Georgia Natural Wonder #228 - George T. Bagby State Park - Clay County. 417

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Georgia Natural Wonder #228 - George T. Bagby State Park - Clay County

Bouncing around the State now posting about the remaining State Parks as Georgia Natural Wonders, we continue on the Alabama border.



George T. Bagby State Park is a 700-acre state park located in southwestern Georgia on the shore of Walter F. George Lake.



The park offers a 60-room lodge, conference center, restaurant, cottages, and features the 18 hole Meadow Links Golf Course.





Golf and the lake.



There is a marina and boat ramp.



There is a 3-mile nature trail, and fishing and boating on Lake Walter F. George.



In 2013, George T. Bagby State Park was privatized and its management handed over to Coral Hospitality, a Florida-based hotel and resort management company.



Its official name was changed to George T. Bagby State Park & Lodge.



Originally, it was called Pataula State Park when it was changed to honor George Talmadge Bagby a state congressman from Paulding County.



George T. Bagby State Park is located in Fort Gaines, GA along the shores of Lake Walter F. George (Lake Eufaula) in southwest Georgia.



A full-service marina (including store and gas pumps), boat ramp and beach offer easy access to the 48,000-acre lake, where trophy fishing includes the state record catch for blue catfish.


Have to share lake with Alabama,  looks like photoshopped images and Auburn men catching all the catfish.

Bass also team the waters along with other southern freshwater fish.


Bunch of Crappie.

Pontoon boat rental services are available at the Marina Store. Duck hunting boat and duck decoys are also available for rent during hunting season.


Bass Tournaments.

From Georgetown, Ga take GA 39 south for 20 miles, turn right on Bagby Parkway. From Ft. Gaines, GA take GA 39 north for 4.5 miles, turn left on Bagby Parkway.



A ParkPass is required for all vehicles. Price for ParkPasses are not included with the reservation. Overnight guests pay only one ParkPass fee for the duration of their stay. The daily ParkPass is valid at all state parks visited the same day and is not valid at state historic sites.



ParkPass fees are as follow:
1-12 passenger vehicles $5 per day or $50 annual ParkPass



General Rules (I did not know) for all Georgia State Parks


1st rule for Dawg fans.

Smoking is prohibited in all enclosed facilities.

Consumption or use of alcoholic beverages or intoxicants is unlawful in any public-use area.

Pets are welcome at state parks and campgrounds if leashed (no longer than six feet) and accompanied by the owner at all times.

Noise-making devices are not to be used between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and must be kept at low volumes during other times.

Group gatherings end at 10 p.m.

Drone operation is prohibited in Georgia’s State Parks and Historic Sites.



Phenomenon Trail

All Trails does detail one hike, the Phenomenon Trail is a 7.4-mile out-and-back trail near Fort Gaines, Georgia.



Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 2 hours 16 minutes to complete.



This is a popular trail for birding, hiking, and mountain biking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash.



This trail starts at George T. Bagby State Park office and goes all the way to the dam. There may be quite a lot of pine needles and cones on the pavement.



Accessibility: There are at least 4 designated accessible spaces in the large paved parking lot off of Eufaula Road at the northwest end of the trail. All of them are van-accessible with striped access aisles. The trail surface is paved. It is typically at least 4 feet wide (with many wider passing spaces).



The majority of the trail is estimated to be in the mostly gentle grade category (5% or less). This trail will likely be navigable for most wheelchairs/mobility equipment or stroller users. There are benches and picnic tables along the route for resting.



Reviews

Paved, mostly handicap accessible marginally maintained paved trail that runs for the most part parallel to a major highway. The terminal portion of the trail, at a park, is not marked at all. I followed what the previous All Trails subscriber had done. It was Scenic and interesting despite being proximate to vehicular traffic.



Except when traversing the park there is private land that is fenced off but you can still see the lake. Without notification, the trail turns around at Mahaw children's fishing pond next to the dam. I would recommend this Trail for all.



Very enjoyable circuit. Mix of lovely forest, park land, park facilities & about 1 mile paralleling/near rural highway. Some nice lake views especially near the dam.



10-12’ wide, mostly smooth asphalt. Quite a lot of pine needles and cones on the pavement. But that gave it a slight rustic, wild ambience. Otherwise I would classify it as a suburban trail. Some occasional tree branches on the surface. In one location a rather large tree-fall blocked 1/2 of the path.



Nice peaceful run. Only saw two bicyclists on out& back trip. Second time doing long run here. Water is beautiful and you can make it longer by going down below the dam.



Walter F. George Lake

There are three Georgia counties along the Eastern shore of Lake Eufala. We just did Stewart County and now we come to Clay County. To further enhance our selection of today's Natural Wonder, we tangent a bit on the lake. The Walter F. George Lake is named for Walter F. George (1878–1957), a United States senator for 35 years from Georgia. It is formed on the Chattahoochee River along the state line between Alabama and Georgia. George was a member of twelve committees while he was in the Senate and the chairman of five. George became known for his polished oratory and was considered one of the Senate's best public speakers.



Early in 1957, shortly after George retired from the Senate, President Dwight Eisenhower appointed George special ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.



It is also widely known by the name, Lake Eufaula – particularly in Alabama, where the state legislature passed a resolution on June 25, 1963, to give the lake that name. The 46,000-acre lake extends north about 85 miles  from the Walter F. George Lock and Dam and has approximately 640 miles of shoreline. Popular activities along the lake include camping and trophy fishing.



