-Chapter IV- TOWNS, COMMUNITIES, AND MILITIA DISTRICTS (1880-1980)
Spring Place Residents & Businesses
Over the years many, many businesses have been located in Spring Place and countless people have lived there. To compile a complete listing is impossible-Spring Place alone could fill an entire history book. Residents of the town operated a wide variety of enterprises from mining companies to hat shops, and from cotton gins, stores, and livery stables to a brick plant, a bank, hotels and saloons. In 1866 Spring Place had a population of about 300.
The Murray County Gazette of 1879 cost 50˘ for a year and was "a lively weekly paper on live issues, published every Wednesday morning at Spring Place." M.F. Boisdair was editor and H.C. Holcomb publisher. The June 3 issue included several advertisements. William Luffman and W.D. Harris were attorneys with "offices on the public square south of the courthouse." J.P. Cole operated a Leather. Shoe, and Harness Shop while L.S. Dates'& Bro, offered "dry-goods and groceries" as well as boots, shoes, and harness. Dr. E.H.L. Keis-ter's office was in his drug store and W.C. Tilton wanted workers "to dig soap-stone" and haul it to Dalton. J.C. Henry & Co. offered "the largest and best stock of staples and fancy goods." John H. Evans "tendered his thanks to his friends and to the weary traveller, and solicits a continuance of more patronage." He kept "on hand a full line of groceries consisting of confectionaries. pure whiskies, brandies and wines." Prospective customers were told to "look for the saloon on the west side of the public square." Doctor William Anderson and C.W. Coie were druggists dealing in "medicines, chemicals, perfumery, soaps, pomades, cosmetics, hair dyes, and toilet articles." Kenner and Holcomb were real estate agents. The newspaper also carried ads for special train rates for trips "to the West" as well as the following.
A young man 5 feet 6 inches high, weighs one hundred and thirty pounds, has a fair education, and in the best standing of society, wishes to correspond with some young lady. Object, amusement, improvement and perhaps marriage. Address Amo, care editor Gazette Spring Place.
It is rumored that Col. Tibbs will shortly put up a steam flouring and saw mill at the Morris mill site, on the Conasauga.
Our jail is only encumbered with one prisoner, and he is charged with larceny. He complains of the low stature of the jail stories, and is compelled to lie down all the while for rest!
Attention is called to the advertisement of Messrs. Anderson and in this weeks issue-Drugs fresh and cheap, and polite gentlemen in charge. On Vornberg & Henry corner, near post-office.
An evening entertainment at Maj. Wilson's residence was given on Monday last-quite a number of the gay and festive gave protracted attention.
Prof. Boswell, well and favorably known to our citizens will deliver one of his popular lectures in this village on next Saturday night on the subject of Intemperance.
We notice a determination on the part of our corporate authorities to fix up properly the public, and otherwise to improve the village by arranging safe side walks.
Can't our ladies manage to call a meeting in a short time and in connection with the gentlemen, determine on a day to clean off and better adorn our cemetery? It is sadly in need of repair.
William G. Stuart was also a prominent Spring Place merchant who died in 1873.
Ramsey, Ovbey, Moss, and Moss were manufacturers of bed springs invented by E.T. Moss. Operating successfully from 1882-1885 in a location near Ram-sey's store across from the courthouse, the business then moved to Ovbey's House. W.H. Ramsey was Secretary-Treasurer. His time book records that at least 50 different people worked for the men during that 3-year period.
Near the Ramsey building was one of Spring Place's most famous establishments—the Temple Hotel. People came from miles around to partake of the wonderful meals served at the Temple House. One Dalton lady recalled "straw rides out to Spring Place to the Temple House where there would be a table groaning with everything under the sun good to eat, outrivaling anything of old Nero's feasts-and all for 50 cents!" In i896 Dalton Argus writer Scylla Thomas wrote the following upon the death of Mr. Temple:
With the passing away of the genial innkeeper, J.D. Temple of the Spring Place Temple House, to the undiscovered country in which bourne no traveler ever returns, a sigh of sincere regret went from many hearts.
How many of us have enjoyed those delightful moonlight drives to the little city of Spring Place? How many of us have been the recipient of many kind attentions from his hospitable board and enjoyed the delightful suppers for which he was famed?
Time, with inexorable slowly passing steps, has brought many changes and many of the bright laughing faces that have gathered at that hospitable board are in distant states or in the tomb; but the news of the grim reaper's visit will sadden many hearts for memory's picture recalls most vividly those happy days gone by. There are those who have knelt at Hymen's altar in the little parlor, for long the resort of runaway lovers from Dalton-and they always received a parental blessing and Godspeed from Mr. Temple. Will they not too grieve? And so with us all.
In 1899 The Spring Place Jimplecute carried much more Dalton advertising than earlier papers. Fincher & Brother was then the leading store in Spring Place, advertising hardward, clothing, shoes, ladies' hats, groceries, tobacco, and produce. Bagwell Brothers were the largest drug store operation although Drs. James B. Hughes and W.W. Anderson had "doing considerable practice" due to "an epidemic of malarial complaints in the community." W.W. Sampler, C-N. King, J.J. Bates, and Luke Henry advertised their legal services. J.L. Robinson was sheriff while W.L. Henry (Chairman), J.C. Morris, H.R. Beamer, D.M. Peeples. and E.W. Bond were on the county Board of Roads and Revenues.
A November, 1902 issue of the Jimplecute, edited by J.C. Heartsell, recorded that John N. Burks of Holly had been appointed assistant doorkeeper of the 8fineral assembly, and that "Arrowood & Dunn completed their new shop, in South Spring Place." Lucy Hill Institute, Pleasant Valley High School, and Sumach Seminary were recruiting students while Hull Kerr. Lewis Thompson, and J.L. Robinson were the leading merchants. Shriner and Everett were closing their store and dissolving their partnership. Bill Jones and Will Childers were challenged by George Moore and Sid Keister in the race for town constables. Pendley & Son were buying all available cotton seed while W.J.& J.E.Johnson had "greatly replenished their stock" to have "one of the neatest stores in town." S.A. Brown and J.H. Steed, physicians, had formed a partnership while W.W. Anderson continued his practice, King's Spring had become the popular Sunday afternoon gathering place for young people.
By 1908 Hull Kerr's major competitor was Arrowood & Rouse according to the November 23 issue of the Murray News. The Pendley Gin was about to close, since the family had opened a new brick plant in Chatsworth. Dr. Steed continued his practice and Mr, Kerr had entered the insurance business. Mr. Shriner had opened his photographer's shop. By this time, also, the Cohutta Banking Company had opened. Founded in 1905 with a capital stock of 525.000, the Bank is now Murray County's oldest business. Original officers were President M.C, Horton, Vice-President C.N. King, and Cashier Elbert N.Whitmire. Others associated with the bank during its Spring Place days were Cashier, W.Z. Latch, Cashier Florence Lowery, M.W. Shields, Bill Martin. Jack Keith, George Arrowood, Mr. Strickland of Cartersville.
A later but equally important business in Spring Place was the C.B. Davis Store. In highlighting the owner's 85th birthday Chatsworth Times reporter Ruth Cox included the following account of the store in 1981:
Among my earliest memories are those of visits to what was then known as the General Store or the "Old Country Store." As 1 was talking Saturday with Carl B. Davis of Spring Place, I was reminded of those days. Mr. Davis went into the store business in 1922, moving from Eton to Spring Place where he became a successful businessman. Not only did folks go there to replenish their flour bins, salt cellars and sugar bins, but come cotton pickin' time, everybody in the household would get a brand new pair of shoes which would last until the next year.
The C.B. Davis Grocery was the place to go to buy these shoes. If the patches in your best pair of overalls were too numerous to menlion, this was also the place to 6° to get yourself a brand new pair. Remember the Duckheads and "Osh-Gosh-B-Gosh" brand? . . . One could even buy plows, planters and fertilizer. Just about anything a person would need to use on a farm job which so many people depended on back then. At one time Mr. Doc Roe even had a grist mill there.
Mr. Davis' son, Leon, recalls working in the store as a young lad when gas was selling for IB cents a gallon, and 1 for one, remember the old gas pumps at the C.B. Davis Grocery. Leon recalls working at the store after school hours. He told about the school kids who would come in the store to trade eggs forcandy. To them, this was very convenient since the school was located just across the road. A lot of penny pencils and nickd tablets were also sold to the students. I remember that a stalk of bananas hung just inside the door, and if you cared to purchase one for a quick snack, you just took it from the stalk.
Mr. Davis was the first store in Spring Place to sell ice cream and the brand was Mayfield's, still going strong today. The first loaf of bread ever sold in Spring Place came from the C.B. Davis Grocery. It was delivered by automobile and before entering the store one could see the advertisement which read "Colonial is Good Bread" displayed on the screen door. Mr. Davis had a lot of customers and among some of them were such names as the Ballcws, Kemps, Coles, Smiths, Jones and Rouse.
Mr. Davis remembers Mr. Arthur Coffey who would catch the "short dog" at Eton and travel to Chatsworth. l-'rom there he would come by bus to Spring Place most every day to play checkers on the old checker board at the store. In talking with different folks I find that the pot bellied stove and the old checker boards are two of the things they remember most. Rembert Ballcw remembers it very well as he was telling about the checker games of the late Doc Cox and John Cole. He said some of the players would be so deeply involved in a good checker game that they would just skip lunch. Mr. Davis didn't play checkers very much because his customers always came first. He was usually busy trying to please a customer with whatever they came in to buy. Rembert Ballew said "I've stood under the tin roof on the front porch of that store many a time and watched it rain."
Among other things on sale at the store were the loose pinto beans and even material with which the madam could make her a Sunday dress. For a time Mr. Davis even ground his own coffee and the coffee mill is still in the family, being passed on to son Rembert. In later years when the boys went off to college, Mr. Davis found himself alone in the store. This was when he sold his goods to Mr. Keat Jones and the store was finally torn down. The old country store went out of business in 1953 but many memories linger.
Lumpkin. Coffee. Forsyth. and Cumming were other street names in old Spring Place. They were probably located north of the courthouse square, near the last jail- Among other professionals who worked in Spring Plage at various times included lawyers Ben F. Carter (1885), Noel Steed, H.H, Andersen, and W B Robinson along with doctors L.C. Greer(1877), E.H. Hope (1885), Horace G Evans (1876), J. Black (1850's). George L. Chastain (1892). John H. Steed (1902). B.W. Bagwell (1904). O.C. Mills (1893), M.W. Anderson (1911). and dentist F.S. Rorox (1909).
Alexander Leonard owned a grist mill near Spring Place in the 1800's, and in 1879-80 the Vonberg mill produced 336,000 pounds of meal and 42,000 pounds of feed in only 6 months of operation. Two of the oldest stores in Spring Place were operated by the Morrises (on town lot No. 4 in 1869) and the Nixes (1851-80). Other store owners included Bob Gudger, Sam Kelly,and Harve Long (1922). "Cage" Everett once had a blacksmith shop and the Patrics also had a shop.
Presently Spring Place boasts Crossroads formerly G & H Supermarket and Gas Station. Chief Vann Video, Golden Gallon Food Store, Hatton's Tires, two lawn mower repairmen. Craig's Fruit Stand, a beauty shop, and the popular Four Way Drive-in Restaurant, now in its second location. Other enterprises have existed along Highways 225 and 52. north and west of town.
Even though so much of the old Spring Place is gone, the town does have several old houses along Ellijay and Elm Streets as well as the Vann House and the Rouse-Branham-Gurley Home. The Rouse home dates back to the 1850's and was restored by Mrs. Inez Rouse Gurley in 1967. The house, a white, two-story structure with an L-shaped wing and a red tin roof, originally had a hall that ran through its center. The fireplace in the living room has its original brick and the post at the foot of the stairway came from the old Spring Place Courthouse. Mrs. Gurley named the acreage surrounding the house Vann-Mont Farm in honor of the Vann House which can be seen in the distance and in memory of her grandmother whose maiden name was Mont, an Indian word meaning Mountain. The Gurley home, once owned by the Henry Rouses and the Levi Branhams, was on the Pilot Club Tour of Homes in 1976.
Another Spring Place house that has been restored and opened to the public on occasion is the Starr-Maddox-Robinson House on Elm Street. This two-story Victorian structure was built by attorney Trammell Starr as a gift for his new bride, Miss Leona Frances Kelly. Mr. Starr had purchased the land from his wife's grandmother. Nancy Ogletree. By early 1892 the Starrs had moved to a home on Thornton Avenue in Dalton. and Mrs. James (Martha) Maddox became the owner of the house in Spring Place. Mrs. Maddox died soon after and willed we house to Miss Mary Maddox who lived there with her relatives, the Pierces, u"til her death in 1905. Murray County Ordinary, R.M. Gudger. owned and occupied the residence from then until 1919 when J.L. Robinson purchased it.
(Note: Book included a drawing with numbers keyed to Spring Place Landmarks. Although that drawing could not be reproduced here, the descriptions of the landmarks are included.)
Key TO MAP OF SPRING PLACE
1.Phipps, later Roe, House
2.Tenant House
3.Will Latch House {laler tenant house, burned 1921)
4. Carries House (also a tenant house, dismantled 1910) 5.Dipping vat to treat cattle for parasites before sales (early I900's) 6.Seay House (later owned by Treadwells, made 2-story by the C.N. Kings, burned 1976)
7.Tieadwe!l Cemetery, once known as Black-Seay Burial Ground
8.J.J. Bates home, built about 1900, owned by the C.B. Davises for many years.
9.Tom Elrod Home
10. John Rouse Home, later Levi Branham residence, now owned by Inez Rouse Gurley.
11.Flour Mill - owned for some time by "Chip" Owens, Sid Keister worked there, possibly officially known as North Georgia Milling in last years. Now site of Golden Gallon Food Store.
12.Cotton Gin - Among the owners at various times were Owens, Phipps, Vonberg, Anderson & Huffstetler, the Bishops (Jim & Henry), and Gregory (1950). Fires plagued the gin operation, destroying the business or the warehouses in 1927, 1929, and 1933. Johnsons and Kemps also owned the property, as did Jason Robinson (1900's), and J.W. Langston (1S9S).
IS.Rankin Blacksmith Shop (1940's).
14. Ford of Town Branch which is formed from the waters of the numerous springs in the area.
15.W.T. Richards Store (1936-58), later operated by J.C. Wright and Leon Grecson. In more recent years the site of restaurants operated by Joan Leonard, Bill Penland, and the Chief Vann Restaurant owners, Leon and Vivian Ridley.
16.Lucy Hill Institute
17.Site of the Moravian Mission Complex
18 Probable site of the Moravian Mission Cemetery and Camp Benton
(1830's)
19.Dr. Anderson Home, {since in the W.R. Ballew family many year)) 2Q.Edmondson House, now owned by Mr. & Mrs. N.A. Ballew
21.Steed House, long occupied by the Prilchett and U\bert Sextons, now owned by Marvin & Trilba Bcaveis.
22.Methodist Church parsonage, later owned by the Mark Bagleys, dismantled in 1975. The W.W. Samplers also lived there earlier.
23.Tom Ramsey House, later owned by the Kings. Now site of Annie
B. Gallman residence. 24.Spring Place Presbyterian Church
25.Dixon, now Roe, House
2SA. Jim Dixon Blacksmith Shop, once owned by Branham & Austin
26.Pickering Home, now owned by Vilena Kilgore 26A. Dr. James Hughes Home (1902-12), later Roberts residence, now occupied by Aileen Kilgore
27.Charlie & Mollie Brown Home, later occupied by Slaffords, now owned by the Bob Hills. 28.Site of last official post office building; Mr. Brown once had a soda parlor with the post office here
29.Probable site of the Chester Inn (dismantled in 1900 after it had been converted into a store. Another store building was con-stnicted. Among the merchants on this site were John Luffman, Davis, Charlie Williams, and in earlier days had been the Rouse Hat Shop before it became Arrowood's Store and soda fountain.
30. Last jail at Spring Place, has since been converted into a residence now owned by Dessie Walls. Earlier the Charles Staples Inn, Store, and Stables had been in this area (1860's). Samuel M. Walls helped select this site for the jail.
31.Hull Kerr's Store, formerly Alvin Jones's, later site of Roland
Rouse and B.E. Pritchett Store. Burned 1930. 32.Site of the old Cole & Henry Blacksmith, Harness Shop & Livery Stable. Also once owned by Mr. Vonberg. 33,George Jones Home, later owned by the Chester Hannahs and now by the Richard Ridleys. 34.Site of the Jones Livery Stable 35,In earlier days the site of the Frank V. Vonberg & Bill Henry
Store, furniture & Cabinet Shop. They also made coffins. In more recent years the site of a store operated at various times by W.K. Jones, Walter Walls, Cecil Roe, and Dutch Jones.
36..Cohutta Bank Building (had law offices in the rear), former home of Johnson Store.
37. Once the site of a saloon.
38.Frank Peeples House, now owned by the Craigs.
39.Shriner House, also parts were used as a shoe store, and photography studio at times
40.Charlie Wilbanks House, burned 1976; last owner Randall Pharr
41.Tenant house now site ot Craig's fruit stand
42.Cole Warehouse (for the coffins Mr. Cole sold).
43.John Cole House
44.Will and Mattie Robinson Home (burned)
45.George Moore, Pritchett House, now owned by Mrs. Delanie Lewis
46. Johnson Hotel {burned 1909) operated by Fannie McGhec Johnson
47.Delma Wood's Hat Shop - 47A. Print shop and newspaper office.
The J.B. Green House now occupies the site. 49.Spring Place Cemetery
50.Robinson, Batnes House; also Pinchers
51.Frank Vonberg House, now owned by Mr. & Mrs. Robert Ballew
52. Site of the first Spring Place Baptist Church
53. Site of the old "calliboose" or small jail
54. Kelly, Thompson. Cole, Steed, and Anderson Store. Steed also had a cotton gin. Later site of Lucy Hill and Spring Place School. Now Retirement Home.
55. Dentist E.B. Hall's office, possibly Dr. E.H.L. Keister's office once, later a barber shop.
56. R.A. Davis Jewelry Store (burned 1906)
57. Site of the second two-story brick house built by one of the Morris brothers, later home of Mr. Kenner-postmaster, merchant, and captain. Susie Kenner was "an authoress of sheet music" according to an 1882 newspaper. Several of her works were published. Later site of the Ernest and Mattie Lou Pritchett House, built in 1930's.
58. Dixson Ho use-Miss Alva was a seamstress, Miss Lizzie ran a boarding house (1920's) for school teachers. Dr. J.E. Bradford also once lived there.
59. Heartsell Home
60. Site of the old Russell Store possibly 61-Will Henry House (burned and rebuilt once)
62. Third and Fourth sanctuaries of the Spring Place Baptist Church 63.Shields House, later Sue Brown's, now site of the new Baptist Church sanctuary.
64. Rouse, Pendley, Etheridge, Shields Home, last occupied by Mrs. Addie Wilbanks, dismantled as new church was constructed.
65. McGhee House and Farm
66. Johnson Farm
67. Site of the Cherokee Removal era "Fort Hoskins."
70. Blassingame House. Further south on this road was the Wilson (later George Cox) home (burned 1983).
71. The Everett, Anderson, and Baggett home.
72. O.K. Bates Home, for many years the home of Henry & Laura and Gordon & Ina Ballew.
73. Spring Place Methodist Church
74. Luke Henry, then Noel Steed house, occupied for many years by another lawyer, W.B. Robinson and wife Mattie. Built early 1900's. 75 .James Morris House, owned in succeeding years by the Stone, Pendley, Love, Robinson, and Jones families, among others.
Now restored by the Carlton McDaniels. Built ca. 1840.
76. Site of the second Spring Place Baptist Church, later the school, and then the Hilliard Livery Stable.
77. Starr-Maddox-Robinson House, now owned by Gene Cook &. family
78. Elliot! House
79. Lem Jones House
80. Dr. L.P. Bagwell House - burned in a terrible fire in 1899.
8l. Fincher-Robinson Store - operated by Mr. Jason Robinson for some time; building faced courthouse and had long front porch.
82. Dr. Brown's office and "drug store"
83. Dr. Anderson's office
84. Lowery's Cloth Store on one occasion; Dr. Bagwell's office (1899)
85. Old post office; later Dr. Hughes' office; then Dr. J.E. Bradford's
86. Keister House buill ca. 1852 by builder Thomas Pierce to replace an even older house. Now owned by the Bob Andersons.
87. Edmondson House, since owned by Mr. & Mrs. Cecil Roe. Also once the Lowery home.
88. Nolie Smith House, now owned by the Russell Franklins.
89. King and Kelly Store and/or warehouse, although could have been on the west side of Elm on another occasion. Later Lynch home.
90. Former site of George W. Howard's cobbler shop and house (1860's), later owned by W.W. Giddens before it was added to the Temple property. Earlier known as the D.A. Walker lot.
91. Once called the Temple Grocery House lot (1860's); these lots were later the site of the Temple Hotel, later known as the Shields Hotel which burned in 1914. The fire began when a gas tank exploded as Dr. J.E, Bradford, then a hotel guest, was putting gas into his car-one of the first automobiles in Spring Place. Sam Carter's Store was later located there.
92. This had to have been the busiest corner in Spring Place! W.H. Ramsey had a store here in the 1880's and it was also the site of the Oats Store in the 1890's. Later owners or operators were John Luffman, Bob Bates (1918), Mashbum, Shields, and C.B. Davis. The Odd Fellows Lodge held meetings on the second story of the brick Shields building in space later used by Dr. Bradford (1923). A newspaper note of 1908 mentions that "the Lynn or Osborne corner is being improved by M.W. Shields." He took it when it was out of repair, insured it, and when the old building burned, used the money to rebuild the brick structure.
93. Stables for Temple Hotel
94. Site of old Jail
95. Dobbs House
96. Site of another Pendley Cotton Gin
97. Louis Thompson House, later owned by the D.D. Kemp family. The large two-story house burned in 1922 and a smaller house was built on the site. Now home of Miss Agnes Kcmp.
98. Iitheridge Home (burned)
99. Greeson Home site
100. Walls House
101. Chamblee House site
102. Site of present-day Spring Place Elementary School, built 1969.
103. T.J. Ovby House, later owned by the Smith family. Now owned by Mrs. R.E.Dillard.
While living in the house, Mr. Gudger performed the marriage of Mr. & Mrs. Sam Kelly. Mr. Kelly was the nephew of the original owners.
During the years of Robinson ownership, several families lived in the house including the Claude Andersons. the Joe Loves, the Herbert Andersons, the Milrnores, and the Ed Johnsons. After Mr. Robinson's death in 1938, his widow "Miss Nora," continued to occupy parts of the house and rented other rooms at various times. In 1969 Gordon and Carolyn Wills purchased the house from the Robinson family.
Paul and Sue Anderson bought the structure and surrounding lots in 1971.] During the next decade they carefully but completely restored the house. In 1983 they opened their home as a major attraction of the Whitfield-Murray I Historical Society Christmas Holiday House Tour. The house in now owned by |the Gene Cooks.
Of course the oldest house in Spring Place is the Vann Mansion, built in 1804. Often used as rental property, this structure has had 16 owners over the years. Among them were Spencer Riley, James Edmondson, William H. Tibbs. D.D. Kemp. Dr. J.E. Bradford, Mrs. Tom Dill. John Bryant. and Oscar Coins. The Coins family owned the Vann House from 1877 until 1895—long enough for the house to gain a new name, Coins Hill, rather than "the Vann House." Mr. Coins, a Tennessee native, was a merchant and Civil War veteran who first settled in Murray County in 1873. A Coins descendant, Mrs. Louise Richardson of Paragould, Arkansas, contributed this letter written by Mr. Coins from the Vann House.
Spring Place, Ga Sept. the 13. 1881
Dear Son,
Yours to hand. 1 was glad to hear from you all So to hear that you was well and doing we"- Vou stated that your boy could ride a horse. I would like to see him. I know he must have a smart mother. Well, Preston, I think I will come out and see you next fall. We did not make a good crop this year. It was almost a failure. We won't make a half crop here, I would like to have 10 bushel of good seed oats. If you can send me 10 bushel I will send the cash as soon as 1 hear from Them. We think the west oats does better sowed here than ours. I will be ____ to send the money by post office money order. Where is your nearest money office? Is Charleston a money office? If you can get good seed wheat at $1.25 you may send 10 bushel of that. I can buy oats at 50˘ and wheat at $I.40 here, but they ran out. We think they do pest when we send off for our seed. How far are you from a railroad? If you haft to haul too far don't buy the wheat and oats, I would send the money now and pay for them if I knew how much to send. So 1 will close for this time. Hopeing to hear from you often. Give your wife and boy my love and tell them I am coming to see them next fall.
Murray County Heritage