Georgia Natural Wonder #226 - Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge-Stewart Co.(Part 2)409

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Georgia Natural Wonder #226 - Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge - Stewart County (Part 2)

It was overwhelming the history of Stewart County as a tangent to our last feature of Florence Marina State Park GNW #225 (Part 1). We should have done a history tangent on Providence Canyon as that actual Georgia Natural Wonder seems short by contrast to the Wonder post of late GNW #5. But we are seeing a worthy third Georgia Natural Wonder in Stewart County with the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge.



We can finish the tangent on Stewart County as we continue our explorations of Nature's Favorite State.

Wikipedia

Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge is an 11,184 acre National Wildlife Refuge located in Barbour and Russell counties in Alabama and Stewart and Quitman counties in Georgia.



Eufaula NWR is located on the Walter F. George Lake (also known as Lake Eufaula) along the Chattahoochee River between Alabama and Georgia. Of the 11,184 acres of managed property, 7,953 acres are in Alabama and 3,231 acres are in Georgia.



Eufaula NWR was established in 1964 in cooperation with the United States Army Corps of Engineers which manages the Walter F. George Lock and Dam and the majority of Walter F. George Lake.



More than 325,000 visitors per year visit the refuge. The fiscal year 2005 budget was $718,000.


The Eufaula NWR protects endangered and threatened species such as the wood stork.

There is a variety of wildlife habitats in the Eufaula NWR including approximately 4000 acres of open water, 3000 acres of wetlands, 2000 acres of woodlands, 1000 acres of croplands and 1000 acres of grasslands. This diverse area provides shelter for migratory waterfowl and other birds.



Other wildlife species include raccoon, white-tailed deer, quail, beaver, red and gray fox species, dove, bobcat, hawk, armadillo, owl, rabbit, squirrel, river otter, turkey, and coyote, not to mention other reptiles (alligators and copperheads), amphibians, insects and various fishes.



Facilities


Map of Eufaula NWR

Lake Eufaula offers several activities including boating and fishing. Additionally, there is a seven-mile auto-tour trail, two observation towers, and a walking trail on the Alabama side. Lakepoint State Park borders the Eufaula NWR on the Alabama side of the river, near the city of Eufaula.


Pretty sure this is Alabama side looking to Georgia side.

Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1964, with community support and in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to provide habitat for wintering waterfowl and other migratory and resident wildlife.



Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge lies within the historical range of the longleaf pine/wiregrass ecosystem and contains remnant longleaf pine stands. Refuge wetlands, croplands, woodlands, old fields, grasslands and open water create a mosaic of wildlife-rich habitats that support almost 300 species of birds, 40 species of mammals and many amphibians, reptiles and fish.



The main unit of the 11,184-acre refuge is located about 7 miles north of the city of Eufaula, Alabama, along both banks of the Chattahoochee River in southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia.



Refuge staff work to ensure optimal habitat for thriving wildlife and wildlife-dependent recreation.

Our History

December 31, 1963 - Congress appropriated $500,000 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the purpose of acquiring lands to be included in what would become Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge.



October 6, 1964 - Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge was officially established by the signing of a secretarial permit from the Department of the Army to the Department of the Interior.



What We Do

Longleaf restoration/prescribed burning

Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge lies within the historical range of the longleaf pine/wiregrass ecosystem and contains remnant longleaf pine stands. Longtime residents tell of open, grassy understories and quail hunting in the longleaf forests.



Gopher tortoises, indigo snakes, and red-cockaded woodpeckers are a few wildlife species associated with the longleaf/wiregrass ecosystem. Longleaf pines have poor natural regeneration due to crowding by loblolly pines, so restoration efforts are underway. Restoration involves planting longleaf seedlings and conducting prescribed burns periodically. Longleaf pines in various stages can be seen around the refuge as restoration efforts continue.

Agricultural/seasonal wetland management

The 300 acres of agricultural fields are planted each year in corn, wheat, soybeans, sunflowers, or grain sorghum for wildlife needs.