The lake is primarily controlled by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The states control several other protected lands along the lake, including the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge and Lakepoint State Park in Alabama, and Florence Marina and George T. Bagby state parks in Georgia.


Panoramic view of the reservoir and the dam

The flooding of the land in the area covered numerous historic and prehistoric sites associated with Native American culture. Indigenous peoples had lived along the river for thousands of years. The unincorporated area of Oketeyeconne, Georgia, which historically had a majority of Native American residents, was evacuated in the 1950s to allow creation of the lake.



Walter F. George Lake (Lake Eufaula) is a 45,000 acre lake located on the Chattahoocee River between the states of Alabama and Georgia. This area is rich in history with many nearby historic sites and towns. The lake is nationally known for it's bass and crappie fishing. The lock, located at Ft. Gaines, Georgia, has the second highest drop east of the Mississippi River. Fishing and water recreation opportunities abound. Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge is located on the northern end of the lake offering excellent bird viewing all year. There are both state and Corps of Engineers operated campgrounds and day use parks featuring picnic areas, beaches and boat ramps, among other opportunities.



Lake Eufaula was formed with the construction of the Walter F. George Dam in 1963. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) built the dam to provide flood control, produce hydroelectric power, create a navigable shipping channel and offer recreational opportunities.



The COE manages the lake and its shoreline. A system of buoys and daymarks is in place throughout the lake to mark the main navigable channel. The COE has placed numerous fish attractors in the lake. The attractors provide artificial habitate for fish and are clearly marked with buoys.



Since the lake is a border water, part of it lies in Alabama and part in Georgia, a reciprocal agreement has been reached between the states which allows anyone with a valid fishing license in either state to fish the entire lake. This holds true when on the water but when shore fishing a valid license for the state you are in is required.

Lake Profile

Size and Depth - 45,180 acres with a maximum depth of 96 feet at normal pool elevation of 190 feet above mean sea level.



Water Source - An impoundment of the Chattahoochee River. Other inflows are provided by Cowikee, Grass, Chewalla, Barbour, White Oak and Pataula creeks.



Shoreline - 640 miles of shoreline, is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. A large part is developed as municipalities and private residences.



Bottom - Primarily clay with areas of sand and rock. Prior to inundation, trees were cut between 170 and 190 feet msl. Most trees were cut to a level of 180 feet msl and some areas were left standing.



Water - The lake is fertile with water color ranging from reddish to dark green. Visible clarity varies with run-off and amount of water flow through the lake but it is generally from 18 inches to 4 feet.



Cover - Aquatic vegetation is limited throughout the lake, but areas of hydrilla exist. The backs of coves and creeks contain bulrush, cattails, maidencane and lillypads.

Clay County

Clay County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia.


1865 map.


1895 and 1955.

As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,848, making it the fourth-least populous county in Georgia. The county seat is Fort Gaines.


2001 map.

History

This area was historically occupied by the Creek Indians until Indian Removal in the 1830s. The point where nearby Cemochechobee Creek meets the Chattahoochee River was at one time a defining boundary between the United States and Indian Territory. The county seat, Fort Gaines originated as a military fort built in April 1814 at the end of the Creek Indian War. The military outpost was located on a bluff overlooking the Chattahoochee River at the northern boundary of Creek lands ceded to Georgia in the Treaty of Fort Jackson in 1814.



The fort was built at the direction of General Andrew Jackson to protect settlers during the Creek Indian wars. It was named for General Edmund Gaines (1777-1849), a Virginia military officer noted for his service in the War of 1812. Fort Gaines fell within the boundaries of Early County, which was created from the Creek ceded lands in Dec. 1818.


1835 Gaines and much older Gaines still in uniform. 

A legend endures concerning General John Dill, one of the prominent leaders during the Creek Indian wars. Dill came to Georgia in 1817, as an aide to General Edmund P. Gaines. He was given command of Fort Gaines, a frontier garrison on the Chattahoochee River.  Upon the cession of Indian lands in 1826, General Dill retired and became one of the first merchants in Fort Gaines. A successful businessman, General Dill also served Early County as Justice of the Inferior Court, Brigadier General of the Georgia Militia and as an aide to Governor Lumpkin.


General Dill House Fort Gaines.

It seems that during a raid, some Creeks captured a Mrs. Stuart and killed her husband. They discarded as worthless the paper money they found. Mrs. Stuart gathered the money and pinned it to her petticoats during her captivity. When finally rescued, she was wealthy, thanks to her resourcefulness. She was introduced to and later married General Dill. The elegant house they built in Fort Gaines still stands.


Fort Gaines and Wayside Hotel 1850.

The General Assembly incorporated Fort Gaines as a town on Dec. 14, 1830. European Americans pushed the Creeks out and developed the land for cotton, bringing in thousands of African slaves to work the land. Until the development of the railroad in the 1850s, Fort Gaines was a hub of commerce and river traffic for merchants in Georgia and Alabama. It was known as the “Queen City of the Chattahoochee.”



Georgia's 110th county, Clay County, was created by a February 16, 1854, act of the Georgia General Assembly, and organized from portions of Early and Randolph counties. The 1854 legislation creating Clay County authorized the justices of the county's first inferior court to select a site to serve as county seat and to provide for erection of public buildings. The act further provided that until a county seat was selected, county elections and business be conducted in Fort Gaines. Subsequently, the inferior court judges formally designated Fort Gaines as Clay County's seat of government.


