Those of us who live in the great state of Georgia are very lucky, although many of us may not realize it. Georgia is the largest state by land mass, east of the Mississippi River, and as such, offers a variety of geographic features to enjoy, from the beaches and marshes of the Atlantic coast, to the hills and mountains of western Georgia (which are usually referred to as “North GA,” I’m not sure why). We usually enjoy a moderate climate, and normally are not subject to harsh weather, although the mild winters are somewhat offset by hot summers. Those of us who have lived here a long time get used to the summer heat, but never the occasional extreme cold, like we suffered last week!
Except for mosquitos and sand gnats (also known as “no-see-ums,” because they are so small, but can have a painful bite), we normally have no downsides to living here.
I grew up on the coast, but lived in Athens for five years, in college and graduate school – for which I will always be thankful. That allowed me to experience the wonders of life in the foothills of the mountains (along with “real winters”), and it also gave me the opportunity to experience an incredible period of personal growth while meeting and getting to know a wide range of people, from literally all over the world. How blessed I was!
I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel all over this state, over many years, for both business and pleasure, and to make contacts in many communities, from Savannah to St. Marys, Athens to Augusta, Rome to Roswell, and always found unique places in each town to enjoy and remember.
Some of those unique places have been cemeteries: Bonaventure in Savannah, for example, along with Oconee Hills in Athens (on a knoll overlooking Sanford Stadium), and ones in Macon and Rome. All picturesque, historic, and well worth a visit.
Georgia also has an interesting assortment of monuments and local places of interest. Savannah has a variety of monuments all across downtown, honoring people who have been prominent in our history, influential, or otherwise notable for one reason or another.
Kennesaw Battlefield Park, north of Atlanta, is notable for the large number of monuments erected after the Civil War – by both sides – honoring both Northerners and Southerners, who fought for whatever ideals they held dear.
The city of Fitzgerald was itself founded by veterans of both north and south, in the aftermath of that great war, in the spirit of forgiveness and unity. I have never heard of another city founded on those principles. Amazing!
(The City of Fitzgerald is today more remembered for its tradition of allowing wild chickens to roam their streets, but that is another story altogether.)
Another notable landmark, speaking of Kennesaw, is their “Big Chicken,” strategically placed at a major intersection. Originally designed to call attention to a fastfood restaurant adjacent, it has come to be a directional marker, instead.
(“Go to the Big Chicken, turn right and go three blocks…”) Two other unusual and notable places in Georgia are “The Tree That Owns Itself,” at the top of a hill on Dearing Street, in Athens, west of the main University Campus; and “The Iron Horse,” which now lives in a cornfield on a farm outside of Watkinsville, GA, about fifteen miles south of Athens.
“The Tree That Owns Itself ” is circled by stones, marking its space, which extends out eight feet from the trunk; the current tree was grown from acorns from the original white oak, which was blown over in a storm in 1942.
“The Iron Horse” is a large abstract metal sculpture (“Pegasus Without Wings,” some folks called it) created by an art professor from Chicago in 1954. It was originally placed on campus in front of Reed Hall, where football players were housed.
Unfortunately, students of the time lacked both artistic appreciation and common sense, and tried several times to burn it, which of course didn’t work because it was metal! It was eventually moved five years later to a cornfield south of nearby Watkinsville, when a horticulture professor offered it a place to reign on his farm there. It has been there ever since.
That farm has now been sold to UGA, except for a 20’ by 20’ space around the sculpture.
Like the Tree That Owns Itself, it is a unique part of the Georgia landscape.
Rafe Semmes is a proud graduate of (“the original”) Savannah High School and the University of Georgia.
He and his wife live in eastern Liberty County with their menagerie of rescue cats. He writes on a variety of topics, and may be reached at rafe_semmes@yahoo.com.