Georgia Natural Wonder #250 - John Tanner Park - Carroll County (Part 3)

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Georgia Natural Wonder #250 - Jim Tanner Park - Carroll County (Part 3)

Here we are at at Wonder #250, I hope y'all are enjoying the ride.  Finishing up Carroll County, we found one more, now just local, Park to call a Natural Wonder. It certainly sounds like a good watering hole for a Saturday or Sunday visit. 



From Wikipedia, John Tanner Park, formerly known as John Tanner State Park, is a 138 acres Carroll County park located between Carrollton and Mount Zion. The park is named after John Tanner, a local businessman who operated the park from 1954 to 1971. He operated it as Tanner's Beach. 

My TRD Nugget is stretching it a little but Tan is close to Ten and I present Tan Years After for you to click and listen as you scroll this post.



The park itself is well known for its water-friendly recreation. It contains two lakes, one 12 acres and the other 16 acres, and the largest sand beach of any Georgia state park. 


There is also a walking and nature trail. 



It became managed by Carroll County in 2010 and was purchased by Carroll County in 2013. (Official Web Site)



From PB&J The story of John Tanner and his piece of Florida in Carrollton Georgia is very interesting. During the 1950's, John Tanner decided to build a Florida resort in Georgia. He had 8 train-car loads of Florida sand hauled in for the beach, planted palm trees along the shoreline, and draped Spanish moss from the trees. During the 50's and 60's, the park was a popular destination. The park was even frequented by Carrollton native Susan Hayward.



Eventually, the resort became a state park. It is now a local county park with lots (and lots) of locals enjoying the accommodations. The beach is still there, but the palm trees and Spanish moss are long gone. The campground needs some updating, but isn't half bad. The only draw-back to camping here (on the weekends anyway) is the large crowd of beach patrons.


All campsites have water, electricity, and cable TV. Eight pull-through sites accommodate tents and RVs.

Your Georgia State Parks Family Pass will not get you in. John Tanner State Park is no longer a state park at all. It is run by Carroll County now, it's still a $5.00 parking fee and a struggle to find a parking spot. 



The beach is the primary attraction here, and with temperatures in the 90's, the beach is what folks want. You can spend the entire afternoon playing, swimming, and making friends. 



Or, you can read a book and snooze under the massive shade trees.



While relatively sparse, the staff at John Tanner park were very friendly and accommodating.


The park is now a local attraction, and that's ok. 


In fact, for the people of Carroll County, it's awesome!



John Tanner Park has an annual attendance of 100,000 visitors.


Triathlons.

From Explore Georgia,

A landmark in Carroll County, the 138-acre John Tanner Park boasts a large sand beach, 



camping, hiking, fishing, 





putt putt golf,



paddle boats,



a group lodge, motel units, pavilions and a large picnic area.

 

A group lodge accommodates 40 people overnight in bunk-style rooms with a fireplace, deck, large kitchen and lakefront view. A six-unit motel also is located on the lake. 



The fully equipped units have combination kitchen/dining/living room, two double beds and cable TV. One handicap unit.

Trip Advisor Reviews

Tanner State Park is a great place! It has a fantastic man made freshwater beach with paddle boats and fishing. 



There are several picnic areas and covered pavilions.



Everything is priced very affordably. It's great for a day with the kids or for a family reunion or just hanging out with friends.

 

Generally I come and just do the "about a mile" walk around the big lake on a paved trail. 



I love taking lots of photos. Today I took a bunch of them.









Highly recommend! I always see families and lots of kids enjoying themselves!


Man, these are some gorgeous images, John Tanner Park!

I know, you was digging that Tan Ten connection so a bonus TRD Nugget for the rest of this post, some more Tan Years After.



I think this is the last of the old and new State Parks. Carroll County really has some wonderful weekend getaways.


You also have the Carrollton Greenbelt. With more than 18 miles of concrete path, the Green Belt claims the title of the longest, paved loop trail in Georgia!

Carroll County (Part 3)

We wrap up Carroll County with 8 communities and 38 Notable people to finish our tangent on Carroll County. No Carol You Tube, digging the Tan Years After.

Communities

Carroll County has several incorporated towns within its boundaries. Most of the county is within an hour’s drive of Atlanta and has been experiencing rapid growth. 



According to the 2020 U.S. census, the county population is 119,148, an increase over the 2010 population of 110,527.

City of Carrollton (County Seat)

Carrollton, Georgia is a city in western Georgia, about 45 miles west of Atlanta near the Alabama state line. It is the county seat of Carroll County, which is included in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. Historically, Carrollton has been a commercial center for several mostly rural counties in both Georgia and Alabama. It is the home of the University of West Georgia and West Georgia Technical College. It is a rural area with a large farming community. The 2019 estimates placed the city's population at 27,259.