1920's Fort Gaines.

The county is named in honor for former U.S. Representative, U.S. Secretary of State, and U.S. Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky. Clay, who died in June 1852, is probably best remembered for his role in securing congressional approval of the Compromise of 1850, which dealt with the divisive issue of allowing slavery in the U.S.'s western territories.


Compromising took it's toll.


TRD peeked inside Clay tomb in Lexington for win against UK and this image 2010. 

Clay County is part of the Black Belt geological formation of Georgia, prior to the American Civil War the county's chief commodity crop was cotton, cultivated and processed by farmers and African-American slaves. After the war, the economy continued to be agricultural, but timber was also harvested.


River traffic went all the way to Columbus.

The Walter F. George Lock and Dam, home to the second highest lock east of the Mississippi, was completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1963.


Big ole Lock.

Lake George, a 45,180-acre lake created by the dam, is used for fishing, boating, and other recreational activities. The George T. Bagby State Park and Lodge is located on the lake a few miles north of Fort Gaines.



The Fort Gaines area is home to an unusually rich variety of plant life. Plant species such as Carolina rhododendron, found mainly in the north Georgia mountains, mix with Florida’s maidenhair fern. Around the bluff area are many endangered plant species, including Trillium reliquum, the rarest of the sessile-flowered species of trillium known in the world. In 1979 the Fort Gaines Natural Phenomena Authority was formed, in part  to establish and promote these natural assets.


Trillium reliquum.

Frontier Village in Fort Gaines is an unusual collection of log structures moved from locations throughout the county. It is located on the bluff 130 feet above the Chattahoochee adjacent to the replica of the 1816 blockhouse. The entire city is on the National Register of Historic Places. Two private history museums are available for tours by appointment only.



There’s no admission cost. The two houses below are a good general representation of early styles common in the area in the 19th century.


Newt Engram Dogtrot House. Originally located in Lightard Knot Springs near Zetto, this is thought to have been built by Seaborn P. Engram and passed to Newt Engram.


Herbert and Liza Ingram House. This single-pen log house was originally located near Sutton’s Corner.

Clay County is one of the most consistently Democratic counties in the country. It voted for the Democratic nominee in every election from 1868 until 1960, and then again since 1976.


Bluffton precinct.

According to the 2020 U.S. census, Clay County’s population is 2,848, a decrease from the 2010 population of 3,183. Clay County's population is one-third of what it was in 1910.


Fort Gaines then and now. 

National Register of Historic Places listings in Clay County, Georgia

Clay County Courthouse

The 1854 law creating Clay County authorized the justices of the county's first inferior court to provide for erection of a courthouse and jail. However, for the next two decades, it is not clear if a courthouse was actually built or whether the county instead rented space. In 1869 and 1870, local grand juries recommended that a county courthouse be built, and in 1870, the General Assembly authorized Clay County to hold a referendum on borrowing money to build a courthouse. Voters agreed, and construction began in 1871. Completed in 1873, the Clay County courthouse is still in use today.



The Clay County Courthouse in Fort Gaines, Georgia was built in about 1871.



It is a two-story brick building that "looks more like an antebellum plantation house than a courthouse." It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

It is described as "Carpenter style with Classic details". It is a two-story hipped-roof building. It has a portico with square columns and a balcony on the second floor, and it has colossal pilasters on each end of its facade.



This is the oldest courthouse in the Pataula Judicial Circuit. Architecturally, it has been changed little. The courthouse looks more like a residence than a public structure, thereby revealing community cultural traditions. As a repository of  official records it is a focal point in the life of  every citizen.


The small courtroom is reached by a double staircase at the entrance or a single stairway at the rear of the building. In the courtroom the modest bench in the eastern end is a narrow counter rather than the usual desk.

Directly in front of it, the witness box is enclosed by a separate railing.



Although now heated by gas space heaters, four fireplaces remain in the room with mantels intact.

Dill House (Fort Gaines, Georgia)

The Dill House, located at 102 S. Washington St. in the city of Fort Gaines in Clay County, Georgia, was built c.1830. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.



It was the home of General John Dill, a prominent citizen and original settler of Fort Gaines. He came to the area as a military aide to General Edmund P. Gaines, and he was appointed to command Fort Gaines, a stronghold on the Chattahoochee River. The fort was no longer needed as a military facility after 1826, and General Dill retired and became a merchant in Fort Gaines.



The house was renovated into a hotel in the 1890s.



There are several legends associated with the house.



There are several long standing legends about General Dill and his house, both concerning Indians. Dill's wife was captured by the Indians as a young girl and protected by the Indian Chief because she was so beautiful. When the Indians raided white settlements the girl hoarded the paper money in her skirt that the Indians discarded in favor of pieces of gold. When she finally escaped to Fort Gaines, she married General Dill and they built a fine home with all the money she had saved. The truth of this legend can be found in Woodward's Reminiscences, Woodward being the man who rescued Dill's wife from the Indians. In reality the lady had been on an Army supply boat that was ambushed by the Indians, and she remained a captive for four months.



