Summer 2009

SUMMER, 2009 • VOLUME 8, NUMBER 2 | TABLE OF CONTENTS


11	Vanishing Georgia: Children of the Loom A century ago, thousands of children as young as seven years old toiled in Georgia's textile mills, operating noisy and dangerous machinery while inhaling the lint-filled air. BY DANIEL M. ROPER • STATEWIDE
18	The Titanic Disaster Affects a Small Georgia Town New York City mourned the death of author Jacques Futrelle when Titanic sank, but word of his demise really hit home when it reached Georgia. BY DR. JOHN K. DERDEN • EMANUEL COUNTY
21	Honoring America in Georgia A spontaneous tribute at Atlanta's airport to soldiers preparing to depart for Iraq reminds the author what it means to be an American. BY JOHN J. LESJACK • FULTON COUNTY
22	The Last Hundred Yards Fort Benning's National Infantry Museum tells the story of the foot soldiers who have been instrumental in defending our country and taking the war to the enemy for more than two centuries. BY BORDEN BLACK • MUSCOGEE AND CHATTAHOOCHEE COUNTIES
27	Genuine Georgia Backroads: Metcalf Depot - A Story of Reclamation Most every little town in Georgia has a rustic old building or two crying for renovation. Join us for a visit to one such place - tiny Metcalf and its lovingly restored railroad depot. BY LYNNE TAYLOR • THOMAS COUNTY
30	Georgia's Monster Mud Snake (and an Anniversary to Remember) Nothing says "I love you!" like a wedding anniversary trip to a stream inhabited by eel-eating aquatic snakes and leeches. BY DIRK STEVENSON • COOK COUNTY
34	Flannery O'Connor's Andalusia Farm Flannery O'Connor's serene Andalusia Farm was the antithesis of her often gothic and grotesque writing, yet the peaceful, bucolic homestead nurtured this gifted Southern writer. BY MARY ANN ANDERSON • BALDWIN COUNTY
39	The Monroe Girls Drum & Bugle Corps: Georgia's Goodwill Ambassadors From Grant Field to the Macy's Tahnksgiving Day Parade in New York City, the young ladies of the Monroe Girld Drum and Bugle Corps marched into the hearts of Americans from the 1950s until they early '80s. BY HANK SEGARS • WALTON COUNTY
44	Finding Georgia's Lost Lamb When a talented young author won the 1934 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, fans and critics alike anticipated much more to come. BY ROBERT LATIMER HURST • WARE AND APPLING COUNTIES
48	Welcome South Brother! WSB Radio has been serving Atlanta - and a surprising segment of America - for nearly 90 years, with well-known programs ranging from early morning farm reports to late night baseball broadcasts when the Braves were playing on the West Coast. BY MICHAEL H. MCDOUGALD • FULTON COUNTY
56	The Odyssey of Andre Steiner: Unsung Hero of Jekyll Island Jekyll Island's charm can be attributed in part to the careful planning of architect Andre Steiner, a survivor-and much more-of the Holocaust. BY JUE HALL MCCASH AND BRENDEN MARTIN • GLYNN COUNTY