The Dawson news., 1925-03-10

B. Cheatham; 1893-o6, mayor, A. ].
Baldwin; 1897-99, mayor, w. B. Cheat
ham; l900-03, mayor, j. w. F. Low
rey; l903-06, mayor, J. r. Mercer;
1907, mayor, F. Nasworthy; 1908,
mayor, A. ]. Hill; 1909-10, mayor, R.
R. Marlin; 1911-12, mayor ]. M. Bell;
1913-14 mayor F. NJ McNulty; 1915
10, mayor, ]. M. Bell
One of the two gun shops in oper-
alton in Georgia during the war was
located on the site now occupied by
the Dawson Variety Works. At the
time of surrender this shop was in full
blast, making guns for our soldiers.
Exile Camp.
When the torches of Sherman's
horde had laid Atlanta in ashes and
driven women and children out OF
their homes Governor Joseph Brown
sent about 800 of these exiles down
the Central of Georgia railroad to
Dawson. They were quartered on the
site about one mile west of the Cen
tral depot on the site of land now
known as Dozier and Blacks pasture.
1t was for many years known as the
exile camp Many of Dawson's citi-
zens still recall the anguish OF those
| exiles bereft of home and loved ones.
The ready help given by the warm
t hearted women of the little town make
one of the many golden pages i'll her
/ history.
During the same period Mr. w. w.
Lee of Doverel, ran tan yard on
Tan Yard creek near the cemetery,
furnishing 900 hands with shoes.
/ H. ea+t1arc HRybn he'd
t Dawson from a crossroads town to
thriving little city were M: H. Bald
win, F. d. Bailey, J. L. Weston, M.
w. Kennedy, John and Charlie Pow
ell, John A. Fulton, Jesse Rogers, I,
A. Cheatham, NJ. E. Weston. J. {. +.
Clark. John Andrews, r. S. Cheat
ham, NJ. H. Marshall, Thomas Cald-
well, ]. A. Wilson, S. R. Weston, B..
F. Byrd, w. F. Orr Charlie Cheat
ham, s. H. Brown, James Johnston,
!. M. Jenkins, Charles Kelly, w. n.
Watts, ]. E. Loyless, NJ. S. Glass
John Allison, Rodger Barr, w. J.
Owen, William Smith, John Powell,
: A. T. Whitlock, NJ. G. and J. X.
Prince, John Horne, George and ia
cob Reed and Charlie Powell
The first ministers of the gospel
were Rev. John Martin, still living,
Baptist: and Revs. David Crenshaw,
T. T. Christian and Ben BreedloVe,
Methodists
First Newspaper.
The first newspaper was published
in 1866 and was known for many
2 wears as the Dawson Journal, E. and
, !. E. Christian being the editors and
| proprietors. The oldest building now
: standing is known as the Cheatham
: home. now occupied by the Misses
= Cheatham, and in this house was ar
, ranged the first Christmas tree ever
r used in the celebration in Dawson. 1t
e was in reality municipal affair. Mrs.
C.. A. Cheatham arranged it for her
= family. but finding that so many OF
e the villagers had never seen one she
5. opened the doors of her home and
9 made the occasion a village. celebra-
S ton.
The first number of the newspapers
on file is that Of February |, 1866, and
:. all copies from that time are bound
in durable binding In these files from
: time to time are found many mar
rage notices of Terrell county citl-
: zens, also many items OF local inter
|, est. We copy a few: "a,
> County statistics September 18th
!. 1866, furnished the Dawson ournal
by T. NJ. Jones, ordinary: Polls OF
4 whites SIS, colored 703; professions,
i "a; billiard tables, /; auctioneers, /;
n number of sheep, 1,461; number killed
bv dogs in II months, $50; number OF
+ dogs, 7o5; children between ages oi
5 and Is years, 852; hands employed
;. between ages of II and 65 years, l.
4 $50; number of acres, 1882; aggre-
n gate value. 1917, ,920; aggregate value
Of town property, $131,760; amount OF
|. money and solvent debts $2O4258;
: amount of merchandise, $809l3; ag-
greqate of all property, including
t household goods, 81 ,589,827; number
S OF persons married since June, 50;
number wanting to marry, ordinary
d included, 40.
S November IL, 1869, State Fair.
"Dawson will be represented at the
state fair in the mechanical lines as
/ follows. Railroad car and corn she'll
er bv the Dawson Manufacturing
4 Company, Thomas Water We'll, by
6 I Thomas. cotton seed planter and
guano distributor by Gilbert and Wes-
ton.
. major Nelson has shown us what
can be done in the way of manufact-
ures. The cars from his factory may
be seen on the roads of nearly every
southern state, and today, Nov. 1869,
he has orders for more cars than he
| can build"
Copies of 1860 are full OF school adj
vertisements showing the activity
along literary lines. Among these
schools advertised besides those men
toned elsewhere are the following
Dawson Male Institute, ]. F. Scaife,
A. B., and ]. M Edwards, principals
and proprietors;" Dawson Female
Seminary, S. A. Goodwin, principal"
Female School. Miss Annie Stokes,
principal" The uniform price of tut
ton for term of "a weeks was $50
for high school, $24 for grammar
school and $18 for preparatory, and
S18 per month for board, with mo re-
ducton for absences.