has an Inspection for Tobacco, some Stores, &c. On the opposite shore in South-Carolina, is the town of Vienna, which has a number of houses, Stores, a tobacco-inspection, &c.'

Longstreet described the town ca. 1806 to 1809 in connection with an annual exhibition at Moses Waddel's nearby Willington Academy.

    Petersburg was quite an active, busy, commercial little town. It was situated in the fork of the Savannah and Broad Rivers, and contained some eight or ten stores, with the usual supplement of grog shops, and the very unusual supplement of a billiard-table. Notwithstanding these last, the citizens of the place were generally remarkable for their refinement, respectability, intelligence and hospitality. The dwelling houses far outnumbered the stores and shops. It was separated from Lisbon by Broad River, and from Vienna by the Savannah. Lisbon we believe could never boast of more than two stores and a groggery, and as many dwellings. Vienna surpassed Lisbon in everything, but exactly how far, and in what we are not able to say, except in John Glover's house and store, which had no match in Lisbon.

Notable persons from the Broad River Valley area included William Wyatt Bibb, who practiced medicine in Petersburg, and was elected as a U. S. Representative from Georgia. He went on to serve in the U.S. Senate (1813-1816), moved to Alabama when appointed by the President as the Territorial Governor, and in 1819 was elected as the first Governor of that state.


Wyatt and Grave.



Charles Tait was brought with his family to the area in 1783 and served in the U.S. Senate (1809-1818), making Petersburg the home of concurrent Senators.


Tait and Grave.


Historical marker about the horse whipping of Tait.

George Rockingham Gilmer, born in Wilkes County and a pupil of Waddel's Academy, was elected U. S. Representative in the 1820s and Governor of Georgia 1829-1831 and 1837-1839.


Gilmer and Grave.

The town had a brief life; it was not developed until after the American Revolutionary War and after 1810 its population started declining, until it was abandoned.



After the last person left, the buildings deteriorated, and the area finally reverted to agricultural land. The last known sale of a numbered lot occurred in 1837. Several reasons have been advanced for the decline. The tobacco monopoly was squeezed out by cotton, which was 'thrown upon boats all along the river without being inspected'. Other reasons given were the advent of steamboats (which were not practicable above Augusta). Later, the rivers proved to be obstacles to construction of railroads through the area, considered essential for the economic life of towns after 1850. But above all, the opportunity of new land to the west available for development attracted its inhabitants to keep moving west. The Petersburg post office was moved to nearby Lisbon, Georgia in 1844, and closed in 1855. The town of Vienna, South Carolina also declined and disappeared.

The town is best remembered today for its 'Petersburg boats', a pole boat of ten tons' carrying capacity well suited for the stretch of river between Petersburg and Augusta. It was in common use until well after the American Civil War.


'Petersburg Boat' extensively used along Upper Savannah River until the late 19th century.

The town, now under the waters of Clarke’s Hill Lake, had a cemetery which was moved by the Army Corps of Engineers during the construction of Strom Thurmond Dam. The graves and headstones were moved to Bethlehem United Methodist Church, just off Hwy. 72. One tombstone with the name of a young boy, Robert Davies Roundtree, was discovered during a drought in the early 1980s which lowered lakes levels by approximately 20 feet. Before the stone and grave could be moved, rains brought lake levels back to normal.



Petersburg residents were known for their refinement, respectability, intelligence and hospitality. Even today visitors who follow the trail from Bobby Brown Park to the site of Petersburg can find bits of bottles and china with markings from England and northern states. The site of Petersburg is on Federally owned land, and removal of any artifacts is strictly prohibited.



On the opposite side of Broad river was the town of Lisbon, and on the opposite shore in South-Carolina, was the town of Vienna. Like Petersburg, these towns died away, and their sites are partially covered by the waters of Clarke’s Hill Lake.

Many Indian mounds were covered by the waters of Clark Hill and Russell Lakes.

However, some mounds, located on private property are still to be found. There are several on the southwest side of the Broad River where the river empties into Clark Hill Lake, at least one within the city of Elberton off of Church Street, and one that was excavated by the University of Georgia on the Tate/Conger farm on Lake Russell near Middleton.


Arrowheads and scrapers.

