Thoughts on the Republic & the Current State of Things

While it may seem like the "Grand Experiment" has failed here the past year or so, I distinctly disagree.

We should've known we were in trouble a few years back when they made a "hip" musical out of Alexander Hamilton, the worst of the worst of the "framers."

Of course, that musical is now currently starting to get blowback - for all the wrong reasons.

In my opinion, the woke, base mob wants nothing short of total annihilation of all things Columbia, Libertas & the Founding Fathers, and whilst many of us know that Hamilton should be discounted for many other reasons - namely his appreciation & endorsement of the concept of statist corporatism (mercantilism) for starters - some out there can't even begin to wrap their minds around that concept anyway, so it'd be a total waste of time to even try.

Life's too short.

At some point you just have to realize & appreciate that truth & accept the fact that it's not worth your time &/or energy. It does no good with some; however, these people - this vocal minority, as well as their counterparts on the hard right - actually constitute nothing more than just a few percentage points of our country's population.

Why in the hell should we let these people dictate our future?

***** 

A few thoughts from men much smarter than yours truly:

"The U.S. Constitution is the most unique & best contract ever drawn up between a people & their government in history. Though flawed from the beginning, because all men are flawed, it nevertheless has served us well & set an example for the entire world..."

Dr. Ron Paul
OB/GYN, former US Congressman & Presidential Candidate

And a question:

"Can a nation rise above the injustices of its origins and, by its moral purpose & performance, atone for them? All nations are born in war, conquest & crime, usually concealed by the obscurity of a distant past. The United States, from its earliest colonial times, won its title deeds in the full blaze of recorded history, and the stains on them are there for all to see & censure: the dispossession of an indigenous people, and the securing of self-sufficiency through the sweat & pain of an enslaved races. In the judgmental scales of history, such grievous wrongs must be balanced by the erection of a society dedicated to justice & fairness. Has the United States done this? Has it expiated its organic sins?"

Paul Johnson
Famed Historian (not the former techie head coach) & the author of "A History of the American People"

Regarding Dr. Paul's statement - Absolutely.

Regarding Mr. Johnson's question - Yes, in my thorough analysis & estimation, though, naturally, we continue to create that More Perfect Union.

Continuing on this journey, to me, is definitely the way to go, rather than devolving into some marxist anarchy where it's only power for power's sake & the tenets of fair play, plain dealing & an adherence to the Golden Rule are totally discounted.

That's the way I see it.

Very Kindly Yours,

Marshall Benson McCart
North Covington, GA
29 July 2020

The Esoteric South - Talkin' Southern

*originally appeared in The Covington News.

Marshall McCart - The Esoteric South 

Talkin' Southern 

Living, working and growing up in the South, I love the sights of our region. The magnolias are distinctive and the weather is always warm keeping things lush and green most of the year.

But there are also the sounds to enjoy, too. And I’m not talking about the cicadas in the summer and the marching bands and referees whistles of fall’s football season. I’m talking about the way us Southerners talk.

Here are a few examples I’ve noticed throughout the years, and I’m sure you can relate to.

Fellow vs. Feller vs. Fella

While these three terms may all seem similar there are very important differences between them to the trained ears of a Southerner.

A fellow is a righteous and honorable sort. He is a man that aspires to greatness and a true gentleman who always wants to do things the right way. A fellow pretty much always does the right thing, even when it isn't popular. Fellows are usually very hard workers and always take the high road. They can easily deny their own ego and self-interests and work hard to be the men they're supposed to be.

A feller, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of everything I just mentioned. Fellers are a shifty, seedy and shady bunch. Prone to backsliding, they're always looking for the easy way out and in doing as little as possible to maintain. A feller having scruples and honor? Not hardly. Basically fellers are just good ole-fashioned no-accounts. It's all about them; they care nothing of honor or doing the right thing.

A fella, the category that this writer — and most of us, I think, for that matter — belongs to, is someone who tries very hard to be a fellow but has the tendency, at times, to be a feller. We can touch greatness and are usually doing things the right way, giving us a shade of being a fellow. However, sometimes we just can’t help ourselves from getting out of our own way, unfortunately finding ourselves as fellers some of the time. Hey, it happens. As Ray Goff would say, we just try to "work hard to get better." Usually we do okay; sometimes it depends on the weather. Or the state of the world, or how much bourbon we've consumed, or how the Georgia Bulldogs are doing in a given season and whether or not we lose to Auburn, Florida or Tech.

Bonus: A felon is a fella or a feller, and sometimes — very rarely — a fellow, who gets caught and convicted by the Law, for a serious example of being a feller.