Another legend about General Dill had to do with the Indians' great belief in dreams. They believed that if a person dreamed another gave him a gift, the dream-giver had to make good on the gift or be in serious trouble with the dream gods. General Dill owned a very handsome saddle made a slave that caught the fancy of an Indian chief. He promptly dreamed the General Dill gave him the saddle and related the vision to  the General, so the saddle was given to  the Indian. Sometime later, General Dill dreamed that a fine tract of land that he wanted, owned by the Indian Chief, was given to him. When the Indian heard of the dream he gave the land to Dill saying "Me dream no more. White men dream too big."



As questionable as these legends may seem, they are still generally believed by local residents and play an important part in the local "history" of Fort Gaines. Because of  its early date and the importance that the Fort Gaines community places on the Dill House, it s worthy of nomination to  the National Register.

Fort Gaines Cemetery SiteThe Fort Gaines Cemetery Site is a prehistoric mound, an archeological site, within the Fort Gaines Cemetery in Fort Gaines, Georgia.



This is  a mound with a gazebo on top of it, within the newer city cemetery in Fort Gaines/ Clay County. The mound is circular and seems to be relatively undisturbed.



It is  surrounded by graves. The cemetery is on a high bluff overlooking the Chattahoochee River. Shells and stone chips have been found in the area of the mound. The mound is about four feet high and about 40 feet in diameter.



As of 1974 it had not been excavated.

Fort Gaines Historic District

The Fort Gaines Historic District in Fort Gaines, Georgia is a 300 acres historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.



It is roughly bounded by the Chattahoochee River, GA 37, GA 39, College, Commerce and Jefferson Streets.



It includes Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Neo-Classical Revival architecture.



It includes the Clay County Courthouse.



It included 327 contributing buildings.



The NRHP nomination stated:

Fort Gaines is a good intact example of a frontier Georgia town planned and developed in the nineteenth century for a combination of military, political, and commercial purposes. It is historically significant in the areas of exploration and settlement, military history, community planning and development, architecture, landscape architecture, commerce, industry, transportation, politics and government, and historic archaeology.

Most houses date from the Victorian, turn-of-the-century and early-twentieth-century periods. Typical detailing includes porches with turned and sawnwork brackets and balustrades, gables decorated with cut shingles, and bay windows. Examples of Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Victorian Eclectic, Queen Anne and Neoclassical style residences are in evidence in addition to many vernacular cottages of varying dates. Landscaping in the residential areas consists of  informally planted yards, street trees, several avenues with central landscaped dividers, and a number of brick retaining walls and cast iron fences.



A historic city cemetery heavily landscaped with trees and shrubs is located in the district to the south of Carroll Street. Near the western edge of the district, along the Chattahoochee River are, on the bluffs, several reconstructed fort buildings located on the site of the original Fort Gaines and two Civil War gun emplacements. Located on the river plain are the site of  the town wharf and the deteriorated remains of an 1890s cottonseed-oil mill and early twentieth century town waterworks.


Cemetery Water Works.

Warren Sutton House

The Warren Sutton House, in Clay County, Georgia in the vicinity of Edison, Georgia, was built in 1912.



It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.



It has also been known as the James Lowell Ingram Property.



It is a one-and-a-half-story, wood-framed, Classical Revival with a modified central hall plan.



It was built in 1912 by Warren M. Sutton on a 2,000 acres farm.



Warren Sutton was successful as a cotton farmer, "assisted by 50 families farming as sharecroppers."



Toney-Standley House

The Toney-Standley House in or near Fort Gaines, Georgia, United States, was built in c.1810. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.


It has also been known as Col. William Toney House.



It is a Plantation Plain style house which was home of Creek Indian trade post manager William Toney, significant partly as Aaron Burr stayed there, after his capture in 1807.

Walter F. George Dam Mound

No longer a NRHP as it has been lost to history under the waters of Lake Walter F. George. Little information found on Internet.



There was an archeological salvage in the Walter F. George Basin of the Chattahoochee River. David L. DeJarnette, the founder of scientific archaeology in the state of Alabama, reports on archaeological surveys and excavations undertaken in the Chattahoochee River Valley between 1947 and 1962. The three contributors, Wesley R. Hurt, Edward B. Kurjack, and Fred Lamar Pearson Jr., each made signal contributions to the archaeology of the southeastern states.


DeJarnette.

They worked out a viable cultural chronology of the region from the earliest Paleoindian and Archaic foragers to the period of early European-Indian contact. They excavated key sites, including the Woodland period Shorter Mound, the protohistoric Abercrombie village, and Spanish Fort Apalachicola, in addition to a number of important Creek Indian town sites of the eighteenth century.

Historical Markers Clay County Georgia

1814 Boundary / Founding of Fort Gaines




Looking east from Georgia Highway 39, the Oketeyeconne / Chattahoochee Theater Marker is on the right. The marker on the left is the 1814 Boundary / Founding of Fort Gaines. Both Markers looking south on Georgia Highway 39 toward Fort Gaines.

Clay County




The marker, left, with the Clay County Courthouse in the background.

Clay County Courthouse




The courthouse is in the background.

Fort Gaines




The marker stands next to the blockhouse on the bluff; the railing to the right overlooks the Chattahoochee River.


Other old buildings moved to the Fort Gaines Frontier Village from sites in Clay County.

Fort Gaines Guards




Marker is on Washington Street in Fort Gaines.

Gen. Edmund Pendleton Gaines




The front entrance to the Clay County Courthouse is in the background.