Wildlife species likely to be seen in the fields in summer include deer, turkey, raccoons, armadillos, hawks, bluebirds, and other songbirds. Ducks, geese, and sandhill cranes

Nonnative and invasive plant control

Exotic and invasive species are the most serious threat to the conservation of natural resources at Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge. Native invasive and weedy upland plants including sicklepod, cocklebur, mourning glory, and sesbania are problems in agricultural fields and impoundments.



Exotic species including Chinese privet, Chinaberry, and Japanese honeysuckle are pervasive along forest edges. Hydrilla, water hyacinth, alligatorweed, American lotus, and other aquatic plants hinder management of aquatic resources.



The refuge manages invasive and exotic plants by mechanical, biological, and chemical methods.

Trapping Occurs on this Refuge.

Visitors may see evidence of feral hogs rooting in the agricultural fields and along the roadways. Trapping is the primary control method for hogs on the refuge. Trapping is a wildlife management tool used on some national wildlife refuges. Trapping may be used to protect endangered and threatened species or migratory birds or to control certain wildlife populations. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also views trapping as a legitimate recreational and economic activity when there are harvestable surpluses of fur-bearing mammals.



Outside of Alaska, refuges that permit trapping as a recreational use may require trappers to obtain a refuge special use permit. Signs are posted on refuges where trapping occurs. Contact the refuge manager for specific regulations.

Audubon

This Important Bird Area lies approximately 4.0 miles northeast of Eufaula, Alabama. The IBA is located on both banks of the Chattahoochee River in southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia.



It encompasses the whole Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge on each bank as well as some contiguous habitat blocks, and the open water of the impounded Chattahoochee River in between.

Ornithological Summary

The site is an important migratory stopover for waterfowl, waders (herons, egrets, ibis, Sandhill Cranes), shorebirds, hawks, and Neotropical migrant songbirds.



It is important breeding site for waders which form large rookeries on offshore islands in the Walter F. George Reservoir, and for marsh birds such as King Rail, Common Moorhen, and wintering American Bitterns.The site also provides suitable foraging habitat to post-breeding dispersal Wood Storks. Management efforts at Eufaula NWR include actions to encourage the re-establishment of this federally managed species.



Results of the Alabama Breeding Bird Atlas survey revealed that breeding was confirmed for Northern Bobwhite, and Red-headed Woodpecker at this location. Other species of Conservation concern confirmed Breeding at this location include Purple Gallinule and Bald Eagle.



Wintering waterfowl include Mallards, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Ring-necked Ducks, Wood Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Redheads, Canvasbacks, Canada Goose, Snow Goose and White-fronted Goose. Peak concentrations are found during December and January when waterfowl numbers can reach 15,000 birds.



The site also provides suitable habitat to support wintering flocks of Rusty Blackbird. Additionally, LeConte's Sparrows and White-crowned Sparrows are usually encountered during the winter months as is the occasional Barn Owl.

Conservation Issues

An industrial park lies to adjacent and to the south of the refuge. A portion of Lake Point State Park and Florence Marina State Park are developed as a marinas to provide boating opportunities. Should these facilities expand in the future, more contiguous habitat would be lost from the IBA.


Boat activity disturbs waterside roosting birds.

Feral hogs living within and adjacent to the NWR pose a threat to ground nesting birds such as Northern Bobwhite


Crappie fishing in lake Eufaula is pretty good.

Ownership

The majority of this IBA is owned by the United States Department of Interior and managed as a wildlife refuge by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.



Adjacent private lands make up the remaining area of the IBA.

Habitat

Wetland habitats include marshes (approx. 3000 acres); open water and managed impoundments (over 4,000 acres), palustrine forested and palustrine scrub/shrub wetlands.



