A few miles northwest of Macon, GA, are several very interesting places, “off the beaten path.” High Falls State Park is one of them, along with nearby Jackson and Juliette, GA.

High Falls is called that because the river that runs through it goes under a bridge and then drops off precipitously, into the waiting gorge below. I have never seen a drop-off that sharp before.

Some years back a dam was built on that river, and the reservoir now behind it offers locals and visitors opportunities for boating, fishing, and picnicking in a very scenic area. It’s only a few miles from I-75, so fairly easy to get to. I have seen it when the waters were running high from heavy spring rains, and thundered over the rocks below the bridge.

I have also seen it when the river was just a trickle, with rocks exposed you ordinarily wouldn’t see. There is a short trail on both sides, under the bridge, but you have to be very careful, as wet rocks can be very slippery. But the scenery is just amazing.

There is also the empty shell of an old building on the south side of the falls, that once housed a hydro-electric generating plant. It once powered many homes in the area, but has long been abandoned.

Nearby Jackson is more widely known as the home of the state’s prison that houses Georgia’s electric chair, but that has not been used in some time.

The town was also home to the Carmichael Buggy Company, which enjoyed a prosperous 29-year run, before the advent of the automobile rendered that industry obsolete.

Founded by J.R. Carmichael in 1887, the business eventually manufactured some 4,000 buggies a year, and made its owner one of the wealthiest citizens of Butts County. He later built a huge mansion atop a rise overlooking the town, 1897 1898, which was quite splendid for a town of that size. It housed his large and growing family, but eventually fell into disrepair as the family members died out.

It has since been sold and renovated to its former splendor, and operates as a bed-and-breakfast and event venue.

I became aware of the history of the Carmichael Mansion through a couple who became members of my former Rotary Club in Savannah, who owned it for a time themselves.

John worked with his dad’s specialty roofing company in Atlanta for many years, and when his dad retired, John took it over, but eventually sold it several years later. He and his wife Linda moved to Jackson, bought the mansion, and undertook to renovate it themselves.

It was a huge undertaking, but the result was well worth the effort.

One surprise they did not expect was, in replacing the plumbing, they found that the original piping was made of lead. This was before anyone had any idea that lead in the piping would leach into the water and cause lead poisoning.

Sadly, several members of the Carmichael family apparently suffered long and hard from that deadly illness, without realizing what was happening.

After hearing the story of that mansion, the next time my wife and I went to Macon, we had to make a side trip to Jackson just to see that house. It is not only a gorgeous place, but it also has two equally magnificent large mansions nearby. Apparently Jackson, Georgia, was once a quite prosperous place! I have never seen such large houses in such a small town.

I found out quite a bit more about this amazing house once I heard its story from John and Linda.

Small towns often have their jewels, and this was definitely one of them!

Life is full of surprises.

Rafe Semmes is a local writer. He attended Savannah High and UGA.