Historic Sites - Fort Gaines




The Dill House is in the background. The marker stands in front of the General Gaines Live Oak.

In the Confederacy - Fort Gaines




The cannon mentioned on the marker is visible in the distance. As mentioned on the marker, this cannon has stood here since the Civil War.

Weston C. Lee Veterans Memorial Park


In memory of Army Ranger 1st Lt Weston Cecil Lee who sacrificed his life while serving his country in Mosul, Iraq April 29 2017.

Mt. Gilead Baptist Church - Fort Gaines, Georgia





New Lowell United Methodist Church / New Lowell School






The church is the building on the left the school is on the right. Looking west on County Road 129 toward the Walter F. George Reservoir.

Oakland High School




Looking north shows the difficulty in seeing the marker: US 27 is to the left, and the marker is in the trees and brush to the right.

Oketeyeconne / Chattahoochee Theater






Looking east from Georgia Highway 39, the Oketeyeconne / Chattahoochee Theater Marker is on the right. The marker on the left is the 1814 Boundary / Founding of Fort Gaines. Both Markers looking south on Georgia Highway 39 toward Fort Gaines.

Old Cotton Hill Seminary




Looking North and Looking south, with the Shiloh Baptist Church in the background.

Old Pioneer Cemetery






The "enclosed lot" mentioned on the marker, where the Dill family is buried.

Queen City of the Chattahoochee




Looking north: the marker is on the left, Washington Street (GA Highway 39) is to the right and straight ahead across Hartford Road (GA Highway 37). The Clay County Courthouse is the light grey building on the right on Washington Street.

Site of Fort Gaines Female College




Looking west on Jefferson Street toward Bluff Street. The site is now occupied by public tennis courts.

Site of the First Clay County Courthouse and Jail


The kitchen of the Wells - Mcallister House was the first Clay County courthouse until the present courthouse was built.

Sutton's Crossroads




Sutton's Crossroads Marker looking west across US 27 on GA 37. Jeez you have to sludge 100 yards across swampy terrain to view this marker.

The 1836 Fort




Looking south from the cannon emplacement at the marker and the Women's Club, built in 1927.

The Old Lattice Bridge





Toney-Standley House




The original end chimneys were lost when the house had to be moved due to the damming of the Chattahoochee River to create the Walter F. George Reservoir.

Cities
 
Bluffton

Bluffton is a town in Clay County, Georgia, United States.


1930's Motel.

As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 113.



History

Wow - This worm hole of history of Bluffton was so compelling with information I did not know, I left it intact. Written from Indian perspective.

The Georgian Revolt

The Royal Colony of Georgia was founded by adventurer, general, and philanthropist James Oglethorpe in 1732. In forming the Colony of Georgia, Oglethorpe set Georgia on an unusual path. He strove to make Georgia a safe haven for petty crime offenders. He cultivated a strong relationship with the local native tribes. During the 18th century, under Oglethorpe's leadership, Georgia was one of the few colonies to expressively outlaw slavery.


Oglethorpe is shown making peace on the site of Savannah with the chief of the Muskogee Indians, who presents a buffalo skin decorated with an eagle, symbol of love and protection.

But the governing body, The Georgia Trustees, which were formed by Oglethorpe himself, began to chip away at his progressive agenda. When the prohibition of slavery was abolished in 1750, many of Oglethorpe's followers emigrated to Western territory controlled by the Creek and Cherokee. This territory is formally known as Clay County. The Treaty of Augusta in 1773 forced the native Cherokee and Creek to cede almost 2 million acres of land east of the Appalachians to the royal colony of Georgia.



This also led to a strong connection between the Natives and the small townships on the western face of the Georgian and South Carolinian Appalachians, including Bluffton. The Coweta, who had not secured any territory rights from the Treaty of Augusta, sent a delegation to meet with the newly formed, self named “Constitutional Committee of Georgia” (leaders of several towns in the Clay County).

Official Denial to the Articles of Constitutional Sovereignty

They drafted 2 documents: A Statement of Grievances to the Governor of Georgia Standard for Anglo-Creek Confederacy (The latter originally titled The Treatise of Bluffton was changed 1792 as part of the Treaty of Chattahoochee that brought most of the Creek confederacy into the fold of the Georgian Revolt) They sent their letter of grievances to the governor of Georgia, Edward Telfair, who had been sympathetic to the land rights of the Creek during the Cherokee-American Wars. They also sent a letter requesting language to be included by the Constitutional Convention of 1798 (the 3rd constitutional convention). However, Telfair was voted out in 1793 and replaced by George Mathews, who represented the pro-slavery plantation owners and was far less sympathetic to the rights of the Creek. And The Articles of Constitutional Sovereignty were officially rejected by a strong Federalist majority, elected in 1794. (It is likely they did not take the petition seriously, taking measures to cement Federalist control).

The Document of Administration for Clay County

As a consequence of the official denial to The Articles of Constitutional Sovereignty the representatives of Clay County and the Coweta met again in The 2nd Anglo-Creek Convention (strangely there was no original “Anglo-Creek Convention”) in Bluffton. There were delegates from six towns and eight Creek tribes. They drafted the Document of Administration for Clay County which had seven key points: A loose confederation between the towns and tribes was to be set up. Each town would pay a small tax to fund a well organized militia of citizen soldiers and Creek warriors. The Creek would remain largely independent, but were recognized as citizens of the Clay County state.



