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This Day in Georgia's History

2009-07-26T16:51:00Z

July 27

1852 Philanthropist George Foster Peabody was born in Columbus, Georgia. Blessed with a talent for finance and business, Peabody accumulated a fortune by age 50. He also was one of the organizing forces in creation of what would become General Electric. After retiring at age 54, Peabody spent his life and fortune in helping worthy causes. He bought a home in Warm Springs and was responsible for introducing Franklin Roosevelt to the thermal springs for treating his polio. Peabody died in Warm Springs in 1938 but is remembered for his charitable work and the Peabody Awards, which were established the year after his death.

1913 In Atlanta, Fulton County superior court judge L.S. Roan, who had been ill the previous week, announced that he now felt fine and would call the Leo Frank trial beginning at 9:00 the following morning. Click here for a detailed accounting of the case.

1914 Governor John Slaton approved legislation proposing a constitutional amendment to create Bacon County from portions of Appling, Pierce, and Ware counties. The new county was named for four-term U.S. Senator Augustus O. Bacon. Creation of the county by constitutional amendment was necessary because the state constitution then in effect prescribed a maximum of 145 counties. However, beginning in 1906, the General Assembly began getting around this constitutional limitation by amending the constitution to allow additional counties. By 1914, five constitutional amendments had added five counties beyond the 145-county limit. On Nov. 3 1914, Georgia voters approved a sixth amendment making Bacon Georgia's 151st county.

1938 Famed chemist Charles H. Herty died in Savannah. Born in Milledgeville in 1867, he received an undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University before undertaking research in Europe. Returning, he accepted a position at the University of Georgia in 1891. The next year, observing that there were no organized sports programs at the university, Herty organized and coached the first football team in 1892. He went on to become the first director of athletics and is considered the father of intercollegiate sports at the University of Georgia. But, Herty's greatest accomplishments were yet to come. In 1932, he set up a laboratory in Savannah to research use of Georgia pine trees. He developed a revolutionary process for obtain pine resin without killing the tree. More importantly, he pioneered the technology for using pine chips to make Kraft paper -- the brown paper used in making cardboard boxes -- and to bleach it for use as newsprint and other types of white paper. Herty's achievements made possible southeast Georgia's multi-million dollar paper industry, for which he is known as the father of the southern paper and pulp industry. His legacy lives on in the form of the Herty Foundation's Research and Development Center.

1941 U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood was born in Valdosta, Ga. After graduating from Georgia Southern University (1964) and Georgetown University Dental School (1967), Norwood served as a U.S. Army captain (1967-69). After a tour duty in Vietnam, he opened a dental practice in Augusta in 1969. In Nov. 1994, Norwood was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Georgia's 10 Congressional District. After reapportionment of Georgia's congressional districts, Norwood won election in a newly-drawn 10th District in Nov. 1996. He maintained that seat until his death on February 13, 2007.

1962 After two weeks of trying to meet with the Albany city council, Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph David Abernathy, and 8 others kneeled to pray on the steps of the city hall. King and Abernathy were arrested and sent to jail for the third time. Eighteen black youths were arrested two hours later when they attempt to pray, while a white SNCC worker was viciously beaten inside the jail.

1989 Atlanta Brave Dale Murphy became the tenth major league player to score 6 RBIs in one inning.

1996 In the early morning hours of the ninth day of the Olympics, downtown Atlanta was shocked with the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. The blast killed one woman and injured more than 100 bystanders. Conferring with law enforcement agencies and participation National Olympic Committees, by morning IOC officials decided to continue day 8 of Olympic competition (though Olympic flags were flown at half staff).

1997 Over 3,000 explosives were used to implode the 25-year-old Omni coliseum, located several blocks west of the center of downtown Atlanta. Twenty-thousand tons of structure were leveled in seconds. Gone was the long-time home of the Atlanta Hawks, 1988 National Democratic Convention, and countless rock concerts (including a number by Elvis and most of the popular music greats) and other events. What had opened in October 1972 with an Atlanta Flames hockey game was replaced by the Phillips Arena as home court for the Hawks in 1999 [Click here for photo of Omni.] [For more on the implosion click here.]

2000 Former Georgia governor Zell Miller took the oath of office as a member of the U.S. Senate. Several days earlier, Gov. Roy Barnes officially appointed Miller following the death of U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell, who died of a cerebral hemorrage on July 18. Miller's appointment was effective until a non-partisan election to fill the vacancy could be held in Nov. 2000.

Georgia towns and cities first incorporated by acts approved on July 27:

1904 Broxton (Coffee County)

1929 Silvertown (Upson County)

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1739 In contrast to what most Georgia colonists were experiencing, John Martin Boltzius recorded relative prosperity for the Salzburgers at Ebenezer:

"As the Salzburgers already own more than 250 head of cattle and again are about to buy some more from the Carolina area with the money they have earned so far, they are now busy making hay to provide fodder for the winter. They do not really have any meadows yet, but on fertilized ground some kind of sweet long grass grows so abundantly that they can cut it several times a year. They also break off the green leaves from the Indian corn at this time and on several other occasions throughout the year and dry them; this is better than the best hay for cows and horses . . . . since there are no horses and wagons or well cut roads, they must carry the fodder home, which they do not mind doing as they are richly rewarded for their troubles later with milk and butter. . . .