Upland habitats include shrubland, forest, and grassland. Approx. 2200 acres of woodland occur on refuge lands within the IBA, mainly as fire-managed pinelands and hardwoods. Other upland habitats include grasslands and agricultural lands designed to benefit wildlife. Several hundred acres of former agricultural cropland is being managed as early successional habitat.

Land Use

Refuge lands provide migratory stopover habitat and breeding habitat for a multitude of species of conservation concern. Various management units are maintained to support refuge activities which include hunting, fishing, and environmental education. The refuge manages hunts for dove, deer, waterfowl, squirrel, and rabbit.



Canoeing opportunities are also available. Boats are not permitted in refuge impoundments. Air boats, hovercraft and jet skis are not permitted within refuge boundaries on Lake Eufala (Walter F. George Reservoir).


Bonus images Bradley Impoundment on Georgia side.


Tread lightly Blue Heron.



Historical Markers in Stewart County, Georgia

OK that was a pretty good Natural Wonder I stumbled upon looking at map of Stewart County. The Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge is also in Quitman County, but we are not ready to go to that county yet for a tangent. We do want to finish posting about Stewart County, so we turn past the Indian Wars and the Slavery History, past the National Register of Historic Places listings, and we come to 29 Historical Markers and War Memorials in Stewart County, Georgia.

Antioch Institute




Antioch Institute built in the 1850's.

Bedingfield Inn




The original marker in 1992 where it was located in front of the Inn.

Cedarwood Cemetery





County Courthouse





Gen. Evans’ Birthplace




Looking north on County Road 84, toward Richland. Looking west toward the actual site of Gen. Evans' birthplace.

First Post Office Site





First Seat of Government of Randolph County




Looking south on Singer Pond Road, now named Fuller Earth Road.

Florence





Fort Jones 




Marker and looking north on Georgia Highway 39 toward Florence

Fort McCreary – 1836


Marker and view looking southwest across 2nd Avenue (foreground) at Florence Road, Georgia Highway 39.

Green Grove Missionary Baptist Church / Green Grove Schoolhouse




Side 1 The church is in the center, and Old Eufaula Road (County Road 149) on the right. Side 2.


Green Grove Missionary Baptist Church. Green Grove Schoolhouse.

Indian Trail



Jackson Trail


That's Andrew Jackson even though the marker does not specify.


Marker is on Georgia Route 27, 0.2 miles east of Parker Road, on the right when traveling east.

Louvale Church Row




The markers of Antioch Institute and Louvale Church Row, looking north; US 27 Frontage Road.  New Hope Baptist Church.


Marvin Methodist Church. Antioch Primitive Baptist Church.

Rev. David Walker Lowe



Lumpkin and Stewart County





Masonic Female College




The marker stands next to one for Providence Canyons, Georgia's "Little Grand Canyon." Looking west on Broad Street (Ga 39 Connector) toward the site of the Masonic Female College.

Methodist Camp Ground



Our Soldiers





Providence Canyons



GNW #5



Providence Chapel




Looking north on old US Highway 280. The marker, with the Red Hill Christian Church, established in 1837, in the background.

Providence United Methodist Church





Historic Richland




Looking north on Wall Street, old US Highway 280. The "Richland Baptist Church Site" marker is visible in the distance. Looking south on Wall Street, old US Highway 280, toward the center of Richland.

Richland Baptist Church Site




Looking north on Wall Street, Old US Highway 280. Looking south on Wall Street, Old US Highway 280, toward the center of Richland.

Roanoke




Looking west toward the site of Roanoke and the Chattahoochee River. The marker has been installed with the arrow pointing in the opposite direction. Looking north on Georgia Highway 39 toward Fort Jones and Florence.


Image worth a re-post from Stewart County (Part 1)

John Wellborn Root Birthplace Site




The marker from Maple Street, at the edge of a private yard.

Battle of Shepherd’s Plantation



Now we covered this in Stewart County Part 1 GNW #224. Little hard to read so it says ...