1798 Constitutional Convention.

It is revealing that no document was drafted specifying the confederation's status. It is likely that they saw themselves as a prototype for how townships could function in the United States. Many organizers of the confederacy believed in strong state and federal governments, but thought that townships could and should maintain some political and (importantly) ideological sovereignty.

The Yazoo Act and the 3rd Anglo-Creek Convention

Initially, the actions of the towns and tribes of Clay County were overshadowed by another set of events in Western Georgia. Governor George Mathews, egged on by his base of land speculators and plantation owners, who each wanted a piece of the Western-pie, signed The Yazoo Land Act in 1795. The Yazoo Act authorized the sale of nearly 35 million acres of Creek and Cherokee land in Western Georgia for $500,000. The four major companies who were to buy land would then be able to deal with the Creeks and Cherokee in the area and open it up to settlement.


Abandoned tenant Farms Bluffton, Georgia.

The deal faced significant push back from the people of Georgia as well as many Jeffersonian politicians fueled by the Federalist-Jeffersonian rivalry that had spread across the country in the late 1700s. In the wake of what the people of Clay County saw as aggressive and illegal government overreach, as well as a potential threat to their own liberty, the growing confederacy of native tribes and Georgian townships met again in Bluffton in 1795 to consider their response to the Yazoo Act. After 2 weeks of debate, as a compromise, the convention passed three amendments to their previous governing document. The first named the confederacy as the District of Clay County (DCC). This definition was an attempt to confine themselves to remain members of the state of Georgia and limit unwanted attention from the legislature. The second more specifically laid out the governing structure of the DCC. Third, and most controversial, the so-called, “Territorial Doctrine” set the boundaries of the DCC and laid out the procedure by which new townships could be added.

Territorial Expansion

With their agreement on paper, many of the founding officials from Bluffton realized that their county was no longer just a liberally independent territory. Their experiment now had official boundaries, and they would have to figure out how to govern their land. But, as Jones and Whitefield scrambled to keep the confederacy under control, the towns on the Eastern boundary of the DCC began sending delegations to the small settlements now within the DCC, many of whom were willing participants (as was by the design of the writers of the 3rd Anglo-Creek amendments). But, when the town of Morgan refused to be absorbed into the DCC, the confederate government scrambled to deal with what was potentially their first military encounter. (Morgan is in present day Calhoun County east of Clay County) An emergency meeting of the Bluffton town council was called on May 5, 1795, and a messenger was sent to the border to request any military action against Morgan be halted. However, while the council debated, a small force from the town of Edison along with a few native warriors began an assault on Morgan. Although the self named “Constitutional Army of Georgia” met little resistance from the townsfolk, many of whom welcomed the bandits with cheers, the few official who had refused the DCC's request to join, fled to Savannah to inform the government of the insurgency in the Yazoo territory.


Abandoned store front Bluffton, remember this is a history of Bluffton.

The small DCC force collected battle-hungry stragglers [needs verification] and began to march on the Town of Leary, 7 miles outside of the boundaries drawn by the 3rd Anglo-Creek convention. The force still met little resistance save for a few confused policemen who initially refused to let the leader of the Edison force into the town hall. Meanwhile, the council was informed of the insolence of the Edison force; they scrambled to put together a segment of the Militia headed by Creek General Onetiwa to stop any further action on the part of the Edison force. The two small armies met outside of Leary on May 12, where many among the indolent band from Edison were rallying to push on the large settlement of Albany. General Onetiwa met privately with the leader of the Edison force, James Walters, who was the mayor of Edison. Onetiwa wanted the combined force to withdraw to Bluffton, but Walters refused to whereby Onetiwa resolved to camp outside of the town limits to watch Walter's force. Thus began a 2-week stand off between the 2 armies, numbering a combined 300 men.

The Rescinding Act

As the armies camped at Leary, the DCC's 1st scheduled elections came. Many representatives from the eastern border towns, who wanted succession and further expansion were elected. With the shift in power Onetiwa and Walters were withdrawn from Leary (Walters had to run to keep his mayoral seat). In the coming weeks after the new legislature convened in September 1795, the newly elected officials attempted to pass legislation that would lead to further expansion. However, Whitfield and Jones still chaired the representative body; one by one the bills were rejected. The new officials represented a young, passionate minority; the officials were highly charismatic. After weeks of growing tension, the leader of the new coalition, Thomas Bailey, managed to squeak through a bill that stationed the majority of the militia on the eastern border. 1796 brought a change in the political tide of Georgia as well. Many Democratic-Republicans were elected to the state legislature along with new governor, Jared Erwin. One of those new legislators was former governor and avid opponent of the Yazoo act, James Jackson. In February Jackson pushed through the Rescinding Act which cancelled the Yazoo Act.



However, Jackson proceeded to move Georgia in the direction of native extermination from the Yazoo territory. With the legislation of Bluffton in uproar, Thomas Bailey introduced a bill to sanction the capture of Albany. Although the proposal was met with ridicule, Bailey sent a message to the military forces on the eastern border led by Generals Menewa and Oliver Herald that the bill had in fact passed, that they were to March on Albany immediately. The large force of approximately 300 Creek and Clay soldiers were eager to fight and easily defeated the small force of Georgian militia stationed at Albany. Herald and his men wanted to continue to conquer the surrounding towns of Sasser and Dawson. But, one of Menewa's lieutenants convinced him that they should wait for further orders.