Carrollton today.

History

Carroll County, of which Carrollton is the county seat, was chartered in 1826, and was governed at the time by the Carroll Inferior Court, which consisted of five elected justices. In 1829, the justices voted to move the county seat from the site it occupied near the present community of Sandhill, to a new site about 8 miles to the southwest.


City Hall.

The original intention was to call the new county seat "Troupville", in honor of former governor George Troup, but Troup was not popular with the state government of the time, so the Georgia General Assembly incorporated the town as Carrollton, in December 1829. The name was in honor of Charles Carroll of Carrollton Maryland, the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence.


George McIntosh Troup and Charles Carroll.

In 1830, the town was surveyed and lots were laid out, with the central feature being the town square, which was later named Adamson Square, for local judge and congressman William C. Adamson.

 


Panoramic of Carrollton's Adamson Square c. 1912


Adamson Square today.

Although it was the county seat and the main market town for most of Carroll County, transportation of both goods and passengers was difficult until the coming of the railroad in 1874, so Carrollton remained largely a frontier town until well after the Civil War.



The coming of the railroad brought new prosperity to Carrollton. Farmers were able to bring their crops, mostly cotton, to town for shipment to distant markets, and obtain the fertilizers and agricultural supplies they needed. At the same time, consumer goods were more readily available than ever before.

 

Now called The Depot on Bradley, a wedding venue.



The railroad also encouraged the growth of the fledgling industrial ventures, especially in the textile industry, in and around Carrollton. These early textile mills, mostly water powered, served as the basis for a textile industry that helped ensure the town's prosperity well into the 20th century. At the start of the 20th century, Carrollton boasted running water and had electric lighting and telephone service. The town began paving its streets in 1918.



In 1906, Carrollton was chosen as the site of the Fourth District Agricultural and Mechanical School, which became West Georgia College in 1934, and is now a 12,834-student university, the University of West Georgia. In May 1964 Robert F. Kennedy visited Carrollton for the dedication of Kennedy Chapel on the university campus.




Bobby and Bobby at brother's funeral. Ethal still alive 2024.

Carrollton remained an agricultural and textile manufacturing center throughout the first half of the 20th century, but as the local production of cotton declined and the population became more urban, other industries began to take on a greater prominence. Most notable is the Southwire Company. Founded in Carrollton in 1950, Southwire is now one of the world's largest manufacturers of wire and cable and is the largest privately owned wire manufacturer, with more than 1,500 local employees and 5,000 employees worldwide.


The Community Center was originally designed as a High School by renowned Georgia Architect Neel Reid. This Historic Revival style building was completed in 1921 and remained a Jr. High until 1986 when it was restored for community use by the City of Carrollton. Through efforts of the Carroll County Historical Society this historic old school was saved from the wrecking ball.


The Carrollton Old City Hall is another Neal Reid designed building in Carrollton. Besides once being home to the city government of Carrollton, it has housed the cities fire and police departments. In its early years, the upper floors were used as the Carrollton Opera House and later as the City Auditorium. Today the Southwire Company has sales offices here.


The Old City Gym is located at the Carrollton City Park on U.S. 27 (South Park St.). It was built in the 1940 by the Work Progress Administration (WPA). Once used for basketball games and community dances, it continues to be a place for community gatherings and class reunions. It is now called the WPA building.

This diversification of industry has continued into the 21st century, aided in part by Carrollton's ready access to Interstate 20 and the Norfolk Southern Railway. The city's major employers presently include companies in the airline, construction, power distribution, poultry, software, home entertainment, and healthcare industries, among others.

 

Carrollton also remains an important market town, with a wide variety of national retail chains and restaurants, serving Carroll County and the surrounding region.

 



Carrollton was mentioned in Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel Gone with the Wind and in the 1939 movie of the same name. Carrollton featured in the 1983 TV movie Murder in Coweta County, although the Carrollton scenes were not actually filmed there. Other films shot in the Carrollton area include Conjurer with John Schneider, The Way Home with Dean Cain, and Between Love and a Hard Place with Bern Nadette Stanis. 



Carrollton was the late in life home of actress Susan Hayward.


Nominated 5 times Best Actress, won with I Want to Live! in 1958.

Parks and recreation

Several parks are located in Carrollton such as Longview Park, Knox Park and Castle Playground. John Tanner State Park, which is 6 miles west of the city, has a lake with a beach and swimming area, walking or running track, and camp grounds.


