Georgia Trivia & Tidbits - Page 3

Looking for Georgia trivia? Try our list Georgia little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

—Heaven Bound, a black folk drama that portrays the struggles and pitfalls of a group of pilgrims striving to reach the gates of heaven, has been performed since 1930 at the Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Atlanta. Heaven Bound is one of the longest running theatrical productions in the nation.

first appeared: 1/27/2008

—Elm trees planted on Pennsylvania Avenue leading to the White House came from Riveredge Farms nursery outside Atlanta. Nurseryman Roger Holloway began growing Princeton American elms in 1996. The variety is resistant to Dutch elm disease, which wiped out most of the popular shade trees decades ago.

first appeared: 1/13/2008

—Built in 1876, the Nora Mill Granary, located alongside the Chattahoochee River in Helen (pop. 430), continues to grind grain with its 1,500-pound millstones, producing corn meal, flour, grits, pancake mix and other products.

first appeared: 12/30/2007

—During the Civil War, a Confederate prison at Andersonville (pop. 331) held 45,000 Union soldiers, 13,000 of whom died from disease, starvation and exposure. Today, Andersonville National Historic Site is a memorial to American soldiers of all wars who have been held as prisoners of war.

first appeared: 12/2/2007

—Author Carson McCullers, born in 1917 in Columbus, is considered one of the most significant writers of the 20th century. She is best known for her novels The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, The Ballad of the Sad Cafe, Reflections in a Golden Eye and The Member of the Wedding.

first appeared: 11/18/2007

—In 1983, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the constitutionality of the City Council of Augusta to require a business license of the owners of Blackie, a “talking cat” that often performed for a fee on TV and radio shows. One of the owners’ contentions was that Blackie’s free speech had been violated. The appeals court noted that, though Blackie had unusual abilities, he was not a person and was not protected by the Bill of Rights.

first appeared: 11/4/2007

—Founded in 1899 by the Strickland Cotton Mill as a company town for its workers, Remerton (pop. 847) today is surrounded by Valdosta (pop. 43,724), although the former maintains its own municipal government.

first appeared: 10/7/2007

—Encompassing 25,000 acres, Ossabaw Island near Savannah became the first acquisition of the state’s Heritage Trust Act of 1975, which protects it from development. The island’s 10 miles of beaches are open to the public, but its interior is restricted for educational and research purposes.

first appeared: 9/30/2007

—The world’s largest ice cream float—3,000 gallons of Vanilla Coke and ice cream—was created by the Coca-Cola Co. in May in Atlanta. A 15-foot-tall glass held the 10-ton treat.

first appeared: 9/9/2007

—A wild pig, nicknamed Hogzilla, that roamed southern Georgia and was shot in 2004 near Alapaha (pop. 682) was reported to be 12 feet long and 1,000 pounds. A National Geographic team exhumed the beast to find he was nearer 8 feet long and 800 pounds.

first appeared: 8/26/2007

—Adopted in 2003, the state flag consists of three horizontal red and white stripes and the state seal in the blue field in the top left corner. The design replaces two controversial flags. One included a Confederate battle emblem and was used from 1956 to 2001 and the other used from 2001 to 2003.

first appeared: 8/12/2007

—More than 200 pieces of earthenware made by the region’s potters from the 1840s to the present are exhibited at the Folk Pottery Museum of Northeast Georgia in Sautee Nacoochee in White County (pop. 19,944).

first appeared: 7/29/2007

—After the Civil War, freed slaves who remained on Sapelo Island established settlements, including Hog Hammock, where today the Geechee or Gullah culture and dialect of their ancestors are kept alive.

first appeared: 7/15/2007

—In 1970, the bobwhite quail was adopted as the official state game bird and the brown thrasher was adopted as the official state bird by the state Legislature.

first appeared: 7/1/2007

—The green tree frog was named the official state amphibian in 2005. Georgia is home to 85 species of amphibians, second only to North Carolina.

first appeared: 6/17/2007

—Actress Joanne Woodward, who was born in 1930 in Thomasville (pop. 18,162), received an Oscar for her 1957 role in The Three Faces of Eve and was the first personality to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

first appeared: 6/3/2007

—A ballroom dance and a camel ride are among thousands of wishes that have been granted to elders in nursing homes and assisted-living centers, thanks to P.K. Beville, 54, of Marietta (pop. 58,748), who founded Second Wind Dreams in 1997.

first appeared: 5/28/2007

—First known as “Puddleville,” the town incorporated in 1889 under the new name of Adel (pop. 5,307). Local lore has it that the postmaster saw the name “Philadelphia” and plucked “Adel” from the middle.

first appeared: 5/6/2007

—The nation’s first law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty was Robert Forsyth, U.S. marshal for the District of Georgia, who was shot in 1794 in Augusta while trying to serve court papers in a civil lawsuit.

first appeared: 4/22/2007

—Created in 1905, Grady County (pop. 23,659) was named for Henry Woodfin Grady, a prominent editor of the Atlanta Constitution and an advocate of the New South.

first appeared: 4/8/2007

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