The Savannah morning news., 1902-06-29
NAMED AFTER GOV. EARLY.
HISTORIC EARLY COUNTY HOME OF
PROSPEROUS PEOPLE.

Georgia During the Civil War a
soldier in the Early Guards and
MortalIy wounded in SI<irmish
on Whitmarsh Island just After
the Fall of Fort PuIasI<i-SOme of
the People who Contribute to
EarIy's Prosperity.
This is all Georgia and we are all
.;eorgians, but there is what may be
called a distinctive individuality in
every county. or in some instances in
groups of counties. There are
the same general characteristics
among the people and their surround
ings. for instance, Whitfield county
nay be said to be an old county, but
there is an activity among the people
that belongs to a new country. In Fan
min county, there is a newness, if it
is proper to use that word, in all
things. The people there re-
semble a recently settled far West
community. But, in Early county,
which is one of the most prosperous
in the state. with a progressive and en-
ergetic population there is tone of
restfulness and dissatisfaction very
noticeable among the people
The county is well watered by the
ern boundary and separates it from
the state of Alabama, and by the Colo
moko, the Sowhatchee and other
streams. The land is level. but suf-
ficiently rolling to give it good drain
age, and the soil is gray with clay
subsoil, which produces cotton, the
crop was about 1000 bales last year,
corn, oats, sugar cane, peas, rice and
potatoes, and peaches, pears, and ap-
PIES do well, and fruit culture is re-
ceiving great attention. 1t is also a
good grazing country. Sheep, cattle,
horses and hogs are a valuable part of
the county's wealth. There are still eX-
tensive pine forests, and all kinds of
ders, but the saw mills are making
rapid inroads into the wooded lands.
The county was laid off in 1918, and
was originally a very large county, and
is still not a small one, comprising 500
square miles. 1t was named after Gov.
Peter Early, a Virginian, and a revo-
lutioHary soldier who came to Georgia
in the closing years of the eighteenth
century. 1 think if an examination
were made of the statistics it would
be found that one quarter of the coun-
ties of Georgia were named after sons
fff tho afNInthoYs Of of
men,"
The Central of Georgia and the Geor-
gia, Florida and Alabama Railways
traverse the county, and they with the
Chattahoochee river, give excellent
transportation facilities, Earlys popu-
lation by the census of 1900 was, white
1858, colored, 4,401. There are 26 white
schools in the county with an average
attendance of 910 pupils, and % col
ored schools with an attendance of 791
pupils.
dropped in a, Blakeley one day dur
ing the political canvass to see nv
friends, and found that 1 had more
than / dreamed of. l was met at the
depot by DR.. L. c. Strong and a num-
Der of other prominent citizens.
felt at home when 1 saw DR.. Strong's
familiar face. | was escorted to the
Court House. where l met Hon. ID. M.
Wade, the Ordinary, Sheriff w. d.
Hodges, Deputy Sheriff j. N. HasIy.
Capt. ]. w. Strickland, city marshal,
and number of other gentlemen, and
held an informal reception for several
hours. Judge Wade is one of the old
family of Wades, so well known in
Screven county, but he has been a cit
izen of Early for many years.
The court house is a large building,
ano IN the square in front is a flag
pole, doubtless the Oldest in the state.
1t was erected May 9, 1861, and from
It's halyards f1oated the Stars and Bars.
Now on public occasions the Stars and
Stripes futter in the breeze.
Blakely does a large business with
the surrounding country, and has a
street well filled with business houses,
in which can be found anything that a
buyer wants. 1t has a population of
about 1,5O0. The Blakely Institute is
fiourishing school. 1t has ten grades,
with an enrolment of 175 pupils. The
building was erected in 1892 at a cost
of $4,000.
There are two first-class hotels in the
city-The Merchants, l.. T. Lockhart,
proprietor, and The Hotel Thompson,
Mrs. A. Y. Thompson, proprietor.
There are two weekly newspapers
published in Blakely, the BIakely Re
porter, established in 1894, of which
Mr.. Jack Powell is editor and pub
Usher; and the Early County News.
which was established in 1859, and of
which Messrs. A. J. & w. w. Flem-
ing are editors and publishers. The
gentlemen are the sons of the late w
w. Fleming, one of the "Old Guard" of
Georgia newspapers.
The Bank of Blakely was organized
in 1898, the capital stock of which is
$4,000; surplus, $4,000 The officers
are D. w. James, president; A. ]. Sim
gleton, vice president, and T. B. Nc
Dowell, cashier.
There are two churches, the Baptist
and the Methodist, the latter of which
is handsome brick structure, erected
in 1901 at a cost of $4,000.
There are several mills and manufac-
tories. Among the latter are Flow
ers Bros. Lumber Co, capital stock
of which is 100000; daily capacity u.s.
900 feet. The officers are F. A. Flow
ers, president; ]. H. Flowers, vice pres
ident, and Z. P. Flowers, secretary and
treasurer; the Blakely Variety Works,
which manufactures sash, doors, blinds,
etc, of which T. r. Cordray, ESQ, is
the owner and proprietor, and the
Blakely on and Fertilizer Co., which
was organized in April, 1902, and has
a capital stock of $4,000. d. w.
James is president, T. f. Cordray,
vice president. and T. B. Mcdowell,
secretary and treasurer.
The people of Blakely have solved
the temperance question by dispen-
sary. 1t was established in January.
1898, and during the four years has
paid into the treasury $4,000. The
board of directors are L. D. Gay, c. r.
Naramore. A. J. Singletary A. G.
Powell and c. w. Sirmons and o. d.