"As time goes on, our dear people keep improving their arrangements, and everything goes more easily. We have no place in the orphanage to store fruit and crops or fodder, so we are compelled to build new barns for threshing the rice and storing the harvest . . . ."

Source: George Fenwick Jones and Renate Wilson (ed. and trans.), Detailed Reports on the Salzburger Emigrants Who Settled in America . . . Edited by Samuel Urlsperger: 1739 (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1980), Vol. 6, pp. 166-167.

1764 James Habersham wrote to William Knox, Georgia's agent in London, thanking him for his efforts, then adding in a postscript one of the many tribulations the colonists faced:

". . . We are very sensible of your Abilitys [sic] and Zeal to serve us, and return you our very hearty thanks for the Attention you have given to our Affairs -- We likewise desire you will make our gratefull [sic] Acknowledgements acceptable to the worthy Members of the Honourable House of Commons, who have assisted us the last Session of parliament, . . .

"P.S. We are at present afflicted with the small pox in this Town, and as many of the Committee with their Familys have retired into the Country, it is difficult to get a sufficient Number of the Committee to meet."

Source: Collections of the Georgia Historical Society, Vol. VI, The Letters of the Hon. James Habersham, 1756-1775 (Savannah: Georgia Historical Society, 1904), p. 25.

Today in Georgia's History

2009-07-08T12:32:00Z

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July 8

1721 Tomochichi was one of several Creek chiefs that gathered at Charles Town to sign a treaty -- "Articles of Friendship and Commerce Agreement" -- with South Carolina governor Robert Johnson.

1864 The 23rd Corps under Maj. Gen. Schofield became the first unit of Sherman's forces to cross the Chattahoochee River. Their crossing took place at a point between Powers Ferry and Johnston's Ferry, and caught the Confederates by surprise.

Today in Georgia's History

2009-07-07T15:21:00Z

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JULY 7
1742 This day marks the anniversary of the Battle of Bloody Marsh, which has long been credited as General James Oglethorpe's most important victory--and in fact the battle that determined that Georgia would be English rather than Spanish.

However, the full story is more complex. On July 7, Gov. Montiano took the offensive on St. Simons Island [see 1740 map]. However, he did not commit his entire invasion force against British forces at Fort Frederica. Rather, he sent two infantry columns to check out the fort's defenses. About a mile from Frederica, a small contingent of Oglethorpe's rangers encountered the advancing Spaniards. The two sides exchanged fire, and then the rangers hurried to Fort Frederica to tell Oglethorpe, who quickly assembled a force of soldiers from his regiment, Highlanders, rangers, and Indian allies. He led this diverse military force to attack the Spaniards in what was later known as the Battle of Gully Hole Creek, where Oglethorpe's men were victorious. The routed Spanish columns retreated southward down the Military Road towards Fort St. Simons and the safety of Montiano's main forces. Oglethorpe pursued them until reaching the edge of a clearing where the road crosses the western edge of a marsh. Here, he stopped and positioned his men behind bushes and trees to defend the road in case the main Spanish force advanced on Frederica. Fearing that Montiano has launched a river attack on Fort Frederica, Oglethorpe returned to prepare the defense of the fort against attack by ship. However, there was no river attack. Instead, Montiano sent three infantry companies back up the Military Road towards Frederica. As the lead company reached the edge of the marsh, Oglethorpe's men opened fire [see illustration].

A brief and heavy fire fight followed [see photo of battle site]. Eventually, the Spanish fell back--but so do some British soldiers who think the Spaniards had prevailed. Hearing the gunfire from Frederica, Oglethorpe rode as fast as he could to reach the battle. He saw the retreating British soldiers, who told him the Spanish had been victorious. Nevertheless, he turned them around and they hastened to join the battle. By the time he arrived, the Battle of Bloody Marsh was over--and the Georgia defenders held the day. There had been two important skirmishes this day -- both won by Georgia's defenders. However, unlike the popular tradition, the results of July 7 were not the sole factors that convinced Montiano to call off the invasion. A week would pass before that decision was reached.

This Day in Georgia's History

2009-07-02T03:11:00Z

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JULY 2
1735 In London, the Trustees decided on the name for the new town they had directed be built at the mouth of the Altamaha River in Georgia. In honor of Prince Frederick, son of King George II, the town would be named Frederica.

1776 Delegates at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia adopted a series of resolutions proposed by Richard Henry Lee that declared "That these United States are and of right ought to be free and independent States," called for a formal declaration of independence from Great Britain, urged signing alliances with foreign countries, and proposed the formation of a confederation. After voting for independence, delegates continued to refine the declaration.

July 1st

2009-07-01T01:28:00Z

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1776 Delegates at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia took the first vote on the Declaration of Independence.

1873 Georgian Henry Flipper became one of the first blacks to enter West Point Military Academy, going on to become the first black to graduate.

1893 Walter F. White was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He becomes an important voice for American blacks, particularly noted for his long efforts to marshal public opinion and government policy against lynching in the South. He also serves as executive secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People from 1931 to 1955.

For more Georgia History go to
http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/tdgh-jul/jul01.htm