The Fayetteville Enterprise Discontinues Publication

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Walter Frances Cowart Reeves

Walter Frances Cowart Reeves, 98, of Inman GA, Fayette County, passed away on November 3, 2017 after a long and full life. Frances was born Jan. 8, 1919 in Union City, GA. Frances graduated from Campbell County High School and enrolled at the University of Georgia at age 16. There, she majored in Social Sciences, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1939 and accepted as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Lambda Delta. She received her Master’s in Economics in 1940. At the outbreak of World War II, she enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps (WACS). During several deployments, she rose to the rank of 1st Lieutenant.

She moved to Fayette County in late 1948 and bought a small farm, to raise chickens and trace-mineralized vegetables while she taught science at Fayette County High School. At a housewarming party, Frances was introduced to Frank Reeves, a local farmer, civic leader, and World War II veteran. Discovering mutual interests, the two were married in 1950. Three sons and two daughters followed. While raising a family, Frances taught high school for two years, served as secretary for the local Farm Bureau chapter, sold World Book Encyclopedias, prepared tax returns, was Chair of the Fayette County Democratic Executive Committee, a Board member of the Fayette County Historical Society and writer of “A Short History of Fayette County”, and was an editor at Fayette County News.

Frances was honored as Fayette Woman of the Year, the Fayette NAACP Citizen of the Year and received the 2006 WXIA-TV Community Service Award. The United Way Volunteer Award is named in her honor. For her work with Fayette Senior Services the garden there was built in her honor.

Source: Obituary in Fayette County Historical Society Family File

Fayetteville Enterprise June 12, 1952

By: Tony V. Parrott

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Union Grove School was located near the southwest corner of what is currently Tyrone Road and Flat Creek Trail, on land that was donated by Thomas Jefferson Askew. Mrs. Tommie Lee Edmondson Askew and Mrs. Maynard Griggs Brown, were the school’s two teachers in the twenties and thirties. Younger students were taught by “Miss Maynard” in “the little room,” and older students were under the tutelage of “Miss Tommie” in “the big room.” The school operated under a board of trustees and although no records indicate when it actually opened, family histories confirm that it was open by the early years of the twentieth century and remained so until the mid- to late 1930s. As Flat Creek Baptist Church prepared to move from the Kedron area to its current location in 1910, Sunday School was held in the Union Grove School building. The school became known as “Flat Creek School,” as most students were from the Flat Creek community, although some walked from as far as farms located off Ebenezer Road.

Submitted by Janis Hooper

Source:

The Fayette County Georgia Heritage Book, Based on article by Mary Ann Askew Bunn

Flat Creek Baptist Church Archives

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Theo James Odom

Theo James Odom was born on November 24, 1907 in Needmore, Georgia to Theo Augustus Odom (1881-1962) and Hattie James (1887-1969). He had two living siblings, Horace and Charles. As a child they would go down to the river to play, and use marbles, spinning tops, a yo-yo or play with a billy goat. They would also play baseball with a ball he made out of string and a potato.

Theo began his first job at the age of 14 by sorting mail for the post office for city boxes and rural routes. He and his brothers also delivered special delivery for 8 cents apiece. He even made an overnight trip to Augusta, Georgia to work on the mail train. After graduating from college, he opened and operated service stations, but wanted to return to the mail service. Eventually he moved to Atlanta and made a 35-year career in the U.S. Mail Service.

Theo met Johnnie Lou Merriman while working at the post office. She was working as a telephone officer. They were married on November 20^, 1932. They had one son; Weldon born in 1934. Theo and his family attended the New Hope Baptist Church where he was a deacon, steward, Bible school worker, and a nursery worker.

After his retirement from the post office, Theo and his wife traveled extensively. They visited every state in the U.S. and many countries in Europe and in the Middle East.

Theo Odom died at the age of 102 years old in September of 2010. He is buried in Westminster Cemetery in Peachtree City.