On this site was fought the battle of Shepherd's Plantation between Creek Indians and pioneer settlers aided by volunteer soldiers stationed at Forts Ingersol, Jones and McCreary under Major Henry W. Jernigan and Captain Hamilton Garmany.


On a separate plaque at bottom the inscription reads:

Stewart County lost 4 killed Capt. Robert Billups, Jared Irwin, David Delk, ---- Hunter


The marker is up a small flight of steps from the road (Route 39) one mile north of Canyon Road (Route 39C), on the left when traveling south.

Stewart County Academy and Masonic Building




The marker, with the building in the background.

Westville Symposium / Academic Pioneers



Communities
   
Louvale

Louvale is an unincorporated community in Stewart County, Georgia, United States.



The community is located along U.S. Route 27, 8.7 miles north of Lumpkin.

History

Originally named "Antioch", the town developing at the terminus of the Savannah, Americus, and Montgomery (Little SAM) Railroad was renamed "Louvale" in 1886. It was moved to its present location near the home of Dr. William H. Tatum who was postmaster at the time. The name was in honor of Dr. Tatum's wife, Lucy (Lou) Ann Bussey Tatum.



The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Louvale as a town in 1893.


All three churches in this image.

Located in the heart of Louvale, the Louvale Church Row District is a collection of historic buildings ranging in age from the 1850s through the early 1900s. Louvale Church Row was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1986.

Antioch Institute

The Antioch Institute, built in the 1850s, the school was operated by the Antioch Primitive Baptist Church until it was sold to Stewart County in 1895. The building is believed to have been used for church services until the church building immediately next door to the school was erected for that purpose in 1885. The county operated the Louvale High School there until 1928 when the upper grades were transferred to Lumpkin.



The elementary school remained in the building until 1942. The school is now used as the Louvale Community House which serves as the home for the Sybil and John B. Richardson School of Sacred Harp Singing.

Lumpkin

The city of Lumpkin is the county seat of Stewart County, Georgia, United States.



Per the 2020 census, the population was 891.

History

This area of Georgia was inhabited by succeeding cultures of indigenous Native Americans for thousands of years before European contact. Historical tribes included the Cherokee, Choctaw and Creek, who encountered European Americans as their settlements moved into traditional territory. During the Indian removal of 1830, the United States government forced such tribes to move west of the Mississippi River to Indian Territory, to extinguish their claims and make way for more European-American settlement.



Lumpkin was incorporated by European Americans on March 30, 1829. First named the county seat of Randolph County on December 2, 1830, it became the seat of Stewart County when the latter was split from Randolph three weeks later. The city was named in honor of Wilson Lumpkin, a two-term governor of Georgia and legislator who supported Indian removal. His namesake county is at the northern end of the state.


Lumpkin and Lumpkin.

The town grew as a commercial center served by stagecoach. Its merchants traded with the planters in the area. This was part of the Black Belt, named for the fertile land in the upland South that supported extensive cotton plantations in the 19th century. In the antebellum years, planters depended on the labor and skills of hundreds of thousands of enslaved African Americans to cultivate and process the cotton for market.



After the war, many freedmen stayed in the area as sharecroppers and tenant farmers, and the economy continued to depend on agriculture. With land erosion and depletion, cotton farming gave way to peanut and pine tree cultivation, and labor needs decreased. The population of the county dropped markedly from the Great Migration of blacks to industrial jobs in the North and Midwest in the early decades of the 20th century, but the town of Lumpkin remained relatively stable. The county is still quite rural.



Lumpkin was the first small town in Georgia to complete a successful historic preservation project to encourage what has become known as heritage tourism.



It restored the Bedingfield Inn, built in 1836 and located on the central square. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.



It is among the most important surviving public antebellum structures in Georgia. It has served as inn, private residence, and public space during its history. It has become an unofficial symbol of Lumpkin.

                                                   

In the 1960s, a group of citizens created a living history complex known as Westville.



