The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-06
A THRIVING TOWN.
Rapid Growth of OciIIa in Irwin
County.

haplu OrOWth OF Oc1llu IN Irwin
County.
Ocila, Ga Oct 5-Ocilla, for twenty
years, was a country postoffice in the
backwoods of this Qrwin) county. Not a
patron of the little country office, until
recently. ever thought that Della would
be railroad terminus, but it is now the
terminus of a branch road of the Georgia
and Alabama, which runs from Abbeville
in Wilcox county, to Ocilla, in this Qrwin)
county.
Hon. J. A ]. Henderson, the present rep
resentative of Irwin, induced the Georgia
and Alabama to extend their branch road
from Fitzgerald here. Now Ocilla has ex-
cellent railroad service-two passenger
trains daily from Abbeville. Mr. Hender-
son. until recently, manufactured naval
stores extensively here and he owns hum
dreds of acres of land mere and in this
immediate section. He is one of Twins
best and most public spirited citizens. The
railroad was completed to this place June
/, and in August Mr.. Henderson COM
menced laying off one-half mile square in
town lots, the business lots in % by $50
feet, and residence lots 80 by 200 feet. The
price of lots is uniform, $25 per lot, re-
gardless of location, or whether
you buy business or resi-
coupled with the excellence of location,
is selling them very rapidly Mr. Hender-
son has already sold over 100 lots. He
is fully determined to make town of
Della. The town has a population of
between 100 and 1000. There are many
new buildings being erected. 1t looks like
prosperity, and the future of Ocilla seems
assured. The following firms are now
merchandising here: Henderson & Paulk,
William Henderson & Son, Powell Bull
lard & Co., r. E. Wilcox & Bro, Mash
burn & Hunt, w. M. Harris, j. c. Luke,
druggist. Several new store houses are
being constructed
The enterprising firm of Paulk Bros of
Alapaha, Ga, has purchased here and
has let the contract for a brick building
50x70 feet. There will be two stores in
the building, 25x7O feet each. A neat
three-room school building will soon be
completed, and a Methodist church will
be built at an early date.
Smith, Thomas & Co. have a larger
steam sawmill here, with capacity of
10000 feet of lumber per day. They also
manufacture shingles and laths.
l. c. & H. S. Cummings have a sawmill
just one mile south of here They have
graded a road from this point to the mill,
and will soon lay the iron and make con-
nection here with the Georgia and Ala
bama road.
]. H. Whitfield has a welI-equipped ma
chine shop.
Rev. J. A. Sutton has a complete gin
merry supplied with the latest improve
ments and is ginning several bales of the
fieecy staple daily.
DELLA will soon have a weekly newspa-
per, the Irwin County News. There is a
Masonic lodge here. Hon. NJ. Henderson
is the worshipful master.
There is nothing to prevent Ocilla from
being prosperous town. 1t is located in
one of the best and healthiest sections in
the state, and surrounded by sawmllls, ma
val stores manufacturers, and energetic
farmers.
The price of farming lands in this coun-
ty is rapidly advancing, despite the low
price of cotton Lands that could have been
bought few years ago a $500 per lot, 400
acres constituting a lot, is now worth from
$4,000 to $4,000 per lot, according to loca-
ton
In order that the readers of the Morning
News may know the increased valuation
of Irwin county lands, ! will state that |
have been told by several reliable citizens
that years ago the citizens would meet at
superior court and swap horses and fire.
quently give a lot of land as boot in the
trade. What a change from those days!
A gentleman who has only 100 acres near
| Ocilla, with no buildings, the only improve
ments being fifty acres cleared land, in
formed me that he had been offered 81, 800
for the hundred acres. Surely Irwin
county dirt is on boom, and horse swap
pers who wish land as boot must hunt
| another county or take to the woods.
The voters of this county will vote on
the court house removal question on the
21st inst. Whether the court house will
remain at Irwinsville or go to Fitzgerald
is as yet a matter for speculation.