By Angela Pendleton

Sources: Fayette County Public Library folder; “Local Resident of Fayette Co. Ref GR”.

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The Story of Banks Road

Many years ago, Effie Davis moved into the neighborhood where Raymond Banks lived. When they got to 9th grade, they started courting and soon Raymond asked Effie’s father if he could marry his daughter, and they were engaged. They married after graduation on December 24th, 1939.

They moved to Newnan, then to Augusta, North Carolina following better paying jobs. In 1946, their first child was born, and they decided to move back to Fayette County. A family friend, Parker Dorman was selling some property near Raymond’s parent’s house, and Raymond and Mr. Dorman struck a deal, with a $20 down payment.

In 1959, a son, Abe was born, and they soon realized they needed more income to maintain the farm and educate two children. They had leased 12 rows of grapes from a friend, Mr. Eidson, and they decided to plant some grapes to earn some extra money. When they would pick grapes near the road, people would stop and ask to buy some. Every day, they had to say, “These are sold, come back in a day or two.” So, more grapes were planted, so everyone could have fresh grapes. Soon the Banks Vineyard was born.

In 1964, the road where Effie and Raymond Banks lived still had no name, and the county officials were busy naming all the roads. Since no one else lived on the road, the sensible thing was to name the road Banks Road.

As time went on, and the County grew, Banks Vineyard began selling produce as well as grapes from a small barn near the road. Growth continued, and now there is a Banks Station and Banks Crossing and many more people live on Banks Road.

Fayette Portraits Fall 1991, from an article by Stacy Smith and Nina Wooten (Nina is the granddaughter of Effie and Raymond Banks) adapted by Jane Strickland.

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Robert Alexander Holliday

November 16, 1862 Fayetteville lost its beloved “Uncle Bob”. Robert Alexander Holliday was viewed in the parlor of his sons’ spacious home on Lanier Avenue. (now the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House Museum.) John Stiles Holliday was the middle son of Robert and Rebecca Holliday. The home was large enough to hold the Holliday family for the funeral of Grandpa. After the viewing, Robert’s casket was taken to the Fayetteville City Cemetery for burial. Uncle Bob, as he was known with affection in town, was a tavern/inn keeper. His oldest son Henry was the father of his most famous grandson. Known best as “Doc” Holliday, John Henry Holliday was present at the funeral that cold November day. Even though Doc was known for his western fame, he had Georgia roots.

By: Deborah Riddle

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Librarian Makes Urgent Plea

On November 5, 1937, a letter appeared in the local newspaper from Mrs. Jewell Hines, Librarian for the Fayette County Public Library. Mrs. Hines wrote the letter as an appeal to the citizens of Fayette County to aid in building a library to replace the one lost in the recent fire that destroyed the local Grammar School building. The former library, consisting almost entirely of books that had been donated by the women of Fayetteville, was housed in the school building, and was also consumed by the flames in October. The only books that were saved (about 200) were those that were out in circulation. Some small funds had been given by the county for a new library and Judge Weymon Hollingsworth had provided a temporary space in his upstairs building on the courthouse square. A “penny shower” was set up for the children to participate by dropping their coins in a box at the temporary site. Mrs. Hines also urged the citizens to donate books of any type but bear in mind that “the type of book a person reads has a great deal of influence on the type of citizen he will become”.

By John Lynch

Source: The Fayetteville Enterprise, November 5, 1937

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Ida May Harp Casts Her Ballot

Several generations of women suffrage supporters had marched, lobbied, and even practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change to the Constitution. Ratified in August of 1920, the 19^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted women the right to vote.

In Fayette County, Miss May Harp cast her first ballot on November 2^nd, 1920 and continued voting for another 69 years, past her 100^th birthday. Her first ballot was dropped in a “piece board box”. May Harp lived in Inman at the time but had to go over to Woolsey to vote. She said you had to “write your age, and Sally, one of my cousins didn’t want to. I told her I wasn’t ashamed of my age.”