The Declaratory Committee of Bluffton

The Bluffton Council was furious at Bailey's treasonous actions, but Bailey and his allies heralded the victory at Albany and tied the hands of the Bluffton legislators. In the wake of victory at Albany, the nearby town of Blakley sent a letter to the Bluffton council asking to join the DCC. They were accepted in June 1796. In July, King George III sent a personal letter to the Bluffton council offering financial assistance if the DCC declared its independence. King George wrote several letters.


Namesake of state of Georgia.

Though many of the original writers of the Bluffton Treatise felt that this change would derail the DCC from its original [purpose]. Debate in the committee lasted 2 months. Whitfield and Jones aimed to take control of the process. Whitfield and Jones succeeded in basing the language of their declaration on The Articles of Constitutional Sovereignty, including a clause offering to rejoin the union if their requests were met. The committee also passed two governing amendments to be sent back to the towns for approval. The first clarified the chain of command among elected officials. The second established guidelines for specific bureaucratic committees to be created and elected. The DCC officially declared their succession on December 6, 1796.

The Battle of Albany

The DCC began building up their militia, each segment lead by a Creek and a township General. The military council, headed jointly by Jones and Bailey, began considering an assault on Sasser, but before they could come to agreement, Jones' and Whitfield's worst nightmare came true. On January 10, 1797, the DCC's declaration reached the Governor's desk; the next day a force of approximately 500 men marched on Albany. The DCC force headed by general Onetiwa, again, met them at the Blenheim bridge. A small force of 250 mostly Creek warriors poured arrow fire on the soldiers from range, while a contingent of rifle men prevented the Georgian force from crossing the river. In only thirty minutes the Georgia lines broke; they retreated having suffered 75 casualties vs only one for the Creek.



Despite the apparently dominant victory, all was not well for the DCC. The officials back in Bluffton were entirely unprepared for full-scale battle with the state; they had been waiting for British aid that had not arrived yet. Additionally, full scale legislative deadlock had set in Bluffton between those who favored full-scale war and those who didn't. Unable to organize their militia, Bailey sent a letter (it is questionable whether or not at the behest of the military council) to Menewa's forces stationed at Leary and Shellman to reinforce Onetiwa at Albany. On January 18, a beleaguered force of 600 men awoke to news of 1000 Georgian militia men marching on Albany again. Onetiwa organized his archers, while Menewa rallied his men to formation. Menewa had been instructed to retreat from the city at sign of battle; he was to meet the Georgians outside the city, while Onetiwa held the city.


This must be the Battle of Chickasawachee Swamp. We gave the Colonial side in GNW #104.

Even as war seemed imminent Jones and Whitfield still aimed to preserve public opinion of the DCC. Georgia's army led by general John R. Higgins was prepared for Onetiwa defense this time; he spread out his forces and overwhelmed the minuscule contingents of Menewa's forces stationed to protect each entrance. But, before Higgins’ forces could overwhelm the city, the remainder of Menewa's army attacked the Georgians from behind, drawing them away from the city. As the Georgians chased Menewa towards Leary, Onetiwa's archers escaped the city and returned to Bluffton. At the end of the day, when Higgins returned with his force they found the city silent save for the townsfolk. Despite apparent defeat the DCC's smaller force had managed to inflict another 100 casualties on the Georgians while only losing 20. The two sides were set for a long battle.

The Battle of Leary

Over the next several months, the DCC began building up their military force at Leary in preparation for an assault from the Georgians. The British had sent them money and guns. In May, the attack arrived - 5,000 men for Georgia, 3,000 for the DCC. The initial battle lasted six days in the area surrounding Leary; given the Creek's military strategy the fighting quickly descended into pseudo-guerilla warfare. Both sides suffered around 500 casualties each without much territory gained or lost.


Fort Gaines not built till 1814.

For the next five years, intermittent fighting continued on the DCC's eastern border; with aid from Britain, the DCC managed to hold off the Georgian forces, without much disruption for the DCC itself. In 1798 Jackson was elected Governor; he began to push for Georgia to sell the land including the DCC to the federal government. In 1802 he succeeded, selling the land for 1.25 million dollars.

The Battle of Clay and the Treaty of Fort Gaines

Within one month of the treaty's signing, Jefferson sent a regiment of 10,000 men. When they arrived in Clay County, they found a beleaguered and disorganized militia, unprepared to battle such a large, well trained force. Within one day the DCC's militia withdrew from Leary to Cuthbert and Bluffton. By the summer of 1802, the DCC were forced to surrender Bluffton. Jones, Bailey and Creek leader Talof Harjo met with US generals Jamison T. Williams at Fort Gaines.



With very little leverage, Bluffton's leaders along with the Creek agreed to cede all land in the Clay County area. 10,000 DCC followers were forced to emigrate to the west. For the next 50 years Bluffton and the surrounding towns remained mostly abandoned, Thus ended one of the most fascinating and unknown experiments in US history.

Modern Bluffton

A post office called Bluffton has been in operation since 1875. The town was incorporated in 1887.


Post Office and White Oak General Store.
   
Fort Gaines

Fort Gaines is a city in Georgia, United States, with a population of 1,107 at the 2010 census.


High on the bluff over the Chattahoochee River, below Lake Walter F. George and the Dam. 