Castle Playground.

The Carrollton Greenbelt is the largest paved loop in the state of Georgia. It is 18 miles long and is used for walking and bicycling.


Greenbelt.

The trail goes all around Carrollton and has "trailheads" at Laura's Park at Hays Mill, Old-Newnan Road, Lakeshore Park, and more.


Lakeshore Park.

East Carrollton Park is located near Lake Carroll.


Lake Carroll.

Culture

Carrollton's downtown area is named Adamson Square after Congressman William C. Adamson. The area is the host to many of Carrollton's events, such as the annual Mayfest which takes place in the first week of May. Right off the Square is the Carrollton Center for the Arts, the site of Carrollton Festival of the Arts, an arts and crafts festival held in October.


Mayfest.

In 2012 The AMP at Adamson Square debuted; this outdoor covered amphitheater can seat 800–1,000 people and shows a variety of free music and movie performances. Carrollton is well known for its diverse live music tradition. Many restaurants offer live music performances as well the Lowell Opry House where staged concerts are held.


AMP

One block south of the Square is the Southeastern Quilt & Textile Museum, which opened in September 2012. Exhibits have featured traditional and contemporary quilts by both solo artists and various regional guilds, and a partnership with the Center for Public History at the University of West Georgia has enabled the museum to exhibit highlights of the history of the local textile industry.



Carrollton has about 100 places of worship. The , a non-profit organization supporting Sacred Harp singing, publishes the most widely used edition of the Sacred Harp songbook. 



Carrollton is the birthplace of Baptist pastor Jerry Vines. It is also the home of a small denomination: the National Association of Wesleyan Evangelicals.

City of Villa Rica

We covered Villa Rica with our 4th post on Douglas County (GNW #176) Anneewakee Creek - Douglas County (Part 4). Part of Villa Rica is in Douglas County, so we let that post stand alone, and refer you to it. Scroll past the information on the Creek.

Fairfield (Unincorporated)

Fairfield Plantation is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in eastern Carroll County, Georgia, United States. It is a community situated around a golf course and reservoir (Treasure Lake), 8 miles south of Villa Rica and 38 miles west of Atlanta. 



Fairfield Plantation was created as a Planned Unit Development in the 1970s. The population as of the 2020 census is 4,898.

City of Temple

Temple is a city in Carroll and Haralson counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 5,089 at the 2020 census, up from 4,228 in 2010, a 20.36% increase.



History

The name "Temple" was adopted in 1883 when the railroad was extended to the settlement, after one Mr. Temple, a railroad official. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Temple as a town in 1883. 



In recent years the heartbeat of the town has migrated closer to Interstate 20, farther away from its origins along the railroad. After nearly 30 years of vacancy a strip of five historic buildings along West Johnson Street have been brought back to life.

City of Bowdon

Bowdon is a city in Carroll County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 2,161.



History

The community was incorporated on January 1, 1859, and was named after Alabama congressman Franklin Welsh Bowdon.



Bowdon College was established in Bowdon in 1857 but closed in 1936.



Bowdon was formerly served by the Bowdon Railway, in operation from 1910 to 1963.



City of Mount Zion

Mount Zion is a city in Carroll County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,696 at the 2010 census.

History

The City of Mount Zion was established in 1852 by Reverend Thomas Hicks Martin (March 10, 1822 - June 14, 1914), after his family had settled on land that had once been owned by the Creek Confederacy. It became known as Turkey Creek Mills, the name derived from a large wild turkey population found in the area. The city's name was later adopted from the local Mount Zion Methodist Episcopal Church, established 1865, which had soon became the center point of the community, and in 1878 the name Turkey Creek Mills was changed to Mount Zion.

 
In 1877, Reverend James Mitchell took his ministry to Mount Zion and founded the Mount Zion Seminary, the predecessor institution of the current Mount Zion High School.

The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Mount Zion as a town in 1912 and re-chartered in 1953 and again in 1978.


Mount Zion is one of the few cities in Georgia with the Confederate Flag incorporated in its city flag, which is based on the 1956 Georgia state flag and inspired by the Trenton, Georgia city flag that began flying in 2002. The Mount Zion city flag began flying April 10, 2007.

Town of Whitesburg

Whitesburg is a town in Carroll County, Georgia, United States. The population was 588 at the 2010 census.