Arrowhead and relic collectors may find arrowheads, spear points, stone tools and pottery along the banks of Lake Russell. Popular areas include the site of old Edinburg at the confluence of Coldwater Creek and the Savannah River as well as a peninsula near power transmission lines that cross Beaverdam Creek near the end of the reservoir’s navigable waters. Relics are easiest to find after a drought, followed by heavy rain, which exposes small stone artifacts. Another drought or recession of waters is best after a torrential rain since there is more shoreline to explore. This area is accessibly only by boat.


Shores of Lake Russell

Mounds covered by Lake Russell were surveyed and studied in great detail. Information may be found in the online book Beneath These Waters as well as in The Russell Papers which may be found at the Russell Dam Visitor’s Center. Several Indian sites were excavated near the park in 1980 before the lake was filled, indicating that Paleo-Indians lived in the area more than 10,000 years ago. This area is now called Rucker’s Bottom and lies deep within the waters of Lake Richard B. Russell.


These folks don't even know about the Indian history under the lake.

Notable people

Though a rural county, Elbert County has been home to many notable people. 

Amos T. Akerman, U.S. Attorney General under Ulysses S. Grant, fought railroad corruption and the Ku Klux Klan.



William Wyatt Bibb, appointed first governor of Alabama, U.S. senator from 1813–1816.



Leroy Brewer, grandfather of Governor Earl Leroy Brewer of Mississippi was born in Elbert County in 1793.


Governor Brewer.

Paul Brown, 14-term U.S. congressman from 1933–1961.



William Harris Crawford, former U.S. Secretary of War and 1824 U.S. presidential candidate.



Clark Gaines, NFL running back for New York Jets. NFL record holder and former executive director of the NFL Players Association, was raised in Elbert County and played football for Elbert County Comprehensive High School. One of only 13 African American students to volunteer to integrate Elbert County High School.



George Rockingham Gilmer, two-term governor of Georgia, U.S. congressman.



Derek Harper, University of Illinois and 16-year NBA point guard.



Corra May Harris, early 20th century author of "A Circuit Rider's Wife," a book that later inspired the popular movie "I'd Climb the Highest Mountain." She lived at Farm Hill.



Judge Young L.G. Harris, Statesman for whom Young Harris College is named, was born in Elbert County.



Mecole Hardman, who played college football at The University of Georgia and drafted to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019, played football for Elbert County Comprehensive High School. 



Nancy Hart, Revolutionary War heroine Nancy Hart, who resided in southern Elbert County.



Stephen Heard, governor of Georgia from 1780–1781.



William H. Heard, former slave, clergyman and U.S. ambassador to Liberia.



Joseph Rucker Lamar, Hon. Joseph Rucker Lamar, who served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1910 to 1916, was born in Elbert County.



Meriwether Lewis, famed American explorer Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, During his youth; his family owned lands along the Broad River in The Broad River Valley located in Wilkes (now Oglethorpe) County which borders Elbert County.



Juanita Marsh, the third female judge in Georgia, 2020 Georgia Women of Achievement inductee. UGA Groundbreaker.



Modern Skirts, Recording artists popular on the college music circuit, include two members from Elbert County, JoJo Glidewell and Jay Gulley.



Arnall Patz, discovered cause of blindness in premature infants and helped develop laser treatment of diabetic retinopathy.


Arnall Patz (right), Helen Keller and V. Everett Kinsey (left) at Lasker Award ceremony in 1956. Arnall Patz with a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2004.

Charles Tait, U.S. senator from 1809–1819.



Baby Tate  - Blues guitarist was born in Elbert County.



Otha Thornton, White House Communications Agency J1 Director and Presidential Communications Officer (Bush and Obama Administrations), 2013 Ebony Power 100, 53rd National Parent Teacher Association President and Chairman of the Board, and 2018 State Democratic Nominee for State School Superintendent.



Wiley Thompson, U.S. congressman and Indian agent, oversaw removal of Seminoles from Florida (Second Seminole War). Killed by Osceola at Fort King.



Daniel Tucker, a popular minister and ferry operator, who may have been the inspiration for the song "Old Dan Tucker".



Chester Webb, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.



Chester Willis, former NFL halfback.



Today's GNW Gals are what else, Broads on the Broad River.