On the border of Alabama.


1st National Bank Building 1900. Coleman Opera House.

The city is the county seat of Clay County.


Scout House 1928. Women's Clubhouse United Daughters Confederacy.

History

The present town of Fort Gaines was founded in 1816 as protection against the indigenous Creeks and prospered due to riverboat trade.



There was a long as hell, toll, covered bridge.




It’s suggested that John Dill was the first owner of this structure, around 1820, and that it may have been a temporary meeting house for an early group of Methodists. Later in that decade, John Sutlive purchased it for use as a toll house and traveler’s rest. With the busy bridge to Alabama situated just below the bluff, it would have been a very profitable enterprise for Sutlive.


Bridge to Alabama today.

Though it was named for General Edmund Pendleton Gaines, he did not arrive there with the 4th Infantry of the United States Army until 1816.


A fort of the same name had been built in 1814 nearby on the Chattahoochee River.


J.E. Paulin House 1900. Then and now.

Tremendous River Port before the railroad. The Queen City.


Sutlive House 1820. Gainer-Sutlive-Tatum House, Circa 1820, Fort Gaines.


Wells-McAllister House, Circa 1880.  Brown House, Circa 1830. The exterior attic doorway to (Nowhere) and porthole-like windows on the frieze are quite unusual.


McRae House, Circa 1844. Originally a boarding house that served as a Confederate barracks during the Civil War.

In 1854, Fort Gaines was designated seat of the newly formed Clay County.


Victorian Houses.

According to The Floridian newspaper of 1840, there were in Fort Gaines the Chattahoochee Female College and the Independent College for Young Men, boarding schools (not colleges as that word is used today). "The writer esteems that the society and location of Fort Gaines for literary purposes, so far as the education of youths is concerned, equal to that of Sparta [Georgia]."



Unincorporated communities
   
Pecan

Pecan is an unincorporated community in Clay County, in the U.S. state of Georgia.

History

A post office called Pecan was established in 1889, and remained in operation until 1906.


State nut of Georgia.

Pecan is located within a pecan-growing region, hence the name.
   
Suttons Corner

Suttons Corner is an unincorporated community in Clay County, in the U.S. state of Georgia.

History

Suttons Corner was founded by Warren Sutton, and named for him.


Suttons Corner Museum in Fort Gaines contains relics of the history of Suttons Corner.
   
Zetto

Zetto is an unincorporated community in Clay County, Georgia, United States.


Zetto today.

Ghost town
   
Oketeyeconne

Oketeyeconne was an unincorporated community in Clay County, Georgia, United States, which was located along the Chattahoochee River. Following legislation of the late 1940s, the United States Army Corps of Engineers constructed major dam and reservoir projects on the river. The manmade, 46,000-acre Walter F. George Lake was developed north of the dam by the same name. Its construction and flooding required the evacuation of Oketeyeconne and its residents were forced to relocate elsewhere. The lake opened for use in 1963.


The town was flooded to create Walter F. George Lake. It now lies under 90+ feet of water. It can be found with a depth finder by boat.

History

Archeologists have found evidence that earlier cultures of indigenous peoples have lived along the river since 1000 BC. Oketeyeconne was known historically as a Hitchiti-speaking town of the Lower Creek tribe in the late 1700s. It was the most southern of major towns affiliated with the Lower Creek, who ranged to the north. To the south were the Sawokli, Tamathli, Apalachicola, Yamasee, Mikasuki, and Seminole peoples. In 1799 Benjamin Hawkins, the United States Superintendent for Indian Affairs south of the Ohio River, described the settlement as being "a nice town settled on good land with room for livestock". He was encouraging Native Americans of the Southeast to adopt European-American farming techniques, and lived among the Creek.



Due to white settlers' encroaching on their territory, the Indian citizens of Oketeyeconne became disgruntled over food shortages and land seizure in the early 1800s. After the Creek Wars resulted in refugees coming into the area following defeat at Horseshoe Bend by Andrew Jackson of the United States Army, they appealed to the British for help in 1813. They had longstanding trading ties with the British dating to before the American Revolutionary War. The British tried to capitalize on Native American interests to attract allies during the War of 1812 with the United States. At this time, some whites believed that Native Americans of the area were acting as spies for British forces. The British considered the Chattahoochee to provide a possible invasion route, via the Apalachicola River, from Florida on the Gulf of Mexico.



During the Civil War, the residents of Oketeyeconne were divided in their affiliations, siding with both the CSA and the Union. The majority of the town's residents were Native Americans, descendants of people who had evaded Indian Removal of the 1830s, or agreed to become state citizens in exchange for being allowed to stay. The Muskogee-speaking Creek Confederation citizens sided with the Union during the war. Descendants of Seminole and other tribes historically affected by the Seminole Wars tended to side with the Confederacy.



The town remained unincorporated. During the mid-twentieth century, it was evacuated when the federal government took it over for development of water control and navigation projects on the river. Following legislation of the late 1940s, the United States Army Corps of Engineers constructed major dam and reservoir projects on the river. The manmade, 46,000-acre Walter F. George Lake was developed north of the dam by the same name. Its construction and flooding required the evacuation of Oketeyeconne. The lake opened for use in 1963.


Face of the Creek Indians today.

Clay County Notable Person
   
Mackey Sasser, baseball player.



250 images! Clay County! Today's GNW Gals are working with Clay.