The McIntosh Reserve here is the former plantation of Chief William McIntosh, a prominent leader of the Lower Towns of the Creek Confederacy. He was executed at his home in 1825 on order of the National Council of the Creek Nation for having negotiated and signed the Treaty of Indian Springs that year, which ceded most of the Creek territory in Georgia and Alabama to the United States. The Creek National Council negotiated a new treaty with the United States the next year to gain a more favorable settlement, but most of the Creek were removed to Indian Territory in the 1820s and 1830s. In the 21st century federally recognized tribes of the Creek include the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town, Kialegee Tribal Town, and Thlopthlocco Tribal Town of Oklahoma, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, and the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas.


After Creek removal, American settlers entered the area from the east. Many became subsistence farmers. Whitesburg was established by European-American settlers in 1873. The community was named after A.J. White, a railroad official. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Whitesburg in 1874.


Acorn Creek, a tributary of the Chattahoochee River, originates just west of Whitesburg. It takes its name from Acorn Town, a Creek Indian settlement and plantation which stood near its mouth.

Town of Roopville

Roopville is a town in Carroll County, Georgia, United States. The population was 218 at the 2010 census.


Roopville.

History

Roopville was founded in 1881 by John K. Roop, and named for him. 


Roop House.


Roopville Jail 1885.

The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Roopville as a town in 1885.


Roopville today.

I know that last TRD Nugget has petered out by now, so one last Tan Years After video to finish the Notable People of Carroll County.



Notable people

Carroll County has been home to many prominent people. Roy Richards founded Southwire and turned it into the world’s largest privately owned wire company.



The actress Susan Hayward lived just north of Carrollton and is buried there. William C. Adamson served in the U.S. Congress from 1897 to 1917 and sponsored the Adamson Act, which established an eight-hour work day for interstate railroad employees. Newt Gingrich, who taught at the University of West Georgia, served in the U.S. Congress from 1979 to 1999, the last four years as Speaker of the House.



William C. Adamson - politician,Associate Justice of the United States Customs Court and member of the Board of General Appraisers.



Margie Alexander - American gospel and soul singer.



Terry Boyd - former CBA player.



C. J. Brewer, #62 Defensive Tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.



Reggie Brown - former Philadelphia Eagles and University of Georgia wide receiver.

Down Town Reggie Brown.

Bull Buchanan - Rampage Pro Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion.



Mark Butler - politician.



Betty Reynolds Cobb - attorney, author, and activist.



Walter Terry Colquitt, Methodist preacher, United States Representative and Senator from Georgia.



Cooper Criswell - pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.



Corey Crowder - former NBA player.



Richard DeLong - Sacred Harp singer.


Mike Dugan, Georgia State Senate Majority Leader.



Taylor Clark Duncan, autism advocate, community entrepreneur, and founder of Alternative Baseball.



Donna Fiducia, News / Media Personality.



Patrick Gamble - former NFL and Georgia Tech defensive end.



Bill Hamrick - lawyer, politician, and judge.



Hollis L. Harris - former president and COOof Delta Air Lines and chairman, president, and CEO of Continental Airlines, Air Canada, and World Airways.



Josh Harris, NFL long snapper and Auburn University graduate.



Julian Hoke Harris - famous sculptor.



Susan Hayward - Academy Award-winning actress.

Haywood at her Georgia Home.

Jamie Henderson - former New York Jets and University of Georgia cornerback.



Michael 'Mike' Huey - professional drummer and record producer.

12 years Glen Frey solo albums.

John Willis Hurst - personal cardiologist for Lyndon B. Johnson.



Keith Jackson (1928-2018), sportscaster.

Woah Nellie!

Jonathan Jones - football cornerback for the New England Patriots.



Nick Jones - former Seattle Seahawks center and current Los Angeles Rams coaching assistant.

Dawg!

Catherine Hardy Lavender - Olympic athlete and gold medalist.

4 × 100 meters relay.

James Mitchell, U.S. Commissioner of negro colonization for President Abraham Lincoln.



Steve Moore - racing driver.



MJ Morris - quarterback for North Carolina State University, University of Maryland.



Dylan Parham - offensive guard for the Las Vegas Raiders.



Darnell Powell - former Buffalo Bills and New York Jets running back and UTC graduate.



Dontavius Russell - NFL defensive tackle and free agent.



Steve Thomas - NBA and former CBA player.



Kin Vassy - country singer and songwriter.

Sang the "Yipee-Yi-Yo-Ty-Yay's" on the outro of Frank Zappa's song "Montana"

Don Wix - politician.



Amy Yates - murder victim for whom Amy's Law is named.



Farewell Carroll County as we present our last list of Famous Carol's for today's Georgia Natural Wonder Girls.


Carol Channing (Famous but tricky search GNW Gal worthy image), Carol Wayne (Johnny Carson Gal), Carol Baumgartner (Miss Brazil)