Wandering Woodwards: Explorations in Georgia

We've had a fun time exploring many historical places in Georgia in the past 2 months. Roy works 10 days straight and then has 4 days off, and we love the long weekends.

In July we visited:

Fort Gaines - about 30 miles south of Eufaula, just across the river.
It was founded in 1816 as protection against the Creek indians.

An earthen dam holds back huge Lake Eufaula

Turbine

Chattahoochee River below the dam.

From tiny town to BIG city - off to Atlanta to go attend an Atlanta Braves & Phillies baseball game.

Their last season in Turner field - they're in last place this year!

this was very fun: they let kids run the bases after the game

We spent the night southwest of Atlanta and then visited Franklin Roosevelt's Little White House near Warm Springs Georgia. It really is a beautiful place nestled in the pine forest.
In 1921 Franklin Delano Roosevelt, aged 39, was diagnosed with polio. One of the few things that seemed to ease his pain was immersion in warm water, bathing and engaging in physical exercise. His first time in Warm Springs, Georgia, was October 1924. He went to a resort in the town that featured a permanent 88-degree natural spring, but whose main house was described as "ramshackle". Roosevelt bought the resort and the 1,700-acre (6.9 km²) farm surrounding it in 1927 (the resort would become known as the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation). Five years later in 1932, after winning the presidency for the first time, he ordered a six-room Georgia pine house to be built on the property. This house was FDR's retreat throughout his presidency and became known as the Little White House. In total, he made 16 trips to the Little White House during his presidency, usually spending two to three weeks at a time, as it took a day to reach Warm Springs from Washington, D.C., by train.

6 room "cottage"

FDR's bedroom where he died

The unfinished portrait he was sitting for when he suffered his stroke

The artist, Elizabeth Shoumatoff, later finished a version of the painting.

In the small town of Warm Springs

The Rehabilitation Center is still operating today, but it is not possible for the general public to use the warm water swimming pools.

Marilyn and John Haendel came for a visit in September and we went to see the Grand Canyon of Georgia or Providence Canyon State Park. It's a man-caused erosion feature from bad farming.

Off to Plains, GA - only an hour away - for the...

From Ft. Banning

The Shriners are still parading in their fun little cars

and now they have new toys!

Finally some peanuts!

There were beauty queens for everything! Forestry, peanuts, very young, teenagers, older, WOW!

It was a cute short parade. Reminded us of the Paul Bunyan Days parade of our youth in Fort Bragg (only ours was bigger and better!) We were sad not to see any school marching bands.

Next stop: The Plains High School and Jimmy Carter Visitor's Center. Jimmy and Rosalynn both attended school here. We did glimpse the Carters at a distance during the parade. We did not attend the book signings they did later at the Billy Carter gas station. We were informed: Mrs. Carter's name is pronounced Rosa-lynn, not Rozlynn. She is named after two aunts.

President Carter used the Resolute desk. this obviously is a replica since Obama is currently using it.

I didn't know Pres. Carter is an artist.

Jimmie as a little boy.

President Carter just had his 92nd birthday and teaches Sunday School at the Marantha Baptist church in Plains.

A load of peanuts in downtown Plains.

Where it all started - campaign headquarters in 1976

Brother Billy's gas station and home of Billy Beer

They are very proud of their native son. What an amazing country we live in - where a peanut farmer can become President of the United States.

Roy had one more day off so off to Andersonville GA - actually just a few miles north of Plains.

The Andersonville National Historic Site, located near Andersonville, Georgia, preserves the former Camp Sumter (also known as Andersonville Prison), a Confederate-run prisoner-of-war camp during the final twelve months of the American Civil War. Most of the site lies in southwestern Macon County, adjacent to the east side of the town of Andersonville. As well as the former prison, the site contains the Andersonville National Cemetery and the National Prisoner of War Museum.

It was overcrowded to more than four times its capacity, with an inadequate water supply, inadequate food rations, and unsanitary conditions. Of the approximately 45,000 Union prisoners held at Camp Sumter during the war, nearly 13,000 died. The chief causes of death were scurvy, diarrhea, and dysentery.

Visitors Center and POW museum

Stockade creek - the only water for the entire prison

This spring was a result of a lightning strike - an answer to prisoner's prayers for water. It is still running today but a sign said "unfit to drink". It was cold - I really wanted to drink some.