Oxford College & the City of Oxford, GA

*originally published at About Covington to Madison magazine 

The city of Oxford, just north of Covington, is a lovely city that has a rich and unique story. The city has a shared and intertwined history with Oxford College of Emory University (originally called Emory College). First envisioned in the early 1830's by the Georgia Methodist Conference, the school was chartered in 1836 and was named for Bishop John Emory. Of the original 1400 acres deeded for the school, it was decided that 330 acres would become the town of Oxford and would be laid out next to the college. The name Oxford was chosen as it was where John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, had attended college in England.

The town would be incorporated in 1837, and the town lots were originally sold with a 999 year land lease that stipulated that “no intoxicating liquors shall be sold, nor any game of hazard allowed.” Although the lease rights were later converted to fee simple ownership, the restrictions on land use remained and throughout much of Oxford's history, no drinking; games of chance; or even profanity were allowed. In fact, an Emory student had to go to court in the 1920's for swearing in public. Through the years, both the city and college have grown.

When Emory moved to its Atlanta campus, the college went though some transformations but is now a 2 year liberal arts college of the Emory University system. The city of Oxford was declared the sixteenth shrine of the United Methodist Church in 1971.

To have been a college that may have had a few hundred students at any given time, Emory at Oxford has produced some very notable alumni. First and foremost would have to be Alben W. Barkley, the 35th Vice President of the united States of America. Barkley was Truman's running mate in the 1948 election that everyone thought the Democrats would lose but ended up winning. Barkley is widely credited with coming up with the line, "Give 'em Hell, Harry" and was also the first VP to be called "The Veep." Prior to that, he was a Congressman from Kentucky who served in both chambers from 1913 up to his VP role. He was Majority Leader of the Senate from 1937-1947. He would serve in the Senate again afterwords until his death in 1956. Barkley graduated from Oxford in 1900.

Again, to be such a small school, it is amazing to me that they can lay claim to a Vice President and a Supreme Court Justice! Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar (September 17, 1825 – January 23, 1893), attended Oxford in the early 1840's graduating in 1845. He was born down the road in Putnam Co. and after attending Oxford, moved to Mississippi and practiced law there. He would move to Covington, Ga in the 1850's and started his political career as a state Representative. Later, he would move back to Mississippi and was elected to the U.S. House. After the Civil War, he eventually became Secretary of the Interior in Grover Cleveland's administration until he was confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice in 1888. A historical marker on Floyd St. in downtown Covington is dedicated to Lamar.

Another fascinating and interesting bit of Oxford College history has to do with Dooley, the "Spirit of Emory." Dooley is kind of the unofficial mascot of Oxford (Emory has their own as well). First documented in the late 1800's when he wrote a letter to the campus newspaper, Dooley's story is quite interesting, indeed. Originally a skeleton in the Science Dept., Dooley's legend would grow through the years. To this day, he is still a vital part of both Oxford and Emory. I actually had the rare privilege to see Dooley in person at Oxford sometime in 1994 or 95. Learn more here and here.

The Lovely Town of Newborn, GA

From the October 2013 edition of About Covington to Madison magazine. Additional online-only content can be found below at the end of the original article. Thanks for reading!

The Lovely Town of Newborn, GA

Lots of Exciting Things Going On...

Howdy folks! Hope all is well out there. I'm glad so many of you enjoyed my 2013 UGA Football Preview in the last edition of About Covington to Madison. Looks like my prediction for the Clemson game missed the mark, but what a win against South Carolina! Hopefully we'll continue to improve and grow as a team and achieve the results that we all desire. Go Dawgs! 

This month I'd like to write about one of my favorite places in all of Georgia – good ole Newborn, GA. As a few of you might remember, my second column ever in this magazine published back in the Spring of 2009, covered this fine town. As I said then, “Newborn holds a special place in my heart as I lived there for four years after my Athens days. And I must say - I think of my time in Newborn often and fondly.” It's true. There's just something about that place. I still feel it now when I visit.

Originally named Sandtown (or maybe Cross Road), the Newborn area was first settled in 1819 making it the oldest settlement in Newton Co. with the exception of Winton (Brick Store). Newborn’s history is full and ups and downs. There was a time when there was a bank, hotels, multiple stores, a theater, and a thriving train depot. As was the case with many old, small towns in Georgia, the railroad was its lifeblood, and like so many southern towns, the boll weevil was its biggest detriment. And naturally the Depression did no favors for the area, either. And there were other tragedies as well. But through it all, Newborn survived, which is not always the case. Just look at towns we’ve covered like Webbville (Factory Shoals) or New Berlin (North Oxford) here in Newton, or Smith's Mill or Leakesville down in Jasper as well as several others in this general vicinity that would end up dying and returning to nature. But not Newborn. There's a resiliency there – you can feel it.

Newborn and her people are also rather unique. Some might say eccentric. Well, their motto is “A Town With Characters,” and that would be an apt description. Maybe there's something in the water. Regardless, it's just a really cool place with some very good people. And there's so much history in Newborn. And that ties in to one of the things I wanted to cover in this piece...