They relocated 30 historic structures to create a grouping of western Georgia architecture as would have been found in an 1850s working village. Some of the buildings were purchased from the collection of John Word West established in 1928 in Jonesboro, Georgia.



The village, staffed by volunteers to give the sense of daily life, has since moved to Columbus, Georgia.


John West and the new Westville.

The nearby private Stewart Detention Center houses federal detainees for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The facility is owned and run by CoreCivic. In 2011 Stewart ranked as the largest and busiest such facility in the United States. Stewart County's share of revenue from the federal government, 85 cents per inmate per day, amounted to more than half of the county's entire annual budget.



It was removed from the 2020 U.S. Census geography for Lumpkin city hence the decline in population.

Vanishing Georgia

General Clement Anselm Evans House

One of Georgia’s best-known citizens during his lifetime, General Clement Anselm Evans (1833-1911) was born near Lumpkin to Anselm  & Sarah Evans and grew up in this house. He was admitted to the bar at the age of 18 and married Mary Allen “Allie” Walton in 1854 . He was soon thereafter elected to a Stewart County judgeship and five years later was elected a state senator on the Know-Nothing ticket.



In April 1861, Evans resigned his legislative post and joined the Confederate army as a private. He became commander of the Bartow Guards (Thirty-first Georgia Infantry) in 1862, fought at Shenandoah and was present at nearly every battle of the Army of Northern Virginia. Evans was promoted to brigadier general in 1864.



After the war, General Evans was ordained a Methodist minister. He served at least six congregations in North Georgia over the course of 26 years. Upon the death of his wife in 1884, he married Sarah Ann Avary Howard. After retiring from the ministry, he edited the 13-volume Confederate Military History and coedited the influential Cyclopedia of Georgia. He was a co-founder and Georgia Division commander of the United Confederate Veterans and served the organization as commander-in-chief  from 1909-1911. His body lay in state in the state capitol and his funeral was heavily attended. Evans County was named in his honor in 1914.

Zeph Mathis House, Lumpkin

This historic Plantation Plain house has been unoccupied for some years but has recently been gifted to the county.



There is hope that it will be restored or at least stabilized.



Jarod Irwin House

Thought to be the oldest house in Lumpkin, this was originally a log dogtrot to which siding was later applied.  It was the home of Jared Irwin, namesake nephew of the early Georgia governor. Upon the death of the younger Irwin’s parents, Alexander and Penelope Irwin, he was adopted by his uncle. He was in the first graduating class of Franklin College (now the University of Georgia), was an original settler of Lumpkin and served as clerk of the inferior court of Stewart County. During the Creek War of 1836, he was killed in the Battle of Shepherd’s Plantation and was tied to his horse, which returned his body to Lumpkin.



The house has been modified over time but the interior remains in largely original condition. The shed room along the rear and the front porch are later additions. It is also known as the Irwin-Partain House.

Erasmus Beall House, Circa 1836, Lumpkin



Cornelius Lynch House, 1830s, Lumpkin


This venerable structure, along with an old kitchen, are located in the back yard of the Bedingfield Inn.

Old Stewart County Jail, Circa 1912, Lumpkin


This was identified as Stewart County Academy and Masonic Building earlier in this post.

Singer-Tarver House, 1897, Lumpkin



The Singer Company, Lumpkin



Though it’s closed today, this held the distinction of being the oldest hardware store in Georgia in its time.







Barr House, Circa 1835 & 1885, Lumpkin


   
Omaha

Omaha is an unincorporated community in Stewart County, Georgia.



History

Omaha was founded in the 1891 when the railroad arrived.


Town Well middle of street Omaha, Ga. Georgia's only vertical lift rail bridge - Omaha, Ga.

The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Omaha as a town in 1891. The town's municipal charter was dissolved in 1995.

Omaha Brewing Company

We are a veteran owned, woman run microbrewery in South Georgia focusing on crafting thoughtful, delicious and fun brews for everyone.