She did not recall who she voted for in that first election, but she always thought she was voting for the right person and said no one ever tried to influence her vote.

Ida May Harp was born January 25, 1889 and died March 19, 1998. The City established a park on part of her property on Jeff Davis Drive.

Sources: ourdocuments.gov

Fayette Sun & Southside; Jan 26, 1989

Fayette County News; Jan 21, 1989

South Fulton Extra, Jan 26, 1989

By Angela Pendleton

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The High Museum of Art Presents Local African American Folk Artist Nellie Mae Rowe

Nellie Mae Rowe was born in Fayetteville Georgia on July 4, 1900. She was the 9^th of 10 children. She was artistic at an early age; drawing and making dolls. However, life on a farm meant that she would have to do chores instead of art, especially with such a large family to help take care of. Her family attended Flat Rock African Methodist Episcopal Church which was founded in 1854.

She lived in Fayetteville with her first husband, Ben Wheat for 14 years before moving to Vinings. After her husband’s death in 1936 she met Henry “Buddy” Rowe. The home she lived in with Rowe would become her canvas where she could finally be creative again. She called it her “playhouse” and proceeded to decorate it with baubles and drawings, homemade dolls, sculptures and whatnots. The art would slow drivers, and attract visitors. Rowe met an art dealer and promoter in the late 1970s who immediately saw her talent and would become an advocate for her work. Exhibitions of Rowe’s art would go on to be shown in major cities.

Rowe was diagnosed with cancer in 1981 and died on October 18, 1982. She is buried at Flat Rock African Methodist Episcopal Church in Fayetteville.

The Art of Nellie Mae Rowe: Ninety-Nine and a Half Won’t Do exhibition show traced her development as an artist beginning in the 1940s. It included over 90 original works of colorful drawings and collages, mixed media sculptures, chewing gum figures and hand-sewn dolls. While Rowe’s work has consistently been recognized by those in the field of folk art, it had not until now been seen widely by the public

By Angela Pendleton

Sources: Fayette County News/Today in Peachtree City February 8-9 2014

High Museum of Art for Immediate Release, November 1, 1999

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Flagpole Dedicated to Viet Nam Dead

Fayette County will dedicate a new flagpole on its courthouse lawn on Friday, November 11, and honor the heroes from the county who have given their lives in the war in Viet Nam. Commission Chairman Howell Handley will preside over the ceremonies, which will begin at 11 a.m. Grady Huddleston, of Fayetteville, will give the principal remarks.

PFC Tom Boren. 19-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Earl E. Boren of Route 3, Fayetteville was the county’s first casualty, killed June 10 of this year. The pole will have a brass plaque on which will be inscribed “in memory of Fayette Countians who have given their lives in service in Viet Nam.” The first nameplate will bear the name of Pfc. Tom E. Boren, June 10, 1966, DaHang, Viet Nam.

A U. S. Marine color guard will be on hand to raise the flag and the newly formed Fayette County High School band will also play, directed by Ben Westberry.

Mr. Handley said the flagpole will be dedicated to all Fayette Countians who give their lives in the Viet Nam struggle.

Tom Boren was born in Bessemer, Ala., and had lived in Fayette County for just over two years. He was a member of the Fayetteville Methodist Church. His family moved from Alabama to Georgia in 1960, and he graduated from Forest Park High School in 1965. Tom enlisted in the Marine Corps on December 29, 1965.

Tom received his basic training at Parris Island and Camp LeJeune, N. C., and was sent to Camp Pendleton, Calif., for training in the principles of small unit tactics. He started his trip to DaNang, South Vet Nam on May 29, Landing at DaNang on June 6, Tom was assigned to a platoon the following day. Tom’s outfit went into combat on June 8, and he was killed two days later.

SOURCE: Fayette County News November 9, 1966.

BY: Tony V. Parrott

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