longarmwj
New member
When it comes to historical Georgia, you can't overlook Civil War era artifacts and locations. I caught wind of a civil war era church location, and decided to load the Jeep up and go hunting for it. Turns out it was much easier to find then I originally had thought, and was right down the road from a place I normally explore. High Shoals Baptist Church was originally built in the early 1800s, using slave labor. Ironically during the era of the Underground Railroad it was also used as a safe spot for the runaway slaves.
In the 1970s, the original structure still stood, but Dawson County told the owners that if they still wanted to host church services, they had to either tear down and rebuild, or renovate the existing structure. They chose to renovate.
The doors, not surprisingly, were locked. But the cemetery was open. This cemetery dates back to the early 1840s, and there are a multitude of unmarked graves which are the final resting places for Union soldiers who had been killed while on Confederate turf.
After exploring the grounds for about an hour, I decided to hit the trail and go down to the site of a plane crash from the 60s. It had been a few years since I had been there, but I still remembered the way!! Pretty soon the trail got super tight.
And then it seemed like it disappeared all together. I was having to make my own trail, and living on faith I was going the right way.
Finally the trail opened up again. Did I mention it rained the night before?
About three or four miles down the trail, I found the spot. On April 10th, 1968 a Canadian Air Cessna 182 chose not to climb out of a storm brewing over the mountains. That choice proved to be fatal, and the plane went down right where my Jeep is parked. The wreckage remained until 1996 when it was finally discovered and the family had it removed. This is also an intersection point for the Appalachian Trail.
Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
In the 1970s, the original structure still stood, but Dawson County told the owners that if they still wanted to host church services, they had to either tear down and rebuild, or renovate the existing structure. They chose to renovate.
The doors, not surprisingly, were locked. But the cemetery was open. This cemetery dates back to the early 1840s, and there are a multitude of unmarked graves which are the final resting places for Union soldiers who had been killed while on Confederate turf.
After exploring the grounds for about an hour, I decided to hit the trail and go down to the site of a plane crash from the 60s. It had been a few years since I had been there, but I still remembered the way!! Pretty soon the trail got super tight.
And then it seemed like it disappeared all together. I was having to make my own trail, and living on faith I was going the right way.
Finally the trail opened up again. Did I mention it rained the night before?
About three or four miles down the trail, I found the spot. On April 10th, 1968 a Canadian Air Cessna 182 chose not to climb out of a storm brewing over the mountains. That choice proved to be fatal, and the plane went down right where my Jeep is parked. The wreckage remained until 1996 when it was finally discovered and the family had it removed. This is also an intersection point for the Appalachian Trail.
Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