Live music and food trucks on most weekends, and a large indoor and outdoor facility nestled in the rural Georgia woods.

Fort McCreary

Located one mile north of Omaha, Fort McCreary was built in 1836 for the defense of Georgia´s frontier along the Chattahoochee River. During the Creek War of 1836 it was garrisoned by U.S. soldiers and Georgia Volunteers under command of a General McClesky. A relief column from the fort saved the day for Capt. Hamilton Garmany's company of Georgia militia during a battle on the Shepherd Plantation, the most aggressive Creek attack of the war. Three unknown soldiers lie buried on the crest of the fort, which is now owned by Roanoke chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.


A period wooden blockhouse was reconstructed at the site of Fort McCreary in 1996.

In popular culture
   
Omaha is mentioned in James Joyce's novel Ulysses as the fictional scene of a lynching,  but that pertains to the Omaha, Nebraska riot of September 28, 1919.
       

This image is Parrot Georgia where they put dirt on asphalt street for effect.
 
The cathouse scene of The Long Riders, starring Dennis and Randy Quaid and Keith and David Carradine, was filmed in the Lee house which was located next to the Fitzgerald Cemetery until it was torn down due to disrepair some years ago.
   
Richland

Richland is a city in Stewart County, Georgia, United States.



Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,370.

History

The community took its name from the local Richland Baptist Church.



The name of which most likely is a transfer from Richland, South Carolina, the native home of a large share of the first settlers.



The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Richland in 1889.


Vintage Richland.


Richland Hotel & Bank, 1890. This served as both a hotel and bank.


Its restoration in such a small town is a wonderful example of what communities can accomplish when they prioritize their history.


Brewery and Rum.
   
Florence


Florence only found on old maps of Stewart County.


Under Lake Walter F. George now. Monument at Florence Marina State Park.
   
Sanford

Sanford is an unincorporated community in Stewart County, in the U.S. state of Georgia.

History

A post office called Sanford was established in 1892, and remained in operation until 1905. The community most likely was named after John W. A. Sanford, a United States Congressional Representative from the state of Georgia.



His son, John William Augustine Sanford Junior was Attorney General of Alabama for three terms.



He also introduced legislation that created the current State Flag of Alabama.

Notable People

Bessie Lillian Gordy Carter, mother of former president of the United States Jimmy Carter.



Confederate General Clement Anselm Evans. Led the last Confederate charge at Appomattox Courthouse.




He is buried in Oakland Cemetery right beside General Gordon and Wright in the General's corner right beside the Confederate Obelisk.

Jared Irwin, Jr. was the nephew of Governor Jared Irwin. He graduated in the first class at Franklin College (now UGA). He was killed by Indians in the Battle of Shepherd's Plantation.



Jarvis Jones, a consensus All-American twice at UGA. Twice All American usually means College Football Hall of Fame. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.



Rev. David Walker Lowe


This photo was taken in the bottom of Providence Canyon. Such neglect for historical cemeteries is not good. He gave his land for others and they could not protect his family graveyard in return.

John Wellborn Root an American architect who was based in Chicago with Daniel Burnham. He was one of the founders of the Chicago School style. Root was born in 1850 and died in 1891.


Root Sr. and Lake View Presbyterian Church Chicago.


Sr. projects were the Monadnock Building Chicago. Reliance Building Chicago.

His son, John Wellborn Root, Jr., was also an architect practicing in Chicago.


Father and Son. Root, Jr.


Junior built the Chicago Board of Trade Building. North Dakota State Capital.
   
Steve Sanders, child actor and vocalist for Oak Ridge Boys.



OK, that concludes Stewart County, three cool nature spots to visit, two Creek Indian massacres of early settlers, and another shot of Rod Stewart (County) GNW Gals.


Alana Hamilton Stewart 1970's - Super Model Bebe Buell - Unknown Cheeky Gal - Britt Ekland on the cover of the Rolling Stone.