Zeigler-Childs Building (Town Hall)

A new book is being released next month about the history of this town. Newborn, GA — Characters, Places, Tales is a 500+ page book written by 8 different contributors under the name of The Happy History Committee of Newborn. The book has many different stories and accounts of several long-time Newborn residents and families and many historical events. There are upwards of 500 pictures in this book as well. And as I understand it, there's a good bit of stuff about the late Jeanette Zeigler. As anyone who knew her would tell you, Ms. Jeanette was simply a marvelous woman. There is also a lot of content about families like the Pitts, Childs, Epps, Adams, Webbs and others. There is a good bit of information specifically about John Pitts, the Union sympathizer who hosted Sherman during his March to the Sea, and the one person most likely responsible for why Newborn wasn't burned to the ground. A very interesting story that's in the book that I hadn’t heard about deals with a shooting at the Childs Store in 1916 when Ole Man Estes gunned down Clifford Childs over a land dispute. Man, I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book!

TPC Real History: Wm McCart Guns Down Doc Smith

*originally published at The Piedmont Chronicles. January 2019. 

~ The Piedmont Chronicles ~ 

Wm McCart Guns Down Doc Smith

Weekly Intelligencer 

Atlanta, GA | 13 July 1870 

*from the Covington Enterprise

*------------------*

"FATAL SHOOTING -- On Sunday last, July 3, Mr. D.M. Smith, familiarly called "Doc Smith," was shot near Pitts Old Mill, about 2 miles from the town of Newborn, Newton Co., by Wm McCart. Mr. Smith had struck Mrs McCart, mother of Wm, in a difficulty about her children's absence from their work on his farm (the mother & children being in his employ), a week before the shooting. William went to talk to Mr. Smith about the affair on the fatal morning, and found him in his cow pen. Mr. S said he did indeed strike Mrs. McCart & asked if he took up the quarrel. Upon receiving an affirmative reply, Mr. Smith moved as if to approach Wm who then drew a revolving pistol & fired the first ball, striking a cow, and the second wounding Mr. S in the arm & breast, causing his death in a few hours. McCart then fled & has not been arrested. The Coroner's Jury returned a verdict in accordance with these facts. -- Covington Enterprise"

###

Article from the July 13th, 1870 edition of the
Weekly Intelligencer

Circa 1870 revolving pistol

Fascinating bit of history there. Though my Great-Great-Great Grandfather & my Great-Great Grandfather were both named William, and both resided in Newton Co. during this time, based on my research & the particulars involved, I'm not necessarily sure it was either one of them (would have to have been the younger; however, based on my info, his mother died in Abbeville, SC before they moved to Covington in 1850. Also, he didn't die until 1915, and remained in Newton Co. (Starrsville) until he went home to Glory). At this point, I think it may have been my first cousin, possibly five-times removed, also named William McCart, originating from the Gwinnett McCarts, who did end up moving away (fleeing the authorities?) to Coffee Co., AL, at around this time, based on my research. Please know, this is pure conjecture on my part. Interesting, though, no? 

Map of Newton Co. circa 1870
Notice the large size of Newton Co. when it still included what would later become Rockdale Co. Also, no Mansfield, as it wouldn't be founded for another approx. 35 years. 

Regardless, the moral of the story is this:

Don't strike somebody's Mamma, lest you find yourself shot dead!

Hope you enjoyed that. More to come like this here at TPC. Most of these stories will not involve my family, but they will be heavy on crime & murder. 

As always, thanks for reading,

MB McCart

What Exactly is the Georgia Piedmont?

*originally published at The Piedmont Chronicles in 2013 

This is a blog post I've wanted to do for sometime. Some of my readers in the Georgia area probably already know the basics behind this question, but I'm sure there might be others who don't really know what exactly makes the Piedmont the Piedmont. Since this geographic region is the namesake of this blog, I thought I'd do a little primer. Hope you enjoy...

From Natural History at www.uga.edu

First off, one must remember that the great state of Georgia is fairly unique in that it has five different, defined geographic regions: Appalachian Plateau, Ridge and Valley, Blue Ridge, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain. And in actuality, you could say we have six regions if you separate the Coastal Plain into upper and lower as many do. Very few states in the Union share this much physiographical diversity.

The Georgia Encyclopedia has a very good write -up on the Georgia Piedmont so check that out when you can. Basically, this region is characterized by rolling hills and gentle valleys. Most of the region lies on large pieces of rock and granite (think Stone Mountain) but with a thick layer of saprolite on top. Saprolite is the famous Georgia red clay that many of us here are quite familiar with.  The Piedmont region begins up north at the edge of the Appalachian mountains and goes down to the fall line that separates it from the Upper Coastal Plain.

Cities like Atlanta and Athens are in the upper part of the Piedmont region while Macon and Augusta are right at the edge to the South. Many of the counties I've written about in the past such as Newton, Morgan, