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BICENTENNIAL • 1821-2021

200 years Newton County celebrates

A special publication of

Happy Birthday from Newton County Board of Commissioners

Chairman Marcello Banes

Stan Edwards District 1

Demond Mason District 2

Alana Sanders District 3

J.C. Henderson District 4

Ronnie Cowan

District 5

Happy Bicentennial Newton County!

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INDEX OF ADVERTISERS A Child’s Voice - 87 A&A’s Outlet - 20 Abbey Hospice - 65 Above All Tree Service - 92 ACS - 51 Aikens Diesel Performance & Repair - 78 Alcovy CASA - 91 Alcovy Fitness - 72 Animal Medical Clinic of Covington - 94 Athens Orthopedic Clinic - 73 Atlanta Fire & Restoration - 75 Biddy’s Covington - 70 Bradley’s Bar B Que - 16 Caldwell Cowan Funeral Home - 15 Cathy Dobbs - 90 Cinelease Studios-Three Ring - 100 City of Covington - 47 City of Oxford - 39 City of Porterdale - 88 Covington Auto Collision - 35 Covington Dance & More - 66 Covington First United Methodist Church - 66 Covington Hearing - 80 Covington Nutrition - 27 Covington Police Department - 36 D&W Air Flow Inc. - 88 Delco Repaint Specialist - 45 Direct Gold - 67 Doepke Law Firm - 30 Edward Jones - Covington - 25 Edward Jones - Ray Sommer - 19 Farmers Insurance - 24

Fletcher’s Jewelry Co. - 63 Fuller Select Autos - 89 Georgia Dermatology of Conyers - 81 Georgia Piedmont Technical College - 11 Ginn Motors - 3 Harris Band Instruments - 93 Hays Tractor & Equipment, Inc. - 33 Linda Hays - 21 Hillbilly Pet - 54 Holifield Farms - 54 Hometown Realty - 41 I20 East Power Sports LLC - 99 Interior Beauty Designs - 86 J.C. Harwell & Son Funeral Home - 18 K2 Towing - 65 Keep Newton Beautiful - 63 Kiwanis Club of Covington - 78 Lawnwood Memorial Park - 14 Lester Lackey Funeral Home - 52 Madd Lulu - 49 Mayfield Ace Hardware - 37 Minco Custom Countertops & Cabinets - 43 Monroe Power - 67 Natural Path/Family Health Food Store - 48 New Shoez - 53 Newton County Board of Commissioners - 2 Newton County Chamber of Commerce - 98 Newton County IDA - 98 Newton County Farm Bureau/Insurance - 59 Newton County Schools - 31 Newton County Sheriff’s Office - 28 Newton County Water & Sewage - 83

Newton Federal Bank - 7 NuDa Sales - 57 Odyssey Battery Sales - 79 Oxford College - 39 Ozburn Electric - 56 Patrick’s Feed and Seed - 64 Pawn Pro/Shots Fire - 61 Piedmont Insurance Associates - 76 Piedmont Newton Hospital - 5 Preferred Mobile Storage - 46 Printability Signs - 71 Ramsey’s Furniture - 23 Randy’s Carpet Plus - 70 Ready Rent-All Inc. - 69 Ridge Avenue - 16 Right at Home - 12 Rudyboo’s Buffalo Cafe - 72 Salem United Methodist Church - 68 Showcase Upscale Used Furniture - 71 Simply Southern Cafe & Bakery - 89 Snapping Shoals EMC - 97 Southern Heartland Art Gallery - 95 TDS Auto Service - 84 Tello’s Mexican Grill - 24 The Grove Wine & Spirits - 77 The UPS Store - 55 Town of Newborn - 76 Tubby Tom’s - 49 United Bank - 85 Wheeler’s Funeral Home & Cremation - 31 Wheeler Petuary - 45 Xtreme Vapors - 20 Special | PJ Alexander

BICENTENNIAL EDITION

THE COVINGTON NEWS

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BICENTENNIAL EDITION 5

Pictured is an aerial view of the Covington Square in December 2021. Special | PJ Alexander

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COMMUNITY

Newton County was formed in 1821.................................................. 8 History of county’s municipalities......................................................10 Unincorporated communities’ role in county development........ 14 Brick Store was center of activity at county’s inception..................17 Newton’s most historic churches.......................................................18 Salem Campmeeting began in 1828...............................................22 Georgia Wildlife Federation based in Newton................................24 Sheriff, public safety groups have always answered the call.........26

EDUCATION

Newton County Schools celebrates 150 years................................29 County is home to athletic champions.............................................34 History of private schools....................................................................36 Oxford College origin dates back to 1830s......... ..........................38 4-H beginnings traced to Newton County.......................................40 Scouting impacted area’s youth........................................................42

HEALTH

County’s hospital has provided care for nearly 70 years................44 Area physicians reflect on many years in health care....................46

COMMERCE

Economy driven by agriculture early on..........................................50 Evolution of industrial production.....................................................53 Square was where business, government developed...................57 Newton has become hotbed for filming..........................................60 County has rich banking history.........................................................63 Snapping Shoals has helped power county since 1936...............68 The News has told Newton’s story since 1865................................70

MOMENTS

Railroads sparked initial growth for Newton County.....................74 U.S. Highway 278 through Covington dates to 1919....................78 Boll weevil delivers blow to Newton economy...............................80 Iconic courthouse has stood test of time.........................................82 Residents have served in various wars, conflicts............................84 Stars align for first filming in Newton................................................86 I-20 opens in 1966, direct route to Atlanta......................................88 Hub provided movie fun for decades...............................................90 Drag racing drew crowds to Yellow River.........................................92 Facebook makes historic investment in Newton ...........................94 Index of Advertisers ..............................................................................4 Last Word .............................................................................................96

6 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

This magazine is a special publication of

which is published every Sunday and Wednesday by Newton Newspapers, Inc. Patrick Graham

Taylor Beck

OWNER pgraham@covnews.com

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER tbeck@covnews.com

Cynthia Warren

Tom Spigolon

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR cbwarren@covnews.com

NEWS EDITOR tspigolon@covnews.com

Lee Ann Avery

Phillip B. Hubbard

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR lavery@covnews.com

SPORTS EDITOR phubbard@covnews.com

Alicia Goolsby

LEGALS CLERK agoolsby@covnews.com

ON THE COVER BICENTENNIAL • 1821-2021

Newton County celebrates

200 years A special publication of

Photos showing the past and present of Newton County, including our Historic Courthouse, are included on the cover of this keepsake edition. Design by TAYLOR BECK THE COVINGTON NEWS

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THE COVINGTON NEWS

BICENTENNIAL EDITION

COMMUNITY

Pictured is the Bank of Covington and Opera House in downtown Covington in the late 1800s. Special Photo | Historical Society of Newton County

Newton was formed in 1821 from Henry, Jasper and Walton counties By TAYLOR BECK

tbeck@covnews.com

ewton County was created due to the increasing population in its neighboring counties. Enacted by the Georgia General Assembly on Dec. 24, 1821, Newton County was formed from the three existing counties of Henry, Jasper and Walton. The action came nearly 33 years after Georgia was granted statehood on Jan.2, 1788. Newton was bordered by DeKalb, Henry, Jasper, Morgan and Walton counties until Butts County was formed from portions of Henry and Monroe

BICENTENNIAL EDITION

counties in 1825 and Rockdale County was formed out of Newton and DeKalb in 1870. Newton County was named for Sgt. John Newton, a Revolutionary War soldier and companion of Sgt. William Jasper, who was the namesake for Jasper County. At the time, the State Constitution provided that when the population of a county reached a certain level, the General Assembly was to alter the county’s boundaries and create a new county. New counties were also created for other reasons, such as better maintaining law and order, regulating methods for legalizing land and deed records,

and promoting education. Newton County was first inhabited by the Creek Indians until 1813 when Governor Thorp negotiated a treaty in which the Creeks gave up their claim to the land. The yielding of Indian lands and the state land lotteries of 1805, 1807, 1820 and 1821 were very important in forming Newton County. The Creek Nation ceded the land distribution to the U.S. in a treaty held Nov. 14, 1805, which resulted in the 1807 land lottery. The last of the Creek Indians were banished to Oklahoma over the “Trail of Tears” after a decade. The first white settlers of THE COVINGTON NEWS

Newton County were initially said to have their sites on the eastern side of the county, but many later moved back toward the western side due to a lack of adequate water. At the time Newton County was formed, Brick Store — a general store and stage coach shop — was the center of activity. The first session of court ordered by the General Assembly was held at the Brick Store, which was the residence of Martin Kolb at the time. Brick Store is located in the easternmost part of the county. The property was reportedly 250 acres, which was drawn in the 1820 land lottery of Walton County by a Hall County man, then later sold to Kolb for $200 in May 1821. Calculations show $200 then would have been equivalent to nearly $5,000 today. The General Assembly insisted the county seat be in the center of the county, so it was later moved from Brick Store and established in the central part of the county first known as Newtonsborough, which later officially became the city of Covington in 1822. A county seat, which was the place where a courthouse and local government center would be located, was organized for every county established. Covington was named for Gen. Leonidas Covington, who was considered a hero of the War of 1812. It went on to become the mecca for the county’s activity and has grown to be the largest of all municipalities with a population of more than 14,000. Through various letters published by the Newton County Historical Society, life in Newton County at the time of its inception began as a “frontier … and rapidly became a settled farm community.” The area had an abundance of resources, including timber for construction, good soil for cultivation and three major rivers to power industry and THE COVINGTON NEWS

Newton County, 1870, before Rockdale County was formed out of Newton and DeKalb counties. Georgia Department of Archives and History

support agriculture. The majority of Newton County is located in the Upper Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. A small eastern portion of the county, from southwest of Social Circle to southwest of Newborn, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin. In one of the earliest letters from Newton County, written in 1824, Joseph L. Lawrence described the new county to his brother-in-law, saying the county was “very desirable” and had “the appearance of being healthy, the water mostly good, the land is various.” He said the land was filled with “oak, pine, poplar, hickory, dogwood, lin, buckeye white and shumake with and prickly ash.” Lawrence also shared that he purchased one lot of land that consisted of 202.5 acres with a cabin on it and 20 acres cleared for farming, all for $500. “The best judges of land say that I got the land very cheap,” Lawrence said. Other letters, such as one from Ignatius N. Few of Oxford written to his cousin in New York in 1839, paint pictures of Newton County’s nature and beauty. “I have often felt a pleasure in-

tense and indefinable in passing through the primitive and stately forests of our new counties rich in variety of outline and color, but still as death, the solemn silence of inanimate nature, often remaining unbroken for hours of travel,” Few wrote. “The trees become your companions and are individualized, they have their several expressions, and you feel if, could their tongues be unloosed, they would pour into your ear the history of their personal joys and sorrows through the centuries which have fled since they expanded their first leaves to the genial beams of the sun.” Researchers believe Newton County’s population in 1830 was approximately 11,155, and it would not exceed 20,000 until after 1920. Now a century later, the county’s population is nearly 113,000. Newton County today is governed by an elected Board of Commissioners consisting of a full-time chairman, who is elected at large, and five district commissioners. Newton County has five municipalities, including Covington, Mansfield, Newborn Oxford and Porterdale, that are governed by mayors and city councils. BICENTENNIAL EDITION 9

County’s municipalities, towns have illustrious histories By TOM SPIGOLON

tspigolon@covnews.com

ities in Newton County other than Covington also have rich histories. Some became known as educational centers or commercial or transportation hubs during their beginnings in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Mansfield In eastern Newton County, Mansfield has flourished in agriculture and trade from about 1896. The Middle Georgia & Atlantic Railroad from Gordon to Covington was completed in the 1890s. A group of businessmen subsequently organized the Carmel Land Improvement Co., which began purchasing land for the township later to be known as Mansfield, according to the book “History of Newton County, Georgia.” “Legend has it that the businessmen pledged to name the town after whoever among the company was still sober after the celebration and barbecue following the sale of lots,” according to the 1988 book published by the Newton County Historical Society. “Apparently little else is known of Mr. Mansfield other than he was there and he exercised temperance.” Mansfield was incorporated as a city in 1903 and Moden Duke was the first mayor, according to the Historical Society. The Georgia General Assembly also approved a public school system for the town in 1907. The Bank of Mansfield was established in 1904; and the town received its first electricity

10 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

Pictured is Newborn High School, circa 1912. A brick school house replaced the building in 1923. Special Photo

in 1914. Some corporations on the books in 1918 included the Flemister Potts mercantile company, Mansfield Lumber and Construction Co., Mansfield Trading Co., and Newton County Gin Co. But Mansfield’s economic fortunes took major hits in the 1920s when the boll weevil destroyed much of the area’s cotton crop and a fire caused $50,000 in damage in the town. Still, Georgia Hwy. 11 was paved through Mansfield in 1936. The town’s main industry now is Beaver Manufacturing Co. Inc. which was founded in early 1971

to supply chemically treated industrial yarns to the hose industry. It now offers numerous types of industrial fiber. Mansfield also is home to several small commercial enterprises and Mansfield Elementary School. “Numerous early 20th Century homes still stand and are beginning to attract newcomers to the area who appreciate the quiet, historic, small town life and are investing in renovations.” Its 2020 population was 442, according to the federal census. Newborn Newborn, in easternmost Newton County was first known THE COVINGTON NEWS

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THE COVINGTON NEWS

BICENTENNIAL EDITION 11

as Crossroads or Sandtown and was settled around 1819 while still part of Jasper County. It was finally placed in Newton County around 1832. A school known as Palmyra Institute was established in the town in 1859 and turned out such notable alumni as former Texas governor Richard Bennett “Dick” Hubbard Jr., who was a native of the area. He graduated from Mercer University and entered politics after his family moved to Texas. He served as governor of Texas from 1876 to 1879 and later as the U.S. ambassador to Japan. The school operated until 1909 when it was converted to Newborn High School. The school closed in the early 1950s and its building now serves as the Newborn Community Center. The Central of Georgia railroad was built through Newborn in 1893, and the Georgia General Assembly incorporated New-

12 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

born as a town in 1894. The Bank of Newborn opened in 1903 but fell victim to a postWorld War I economic downturn. Newborn received its first electricity in 1913. Newborn now has a population of 676, according to the 2020 census. Oxford Oxford was established by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1839 to support Emory College, which was chartered in 1836 in the Newton County town. It was incorporated in 1914. “The Oxford community was launched with the idea that the Emory students should have the most cultured and Christian environment possible,” according to information from the Newton County Historical Society. In 1919, the college opened a second campus in DeKalb County near Atlanta and eventually moved its main campus there to

become Emory University. The original campus is now called Emory Oxford College. Its early mass transportation for students and residents to catch passenger trains at the Covington Train Depot was a mule-drawn rail car. The town’s government has long placed an emphasis on protecting its tree canopy and the town council has long had a tree committee to oversee it. Its Lions Club was formed in 1951 and a Historical Marker Committee organized in 1964 to help identify markers in the city’s Historic Cemetery. The Methodist Church, which founded Emory, also dominated the town until 1961 when the first Baptist church opened. The United Methodist Church declared Oxford a shrine in 1971, which was a unique honor. Today, the town boasts a population of 2,308, according to the 2020 federal census. Its popula-

THE COVINGTON NEWS

Oliver Porter and others helped form the Porterdale Mills in 1890. The mill building was converted to loft homes in 2006. File Photo

tion has increased by 13% since the 2010 census. Porterdale Porterdale was settled in the 1820s to establish the Cedar Shoals Manufacturing Co. on the Yellow River. After changing hands many times, it went to Oliver Porter and others who helped form Porterdale Mills in 1890. Bibb Manufacturing bought the facility in 1898 and later built a mill that was the largest twine mill in the world in 1925. The mill kept expanding and added more housing for its workers, bringing the number of houses to almost 600 by 1920. The first general store opened in 1923. The Oliver Porter Gym was built in 1938 and the first graduating class of the town’s new high school earned their degrees there in 1939. A new bridge over the Yellow River was completed in 1943 to replace a wooden bridge that was so low mill workers could not cross it in times when the river was high. Another prominent structure that still stands is the old Welaunee Hotel on Main Street north of the mill and downtown THE COVINGTON NEWS

area. Bibb Manufacturing built it as a dormitory for young women working at the mill. It later operated as the Village Inn and Restaurant. At the height of production from 1940 to 1970, 2,500 were employed at the Bibb mills. It was the state’s largest employer in the 1950s before it began a steady decline and was sold in 1998 as many clothing companies moved toward using cheaper labor in foreign countries. The Porterdale mill closed and the massive structure on the banks of the Yellow River deteriorated over the decades, along with the town. “What followed was a deterioration due to the sale of homes, many to landlords who allowed the homes to fall into decay,” the city website stated. A developer then bought the mill building and converted it into loft homes in 2006 — sparking a wave of residents buying and renovating the old mill village houses. The city government also took some landlords to court to force them to bring homes up to code. It also worked to clamp down on crime and drug use. Now, large residential commu-

nities and new retail development are planned along its main routes, including Covington Bypass on its southern border and Crowell Road on its north end — both outside the town’s historic district.. The city’s 2020 population was 1,799, according to the federal census. Social Circle Social Circle was founded in 1820 and was centered at the junction of two Indian trails known today as Cherokee Road and Hightower Trail. It was incorporated in 1904 as a city. A Supreme Court case shortly before the turn of the century highly publicized Social Circle’s name. The town became the center of a freight-rate controversy of national importance which the railroads challenged a finding of the then-relatively new Interstate Commerce Commission. The Court decision in this instance indirectly brought about another challenge of the Commission’s powers, with the result that Social Circle’s name was widely mentioned and repeated across the country for periods of years. BICENTENNIAL EDITION 13

Communities played major role in Newton County’s development By TOM SPIGOLON

ist and Almon Baptist churches. Three general stores, includome unincorporated coming the Rock Store owned by munities may have had W.S. Marbut, Capes Grocery unclear boundaries but they and Crowell’s Grocery operated also have plenty of history and there. have been major contributors to Grady Crowell operated a cabNewton County’s development. inet shop. The Dobbs and Berry • Almon in northwest Newton families operated dairy farms. A is notable for being an early cen- grist mill, brick factory and cotter of commerce and for the fami- ton gin also were there, as well lies whose names now adorn as a train depot that shipped out major roads in the area and oper- all the products of the communiate longtime businesses, such as ty. Berry’s Tree Farm. Harold Dobbs established The earliest recorded instituthe first water system, making tions were churches, including running water available in 1954, the first home of Springfield according to the History of NewBaptist Church (now a Conyers ton County. megachurch) and Shiloh MethodBy 1959, a drag racing track

tspigolon@covnews.com

14 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

called the Yellow River Drag Strip was operating off U.S. Hwy. 278 (now Access Road) next to the Yellow River in Almon. It hosted numerous races featuring some of the sport’s brightest stars, such as “Big Daddy” Don Garlits. However, it halted operations in 1969 after an accident in which one racing car flipped into the stands near the track — killing 11 spectators and injuring 50. The March 2, 1969, incident was the country’s worst racing disaster. The old speedway is now part of Riverside Estates Mobile Home Park. • Brick Store in eastern Newton is the site of one of the oldest

THE COVINGTON NEWS

Hugh McCart at Hugh’s Store (Rock Store) in Almon, circa 1942. File | Courtesy of Betty Smith

settlements in the county. A town called Winton was established there in 1818 and the first court sessions were held in the county’s first brick building. A tavern and inn operated near the Brick Store and were regular

THE COVINGTON NEWS

stops for stage coaches. By 1870, the thriving community had more than 1,100 residents which was larger than Covington. It also was centered around such institutions as Mt. Pleasant Church at highways 278 and 229,

and the area was often called Mt. Pleasant. The Brick Store area later became known for The Hub, a store and gas station built in the 1930s that became a major bus stop because of its location

BICENTENNIAL EDITION 15

at the intersection of Highways 278 and 11. Major bus lines used The Hub as a transfer point and during World War II, more than 40 buses a day stopped at the station, according to the Historical Society. Nearby, former Social Circle Mayor Hal Dally’s family operated the Tri-County Livestock Market. Across Hwy. 11, future nationally known cooking expert Nathalie Dupree and husband David operated Mt. Pleasant Village, an antique store and French restaurant in the 1970s. Mrs. Dupree went on to direct the Rich’s Cooking School in Atlanta; write nationally known cookbooks, including “New Southern Cooking with Nathalie Dupree”; and host hundreds of TV cooking shows on PBS and The Food Network. For entertainment, The Hub Drive-In operated a few hundred yards south of the junction on Hwy. 11. Also, the Newton County Drag Strip/Atlanta Speed Shop Dragway off Hwy. 229 hosted monthly hot rod races from 1960 into the ’90s. From 1964 to 1972, it hosted one of the richest drag racing events in the country featuring a $10,000 purse and such racing legends as Don Garlits. The old drag strip is now Ewing Road and is the main street running

through a subdivision. • Dial Town is located on Hwy. 81 north of Oxford. It is notable for its concentration of businesses and the highway’s intersection with four roads within a few yards of each other, including Gum Creek, Bryant, Starr Dial and Roy Dial roads. Legend has it that a school bus driver named the area Dial Town because so many children of the prominent Dial family of the area lived there. • Harristown was named for prominent resident, Bob Harris. It is located near the Covington Square and its roots can be traced to the 1800s. Significant landmarks include New Hope Baptist Church, Stokes Cafe and the Anna Malone House. • Salem is located in west Newton and was a farming community for most of its history. Prominent institutions of the area include the Salem Campground, which is the oldest continuously operating religious camp meeting in the nation, and Salem Church. Some stores, a cotton gin and post office also operated there in the early 1900s. The community now is part of a rapidly growing suburban and commercial area centered around Salem Road (Georgia Hwy. 162). • Sandhill was originally a high hill with sandy soil. The historically African-American

community is located off Washington Street along West Street in Covington. • Springhill on Georgia Hwy. 162 was originally known as Scruffle Grit. The name is derived from a spring located on the campus of Springhill United Methodist Church. • Starrsville / New Starrsville began as a rural community in 1821 centered around a mercantile business called the Starr Store at the corner of County Hwy. 213 and Dixie Road. The area later became an educational center with a number of schools operating. Starrsville United Methodist Church on Dixie Road opened its doors in 1821 and recently celebrated its 200th birthday. New Starrsville sprang from the Central of Georgia railroad building its tracks one mile north of the Starr Store. The center of business, including the community’s post office, moved to the railroad area where a station had been built and some stores located there. • Stewart is a community in southern Newton County centered on the intersection of Georgia highways 212 and 36. Prominent institutions include Stewart Baptist Church, while longtime businesses include Frank’s Restaurant on Hwy. 212.

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Brick Store was cornerstone of county’s earliest activity By TAYLOR BECK

tbeck@covnews.com

onstructed in 1821, the same year of Newton County’s formation, the Brick Store was once the focal point of daily activity for the community. Known as the first brick structure built in Newton County, located near the “Y” intersection of Old Social Circle Road and U.S. Hwy. 278, the Brick Store is one of the oldest buildings in the county’s history and the third oldest commercial building in the state. It is believed the original bricks used in the construction of the Brick Store were imported from England and hauled overland by oxcart from Savannah to the site. However, in 1967, an Atlanta brick company owner said he believed the brick to be made of native material. Since its construction, the Brick Store has been a general store, stage coach stop, post office, school house, church, jail, residence for Martin Kolb and, most notably, a courtroom. The Brick Store was the site of Newton County Superior Court’s first court session. At the time of Newton’s formation, the Superior Court selected a new community 10 miles west of the Brick Store known as Newtonsborough — later renamed Covington — to be the county seat. But until a courthouse could be built in Covington, legislation provided that elections and court sessions must be held at the house of Martin Kolb. Historians say the first court session held at Brick Store was also the last. Authors of “Courthouses in

THE COVINGTON NEWS

The historic Brick Store still stands on U.S. Hwy. 278 in eastern Newton County. Special Photo

Georgia” say a one-room log courthouse was later built near the Brick Store in 1822 at the cost of $62. One of the first telephones was installed in the Brick Store area in 1897 by G.C. and H.B. Adams. The Brick Store was also said to be the base of “an early covert law enforcement operation” in the early 1900s, according to historians. In 1986, then 89-yearold resident Ernest Gibson said he remembered eastern Newton County was “well on the way to becoming a haven for gambling promoters and illegal whiskey stills” in 1914. The Brick Store was eventually closed around 1935 and sat for decades in ruin. In 1973, trustees of the Newton County Historical Society took ownership and renovated the structure. In 2009, the historic building

was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Three years later, the Historical Society launched an effort to make more renovations to the building through a federal grant. Today the site includes a tablet from 1933 commemorating the Stage Coach Crossroads, a plaque commemorating the building’s donation by Charles M. Jordan of the building to the Historical Society in 1971 and a plaque from the landmarks commission dated 1990. To the left and rear of the Brick Store is a large granite tablet with a plaque that was placed by the Sargent Newton Chapter of The Daughters of the American Revolution in Covington. From time to time, the Historical Society hosts open house events and feature historic exhibits at the Brick Store. BICENTENNIAL EDITION 17

Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians have county’s oldest churches By TOM SPIGOLON

Pictured is Newborn United Methodist Church. The church was formed in 1820 and its first building was a log building near the present structure on Church Street in Newborn. A second, white frame building was constructed in 1847 on the site of the current building. Special Photo

tspigolon@covnews.com

ewton County has dozens of churches which began meeting in the 19th century and still operate today. Some of the oldest are spread countywide, as the Newton County Historical Society detailed in its book, “History of Newton County Georgia”: • Bethlehem Baptist Church was established in 1849 and is Newton County’s oldest, continuously operating African-American church, according to information from the “History of Newton County Georgia.” The church’s first building was a log hut built near the railroad

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depot. The Rev. Toney Baker was called to the pastorate of the church in 1851 and the church was officially named Bethlehem Baptist Church. Original church members, who were slaves, then wanted to move the church closer to the Covington Square and relocated it to the current site of an AT&T building. Leaders of this growing and developing congregation included Henry Robinson, Joe Slaughter, Cole Johnson, John Bentley and Neat Bagby, according to the church website. “As was the practice of the era, worship services were designated for second and fourth Sundays of the month, and this continued until 1959,” the website stated. It eventually relocated to its current location at the west end of Usher Street. The current pastor is Ronnie M. Thomas Jr. • Covington First Baptist

Church formed on June 21,1823, with the Rev. Joel Colley as its first pastor. It was originally Bethlehem Church of Christ and the site of its first meeting house was on the east side of Indian Creek. It later moved to what is now Stallings Street, on the site of the Old Covington Jail. The first fulltime pastor was the Rev. Eugene Pendleton in 1905. The cornerstone for the current church building at the east end of Usher Street was laid in 1909. It only had two pastors during a 58-year span in the 20th century. The Rev. Walker Combs served 34 years from 1917 to 1951; and his successor, the Rev. Edgar Callaway, served from 1951 to 1975. The current senior pastor is Cody McNutt. • Covington First Presbyterian Church formed on Jan. 21, 1827, and was located near the present site of the old Covington

jail. It dissolved in 1847 and was reorganized 30 years later. Its first installed pastor was the Rev. T.B. Trenholm in 1877, and during the pastorate of Sam Burney Hay the first Vacation Bible School was held. The original church was destroyed by fire in March of 1926, and a new sanctuary was rebuilt and dedicated during October of that same year. That sanctuary now contains church offices. The construction of a two-story building containing additional Sunday School rooms and the Martin Fellowship Hall was completed in May of 1959. In January of 1995, additional properties were purchased on Clark Street toward the west and the Clothes Closet, Food Pantry and Habitat for Humanity ministries were located there. On May 7, 1995, the present sanctuary and new church facilities were dedicated. The Rev. William B. Wade Jr. served as pastor for 32 years

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from 1986 to 2018. Other notable pastors were Sam B. Hay Sr., who served from 1923 to 1926 and later was president of Stillman College in Alabama; and Peter Marshall, who served as pastor from 1930 to 1933 and later became chaplain of the U.S. Senate. The Rev. Neeley Rentz Lane is the current pastor. • Covington First United Methodist Church was organized around 1824, with the earliest site for a permanent building on a site facing Church Street and bounded by South and Elm. The church owned the cemetery behind its building until 1875 when it was sold to the city, according to the church’s website. This original site was outgrown by 1830 when the Board of Trustees purchased a lot on the corner of Washington and Lee Streets and built a wooden church structure there. The community and church continued to grow and the current location on Conyers Street was completed in 1856. The church was utilized as a hospital during the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. In 1911, a Sunday School annex was added, providing a semicircular set of classrooms and a place for overflow crowds from the sanctuary. In 1954, a new Sunday School annex including a parlor, kitchen and large fellowship hall was added. A two-story education and office wing was completed in 1990.

Covington First Presbyterian Church formed on Jan. 21, 1827, and was located near the present site of the old Covington jail. It dissolved in 1847 and was reorganized 30 years later. Its first installed pastor was the Rev. T.B. Trenholm in 1877. Taylor Beck | The Covington News

It gradually bought adjoining residential properties within the entire block south to the corner of Monticello and Church streets and bought the old Episcopal Sanctuary and annex in 2009 for a chapel for contemporary and children’s worship. Douglas Gilreath is the current senior pastor. • Newborn United Methodist Church formed in 1820 and its first building was a log building near the present structure on Church Street in Newborn. A second, white frame building was constructed in 1847 on the site of the current building. Noted evangelist the Rev. Sam P. Jones preached during the

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dedication service of a third building, which is the current building, to a crowd of 600 to 800 from an arbor adjacent to the new building. The dedication was delayed until a sufficient offering was received to cover the remaining construction costs, according to “History of Newton County Georgia.” An educational annex was added in 1949 and a fellowship hall building was completed in 1978. Throughout much of its history, the church was on a circuit with other churches. Todd Hilton is the current pastor-in-charge.

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“It is important to understand the past in order to interpret the present, and plan for the future.” — Linda D. Hays

Mrs. Linda D. Hays The Clerk of Courts It is my honor to serve the citizens of Newton County NEWTON COUNTY CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT 1132 USHER STREET, SUITE 338 COVINGTON 770-784-2035 • ALCOVY CIRCUIT.COM THE COVINGTON NEWS

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Pictured in 1931, a Salem Campmeeting revival is underway in Newton County. The Salem Campmeeting is one of the longest-running events of its kind in the U.S. Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia Collection

Salem Campmeeting ‘as close to heaven on earth as you can be’ By TAYLOR BECK

together from across the state and country for a week of faith, alem Campmeeting, which fellowship, family and spiritual is one of the longest-running renewal. spiritual revival meetings Dozens of families gather in the nation, has been held in for the week in simple cabins, Newton County nearly every originally called “tents,” that date year since 1828. back to the mid-1800s, and the In fact, there have only been Salem Campground Hotel, which two instances where the meetwas built in 1938. These suring had to be canceled or altered. round a historic open-air taberThe first was during the 1860s at nacle built in 1854 that serves as the time of the Civil War when the site of worship services three organizers took a two-year hiatus times a day. Hundreds more from due to the historic conflict. The the area attend the services and second instance came just one daily Bible studies, as well as year ago when the COVID-19 youth activities held throughout pandemic took its toll across the the campmeeting. world in 2020, but rather than Salem was a Methodist institucanceling the event, organizers tion for 100 years, although nevchose to hold the meeting virtuer officially part of the church. ally. In the 1930s and 1940s, the The campmeeting is a non-deSalvation Army had an active nominational event held for role in the program. Now interseven days at the Salem Camp denominational, Salem features Ground, located at 3940 Salem a Methodist preacher each year Road — between Covington and and rotates between Baptist and Conyers (a city in neighboring Presbyterian preachers. Rockdale County). The campIn its earliest form, the campground was added to the Nation- meeting was gatherings of farm al Register of Historic Places on families during the “laying by” March 5, 1998. Its primary focus time between the planting of has been to bring Christians crops and harvest time — usually

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22 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

August. Arriving in wagons laden with a week’s supply of food and erecting temporary tents, the families would socialize and attend up to four worship services daily. The late Sam Ramsey, who was former mayor of Covington and a Newton County businessman, was passionate about the campmeeting. Ramsey was a chairman of Salem’s Board of Directors and had attended every campmeeting since before his birth in the 1930s. “I’m 78 years old and I’ve been here for 79 years,” Ramsey told The Covington News in 2017. He said his mother attended Salem Campmeeting while pregnant with him. “I never have missed a year.” Ramsey died Aug. 25, 2020. In 2014, Ramsey went on record to speak about the allure of campmeetings and why they were so special to him. “A lot of the times I feel like it’s as close to heaven on earth as you can be,” he said. “It’s quite an experience. You have to be out there and experience it for yourself.” THE COVINGTON NEWS

Pictured left is the late Sam Ramsey speaking during a Salem Campmeeting held in the late 2000s. Ramsey said he had attended the revival events since before he was born. Pictured right is Ramsey (far right) in 1946 at age 7. File Photo; Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia Collection

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Georgia Wildlife Federation based in Newton County By GARRETT PITTS Correspondent

he Georgia Wildlife Federation, based in Newton County, has been working to sustain Georgia’s natural resources for the past 85 years. In 1936, a meeting with over 200 conversationalists set the groundwork for what was later to be named the Georgia Wildlife Federation (GWF), formally named the Georgia Wildlife League. Mr. D. D. Quillian founded the federation knowing that immediate action was needed in order to save Georgia wildlife. A year after the meeting, the Pittman-Robertson Act was

passed, and state and federal hunting license revenues were able to provide adequate funding for wildlife management in Georgia. Along with the bill, the state of Georgia created agencies to carry out strategic wildlife management plans. The GWF’s purpose over 80 years ago does not differ from what it is today, with the focus based on promoting safe and intelligent management of Georgia wildlife. The federation, with the help of its members, board, staff, and volunteers, work to continue the Federation’s mission for conversation and sustainability. The GWF works with many dif-

ferent groups and organizations in order to promote the safety of wildlife. They work together with the Camo Coalition, a group of anglers and hunters focused on protecting wildlife, to help alert the public when legislation could be harmful to the environment. The Georgia Hunters for the Hungry is a program where hunters and anglers can donate their meat to the GWF so they can provide organic meat to the less fortunate in the area. The Georgia Water Coalition, formed in 2002, was created with the vision of privatizing water in Georgia. The coalition works to prevent any legislation

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In 1936, this poster was used to encourage conservationists from around the country to come together for the sake of America’s wildlife. Georgia Wildlife Federation

from harming water supply, quality, and access for wildlife in the state. The Georgia R3 initiative was created with the intention on recruiting, retaining and reactivating hunters and anglers. The GWF works alongside several other groups to make this initiative work. These groups are just a few that the GWF works with in order to promote the safety of both the wildlife as well as the hunters in the state of Georgia. The GWF strives to aid all of the wildlife in the state, but they actually reside in Covington. The GWF works with the Alcovy Conservation Center (ACC) in Covington, focusing on successful conservation education that can be taught the residents in the city. The ACC is a strong contrast from downtown Covington, which is just minutes away from the

complex. Just along the Alcovy River, the complex has 15,000 square feet to contain classrooms, lecture halls, offices and library space. The complex is surrounded by native plant gardens as well as having the tupelo swamp acting as a backdrop. The site also contains pavilions as well as scenic walks and trails through woodlands, wetlands and meadows. The ACC also holds nature walks where the community can come together to experience the wildlife and scenery surrounding the complex. The GWF provides adequate support and dedication to the conservation of wildlife, and just a glimpse of this can be found in Covington where they continue to educate people about ways to help wildfire just minutes away from their homes.

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Sheriff, public safety groups have always answered the call By TAYLOR BECK

In 1945, Sheriff W.G. Benton examines a heavy bloodstained stick believed to be a murder weapon in an Almon community home. Benton was Newton County’s sheriff from 1937-1949. Archives | The Covington News

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ince Newton County was formed, there has always been a sheriff to serve and protect the community as its chief law enforcement officer. The first sheriff, Lemuel Wynne, was appointed to the office Jan. 25, 1822, and he took the oath of office on March 15, 1822. Including Wynne, there have been 29 different sheriffs for Newton County. • Lemuel Wynne – 1822-1824; 1826-1830 • David Morrow – 1824-1826 • Joseph Waters — 1830-1832 • Alfred Livingston — 18321834; 1836-1838 • John Smith — 1834-1836 • Soprey Anderson — 18261830; 1838-1840 • Thomas Nelms — 1840-1842; 1858-1860 • Lewis Zachary — 1842-1844; 1846-1848; 1850-1852; 1856-1858 • Francis W. McCurdy — 18401842; 1858-1860 • Newton Anderson — 18481850; 1852-1854; 1860-1862; 1864-1866; 1873-1875; 1877-1886 • David White — 1854-1856 • T.C. Posey — 1862-1864 • A.H. Zachry — 1866-1868 • George Power — 1868-1871 • Pleasant Banks — 1871-1873 • Stephen Hight — 1875-1877 • Henry Anderson — 18861893; 1894-1902 • L.O. Wright — 1893-1899 • S.M. Hay — 1902-1920 • B.L. Johnson — 1920-1937 • W.G. Benton — 1937-1949 • C.L. Butler — 1949 • Thomas M. Bates — 19491952 • John L. Berry — 1952-1964 • Henry Odum Jr. — 1964-1976 • Liffton Luke — 1976

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• Gerald D. Malcom — 19761996 • Joe Nichols — 1996-2008 • Ezell Brown — 2008-present Ezell Brown, who was in his fourth term at the time of this publication, made history when elected Nov. 4, 2008, as the first Black man to be sheriff of Newton County. In 2020, Brown described the role of sheriff as more than “playing cops and robbers.” “I look at it as being a steward of the community,” he told The Covington News, saying many days he was required to be a counselor or minister, while on other days he would be asked to help someone cover rent or fill a gas tank. Newton County Sheriff’s Office The first jail in Newton County was actually at the Brick Store in the eastern part of the county. It served as a jail in the event someone was found guilty and sentenced. Without bars on the doors or windows, a court officer was appointed to sit by the stove fire and guard the prisioner at night. The first jail in Covington

burned while still under construction, but soon after, another jail was built just off the Square behind the Historic Courthouse. It was known as a calaboose and was similar to the one room calaboose that still stands in Porterdale. The jail was used for many years until deemed unfit to house inmates at the turn of the century. In 1901, the construction of a new jail began at the corner of Stallings and Hunter streets. After its completion, the building was considered state of the art. It could hold up to 40 inmates. It cost $10,000 to build. Samuel Hay was the first sheriff to occupy the new facility. Then, the sheriff lived on site, and in the summer would maintain a vegetable garden to provide meals for inmates. Today, the Newton County Sheriff’s Office and Detention Center, built in 2004, is located at 15151 Alcovy Rd. in Covington. In 2020, officials broke ground on a $2.9 million expansion that encompassed 145,000 square feet, including detention, and added 7,000 square feet of administrative space and 3,000 square feet of training space. THE COVINGTON NEWS

Newton County Fire Service Newton County’s Fire Service was first established in the 1960s, largely due to the need of area farmers. Based on a book written by Tommy Lee, who was one of the county’s founding volunteer firefighters, the fire service first developed as a volunteer system to meet area farmers’ need to protect their crops and homes. The county didn’t hire its first career firefighter until 1971. The career service remained small for more than a decade. Volunteer firefighter Ron Savage told The Covington News in 2014 that the volunteers’ heyday was in the 1980s and 1990s when those departments would have 20-plus volunteers and had to improve their coordination and communication with each other. Newton County didn’t build its first career fire station until 1995. Over the years, more career stations were built and staffed,

and, as has happened all over the U.S., volunteers in Newton County have become virtually non-existent. Today, the county fire service consists of about 138 career and part-time firefighters that work to protect the 279 square-miles of Newton County. At the time of this publication, there were nine fire stations in use across the county, including one of Georgia’s first fire stations that opened in 2021 with a decontamination area designed to lower firefighters’ cancer risk. Newton County 911 When there’s an emergency, people are taught to immediately call 911. Today, if residents of Newton County are in a dire situation, they can dial the three-digit number and, without fail, a local dispatcher will answer the call and do his or her best to meet the need. But 911 hasn’t always been

around. In Newton County, the first 911 call was made Aug. 28, 1989, but before that day, residents had to call their respective police or fire departments any time they needed immediate assistance. Since the center was established more than three decades ago, Covington-Newton County 911 has served as the sole answering point for the county, dispatching calls for agencies such as the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, Covington Police Department, Covington Marshal’s Office, Newton County Animal Control, Oxford Police, Porterdale Police, Covington Fire, Newton County Fire and Piedmont/Newton EMS. The center also works closely with the Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Bureau of Investigations and the Newton County District Attorney’s Office. Newton County Sheriff’s Office contributed to this article.

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FROM SHERIFF EZELL BROWN AND THE NEWTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE:

HAPPY 200TH BIRTHDAY, NEWTON COUNTY!

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EDUCATION

Students take advantage of a free ride to school in 1911 by way of mule-drawn wagons. Archives | The Covington News

Newton County Schools celebrates 150 years in education By TAYLOR BECK

education we know today. Four of its original members hailed n the same year Newton from Newton County (Gustavus County celebrated its 200th Orr, T.J. Hill, Joseph S. Stewart anniversary, the county’s lead- and Alexander Means). Another ing school system celebrated its force in the creation of public 150th. education was the formation of Newton County Schools was the Freedmen’s Bureau by an act established Feb. 7, 1871, but the of Congress in 1865. county’s origin of public eduThe object of the bureau was cation has been traced back to to protect former slaves from the years prior. And before 1860, development of laws that tried public education was not a prito limit slaves’ freedom. Between ority. 1866 and 1870, the bureau spent Federal, state and local govern- nearly $5 million to pay teachments placed little emphasis on ers, construct and rent schools, schooling by shelling out minor and establish black colleges and funds in the early 1800s, accord“normal schools,” according to ing to “History of Newton Counthe historical society’s findings. ty Georgia,” a book compiled and The area’s first Freedmen’s released by the Historical Socischool was reported in 1866. ety of Newton County in 1988. It was located in Covington But as the 19th century came to and had 25 students taught by a close, local and state leaders Edward Putry. By 1867, a local increased their efforts to make Freedmen’s school was deeducation available on a much scribed as one with more than larger level than ever before. 100 students taught by C.A. In 1867, the Georgia Teachers Sprague. Association was established, In August 1870, the Freedwhich played a vital role in the men’s Bureau withdrew from creation of the state’s public Georgia, which made it difficult

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for Black people to receive a quality education because of their systematic exclusion. Black teachers at the time were poorly trained; however, in October 1887, the legislature mandated all licensed teachers must attend all sessions of teacher institutes held in their respective counties. Black schools in Newton County did not receive tax funding until the 1870s, according to the historical society’s findings. Despite the adversity, there were 27 schools for Blacks across Newton County with 1,489 students enrolled by 1912. Most were held in churches and community buildings, though it is unclear if the county owned or supported any of the school buildings. After the Civil War ended and Georgia rejoined the Union, the Newton County Schools Board of Education was formed, including charter members Henry Twiggs, Henry L. Graves, A.J. Webb, J.J. Dearing, Thomas C. Davis, J.W. Smith, L.S. Mann, E.L. Thomas, Henry Gaither, Asbury C. MixBICENTENNIAL EDITION 29

on, T.W. Meriwether and L.M. Brown. Dearing was elected the first board president of Newton County Schools and served in that capacity until December 1890 when he was succeeded by Harry H. Stone. Shaw was elected secretary of the board and county school commissioner. Under Stone’s leadership, the school system established a traveling library. Several hundred books were purchased and put in boxes. Each school was allowed to keep one or two boxes for a short time. The library system was considered the first of its kind. According to superior court records, there was an average of 1,450 students attending Newton County schools per month in 1877. By 1912, there were 26 school locations for white students in Newton County with a total of 1,890 students enrolled and 56 teachers. Schools were limited to a seven-grade system

at the time. In 1904, the district was first in the South to execute a school consolidation when four schools were combined into Heard-Mixon School, which drew national attention. The “Southern Agriculturalist” of Springfield, Massachusetts, sent a reporter to investigate and a write a feature on the consolidation. In 1907, Newton won first place in the state for school improvement. In 1912, Newton County Schools was cited by the National Education Association as one of the state’s two leading county systems. Under the direction of George C. Adams, Newton County Schools started the Boy’s Corn Club, which was believed to be the forerunner of the National 4-H Club. In 1947, Newton County Schools consolidated with rival school system, Covington City Schools Commission. The Covington school system was organized in 1889.

The school system took over the Georgia Methodist Female College in Covington in 1894. In 1896, the building was deemed unusable, so it was torn down and a new school called Covington Public School was built in its place. Covington Public School served as an elementary school and then a high school until 1954. After the two school systems consolidated, the county school board agreed to furnish 22 teachers at the Covington High School. The board also agreed to sell the land for a new high school to be built on Speedway Drive — what’s known as Newton Drive today. Homer F. Sharp was elected supervising principal for the Newton County High School, which was opened for white students in 1950 and started the beginning of the county’s 12-grade program. R.L. Cousins School and East Newton School were each built and opened for the 1955-56

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Students enter E.L. Ficquett School on the first day of school in 1970 — the first year of the nation’s schools’ integration. According to The Covington News’ reports at the time, the biggest issue of the day for Newton County Schools was transportation-related. There were reportedly little-to-no issues otherwise. Archives | The Covington News

school year for Black students after the consolidation of 30 Black schools, led by Cassie M. Robinson, was approved. R. L. Cousins held grades one through 12, while East Newton held grades one through eight.

Integration of schools in Newton County slowly began in 1954 after the U.S. Supreme Court case Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka. The court ruled racial segregation was a violation of the 14th Amend-

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ment. This led to the voluntary integration of only four school districts across Georgia out of 197 by 1964. After the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Newton County Schools were integrated

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by 1970. During the district’s integration, it was determined there would only be one high school — Newton County High School — that offered grades 10-12. R.L. Cousins High School was lowered to a junior high school, offering grades eight and nine. Leaving elementary schools with only grades 1-7. Each school had two principals — one Black and one white. Teaching staffs were also integrated. On the first day of school, Sept. 3, 1970, Superintendent Whitlow Richardson said, “All of us are extremely pleased with the smoothness with which our transition to a unitary school system has taken place.” In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Newton County saw a strong population increase, which led to changes. “This was a time of tremendous student growth,” said former Superintendent Wendell Clamp, who served from 1992 to 2005. “If my memory serves me correctly, when I went to the Newton County Schools System in 1992, we had only approximately 8,000 students. Thirteen years later, in 2005, we had approximately 18,000.” Clamp said to compensate for the increase, a plan for expansion was created. “Now in order to accommodate that student growth, we had to have a massive building program,” he recalled. “We built 10 schools during that period. Four elementary schools, four middle schools and two high schools. And in addition, we added 130 classrooms to existing schools. We also built a service center and a (board of education) building. And I’m proud to say, and a little bit lucky too, we brought all of these buildings in on time and within budget.” Eastside High School was opened in 1994, located on Eagle Drive in Covington, as a transitional school and later became 32 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

In 1950, student members of Washington Street School’s “Tri-Hi-Y” pose for a group photo. Special Photo | Historical Society of Newton County

an official high school in 1998 after its first graduating class. In 2021, construction of a new Eastside High School was underway at 140 Georgia Hwy. 142 in Covington. The facility was anticipated to open in 2022. In 2006, Alcovy High School was opened at 14567 Georgia Hwy. 36 in Covington. In 2021, Newton County Schools System consists of 25 different schools, which also includes the Newton County Theme School at Ficquett, Newton College and Career Academy, Mainstay Academy and RISE Academy. Samantha Fuhrey is Newton

County’s current superintendent. She has served in the role for the last seven years. In 2020, Fuhrey was named Georgia’s Superintendent of the Year and was a finalist for the national award. Approximately 20,000 students are enrolled across Newton schools. The district has posted a graduation rate of 87% or higher from 2018 to 2021 — about five percentage points higher than the state graduation rate each year, on average. [Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the Feb. 6-7, 2021, edition of The Covington News.] THE COVINGTON NEWS

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BICENTENNIAL EDITION 33

In the spring of 1979, the Newton Rams celebrate after defeating Tucker 4-1 en route to the Georgia AAAA Baseball Championship. The Rams later defeated Windsor-Forest for the state title. Jack Teeter was head coach at the time. It marked the first state championship in the history of Newton’s athletic program. The Rams program captured a second state championship in 2016 by way of the boys track and field team. Archives | The Covington News

Newton County is home to champions By PHILLIP B. HUBBARD

phubbard@covnews.com

n its 150 year history, Newton County Schools’ athletic programs have been successful in capturing numerous state and region crowns across multiple sports. NEWTON RAMS Established in 1949, the Rams have athletic success that spans across decades. From football to golf, each sport has made its mark in Newton’s athletic history. Baseball: Region Championships 1989, 1990, 1997, 1999, 2004 Subregion Championships 1994 State Runner-up 1964 State Championships 1979 Boys Basketball: Region Championships 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 34 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

Girls Basketball: Region Championships 1950, 1973, 1998, 2003, 2013, 2017, 2018 State Runner-up 2018 Cheerleading: Region Championships 2014, 2015 Cross Country: Region Championships 2004, 2005 Football: Region Championships 1987, 2015 Golf: Region Championships 2005 Soccer: Region Championships 2006, 2007, 2008 Softball: Region Championships 2014

Tennis: Region Championships 1979, 2005, 2006 Track & Field: Region Championships 1982, 1983, 1988, 2011 (Girls), 2012 (Girls), 2013 (boys), 2014 (boys), 2015 (girls), 2016 (girls), 2016 (boys) State Championships 2016 (boys) Wrestling: Region Championships 1996 EASTSIDE EAGLES Since its inception in 1994, Eastside High School athletics has brought home a lot of hardware. Collectively, the Eagles have won 10 state championships, 21 region championships and have been state runner-ups three times. Academic Team: State Championships 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2019 Baseball: Region Championships THE COVINGTON NEWS

2000, 2013 Subregion Championhips 1998-1999 State Runner-up 1999-2000 Boys Golf: Region Championships 2009, 2010, 2014 Boys Track: State Championship 2016 Region Championships 2008, 2016 Competitive Cheerleading: Region Championships 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018 Fast-pitch softball: Area 7 Runner-up State Tournament 2000-2001 State Championships 1998-1999, 1999-2000 Football: Region Championships 2008, 2009, 2018

Girls Golf: Region Championships 2004, 2012 Girls Soccer: Area 5 Runner-up 1996-1997, 1997-1998 Girls Track: Region Championships 2010 Wrestling: 2008 State Championship (Traditional) 2008, 2009 Area Championships 2006, 2007, 2008 State Runner-up (Duals) 2007, 2009 ALCOVY TIGERS Alcovy High School’s athletics program hit its stride in 2021. Since the school was formed in 2006, the Tigers have had an up and down athletic department across all the sports. But, now, it has seemed to get things going a bit. For instance, the Tigers football rewrote a lot of the history books this past season.

Alcovy claimed the Region 3-AAAAAA championship while remaining perfect in region play at 5-0. By earning the No. 1 seed in the Class 6A playoffs, the Tigers was granted a first round bye automatically advancing them to round two. With that, Alcovy made its first ever appearance past the first round of the state playoffs by playing the Carrollton Trojans at Sharp Stadium on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. The turn around has been under head coach Jason Dukes who is in his third year at the helm. The Tigers have shown exponential progress under Dukes’ direction. Additionally, the Lady Tigers softball team qualified for the state playoffs in 2021. Their advancement to the postseason was the first in five years for the softball team. Four years ago, Miranda Lamb took over at the helm of the softball program. She and the freshmen at the time aimed to make the playoffs before they graduated. Those freshmen’s aspirations came to fruition in their senior years.

Happy 200th Birthday Newton County!

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BICENTENNIAL EDITION 35

Only private academies in Newton County through first half-century By TOM SPIGOLON

Pictured are numerous students outside a school in Starrsville, belived to be take in the early 1900s. The Historical Society of Newton County

tspigolon@covnews.com

uring the first 50 years of Newton County’s existence, education was not seen as a public responsibility. There were 11 private academies incorporated in the county by 1850, with some being Palmyra Academy in Newborn; the Male Academy in Covington; Mt. Pleasant Academy in the Brickstore community; and Starrsville Academy . Today, a number of private schools operate, with many tied to religious instruction as an alternative to public schools. Piedmont Academy is located in Monticello and was founded in 1889. Students come from

seven counties including Butts, Henry, Jasper, Morgan, Newton, Putnam and Rockdale. Peachtree Academy was founded by JaNice VanNess in 2001 and has grown into a Christian-based college preparatory school, encompassing four unique campuses. Providence Classical Christian

School (PCCS) was established in 2005 on the northern outskirts of Oxford. Grace Christian Academy in Covington has about 80 students. Alpha Omega Preparatory Academy is located on Salem Road in the Kroger shopping center.

Happy 200th Birthday Newton County!

36 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

THE COVINGTON NEWS

Your local family owned hardware store since 1973

Happy 200th birthday Newton County! We thank you for five decades of support and patronage. Although we may have Ace Hardware in our name, Covington is our home and community. Being the only locally owned hardware store in Covington, we’ve learned that it’s not just about selling goods, but more importantly, about building relationships, being involved in the community, and having great employees. Throughout the years much has changed for the store and within our community. One thing remains unchanged, our continued dedication to customer and community service. We are proud to serve and support our friends and neighbors and look forward to many more years of being a part of the Newton County community.

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BICENTENNIAL EDITION 37

A ground breaking ceremony is held in 1968 to celebrate the start of construction on a new $600,000 library at Oxford College. From left area Dean Bond Fleming of Oxford College, Emory University President Sanford Atwood and Emory Board Chairman Henry Bowden. Archives | The Covington News

Oxford College origin dates back to 1830s By TAYLOR BECK

tbeck@covnews.com

xford College of Emory University is nearly as old as Newton County. Oxford College’s origin dates back to the early 1830s — when Andrew Jackson was president and the population of the newly formed Newton County was only 11,000. The Methodist Episcopal Church first founded what was originally known as Emory College after receiving a charter for the liberal arts institution in 1836. In addition to the school, the city of Oxford was also established. The city was named for Oxford University in England (the alma mater of Methodism’s founders), and the school for John Emory, a bishop. The college’s early leaders included Ignatius Alphonso Few, Alexander Means, Augustus Baldwin Longstreet and George Foster Pierce. Few was the col38 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

Pictured is the first administration building of Emory College. It was torn down in 1872. Archives | Oxford College

lege’s first president. From 1861-1866, Emory College closed its doors as the Civil War was underway. The campus was actually commandeered to house Confederate soldiers wounded in the Battle of Atlanta and is later occupied by Union troops.

Roughly 16 years after the college reopened, George Seney, who was a Methodist layman from Brooklyn, New York, made a sizable donation that funded the construction of what is known today as Seney Hall — the college’s most iconic building on campus. Historians say Seney made the donation after he was inspired by a sermon from former Emory President Atticus Haygood entitled, “The New South.” In 1915, Emory’s Board of Trustees voted to relocate Emory College to a 75-acre tract of land in Atlanta. Four years later, the new campus — now a university — was completed. What did that mean for Oxford? The original campus at Oxford became home to a variety of educational formats over the next 40 years, which included a college preparatory academy, a junior college, and a four-year high school/college combinaTHE COVINGTON NEWS

tion. It wasn’t until 1931 that the first 10 women enrolled at the school, which led to a major change in 1955, when Oxford shifted from being an all-male institution and the first full-time women students were admitted. In 1964, the institution was renamed Oxford College of Emory University and settled into the two-year undergraduate college it is today. The college has worked to place focus on quality teaching through small classes and close faculty-student relationships. In 1988, Leadership Oxford was founded to “establish greater camaraderie among student club leaders and to coordinate efforts across the student body.” Since 2006, Oxford has completed several improvement and restoration projects across its historic campus, including the renovation of Seney Hall and Language Hall — renamed Johnson Hall in 2021 in memory of

the late Alcovy Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Horace J. Johnson Jr. Johnson was an esteemed alumnus of Oxford College and native of Newton County. In 2021, the private institution’s total enrollment was 993 with students from all over the world. After graduation, young professionals with a degree from Oxford College of Emory University are undoubtedly prepared for the next chapter in their lives. A survey of the Emory Class of 2018 conducted fewer than three months after graduation found 43% of former students had found full-time employment and 38% were continuing their education. Only 8% were seeking opportunities. Since its establishment, Oxford College has been one of Newton County’s leading employers and an economic driver for the state of Georgia. In Newton County alone the supports 520 jobs and boasts a reported annual

economic impact of $79 million. Statewide, the college supports 1,500 jobs and maintains an annual economic impact of approximately $262 million. OXFORD COLLEGE LEADERSHIP Deans of Oxford College: 2016 - Douglas A. Hicks 2005 - Stephen H. Bowen 1999 - Dana Greene 1986 - William H. Murdy 1976 - J. William Moncrief 1966 - N. Bond Fleming 1945 - Vigil Y. C. Eady Associate Deans of Emory at Oxford: 1934 - George S. Roach 1930 - Hugh A. Woodward Principals of Emory University Academy: 1922 - A.W. Rees 1918 - J.A. Sharp 1916 - A.M. Hughlett 1915 - Robert C. Missile

Congratulates Newton County on the Occasion of its 200 th Birthday!

Celebrating Newton County Proud community partner since 1836 Mayor: David S. Eady City CouncilMembers: Lynn Bohanan,George Holt,Laura McCanless , Jeff Wearing,Jim Windham, Avis Williams City Manager: Bill n Adrew City Clerk/Treasurer: Marcia Brooks THE COVINGTON NEWS

BICENTENNIAL EDITION 39

Members of the first Boys Corn Club in Newton County, organized by G.C. Adams, are pictured in 1904-1905. This club was one of the forerunners of the modern 4-H Club. Historical Society of Newton County

4-H beginnings linked to Newton County By PHILLIP B. HUBBARD

phubbard@covnews.com

s it stands in 2021, the 4-H program is one of the largest youth organizations in the world. There are approximately 6.5 million members of the nationwide program. Interestingly enough, the current organization began right here in Newton County, Georgia, well over 100 years ago. G.C. Adams, the Newton County School System Superintendent at the time, had an idea for a youth organization to help educate children. So, in 1904 Adams got a group of boys together to form the Georgia Boys Corn Club. The whole purpose of the club was to teach kids how to grow and harvest corn. Adams and his members were so successful that they went around to various fairs and festivals. At those events, they won multiple awards and prizes because they had the best tasting corn around. However, this club excluded 40 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

young girls who were interested in doing some of the similar things. Therefore, the girls at that time went 69 miles down to Hancock County to start a club of their own. As a result, they formed the Girls Tomato Canning Club. With the club, the girls did the same thing with tomatoes as the boys did with corn. But the girls wanted to one-up their contemporaries by going another step to can their tomatoes that they just grew and harvested. And both programs’ formations led to the beginning stages of 4-H as people know it today. Since the organization’s inception, 4-H has evolved. Its motto is “To make the best better.” Its logo is also a four leaf clover that has four H’s in it that stands for Head, Heart, Hands and Health. Youth members are provided opportunities to improve on public speaking, participating in science lessons and to assist in “Helping Hands” activities,

which is basically community service projects. After being active in the educational part of 4-H, students go around the state to participate in various competitions with other 4-H programs. Whether it’s at Rock Eagle in Eatonton, or the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, students are exposed to various experiences to enhance their connections throughout the organization. In Newton County, Charlene Scott and Kim Lawrence organize monthly meetings for Newton County School System to help grow the program. They have 4-H nights and other local events to help get and keep students involved. Even during the pandemic in 2020, Newton County’s 4-H program remained active by using Canvas and Zoom. Every ounce of effort by 4-Hers everywhere helps carry out the vision set forth by Adams 117 years ago. And that was to teach children skills that they’ll apply to the rest of their lives. THE COVINGTON NEWS

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Front l-r Kenneth Smallwood, Owner/Agent; Darlene Smallwood, Owner Broker; Back l-r Donna Carithers; Bobby Sigman, Associate Our main goal at Hometown Realty is to take care of our Broker; Pat Swords-Smith, Associate Broker; Vicky Mason; Teresa Casteel; Bonnie Cowan; Travis Moore, Associate Broker; clients, customers and friends’ real estate needs for many years to come. Sherry East; Amy Bouchillon

We still have the Hometown Value you are looking for in a Real Estate Agent. Whether you are selling or buying. Darlene Smallwood (Broker/Owner) Kenneth Smallwood (Owner/Agent) 2135 Pace Street • Covington, GA 30014 (Morgan Plaza)

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THE COVINGTON NEWS

BICENTENNIAL EDITION 41

Scouting has made great impact on Newton County’s youth By PHILLIP B. HUBBARD

phubbard@covnews.com

he Boy Scouts of America made its way to Newton County 105 years ago setting up its operation in Covington. Since moving here, Boy Scouts of America has been an important influence on the local community. None of it would’ve been possible, though, without some influential people and their efforts along the way. It all started with Professor M.G. Boswell. He was one of the earliest scoutmasters back in 1916. Boswell oversaw Lee Stephenson, Robert Fowler Jr., Reg, Luke and Guy Robinson and the Martin brothers recorded as the earliest scouts. Back then, weekly meetings were held on the second floor of what is now the Banks Insurance Company on Clark Street in Covington. Out of those meetings came camping trips to Costley’s Mill and hiking trips out to Salem and Factory Shoals among other places. As the troop began to gain momentum and members, the Great Depression hit and had a huge impact on Covington Boy Scouts troop. But, following the Great Depression came a new wave of Boy Scouts. Before, the troop was a member of the Macon Area Council. In 1941, the Newton County Boy Scouts moved to the Atlanta Area Council. Professors M.C. Wiley and Edwin Brown as well as Burrus Snow, John I. Alford, Chess Quinn and George Cochran took over new leadership, as a result.

42 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

In February 1968, the Covington Kiwanis Club hosts members of the local Boy Scout troop in honor of Boy Scout Week. Archives | The Covington News

Bert Adams Boy Scout Reservation in Covington has a top-of-the-line climbing tower and C.O.P.E. course where scouts can zip line, tackle ropes courses, and scale the 62-foot tower. Special | Bert Adams Scout Camp

All of the changes seemed to rejuvenate the troop. Maintaining its progress into the late 1940’s, a new era began for the Newton County Boy Scouts that has lasted to the present day. Since the 1940’s, Cub and Explorer programs have been implemented. Such programs opened up membership to boys from as young as 8 years old to young men as old as 18. During the past 80 years or so, the local troop has taken on new heights. Particularly in 1961, a 1790acre reservation was built and dedicated for $1.5 million. The

reservation is called the Bert Adams Boy Scout Reservation of the Atlanta Area Council. There are multiple facets that make up the reservation. For instance, there is a 68-acre freshwater lake. The lake offers fishing, swimming and boating to campers. Additionally, there are three complete campsites accommodating 300 campers each. By providing this reservation, it grants the opportunity to all scouts to enhance their outdoor skills. The reservation has served the local troop now for 60 years. In 2021, more than 5,000 boys participate and enjoy all of the programs’ benefits. THE COVINGTON NEWS

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BICENTENNIAL EDITION 43

HEALTH

Gov. Herman Talmadge speaks during the dedication ceremony for Newton County Hospital after its construction in 1954. Archives | The Covington News

County hospital has provided health care for nearly 70 years By TAYLOR BECK

tbeck@covnews.com

n Sunday, Oct. 17, 1954, a crowd of approximately 4,000, including then Gov. Herman Talmadge, gathered in Covington to celebrate the opening of Newton County Hospital. “The dream of the people of this county is at last a reality,” reporter Lucile Skinner wrote in the Thursday, Oct. 21, 1954, edition of The Covington News. But much more than a dream, it was a more than two-year effort by then-newly established Newton County Hospital Authority. Created in 1952, the authority’s members included L.J. Moore, Leon Cohen, B.B. Snow, Mrs. Aubrey Sherwood and S.A. Ginn. During his address, Talmadge said it was his aim to bring hospital care within the reach of every one of the 3.5 million residents living in Georgia at the time. He also said Newton County’s facility was not quite large, but there was “none more modern” at that time. The Covington News reported the hospital was readily 44 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

Members of the Hospital Authority and various county officials, including L.J. Moore, S.A. Ginn, M.W. Barnett, R.C. Williams, Aubra Sherwood, Tom M. Bates, Richard Aeck, Jack L. Elliott, James Samford, B.B. Snow and Leon Cohen, break ground on the Newton County Hospital in August 1953. Archives | The Covington News

equipped with a “X-Ray room, emergency room,” “central supply and sterilization rooms, large operating room with all the newest equipment” and a recovery room. The hospital began with a 36-bed capacity. When Newton County Hospital opened its doors, there were just 22 full- and part-time employees with seven members on the medical staff. In June 1983, the hospital

authority changed the name to Newton General Hospital. The change was part of an overall renovation and construction program. Further into the 1980s, the staff grew to roughly 300 employees with more than 75 physicians, who covered nearly every medical specialty, on staff. The capacity also rose to 90 beds. The hospital’s name was later changed a third time to Newton Medical Center. THE COVINGTON NEWS

Fast forward to May 2015, Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare announced its plans to bring Newton Medical Center into its group of hospitals. As part of an equity partnership, Piedmont Healthcare agreed to lease the hospital for 40 years and begin construction on an emergency department expansion. Once the deal was finalized, the hospital became a subsidiary of Piedmont and was, again, renamed Piedmont Newton Hospital. “This is a great day for Piedmont and Newton Medical Center,” said Greg Hurst, then-Piedmont Healthcare Chief Operating Officer, during an October 2015 celebration event. “We’re here celebrating partnership that brings together two great organizations that serves the local communities to enhance the healthcare in these communities. “Piedmont Hospital has con-

Bobby Lynn Reynolds was the first baby born in the Newton County Hospital. In this file photo from 1954, Mrs. George W. Reynolds is seen holding little Bobby, who weighed in at 7 pounds, 4 ounces. Archives | The Covington News

tinued to provide the residents with access to the medical staff and services they provide. But beyond them they will now find the resources and expertise of Piedmont Healthcare.” Today, Piedmont Newton Hospital has grown to a 97-bed,

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Happy 200th Birthday Newton County!

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Area physicians reflect on 40 years spent in medical service By MEGAN NEUNAN

Piedmont Newton Hospital

n a Sunday school class for young adults near the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, three aspiring doctors met in the late 1970s. They, along with their wives and later families, became friends and have worked together ever since to make Covington, about an hour and a half away from their medical school, a healthier (and holier) community. Henry Patton, M.D., was one of those aspiring doctors. He attributes the medical ambitions he had even as “a little fellow” to his own family’s primary care physician in Savannah. “[Our doctor] did everything from giving shots to sewing people up, and I thought that was really cool to be able to do those kinds of things to help people get better,” Dr. Patton said. Norris Little, M.D., was also in the class at the Presbyterian church; a fifth-grade report on organ

Norris Little

Timothy Park

Henry Patton

transplants partially inspired his interest in medicine. By contrast, Timothy Park, M.D., said he didn’t always know he wanted to become a doctor. But by college, he got the idea because he related well to people and liked science. Drs. Patton, Little and Park advanced to residencies in Internal Medicine at Memorial Medical Center in Savannah. Drs. Patton and Park finished first, having been a year ahead of Dr. Little in

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school. When it was time to consider next steps, they considered them together. “We got to be really good friends and felt like we’d like to try to practice together, so we just kind of prayed about it,” Dr. Park said. They attended a job fair where their journey to Covington began. A cardiologist from the area was at the fair recruiting. Dr. Patton had received a fellowship that required he initially practice in an under-served rural area, which Covington was in the early 1980s. As Dr. Little put it, “You went five minutes in any direction, you were in farming country.” What is now Piedmont Newton Hospital was also nothing like it is today. General practitioners delivered babies; the first OB-GYN arrived the same year as Dr. Little, 1984. Specialty care was scarce: no nephrologists, gastroenterologists, or oncologists. And, over the years, the emergency room had become too small. “When you walked into the ER on a busy afternoon, evening, it was kind of like walking into a MASH unit. There were stretchers everywhere. There were patients in the halls,” Dr. Little recalled. “People rightly didn’t like coming there.” Dr. Little attended the ribbon-cutting for a significantly expanded ER as chief medical officer in 2019. Despite the shortcomings in medical services available – or perhaps even because there was so much room to make a difference – Drs. Little, Patton and Park established Newton Medical Associates. They provided comprehensive preventative care and diagnosed and treated diseases ranging from COPD to arthritis. They also cared for patients at the hospital. At the peak of the practice, they had six physicians. Dr. Park is only just retiring from seeing patients this January. Dr. Patton still practices, with Piedmont Physicians of Covington, out of the same building on Newton Drive where Newton Medical Associates was once based. Their close friendship benefitted patients. Dr. Little said he often asked for Dr. Patton’s and Dr. Park’s input on tough cases. “All the answers for the things that we do every day in medicine, they’re not found in a textbook,” Dr. Little said. As they built their Internal Medicine practice, the physicians also looked to fill another hole in the Covington landscape: a robust Presbyterian congregation, like the one that brought them together in Augusta during medical school. When they first moved to Covington, between 1983 and 1984, they held Bible studies at Dr. Patton’s house. Then, they secured space in a nearby shopping center. These Bible studies evolved to become Trinity Presbyterian Church, which is part THE COVINGTON NEWS

LOOKING BACK makes us

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#ONE NEWTON Congratulations Newton County on 200 years!

BICENTENNIAL EDITION 47

of the Presbyterian Church in America. The current church on Hwy. 278 was built in 2002 to accommodate the approximately 150 active members. “I think we all felt kind of led here in medicine, but also kind of led here by the Lord for spiritual reasons,” said Dr. Park. One testament to how closely linked their religious and professional live are: the doctor taking over for Dr. Park when he retires, Melissa Rienstra, M.D., is the daughter-in-law of the current pastor of Trinity Presbyterian. Driven by the faith that brought them together and to Covington, all three physicians invested deeply in civic activities related to medicine. “We want a highly successful medical community locally because we live here, we work here, we have children that live locally. We want it to be a great place to get medical care in every way that’s possible,” explained Dr. Little.

Dr. Little is currently chief medical officer at Piedmont Newton Hospital, where he has lived “five minutes from the back door” in the same house for 37 years. One of his many responsibilities is to make sure that when Newton County residents have a medical need, their local hospital can treat it. For example, with the administrative team at the hospital, he recently hired two gastroenterologists to perform more colonoscopies (and other gastrointestinal procedures) locally. Dr. Little said his direct line to Drs. Park and Patton remains invaluable to his job, even though they are no longer consulting on individual patients as they once did at Newton Medical Associates. “It’s very important to have close relationships with the people who are delivering care in the community because they have invaluable information around what the needs are and

what we can do better,” he explained. Dr. Park recently became chairman of the Piedmont Newton Hospital Board, so he provides this advice in an official capacity. “Overall, care is much more sophisticated, complete, we have a lot more specialists. We deliver a lot better care because of the personnel, the facility and so forth than it was four decades ago. To be a part of that has been really gratifying,” Dr. Park said. Meanwhile, Dr. Patton has held numerous local public health positions, including serving as chairman of the Newton County Board of Health since 1986. Anyone who has eaten at a restaurant in Georgia in the last decade or so can thank him for a safe experience. As a member of the Georgia Board of Human Resources (there wasn’t yet a Department of Public Health), at the monthly meeting in Atlanta, he suggested using federal

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food safety guidelines at the state level to regulate things like food storage, employee hand-washing and separating uncooked meat from other food. Dr. Patton modestly said adopting the federal standards was not “a brain-buster.” He added, though, that it has been gratifying to see very few patients for food poisoning from eating out since the change. After he had been in practice with Drs. Little and Patton for about five years, Dr. Park temporarily left Covington. He, his wife, and their three children spent about four years in Nigeria, where Dr. Park worked at a mission hospital to train Nigerian family practice physicians. There, he saw a lot of tropical diseases like malaria, accidents and obstetrical problems. “I think I got a lot better with my clinical practice because you can’t rely on a lot of tests or scans or imaging, so you pretty much have to just examine the patient, talk to them, and come to a conclusion about what their problem is,” he said of his time in Nigeria. He returned to Covington with a renewed focus on helping vulnerable people close to home. Dr. Park has been the medical director of Willing Helpers, a free clinic for Newton County residents without insurance, since it opened in 2006. Drs. Patton and Little also volunteer. “I think it’s a natural fit to be a Christian that’s involved in healthcare to want to minister to people who don’t have healthcare,” he explained. Drs. Little, Park and Patton have served Covington for nearly 40 years in slightly different ways, but always in collaboration with one another. “It is rare in medicine to see doctors go through their whole career working together,” Dr. Park said. “That’s one of the great blessings of my life really: to see the opportunity we were given to hopefully do some good and live out our Christian life in that way.”

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COMMERCE

A crowd gathers as merchants give away bales of cotton at the Covington Square. Archives | The Covington News

Newton County economy was first driven by agriculture By TAYLOR BECK

tbeck@covnews.com

ewton County was strictly agricultural in its adolescent years, and it wasn’t until the the early 1900s that things began to change. The county’s earliest settlers, pouring in from east Georgia, the Carolinas, Virginia and others, made the most of what was then considered a vast woodland. Clearing of the land for cultivation released thousands of acres of deep fertile top soil that proved quite productive. Crops grown in the county through the years consisted of barley, corn, cowpeas, grain sorghum, hay, oats, peaches, pecans, peanuts, rye, soybeans, sweet potatoes, truck crops, watermelons and wheat. Newton farmers were also efficient producers in beef cattle, broilers, dairying, eggs, sheep, swine, and turkeys during the span of time for each commodity.

50 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

Grain crops, such as corn and wheat, grown during the early pioneer days of Newton County were important to agricultural development. These were used for corn meal and flour by the homemaker. It was also used for feed for work animals, poultry and hogs. The sawmill and pulpwood industry contributed to the growing economy of Newton County, too. However, like a lot of Georgia counties, “Cotton was king, ” and the advancement of the cotton mill brought the first sign of real success to Covington. Agriculture of the early days was carried out by the use of domestic animals (horse, mules, oxen) and primitive hand tools. Cotton farms were worked primarily with plantation slave labor prior to the Civil War. Mainly sharecroppers and day labor were used after that time. The community grew substantial as a business and agricultural center through the years and

Covington was quickly accepted as the cotton market for regional farmers. But into the 1920s, cotton production began to decline. There were a number of reasons for the decline, including the invasion of the boll weevil; the stock market crash in 1929; and over production and low prices of the 1930s, which gave rise to cotton acreage controls. Cotton production had reached an all-time high in 1920 with more than 60,000 acres in the county, but it has since, perpetually declined, reaching near zero in 1987. As result of the boll weevil, among the other factors, many residents lost everything. They gave up farming to pursue other work at textile mills and other industries across the region. Many even migrated north, specifically to Detroit, Michigan, to find work in the fast-rising automobile industry. But not everyone quit farming. Those who were able to survive THE COVINGTON NEWS

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the boll weevil invasion eventually learned the importance of diversification. Peaches began being produced on a large scale during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. One orchard was successful in the 1950s and 1960s. Peach packaging facilities in Mansfield sent thousands of bushels of the fruit north via the railroads. A few farmers began to experiment with beef cattle in the 1920s and 1930s. Old cultivated fields were converted to pasture. By the early 1950s, there were 50-60 dairies in Newton County. Chicken houses were also constructed as production of the birds began to spread from Gainesville. By the 1970s, tenant farmers virtually disappeared from Newton County. Diversification of agriculture resulted in many farmers either reducing their cotton acreage or dropping cotton altogether.

Conversion of cropland to pine plantations, also, caused the displacement of tenants. And the mechanization of agriculture resulted in the need for fewer laborers. In addition, former tenant farmers were able to find work in newly developed industrial activities in the Newton County area. By 1980, the few full-time agricultural laborers in Newton County were generally salaried, paid Social Security and often received some typed of job benefits such as life and/or accident insurance. Today, there are few farms in Newton County and much less land dedicated to farming. Longtime local attorney Phil Johnson briefly talked about the change during a May 2021 interview with The Covington News. “When I was a young man, Newton County had 26 dairy farms and had about 30,000 people,” Johnson said. “Now, we have no dairy farms — nobody’s

milking — and about 115,000 people in Newton County.” In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Newton County started to see rapid growth and increasing land values, which led many generational farmers to repurposing their land for housing. As an example, in a September 2020 interview with The Covington News, Newton County Chamber of Commerce President Debbie Harper said her father, Doug Doster, who once owned the Food Pride grocery store (formerly known as Red and White), did just that and “started building houses when Covington and Newton County began to boom.” The Historical Society of Newton County contributed to this article.

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Industrial production evolved from cotton mills to semiconductors By TOM SPIGOLON

tspigolon@covnews.com

ewton County’s industrial development was an evolution from agriculture and grain mills on its rivers in the 1800s to cotton cloth production and today’s wide range of modern industry. The Georgia Railroad was built in 1845 and the Middle Georgia and Atlanta Railroad in 1894 helped grow Newton County’s economy — leading to cotton becoming the main cash crop. Textile mill activity began in the area as early as 1835 when Noel Phillips of Connecticut built the first mill on the Cedar Shoals section of the Yellow River. The Bibb Manufacturing Co.

Pictured is a small “industrial complex” that combined both a sawmill and a cottonseed mill. Approximate date of the photo is unknown. Georgia Department of Archives and History

acquired the mill operation and in 1899 erected the sprawling Porterdale Mill complex on the north bank. Bibb built a third mill named Osprey Mill in 1916 and

replaced the original Phillips Mill on the south bank of the river with the Welaunee Mill. Covington Mills also operated northeast of the Covington

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Square. However, the county’s mid1900s leadership foresaw the demise of local textile operations and the decline of family farming. Bibb operated its mill until the 1990s when it finally closed down operations. Meanwhile, the completion of U.S. Hwy. 278 through Covington in 1952 allowed better access to open land and spawned the growth of modern shopping centers and retailers that need more space than was previously available in the city’s downtown area. Shopping centers like Covington Meadows opened and Covington Ford vehicle dealership moved to the highway. Eventually, the highway’s popularity for retail traffic brought Walmart to Newton County and it opened its first store in Covington in November 1983 in Martin’s Crossing shopping center on Hwy. 278 on the city’s east

Hercules Corp. officials join with Gov. Carl Sanders at the State Capitol in Atlanta in August 1966 to announce the company planned to build a $50 million production facility on Alcovy Road in Covington. Archives | The Covington News

end. The completion of Interstate 20 through Newton County in 1966 accompanied the announcement of three new industries within weeks of each other in Covington in the summer. New industries that announced were Mobil Chemical Co. which opened a plastic

packaging plant in what is now Industrial Drive. It later became Tyco Plastics and Adhesives. C.R. Bard built a 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Covington in 1967 to produce urological products, such as urinary catheters. It has grown to include a distribution center, sterilization facility and other facilities. In August 1966, Hercules Corp. officials joined with Gov. Carl Sanders, Mayor Walker Harris, City Manager George Jolley and others at the State Capitol to announce the selection of Covington for a $50 million plant on Alcovy Road to produce Herculon fiber material for carpeting and furniture. Sanders called the announcement the largest industrial investment in Georgia in 12 years. The production facility — now FiberVisions — opened in 1967 and was to employ 1,200 at its peak. FiberVisions is now the world’s

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leading supplier of bicomponent fibers and an international producer of polyolefin staple fibers for nonwoven applications. In 1971, Beaver Manufacturing Company Inc. opened off Hwy. 11 in Mansfield to supply chemically treated industrial yarns to the hose industry. It now produces numerous types of industrial fiber. By 1988, the largest private industrial employers included Hercules, which employed 1,000, followed by Mobil Chemical Co., J. William Co.; C.R. Bard, Bibb Manufacturing, Beaver Manufacturing, Covington Moulding Company (now SRG Global), Oxford of Covington and Mead Containers (now WestRock), according to the book “History of Newton County Georgia.” In 1989 and 1990, General Mills and Bridgestone Golf completed manufacturing facilities on Industrial Park Boulevard in northeast Covington. General Mills chose Newton

County as a manufacturing site for such factors as its central geographical location that allowed it to better serve its southeast U.S. customers, and its proximity to I-20 which linked to a major interstate network. Bridgestone Golf was formed and established in Newton County in 1990 and was the Japan-based Bridgestone Corp.’s first facility in the U.S. to manufacture golf balls. Bridgestone invested approximately $6.3 million over a three-year period into the Covington production facility, according to documents from the Newton County Industrial Development Authority. By 2020, Bridgestone operated a 24,000-square-foot plant and a 135,000-square-foot testing range. It manufactured 1 billion balls while employing nearly 160 people, said President and CEO Dan Murphy. Verescence’s glass manufacturing plant was built in 1996 on Technology Drive. Nisshinbo

followed in 1997 with its vehicle brake pads production facility. It added 100 jobs with a $72 million investment in 2018. Michelin Retread Technologies-NA built a tire facility in the Lochridge Industrial Park in 1999 — the same year SKC Inc. began production of polyester PET film in its Covington plant on Hazelbrand Road. The following year, packaging company Pactiv completed a 792,000-square-foot building on Alcovy Road. The Newton County Chamber of Commerce formerly played a major role in industrial recruitment by sponsoring the county’s industrial development office. The county government formerly had paid the Chamber for its industrial recruitment operation before the organization voted in December 2019 to focus more on its membership. The Newton County Board of Commissioners and the Newton County Industrial Development

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Authority then forged an intergovernmental agreement early in 2020 which moved the economic development operation to county control. Some of its successes in recent years have been expansions of existing industries. Nisshinbo added 100 jobs with a $72 million investment in 2018. FiberVisions announced a $48 million expansion and 21 more jobs in November 2020. General Mills boosted production of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal, adding 40 jobs to the existing 400 in late 2020. SKC announced in October 2021 it will manufacture glass-based substrates for semiconductor chips at its existing plant in Covington and create more than 400 new jobs. In early 2020, the development authority also celebrated the announcement of a new, $100 million facility that will serve as a southeast U.S. regional headquarters for German

56 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

General Mills has been manufacturing its food products in Covington since 1989. File | The Covington News

grocery store chain Lidl. The 925,000-square-foot facility was to employ 270 on a site along I-20 in western Newton County. The development authority also was a major player in recruiting companies to build in the new $300 million, 180-acre Covington Town Center mixeduse development at Alcovy and City Pond roads. The development will include apartments, a shopping center anchored by Publix supermarket, and Marriott hotels when completed.

Nearby, on Hwy. 142, Cinelease Studios Three Ring plans to use a $72 million loan to expand its campus with 250,000 square feet of sound stages, 175,000 square feet of support space, and 100,000 square feet of office space. The 160-acre film production complex in Covington was built in 2020 and currently offers 110,000 square feet of sound stage space, 60,000 square feet of support space, 30,000 square feet of office, and 600 parking spaces on 50 acres.

THE COVINGTON NEWS

Square was where county’s business, government operations developed By TOM SPIGOLON

tspigolon@covnews.com

he Covington Square is among the oldest settled parts of Newton County, dating to the early 1820s and the town’s beginnings as Newtonsboro. The clerk of the Inferior Court paid surveyors to mark off lots of the new town in June 1822. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the town of Covington on Dec. 8, 1822, and Newtonsboro ceased to exist. A brick courthouse and jail were built in 1824 and were among buildings described in glowing terms by visitors in letters home. The courthouse stood in the

Church Street on the Covington Square is shown in the 1930s. Archives | The Covington News

center of the Square but, by 1854, had become outgrown. The Inferior Court ordered it moved to the street between “the Hotel and J.S. Anderson’s

store house leaving an (alley) of equal width on each side …” The “Hotel” was the Flowers Hotel, which was one of the best known of many that operated in

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Covington at the time and operated at the corner of Clark and Hendricks streets where BB&T Bank now stands. J.S. Anderson’s store later became a saloon that was the source of an 1883 fire, and, later, the longtime location of the Bank of Covington. It is now the Mystic Grill restaurant. The Civil War years of 1861 to 1865 began with what is now the United Methodist Church serving as a Confederate hospital. Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea came through Covington in July 1864. Yankee soldiers burned the train depot, a recently completed large hospital and 2,000 bales of cotton, among other things. Years after the war’s end, on New Year’s Eve of 1883, another destructive force came through the Square. A fire started in the R.W. Bagby saloon on the north side of the square and a majority of the Covington Square was affected. Many of the buildings on the Square were wooden and seven ultimately were destroyed or damaged, including the brick courthouse whose wooden roof and cornice brought the blaze into the building. Construction of the new courthouse began in August 1884 and what was built continues to stand on Clark Street on the north side of the Square. A cornerstone was laid and filled with letters, copies of newspapers, Confederate money, and a piece of a rope used to hang a criminal only days earlier. When the Newton County Historical Society removed the stone on the 100th anniversary of the building in 1984, all but some coins and a belt buckle had been reduced to dust. The Covington and Oxford Street Railroad began operating in July 1888. Mules pulled the cars on tracks between the Square and the railroad depot along Railroad (now Emory) 58 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

Pictured is an aerial view of the Covington Square in December 2021. Special | PJ Alexander

Street and was timed to meet all trains. It was the last mule-driven public transit in the nation operating when it ended service in 1917. The Jefferson-Lamar Camp No. 305 of the United Confederate Veterans unveiled and dedicated the Confederate Monument in its current spot in April 1906. At the time, all streets and sidewalks were unpaved and dust was a constant problem for downtown residents. In 1912 the city paved downtown sidewalks, though street paving was not done until 1925. The area maintained its status as the center of government, though larger retailers like Belk moved off the square to new shopping centers along Hwy. 278 after the highway was completed in the late 1950s. Newton County leaders’ decisions to build new courthouse and government administrative facilities adjacent to the Square in the 1990s and 2000s helped keep the area vibrant just as other Georgia counties moved similar facilities longer distances from their traditional county centers — thereby removing residents’ reasons for traveling to downtown areas and shopping there. Ramsey Furniture on Clark Street was founded in 1919 and is one of the oldest, continuously operating businesses on or near

the Covington Square. Town House Cafe on Washington Street also is a longtime business and has operated downtown since 1964. Other longtime Covington Square retailers included Fletcher’s Jewelry (still operating on Washington Street); White’s Department Store at the corner of Monticello and Washington streets (now Bread & Butter Bakery); Pool’s and People’s Drug Store, both on Monticello Street; The Bank of Covington on Clark Street (now BB&T); and City Pharmacy at Church and Floyd streets (now City Pharmacy restaurant). Others included Western Auto, Dietz’s on Monticello Street and Covington Supply Co/Goodyear at the corner of College and Church streets. On its website, Mystic Grill restaurant reported the various businesses that operated in its historic building next to the Historic Courthouse on Clark Street. “Over the years it has been home to many businesses such as Peggy Lee dress shop, Sears, Kesler’s Billiard Parlor and Pool’s Shoes, Butter Cup Bakery, Mickey’s Grill and Alexander & Royston law firm just to name a few. “Also, on this lot in 1883, stood a saloon belonging to “Col.” Robert Bagby who still makes his presence known here on occasion.” THE COVINGTON NEWS

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In 1978, a film crew member adjusts the camera before a scene of “The Dukes of Hazzard” is shot in Covington. Special | City of Covington

Newton has become hotbed for television, film production By TAYLOR BECK

tbeck@covnews.com

hotbed for the film industry and a tourist destination, Covington and Newton County is the “Hollywood of the South.” Since “A Man Called Peter” in 1954, Newton County has been the site of more than 165 television and film productions. The most notable are television series “The Dukes of Hazzard” filmed in Covington for one season in 1978; “In the Heat of the Night” filmed from 1988-1995; and “Vampire Diaries,” from 2009-2017. Three productions filmed in Newton County have won Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress, “My Cousin Vinny;” Best Short Film, “The Accountant;” and Best Original Song, “Selma.” Covington Regional Visitor Information Center Coordinator Ron Carter said the success of projects filmed in Newton Coun60 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

ty created an influx of tourism growth that has only multiplied over the last 10 years. “Tourism has most definitely grown by leaps and bounds over the last few years,” he said. “We saw a great increase during the filming of ‘In the Heat of the Night’ but nothing like we’ve seen for ‘Vampire Diaries.’” Carter said Covington projected to have 70,000 tourists visit the area in 2021 compared to only 20,400 guests in 2011. “Of those, approximately 80% are film tourists, and of that 80%, around 75-80% are ‘Vampire Diaries’ fans,” Carter said. “The success of the most recent series ‘Sweet Magnolias’ on Netflix will surely provide another influx of guests to Covington.” So many visitors translates to tax revenue for the county. Carter said the Georgia Department of Economic Development & US Travel Association estimated direct tourist spending in 2019 for Covington/Newton County

to be almost $130 million and estimates 2019 local tax revenues from film tourism to be $3.7 million. “This results in each Newton County property owner received $268 in household tax relief (2019),” Carter said. “The earliest data (for comparison) I have is from 2010 with numbers being direct tourist spending of $67 million; tax revenues $1.87 million; $112 in household tax relief.” The financial benefit of filming is one of the biggest reasons why so much filming takes place in Newton County — because county and city leaders pursue those projects. “Covington was the first Camera Ready Community in Georgia, which means we have streamlined the filming permit process and make it as easy as possible for producers, location scouts and production companies to film here,” Carter said. “We see the tremendous benefits THE COVINGTON NEWS

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of filming and the financial impact it makes on our community through tourism. Film tourism is not an immediate return on investment but we’ve seen, with previous programs, that the longevity is definitely there.” With the rise in filming and tourism, the Newton County Chamber of Commerce successfully trademarked the nickname “Hollywood of the South” in 2012. As result of the area’s film industry boom, multiple studios have been built and operate in Newton County. In late 2020, Cinelease Studios-Three Ring began operating on 160 acres on Georgia Hwy. 142 two miles north of I-20 in Covington. There is more than 110,000 square feet of sound stage space, 60,000 square feet of stage support space, 30,000 square feet of office space, and an additional 110 acres for location filming. Triple Horse Studios operates on Technology Drive in Covington. It includes sound stages, scenic operations, camera, lighting and grip equipment departments as well as a post-production division with screening rooms, editorial, sound, foley, visual effects, color grade and finishing, according to information on its website. SEEING STARS While many might think filming could cause endless interruptions for local merchants and the community’s residents, Carter said it isn’t as bad as it used to be. “When I went to college, it was during ‘In the Heat of the Night,’ so I didn’t get to see good bit of that,” he said. “When they would [film in certain locations], it was definitely more interruption to the community than what it is now. When they would do a shot then, they would close pretty much a whole street for quite a while. Now, for “The Vampire Di62 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

A scene from television series “In the Heat of the Night” is filmed in Covington during the late 1980s, early 1990s. Special | City of Covington

aries” and “Originals,” when they would do a shot, they may close the street for about 15-20 minutes, then reset with everything back open again.” Carter said the only time film crews completely shut down a location is typically for a flashback or period piece. In fact, he pointed to one production that required the Square to be shut down in order to cover the area with dirt. But in another instance, for the 2019 film “Doctor Sleep,” Carter said the production crew did something “unheard of” to close the Square. “They were keeping everything so secretive that they actually came in and paid every store owner to shut the entire Square down for three whole days,” he said. Carter said he enjoyed getting

to watch filming around the county. The first shoot he ever witnessed was in Covington for “The Dukes of Hazzard.” He said they used his grandmother’s property to drive across for a scene. Carter remembered getting to stay home from school that day and meeting all of the actors. Today, he says “The Vampire Diaries” was his favorite show to be filmed in the county. “And that’s only because I’m working here now,” he said. “It is just being able to see people everyday coming into our community because of the show. I tell people I’ve got the best job in Newton County. I get to see our beautiful town through new eyes everyday. And I’m talking thousands of people coming through here, from every corner of the globe they come and visit us.” THE COVINGTON NEWS

Newton has rich banking history By TAYLOR BECK

tbeck@covnews.com

here is no record of a bank operating in Newton County until 1890. Apparently there was a failed attempt to establish a bank in Oxford in the 1840s. Banks in Augusta, including those such as Mechanics Bank, Augusta Bank and the Georgia Railroad and Banking Co., handled most banking needs until after the Civil War. Many early merchants in Newton County functioned as credit agencies. • According to record, the first bank charted in Newton County appeared to be the W.C. Clark Banking Company. It was created by W.C. Clark in December 1890. Clark served as owner and president. • The second bank was the

Dr. Newton Z. Anderson (in hat) and others stand in front of First National Bank in 1920. It failed after few years of operation due to the Great Depression — as others did. Special | Nell A. Whitworth

Bank of Covington. According to an August 1906 advertisement found in The Georgia Enterprise, the bank was organized in March 1901 with a capital of $25,000 and later received its

charter in April 1901. The first president of the Bank of Covington was L.O. Benton, who was apparently renowned in the area for founding banks. The bank opened in May 1901

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in a building located on the west side of the Square that was rented from former tavern owners. It remained in that building until C.S. Thompson, the bank’s cashier, built an office on the north side of the Square beside the Historic Courthouse. Thompson was believed to have modeled the building after a bank he had seen in San Francisco, California. Today, the building is home to the popular Mystic Grill restaurant, a spectacle and fan-favorite of tourists after being featured in “The Vampire Diaries” television series from 2009-2017. Despite hard times in the early 1920s that caused problems for so many in Newton County, the Bank of Covington was able to overcome. In 1927, the bank applied to the state for trust privileges and later became the Bank of Covington and Trust Company. In a 1932 Covington News report, it was said to be “the strongest bank between Atlanta

Pictured is the storefront of Bank of Covington in 1907. The building is now home to Mystic Grill. Archives | The Covington News

and Augusta.” In the late 1830s, the bank outgrew its office and relocated to a large brick building west of the courthouse — a former cotton office of N.S. Turner. Fast forward to 1996, the Bank of Covington changed its named to Main Street Banks. In May 2000, it entered into a merger of equals with Kennesaw, Ga.based First Sterling Banks Inc., creating a $900 million bank

with 21 branches. First Sterling was the surviving entity in the merger of equals and adopted Main Street’s name. Since then, Main Street has acquired three Atlanta-based banks (the last in May 2003) and three independent insurance agencies. In 2005, North Carolina-based BB&T Corporation bought Main Street Banks in a $622.7 million stock swap. In 2019, BB&T and SunTrust Banks Inc. merged to

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form Truist Financial Corporation. • The third bank in Newton County was the Bank of Newborn, chartered in November 1903 but any success was short lived. The bank shuttered as result of the Great Depression. • The county’s fourth bank was the Bank of Newton County, chartered in 1905. It was started in a corner window of the R.E. Everett Building at 1150 Monticello Street in Covington. In 1908, it merged with the W.C. Clark Banking Company and moved to the building of White’s Department Store — now Bread and Butter Bakery. The last business conducted by this bank was in 1928. • In 1920, the Farmers Bank was opened in Covington a building on the southwest corner of the Square. It soon closed around 1925. • In the same era, First National Bank was formed. It too would close its doors in the late 1920s as result of the depression. • Newton County Building and Loan Association was founded by M.C. McGahee in 1928 under the laws of of the state of Georgia. After a federal charter was granted in January 1947, the association became Newton Federal Savings and Loan Association. At the time a charter was granted, the association had assets totaling $125,543. The association was established to encourage thrift and home ownership. The business was first located on the east side of the Square. Then the association purchased a two-story concrete block building and an adjoining one-story building on the corner of Washington and Brown streets. In 1972, the board of directors approved the purchase of property to build an office on U.S. Hwy. 278. By 1984, Newton County Building and Loan Association was listed as one of the strongest in the U.S. with assets totaling more than $25 million at the time. In 1987, assets totaled $66.4 million; mortgages totaled $52.6 million; savings totaled $58.1 million; net worth $7.7 million. In December 2000, the Eastside branch located

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Covington First UMC is proud and honored to be a part of the rich history of Newton County as we will celebrate the church’s 200th year in 2024. Covington First UMC is blessed to be able to serve alongside our community in sharing the love of Jesus Christ and serving the people of Newton County. Covington First UMC looks forward to a bright future ahead. Congratulations Newton County on 200 amazing years!

at 8258 Highway 278 was opened to serve customers in Covington and Newton County areas. In addition, the Association’s services have expanded from first mortgage loans and passbook savings to include checking accounts, construction loans, equity credit lines, consumer loans, share loans (loans secured by savings accounts), certificates of deposit, travelers’ checks, ATM’s, debit cards, telephone banking and Internet banking. As of Jan. 1, 2004, Newton Federal Savings & Loan Association changed its name to Newton Federal Bank. In May 2017, Community First Bancshares, Inc. became the parent company of Newton Federal Bank after announced it had reorganized into a mutual holding company structure and related stock offering of Community First Bancshares, Inc. In January 2020, Community First Bancshares Inc. officially merged with Atlanta-based ABB Financial Group, combining Newton Federal Bank with Affinity Bank, making one of the 10 largest Georgia-based banks, by deposits, to have headquarters in metro Atlanta. At the combined bank had about $645 million in total assets. In November 2020, Community First Bancshares announced a new company — Affinity Bancshares — was beginning to offer stock in connection with Community First Bancshares’ proposed conversion

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from a mutual holding company to a stock holding company. Affinity Bancshares offered for sale up to 3.22 million shares, subject to increase to 3.703 million shares, of common stock at a purchase price of $10 per share. “Affinity is a newly formed Maryland corporation that is the proposed successor to Community First Bancshares Inc. as the holding company of Newton Federal Bank,” a Covington News report stated. • First Trust Bank was formed in January 1960. After a series of changes in ownership, the bank was closed 10 years later. • First National Bank of Newton County was created in 1963 as result of a group of business leaders who felt the community needed a new, locally-owned and operated bank. As result, the bank was formed and opened its doors in August 1963 at a building located on Washington Street in downtown Covington.

Newton Federal Bank was formed in 1928 as Newton County Building and Loan Association. Special to The News

The bank was said to offer a variety of firsts in banking services for the county. It was the first branch bank in the history of Newton County and introduced many new banking products and services, initiated extended banking hours and the “six-day banking week.” The bank began with assets totaling $900,000, and in just 25 years grew its assets to a total of $69 million in May 1988. Its loan portfolio also grew to an impressive $55 million — an apparent

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illustration of the bank’s confidence in and commitment to the growth of Newton County. In 2003, First National Bank of Newton County was sold to Synovus Bank, a Georgia-based company founded in 1888 by G. Gunby Jordan of Columbus, first in the form of two banks (Third National Bank, The Columbus Savings) that later merged to form Columbus Bank and Trust. The Newton County Historical Society contributed to this article.

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Snapping Shoals has helped power Newton County since 1936 By TAYLOR BECK

tbeck@covnews.com

ewton County has been powered by Snapping Shoals EMC for more than 80 years. Originally a private company named Snapping Shoals Power and Light Company, the electrical provider was organized by V.C. Ellington, W.M. Pope, T.H. Aiken, T.L. McMullan and A.T. Jeffares. It came into existence on June 29, 1936. Headquarters were located at Snapping Shoals on the South River between Henry and Newton counties. The group received a loan of $90,000 to construct 90 miles of line to serve 270 con-

sumer members in Rockdale, Newton and Henry counties. Headquarters were first located at Snapping Shoals because of a small electric generating facility on the river at this location. It was erroneously believed by many people that this plant of only 150 KW maximum capacity could supply all of the electricity required by the people of this section. The first power lines were energized in November 1937. It was said there was great joy among the first members who had been without the benefits of electricity all of their lives. But some people refused the service. Some even forbid the construc-

tion of power lines across their property which sometimes prevented extension of this wonderful service to their neighbors. There were only about 3% of the homes in rural Georgia receiving central station electricity in 1935. No one had experience of any degree in the construction, operation and maintenance of rural systems. In time with aid of many good engineers, contractors and business men, systems were designed, constructed and put into operation. In 1938, Snapping Shoals Power and Light Company became Snapping Shoals Electric Membership Corporation (a cooper-

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ative) and headquarters were moved to Covington. R.J. Griffin was the first manager and Beverly Perry and Wilber Woodward were the first employees. J. Henry Anderson of Starrsville was the first president of the Board of Directors. Little expansion of the system had occurred during the two years of private ownership. Under cooperative operation and the leadership of Anderson, the system grew to serve 1,450 members on 250 miles of line by 1941. Because of World War II, they were not able to expand except to serve critical enterprises, and by 1945, they were serving only 1,839 members on 389 miles of line. In 1943, Anderson became manager of the cooperative. Former managers included Homer Cook, John Holland and George Briscoe. For the next 10 years under his guidance and leadership, 400 miles of line were built to

Apprentice Lineman Caleb Nix of Snapping Shoals EMC works to help install a new power pole in Covington after a storm in 2020. File | The Covington News

serve 4,500 consumer members. The number of full-time employees increased to 22. Today, Snapping Shoals EMC’s headquarters is located at 14750 Brown Bridge Road in Newton County, near the center of the co-op’s service area. It currently provides electricity to approximately 99,000 homes, busi-

nesses and other facilities in an eight-county area that includes large portions of Newton, Henry and Rockdale counties as well as parts of DeKalb, Butts, Walton, Jasper and Morgan counties. The Newton County Historical Society contributed to this article.

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Pictured, from left, are issues of The Covington News from 1916 and 2021. The News has served as Newton County’s legal organ and leading source for community news since 1865. Archives | The Covington News

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The Covington News has told Newton County’s story since 1865 By TAYLOR BECK

tbeck@covnews.com

hough underneath a masthead of various names including the Enterprise and Star, The Covington News has served Newton County as the area’s legal organ and leading news provider for more than 156 years. Records show The News was first established in 1865 shortly after the Civil War ended as The Georgia Enterprise by William L. Beebe. The weekly newspaper was labeled as “a progressive Democratic paper.” It was burned down Aug. 31, 1881, and again on New Year’s Eve, Dec. 31, 1883. In 1874, J.W. Anderson formed

The Covington Star, and when The Georgia Enterprise went up in flames the second time, Anderson agreed to print a small tabloid of then editor S.W. Hawkins’ weekly edition for him. The Star continued operation until 1902 when it merged with The Georgia Enterprise to form The Enterprise. Charles G. Smith was proprietor and editor at the time. After a series of changes in leadership, the newspaper was sold in 1906 to James P. Cooley, who became proprietor and editor. The Enterprise changed ownership again just two years later when in December of 1908 the newspaper became The Covington News and Lon L. Flowers

was editor and publisher. Flowers served in the dual role until 1914 when R.F. Taylor became editor and publisher. In 1919, then-editor and publisher Jack L. Patterson sold The News and job plant to W.E. Lightfoot and Ralph Meeks. In 1923, Patterson bought back his onehalf interest he sold Meeks, with surrendered notes on same. The paper went into the hands of a receiver and on Feb. 14, 1924, the paper was published by W. Trox Bankston, who edited and published it until 1928, when it was purchased by Dr. C. L. Snowden. Upon Snowden’s death in 1930, his estate continued the paper until it was purchased by Mrs. Belmont Dennis and family Nov.

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13, 1931. Under leadership of the Dennis family, the newspaper’s publication date was moved from Friday to Thursday. Mr. Belmont Dennis served as editor for 30 years with Mrs. Dennis associate editor. In 1957, The Covington News absorbed The Citizen Observer, which had been established by W. Thomas Hay just four years prior. When Mr. Dennis died in December 1961, Mrs. Dennis took up the role of editor and co-publisher of The News with her sister, Mary Sessions Mallard. Mallard had previously served as an associate editor. Leo Mallard then became assistant to the publisher and general manager. In 1974, Leo S. Mallard became president and editor of Covington News, Inc. In 1975, the newspaper moved its operations from the downtown area to a new building on U.S. Hwy. 278. In 1983, the newspaper and its

A 1924 photo of The Covington News shows, from left, editor Trox Bankston, Mrs. Bankston, Horace Lunsford, Walter Shields and a Mr. Christian standing among typesetting and printing equipment. Archives | The Covington News

printing operation were sold to the company’s employees, and Denny Hill was named editor. Three years later, the employees sold the newspaper to Morris Newspaper Corporation, headed by Charles Morris of Savannah. Morris named Hill as editor and publisher and in June 1987, the

newspaper returned its offices to the downtown area. Today, Patrick Graham, of Monroe, is proprietor of The Covington News. Graham, who also owns The Walton Tribune in Monroe and three newspapers in Alabama, purchased The News from Morris in September 2017.

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“Newton County is a tremendous community with a rich history and an even brighter future,” Graham said at the time. “I can’t tell you how excited I am to have the opportunity to build on the solid foundation of service and leadership the Morris family and its company have provided here in Covington for so many years. “Simply put, I want to put out the very best newspaper of its size in the state of Georgia,” he added. “We have a community that deserves that kind of quality coverage, and we have the kind of staff that can deliver that kind of quality coverage.” Since Graham purchased the newspaper, The Covington News has been printed in Scottsboro, Alabama, at the Jackson County Sentinel. After acquiring The News, Graham named David Clemons publisher. In 2018, Jackie Gutknecht was named publisher. In 2019, Graham appointed his daughter,

Madison Graham, to be publisher. Then, in 2020, Graham hired Taylor Beck to serve as editor and publisher. Under Beck’s leadership, The Covington News has expanded its publication, adding a midweek edition in August 2020 to become a twice-weekly newspaper — publishing new issues every Wednesday and weekend. “For more than 150 years, The Covington News has been committed to providing reliable news coverage and operate as the legal organ for Newton County,” a 2020 editorial written by Beck stated. “In an effort to continue honoring this commitment for generations to come, The News is thrilled to announce it is bringing back a mid-week edition of its award-winning newspaper. Expanding our coverage and adding another print edition of the newspaper is unprecedented considering the world we live in today — and we’re not talking about COVID-19. Since owner

Patrick Graham purchased The News in 2017, readers and advertisers have proposed bringing back a mid-week edition of the newspaper. After much deliberation, Graham, Editor and Publisher Taylor Beck and The News staff believe this mid-week Owner Patrick edition is what our Graham of Monroe purchased community needs The Covington now more than News in 2017 ever before.” from Charles H. In 2021, Beck and Morris of Morris Newspaper Corstaff launched the poration. Graham Covington News owns four other newspapers app, available to across Alabama download for free and Georgia. in the App Store and on Google Play, and also added an Entertainment Extra for the Wednesday print edition. The News is now located at 1166 Usher Street NW in Covington.

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MOMENTS

Pictured is the Georgia Railroad Depot that still stands on Emory Street in Covington. Georgia Department of Archives and History

Railroads spark initial growth By PHILLIP B. HUBBARD

phubbard@covnews.com

ailroad fever struck nationwide in the 1830s. On the national level, railroads were prevalent to assist with generating financial capital. Locally, like in Covington, it helped communities get goods, jobs and development for its residents. Ultimately, the railroad was a source for farming regions. Newton County was no exception. Though railroads were becoming popular, it took a lot of manpower to get one to run through the county. In 1833, the Georgia Railroad was chartered to connect Augusta and Athens’ tracks. Construction began in 1834-35. Georgia’s charter was extended in 1837 to include a track from Madison to Decatur. Three years later, the Board of Directors voted to extend the track toward the Western and

74 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

Atlantic Railroad to complete the line to Athens. Things got a little tricky from there. After committing to run a track through Covington, Alcovy River presented a swampy area that provided an issue to build a direct route. It’d be more costly and an extra construction build. As a result, a proposal was made to the Newton County shareholders to run the railroad just north of Oxford instead of through Covington. Opposition ensued for the next several years. Issues were raised such as businessmen wanting more of a direct access to the railroad while others were concerned that Oxford would have faster development than Covington. On the other side of the aisle, many people didn’t want the train to run through Covington. Their concern stemmed from disturbing the tranquility within their homes and upsetting the

livestock each time the train drove through. Once the chief engineer, Edgar Thomson assigned surveyor Lemuel Grant to locate the best route through the county, Grant and his men were often met with bitter people when coming to gather supplies and such. The hostility was so unbearable that Grant and his men stayed in Conyers. A financial depression in the 1840s brought about programs that delayed the railroad from being completed. The company’s annual report for March 1843 stated that “contracts had been let for clearing and grading between Madison and Covington.” In 1844, people began to meet in the middle about the issue regarding the railroad being built in Oxford or in Covington. So, the line of tracks crossed the Alcovy River and made a wide loop swinging south between Covington and Oxford. This allowed a more direct route to Lithonia. THE COVINGTON NEWS

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But that wasn’t the only issue building a railroad in Newton County entailed. Needing to transport material over the Yellow River, construction was halted to build a bridge over the river that was estimated to take less than a week to build. Nevertheless, the Georgia Railroad still completed the proposed junction on Sept. 15,1845. Though many locals opposed the railroad, they still used it. On March 31, 1849, which ended the fiscal year, $3,139.38 was reported as the company’s passenger revenue. That made the station the third busiest on the main line. Soon after the railroad was built, it took on another importance. It was instrumental in transporting troops, weapons, food and clothing during the Civil War. In fact, the Covington depot served as a makeshift hospital where injured soldiers received medical care as was available.

Once the war was over, renovation began to restore the Covington depot service. By the time 1868 arrived, a couple of daily passenger trains were traveling each way from Augusta and Atlanta. It wasn’t smooth sailing from then on out for the railroad, though. On Oct. 7, 1884, a fire consumed the depot that destroyed a lot of people’s personal property. Even so, some equipment and properties were brought out safe from the fire. In 1885, a company’s report said “a brick structure had replaced the portion burned in the fire.” An Accomodation Train was added to the Covington depot to enhance passengers’ experience in 1888. This train allowed people a complete day in Altanta for business or pleasure and was an addition to the regular trains that transported across the tracks. Four years later, in 1894, the

Middle Georgia and Atlantic Railroad in Covington was finished and brought about more activity to the Georgia Railroad. While the Georgia Railroad thoroughly serviced the local community members and beyond, its relevance began fading when automobiles began production. The Georgia Railroad made adjustments in an attempt to compete with the rise of automobiles and jet liners. It even cut back on the amount of trains that traveled each day. Things just kept declining from there. In 1982, the railroad asked the Georgia Public Service Commission to allow it to stop its passenger service. The petition was approved and the last regular service ran through Newton County on May 6, 1983. Following that, the corporate aspect of the railroad was altered. The leased land changed

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In 1894, William Franklin Williams was one of the first engineers on the newly completed Middle Georgia & Atlantic Railroad line through Covington. Pictured is Williams and his grandaughter Sara Clyde Hutchins with locomotive No. 1571 that Williams named “Sara Clyde.” Williams was killed in a train wreck between Newborn and Broughton in Oct. 15, 1925. Historical Society of Newton County

hands three times. Finally, the Georgia Railroad and Bank Company sold its property to Seaboard System Railroad, which later became known as CSX Transportation of CSX Corporation.

The Covington depot was sold in 1985 to local developers. The freight agency then converted into an office. In July of 1986, the freight agency in Covington closed and the Newton County industry is now serviced out of

Lithonia. Currently, the CSXT has many freight trains that transport on the old Georgia Railroad that transports various commodities.

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BICENTENNIAL EDITION 77

US Highway 278 through Covington dates to 1919 By TOM SPIGOLON

tspigolon@covnews.com

arliest records for U.S. Hwy. 278 — Newton County’s main east-west surface highway — show the road designated as Georgia Hwy.

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12 before it was given a federal designation. Georgia Hwy. 12 was established at least as early as 1919 and ran from Decatur through Covington to Augusta before turning south to Waynesboro. Parts were unpaved but maintained, according to the a GDOT map in 1928. The Covington to Madison segment traveled through Social Circle. Then, by mid-1926, an unnumbered road was established on a more direct route between Covington and Madison. Two segments had a “completed hard surface”: from the Cobb–Fulton county line to Avondale and a portion in the west-southwest part of Augusta. Three segments were completed by 1930, including one from just west of the DeKalb–Rockdale county line to Covington. Later in 1930, a portion in the eastern part of Covington had a completed hard surface, according to GDOT maps of the era. An unnumbered road from east of Covington to southeast of Social Circle was also completed.

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Pictured is a piece of U.S. Highway 278 at Elm Street through Covington in the 1970s. Archives | The Covington News

In early 1932, Hwy. 12’s path between Covington and Madison was shifted southward and set atop the previously unnumbered road. In 1952, U.S. Hwy. 278 was designated on the road built just south of the Georgia Railroad in Covington, according to information from the Chamber. Between June 1954 and June 1955, the entirety of Georgia Hwy. 12 from near Avondale Estates to the South Carolina state line was designated as

U.S. Hwy. 278. It stated that “though the route did not disrupt a great deal of significantly developed property, it did provide a much needed, and long lasting, change for Covington” that led to the development of new shopping centers and a faster route through the county. The highway defined a border between the town on its south side and north side, including Covington Mill, according to the Chamber.

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Boll weevil bites area farms, dethrones King Cotton By TAYLOR BECK

tbeck@covnews.com

efore the film industry boomed and the area was packed with opportunities in technology and manufacturing career fields, it was agriculture that reigned supreme in Newton County, and cotton was king. But cotton eventually lost its place among area farmers’ top crops due to upheaval that came in the form of a gray, quarter-inch insect known as the boll weevil. Local historians believe cotton began its rise to the throne among cash crops in Newton County in the mid 1800s, shortly after Eli Whitney invented the

cotton gin in 1793. Historical documents from the 1820s showed livestock was a major occupation of the county’s earliest settlers. The estates of seven Newton County men who died during the 1820s included an estimated 463 cattle, 26 horses and 255 hogs. At the time, cotton and corn seemed to be of little importance. About 10 years later, the local cotton crop began to grow. Documents showed three sizable estates of men who died in the 1830s were home to a significant amount of cotton production. After the Civil War, the local cotton crop spiked and eventually took over as Newton County’s top product. Historians

say cotton gins were located all across the county, in Covington, Mansfield, Newborn and Starrsville, and there was another built a few miles north of Oxford. Historians suggest cotton production peaked around the start of World War I, which led to local farmers entering the 1920s with resounding optimism for their prized crop. But in 1921 — exactly 100 years ago — the boll weevil changed everything in Newton County. A boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis), which is a beetle that feeds on cotton buds and flowers, is considered to be native to Central Mexico. It is believed to have migrated to the U.S. in 1892. In 1903, the chief of the

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In 1950, Eugene Hodges won a trip to the national FFA meeting after producing approximately 2,700 pounds of cotton on a single acre in Newton County. Archives | The Covington News

U.S. Department of Agriculture testified before Congress that the insect’s outbreaks were a “wave of evil.” Boll weevils eventually reached Alabama in 1909 and Georgia only a year or two later. While some of Newton County’s farmers took advice to diversify their crops rather than depend on their single cotton crop, many did not until the enor-

mous impact of a minuscule boll weevil took its toll on the area. Within one year, from 1920 to 1921, Newton County’s cotton production decreased by 70% — 18,115 bales ginned to only 5,257 bales ginned. The boll weevil sent many families into economic turmoil. An example of this was seen through Aubry C. Ewing, whose family farmed in Covington.

The Ewings’ cotton crop was virtually destroyed as no significant amount of cotton could be picked. Historians record that the Ewings continued farming but did not plant cotton again until 1924 when there were more effective methods to combat the boll weevil. Many farmers lost everything. Families were displaced and people who once farmed for a living were forced to find “public work” in textile mills and other industries across the area. Some even packed their belongings, moved north and discovered opportunities surrounding the developing automobile industry in Detroit, Michigan. In fact, while many people were moving across the country from the “Dust Bowl” to California in the 1930s, there was another great migration taking place: people from the South were leaving for the North to work industrial jobs — all thanks to the boll weevil.

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Iconic courthouse has been community focal point for more than a century By TOM SPIGOLON

tspigolon@covnews.com

ormer county commissioner Mort Ewing recalled the condition of the Historic Courthouse in the late 1990s. The century-old structure had been padlocked, the floors covered with garbage and there were calls for its destruction, Ewing said. He said he told then-Chairman Aaron Varner of the need for its renovation. “(Varner) said, ‘If you think you can make a silk purse out of this sow’s ear, go ahead,’” Ewing said. “I took it upon myself to generate support.” The county then included $4.3 million from the voter-approved 2000 SPLOST for the project to restore the 75,000-square-foot structure, Ewing said. The Historic Courthouse had been built in 1884 to replace one destroyed by fire on Dec. 31, 1883. It was designed and built in the Second Empire style, which is characterized by an elaborate mansard roof being the signature characteristic, according to information from the Society of Architectural Historians. Dormers, chimneys, clock towers and distinctively shaped roof structures over pavilions were common in this design. Over the years, it also was used as the backdrop for movies and TV shows which earned the county the nickname the “Hollywood of the South.” It was used in the opening credits of the TV show “In the Heat of the Night from 1988 to 1994 and appeared in “The Dukes of Hazzard” TV show, the 1970s movie “The Cannonball Run.” It also was listed on the Nation82 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

Pictured is life in downtown Covington circa 1900. The Historic Courthouse was built in 1884 to replace one destroyed by fire on Dec. 31, 1883. It was later renovated in the early 2000s. Archives | The Covington News

al Register of Historic Places in 1980. After the Board of Commissioners included its $4.3 million renovation cost in the 2000 SPLOST, Potts Construction Co. was awarded the contract in March 2002 based on some previous historic renovation work. It was being restored as closely as possible to its original state, construction superintendent David Fuller told The Covington News. The three-story courthouse with clock tower required cleaning and restoration of the exterior masonry, according to the company Reeves Young. Restoration of the historic wood window, door and interior trim, plaster and interior wood flooring was required. New electrical, plumbing, fire protection and

HVAC systems were installed. Workers stripped and refinished all of the woodwork — including the stairwells leading to the second floor — and duplicated plaster moldings, restored the clock face and installed a slate roof. The second floor courtroom, which included a balcony, was to be restored for use by the Board of Commissioners. The Board had been meeting in the jury room of the Judicial Center. The work also restored the clock’s inner workings to continue striking a bell rather than it being a recording as is done at other courthouses. The finished product was unveiled to the public on July 26, 2003, and the Board of Commissioners met there for the first time in September 2003. THE COVINGTON NEWS

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BICENTENNIAL EDITION 83

County’s bravest have served in various wars, conflicts By TAYLOR BECK

tbeck@covnews.com

ewton County is home to many of America’s courageous men and women who served in the armed forces and sacrificed their lives and livelihoods over the years. At the time of its formation in 1821, Newton County was already home to numerous veterans of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, among other conflicts. However, the county’s first significant wartime experience came during the Civil War after Georgia and several other states seceded from the U.S. to form the Confederate States of America. Newton County, like other sur-

rounding counties, had hundreds of residents who served, were captured or killed. The names of those residents may be found listed over several pages in “History of Newton County Georgia.” The closest the war came to Newton County was when the path of Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea came through Covington. According to documented first-hand accounts, Sherman’s Special Field Orders called for his army to “forage liberally” but were also to strive “to leave with each family a reasonable portion for their maintenance.” However, many troops did not follow the latter of these commands. Dolly Lunt Burge, who lived

southeast of Covington off present-day Georgia Hwy. 142, watched the Union soldiers converge on her farm: “… Like Demons they rush in. My yards are full. To my smoke house, my Dairy, Pantry, kitchen, and cellar like famished wolves they come, breaking locks and whatever is in their way.” Burge was said to be a widow native of Maine who lived with her 9-year-old daughter at the time. They saw large fires burning in the direction of Covington. “… Sherman (himself) with a greater portion of his army passed my house all day,” she wrote. “All day as its sad moments rolled on were they passing, not only in front of my house,

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C.L. Bone from Porterdale, standing left, is pictured while on duty in occupied Japan in 1946. Special | Mabel A. Bone

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but they came up behind; tore down my garden palings, made a road through my backyard and lot field, driving the stock and riding through, tearing down my fences and desolating my home, wantonly doing it when there was no necessity for it. Such a day, if I live to the age of Methuselah, may God spare me from ever seeing it again.” Burge said she was left without anything to eat, but noted her greatest fear was being homeless. Sherman and his troops only spent a short time within the county before continuing south toward Savannah. The next major brushes of war came in World War I and later World War II. As conflicts have continued, area residents have continued to serve in the military. An obelisk was placed on the Square to memorialize the residents who have sacrificed their lives to defend the country.

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BICENTENNIAL EDITION 85

Happy 200th Newton County!

Stars align for first film production in Newton County [Editor’s Note: This excerpt was originally published Thursday, Sept. 30, 1954, edition of The Covington News.]

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A Man Called Peter” took over the city of Covington in recent days as the Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation filmed local scenes for the production on the life of the Rev. Peter Marshall who served the Covington Presbyterian Church during the early 1930s. But the invasion of the Hollywood colony was a far cry from what the average citizen had envisioned of [not legible] glamor people. Richard Todd, who plays the role of Peter, and Mis Jean Peters, who plays the role of Mrs. Marshall, in the picture based on the best-seller book written by the wife of the immigrant Scotchman who became one of America’s best known ministers and chaplain of the U.S. Senate, became the objects of sheer admiration as they conducted themselves about in town and the order of business in a manner not foreign to the fondly-remembered Rev. Marshall. Youngsters, teenagers and adults, alike, were in agreement concerning the two stars of the production. Business-as-usual in shops, homes and along the byways was difficult to sustain during the stay of the colossal troupe which came here to shoot the scenes. Last Friday, scenes were shot at the Presbyterian Church and the First Methodist Church. Street scenes and more scenes at the First Methodist Church were made on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Well over 200 local extras now have the thrill of a long period of anticipation, pending the final production and the showing of the picture, speculating how they will look on the big “CinemaScope” screen, “if we get by the cutting room” where the film is edited and pieced together. All local citizens eagerly await the completed picture, and justly so, for Covington was blessed by the presence of Peter Marshall in his early years in America. Now, we want to see how Hollywood will treat the subject — and the brief repast with notoriety is pleasant. THE COVINGTON NEWS

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In these file photos from 1954, activity surrounding the first film production in Newton County are on full display. In the top photo, actress Jean Peters gives out autographs to “young admirers.” Middle, actor Richard Todd is shown “busy autographing whatever was thrust before him.” In the bottom photo, a scene from “A Man Called Peter” is filmed outside Covington First Methodist Church. Archives | The Covington News

THE COVINGTON NEWS

BICENTENNIAL EDITION 87

Pictured is the Covington I-20 interchange as it looked shortly after it was completed in 1965. Historical Society of Newton County

Interstate 20 opens direct route to Atlanta in 1966 By TOM SPIGOLON

tspigolon@covnews.com

nterstate 20 opened in about 1966 throughout Newton County but only linked directly to downtown Atlanta upon its opening. It would take another 11 years for it to link Newton County to

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both Alabama and South Carolina. According to GDOT road maps of the era, the first segment of I-20 in Georgia opened between Conyers and downtown Atlanta between 1960 and 1963. At the same time, construction began around 1960 on the

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segment of I-20 through Newton County between Conyers and a location south of Social Circle. By 1966, the interstate highway was complete from downtown Atlanta to U.S. Hwy. 278 in northeast Newton County near Social Circle. Travel on surface highways were still required to

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get to points east beyond Social Circle and points west beyond downtown Atlanta. However, later that year, a section of I-20 opened in Fulton and Douglas counties and linked Newton with Douglasville on I-20. In 1967, it was under construction heading east from Newton County to Siloam and by 1968 was open to Madison. It also was under construction from Madison to the Thomson area. By 1971, I-20 was open to Greensboro. In 1972, Newton Countians could travel all the way to the South Carolina state line on I-20. I-20 then was completed in west Georgia between Douglasville and Villa Rica in 1975 and to the Alabama state line in 1977. The highway’s origins in Georgia date to 1956 when Congress passed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 that established the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways. States, including Georgia, then launched the largest highway construction program in history, according to the GDOT publication “Historical Context of Georgia Interstates.” “In 1955, in recognition of the traffic congestion that was gripping American cities, circumferential and distributing highways, like metro Atlanta’s I-285 perimeter road, had been added to the interstate system. “That was also the year that the Georgia legislature belatedly passed an act allowing for limited-access highways (previously permitted only in Fulton County to facilitate construction of the Atlanta Expressway), which was a federal requirement in order for the states to receive interstate highway funds.” As a result, Georgia was to receive $840 million over the next 13 years for approximately 1,100 miles of interstate highways, the publication stated. Today, seven current primary interstate highways and eight auxiliary interstates criss-cross Georgia for a total of 1,253 miles.

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HAPPY 200TH NEWTON COUNTY! THE COVINGTON NEWS

BICENTENNIAL EDITION 89

The Hub provided four decades of movie fun By TOM SPIGOLON

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tspigolon@covnews.com

he Hub drive-in movie theater was a source of weekend and summertime amusement for about four decades near the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 278 and Georgia Hwy. 11 in eastern Newton County. The outdoor movie theater had one screen and could park about 325 vehicles at the outdoor theater located between Mansfield and Social Circle, according to information from the Newton County Chamber of Commerce. It operated on a site on the west side of Hwy. 11, about 200 yards south of “The Hub” junction of highways 278 and 11. At the height of its popularity, people traveled from Covington and as far away as Monroe and Monticello to see first-run movies and their friends and neighbors on hot summer nights. “I so remember going there when we were kids a couple of times! We would sit on the hood of the car and watch the movies!” one Facebook user recalled in 2011. The business was named for the nearby Hub junction of the two highways and was among more than 4,000 drive-in movie theaters that operated nationwide at the peak of the medium’s popularity in the late 1950s and early to mid-1960s. More than 120 drive-in theaters operated in Georgia. Some feature films shown at The Hub included “The Blob” [1958] starring Steve McQueen,”The Nutty Professor” [1963], “Walking Tall” [1973],”Shaft” [1971], “Billy Jack” [1971], “Star Wars” [1977], and “Alien” [1979]. Saturday Night Double-Features began in 1965 with “The Satan Bug” with George Maharis and Richard Basehart, and “Invitation to a Gunfighter” starring Yul Brenner. “A Facebook user mentioned that she will never forget going to see ‘Night of the Living Dead’ at the Hub Drive-In, because everyone was too afraid to get out of the car to refill on popcorn and coke during admission!” according to a history of The Hub the Chamber published online in 2017. “There are also several retellings from staff of the next door Tri-County Livestock Barn as they would climb on top of trucks just to catch a glimpse of the THE COVINGTON NEWS

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The Hub drive-in theater was the place to be on weekends, especially during the summer, for more tha 40 years. Above is a photo taken at The Hub in 1962. Archives | The Covington News

latest movie release. Others would sneak through the field and try to get into the drive-in undetected.” It also hosted weekly bingo nights with such prizes as set of “plastic picnic plates”. The announcement of, “That’s a good bingo!” meant someone had won a prize, as bingo was played during intermission or double-features. Prizes ranged from plastic picnic plates to car tissue dispensers, back scratchers, Sanka coffee or an over-the-sink cutting board. “Stewart Murray would call bingo during intermission at The Hub,” one former customer recalled on Facebook. “B-3, we have a winner ... you have won a set of car floor mats.” The few drive-ins still operating today require the customer to tune their radio to a frequency to hear the sound of the movie. However, driveins originally featured metal speakers that were hooked atop a partially closed car window. Tales of trying to speed out of the drive-in exit and neglecting to unhook the speaker from inside the car were common. Many owners chose to go out of business because drive-ins required at least 15 acres of land to make them cost effective. As land values rose, owners sold out to shopping center or mall developers, according to the New York Film Academy’s “The History of Drive-In Movie Theaters (and Where They Are Now).” “During the ‘70s oil crisis, people downsized their cars in order to save money on the inflated cost of gas, making it uncomfortable to watch movies at the drive-in. “To make up for lost revenue, drive-ins began losing their family-friendly atmosphere by showing exploitation films like slasher horrors as well as adult content. The development of the VCR made it more appealing to stay at home and watch movies without paying for a movie at the drive-in.” THE COVINGTON NEWS

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AlcovyCASA.org BICENTENNIAL EDITION 91

Drag racing drew crowds to Newton County for decades By TOM SPIGOLON

Spectators look at the vehicles set to race at Newton Conunty Drag Strip in the Brick Store community. Special | DragStripList.com

tspigolon@covnews.com

Newton County was home to at least two drag racing tracks that featured some of the top stars of the motor sport from the 1960s through 1980s — though one track’s end came tragically. Yellow River Drag Strip in western Newton County and the Newton County Drag Strip/ Atlanta Speed Shop Dragway in eastern Newton were both operating around 1960. Yellow River Drag Strip featured races at a site off U.S. Hwy. 278 (now Access Road) next to namesake in the Almon community. It hosted numerous races featuring some of the sport’s brightest stars, such as “Big Dad-

dy” Don Garlits. Noted drag racers of the time such as “Dyno Don” Nicholson, Malcolm Durham, Huston Platt, Don Carlton, Phil Bonner, Ronnie Sox, Hoyt Grimes and Big Daddy “Swamprat” competed at the Yellow River strip.

Facebook user Kathryn Farrow Bates said in a blog on the Newton County Chamber of Commerce website she raced there at one time. “I used to drag a ‘57 Chevrolet there, loved it. At the time, I was the only female racing. I had a

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fast car, won many trophies, and no the men did not like it,” said Bates. According to the Chamber’s blog, “In order to attend these races, local fans would literally ‘come out of the woodwork’ as crowds appeared from the adjacent woods to the country race track. “Unfortunately, safety precautions for fans and bystanders weren’t put into place in the ‘60s. Shallow dirt banks with chainlink fences lined each side of the strip, and fans could practically reach out and touch the cars as they blasted by. “It was for this very reason that the local race strip closed unexpectedly in 1969, after seeing its darkest day on the asphalt.” In one race on March 2, 1969, a drag racer’s car flipped into the stands — which were mere feet from the track. “Georgia drag racing legend Huston Platt was in his Dixie Twister car, racing against Frank

THE COVINGTON NEWS

Oglesby in Dyno Don’s Cougar. Locals say that this contest was the largest race event of its time, and that this race in particular has been hauntingly unforgettable for those in attendance. “On this spring afternoon, Platt’s Dixie Twister suddenly lost control and hurdled into the crowd of audience members standing nearby.” The wreck killed 11 spectators and injured 50. It was the country’s worst racing disaster. Speculation was that one spectator who went on the track to retrieve a fallen beer can had got caught in one vehicle’s parachute, or Platt’s vehicle throwing a tie rod, caused the incident. The old drag racing track is now part of Riverside Estates Mobile Home Park. Newton County Drag Strip/ Atlanta Speed Shop Dragway off County Hwy. 229 hosted monthly hot rod races from about 1959 into the ’90s. Dragstriplist.com wrote, “This

strip, called the Hub by some, opened under (National Hot Rod Association) sanction at least as early as 1960, or before, east of the town of Covington. Incorporation papers were filed for Newton County Drag Strip on Sept. 3, 1959, so racing might have started in 1959. “Races were held on the fourth Sunday of each month. On April 2, 1961, Bennell Myers booked Don Garlits to run. Late in 1962, Sneaky Pete Robinson defended his Drag News Number 1 spot at this strip against challenger Jack Chrisman. It began using the name Atlanta Speed Shop Dragway in 1964.” From 1964 to 1972, it hosted one of the richest drag racing events in the country featuring a $10,000 purse and such racing legends as Don Garlits. The old drag strip is now Ewing Road and is the main street running through a subdivision off Hwy. 229.

BICENTENNIAL EDITION 93

Facebook makes historic investment in Newton County

U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, flanked by Facebook Inc. executives, hails the company’s decision to build a data center in Newton County during a press conference Wednesday, March 7, 2018, in Atlanta. Archives | The Covington News

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Social media company pledged up to $42 billion in 2018 to build data center at Stanton Springs By TAYLOR BECK tbeck@covnews.com

In 2018, the world’s largest social networking company Facebook, later renamed Meta in 2021, announced it would be investing up to $42 billion in Newton County to build a data center. The 416-acre economic development project turned out to be the biggest deal in Georgia’s history. The data center was constructed at Stanton Springs, an industrial park located near Social Circle already home to biotech giant Takeda Pharmaceuticals. “This is a big day for Newton County,” Marcello Banes, chairman of the Newton County Board of Commissioners, said at the time. “We’re excited about Facebook being in our community. It’s a wonderful partnership. We look forward to being partners with Facebook.” Stanton Springs is a product of the Joint Development Authority (JDA) of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton Counties. The JDA was officially formed in 1999 with the goal to create an area that would be attractive to industry across the region, but with a specific focus on luring bioscience industries. In 2000, the JDA partnered with Technology Park of Atlanta to develop a master plan for the area and create Stanton Springs as a mixed-use development. As of 2021, Stanton Springs was home to Facebook’s data center, Takeda and Georgia’s BioScience Training Center, there’s potentially more on the way. In March 2021, the JDA approved a $42 billion bond to Baymare LLC on Feb. 23 for a large-scale project, and also a purchase and sale agreement for more than 628.5 acres of land, priced at $62,500 per acre. Documents revealed the bond issues were to fund “a data center and economic development project.” In November 2021, Rivian Automotive was reportedly in “late-stage negations” to build an electric vehicle manufacturing facility in the “Stanton Springs area.” At the time of publication, it was unclear if Rivian was considering Stanton Springs or the new Stanton Springs North park, or one of the 1,000-acre megasites along the Newton-Walton line. “What’s happening out here is really just one of the most prized economic development issues in the whole state,” U.S. Rep. Jody Hice said. THE COVINGTON NEWS

BICENTENNIAL EDITION 95

THE LAST WORD

Special magazine for special milestone

his bicentennial magazine is the largest project ever published by The Covington News, and yet, it was still difficult to fit all of Newton County’s cherished history onto its pages. As it is a big magazine, it was an absolutely massive undertaking, but also a laTaylor Beck is the editor and bor of love. publisher of The Being relCovington News. atively new to Newton County, it was fascinating to learn about the community’s origin and get to share it with you. A project like this has renewed my appreciation for the job we do here at The Covington News, as well as all community newspapers, to help record and preserve our county’s history. If not for the hard work of our advertising director Cynthia Warren and our circulation director Lee Ann Avery, this magazine wouldn’t be nearly as large as it is. But the entire project wouldn’t have been possible without the numerous businesses of Newton County and beyond buying in and being a part of this special publication. I’m extremely proud of our news staff, including news editor Tom Spigolon and sports editor Phillip Hub-

96 BICENTENNIAL EDITION

bard, for stepping up to the plate and producing quality content for this magazine while continuing to crank out newspapers each week. And I could not have done this without the aid of Mr. Gene Gaillard and the Historical Society of Newton County. I met with Mr. Gaillard on a number of occasions, and he shared a sizeable collection of photos and information that were vital to the creation of this publication. Also, thanks to the society’s work in the late 1980s, we were able to utilize information from its book titled, “History of Newton County.” It’s always a bit frightening when publishing something of this size and magnitude. We never want to find mistakes in any publication, but that mission was amplified for this edition. Please know we’ve made every effort to be as correct and complete as possible, and we’ve included as much information as we could. On behalf of our staff, I thank you for reading this magazine and hope you’ve been able to learn and gain a better appreciation for the wonderful place we call home.

Taylor Beck

THE COVINGTON NEWS

BICENTENNIAL EDITION 97

Celebrating Businesses then...

...and now

happy 200th birthday, newton county!

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