The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-28
THRIVING TOWN OF OoILLA.
Two Years Ago 1t Was barren
Tract in Irwin County.

Tract in Irwin County.
Ocilla, Ga, March N.-Ocilla is thriv-
ing town In Irwin county, nine miles
south of Fitzgerald, and is the terminus
of a branch of the Georgia and Alabama
Railroad. which extends from Abbeville
in Wilcox county, to Ocilla.
Ocilla is Incorporated and the present
Mayor, Hon. j. A. ]. Henderson, is the
founder of the place. Just two years ago
Mayor Henderson, who is a large land
owner and capitalist conceived the idea
that he had beautiful location, and
would survey up a portion of his extern
sive acres into town lots. He placed the
lots on the market at $25 each, and hun
dreds were sold.
Mr.. Henderson has the satisfaction of
being Mayor of a growing little town of
1900 people. The town is stin growing,
lots continue 20 be sold, and new build
ings erected. There are ten new build
ings in course of construction, and they
are not cheap temporary affairs, but COM
Portable, substantial and attractive
homes. There are some beautiful
residences in the town as can be found
in any small town.
Ocilla has one Methodist Church for
white people and three for colored people.
1t has also a prosperous school of 1854 stu
store, three barrooms, one livery stable,
two beef markets, two hotels, one black
smith and repair shop, three barber shops,
two large steam sawmills, one naval stores
manufacturer, one variety works, one
dentist, four doctors and one lawyer, two
newspapers, one bank, one Masonic lodge,
NJ. Henderson, w. Nj, and one knights
of Pythias lodge, L. r. Tucker, c. C.
The Ocilla school is conducted by Prof.
H. Mcmillan, principal; Prof. p. Jernigan,
in charge of the business department of
the school; Miss Rosa Chauncey, assistant,
and Miss Lily Handbook, in charge of the
music department. Under the Management
of the able corps of teachers, the attend
ance continues to increase. A large adj
dition is being made to the school building
in order TO give more room to the students.
Dormitories have been erected near the
school to accommodate the students with
board.
The firm of Henderson, Paulk & Co.
does business in a very large two-story
building of their own, which would be a
| credit to almost any city in the state. The
next most important building in the town
is the store house of Powell Billiard & Co
1t as a very large, weil-constructed. two
story wooden building. Powell Billiard
q co. are extensive naval stores manu-
facturers, with Mr.. ]. II. Powell as man
ager.
The Ocilla Bank is a handsome brick
building next to Henderson, Paulk & Co
This is new enterprise for Ocilla, having
recently been organized. The cash cant
tai is $4,000. The officers of the hank
are Benjamin Drew, president; John II
Powell, vice president; Thomas B. Puck
EFT, cashier. The bank has been doing a
thriving business since it has been or
ganized, and with these gentlemen as Of
iicers is sure guarantee of success
| Messrs. Drew and Powell are well known
as the most enterprising and successful
| tnanciers in this section of the state. The
| town has two mail trains daily over the
| Georgia and Alabama Railroad The En-
sign Arcamp Lumber Company has a
| large steam saw-mil here, and is now
surveying and will build railroad from
| mere TO Worth, on the Georgia Southern
and Florida Railroad. This road will open
| up some of the finest timber lands in this
| section.
There are two enterprising newspapers
| published here, the News, with Clifford
| Grubbs as proprietor and editor. and the
Ocilla Dispatch, J. w. Hanlon, editor.
! Both of these gentlemen are energetic
| newspaper men of long experience The
| people of Ocilla and Irwin county should
| feel proud Of the Dispatch and the News.
| Marshal H. A. Arnold yields the club
and looks after the peace and good order
! of the city
Drs. Luke, Ashley, Gothic and Ball look
| after the health of Oclla and the sur
| rounding section. They complain. how
ever, that it is distressingly healthy.
| This is, perhaps, one of the best farm
ing sections in South Georgia, and the
| farmers throughout Irwin county seem to
be in prosperous condition. They farm
on a small scale, but almost all of them
make more than enough provisions to do
them bountifully and some for sale. Hence
| their cotton and wool crop is never sold
until the prices suit them. MANY of the
| farmers of Irwin county have money to
their credit in bank, and there is no class
of farmers in Georgia that Is more pros
| porous and complain less of hard times.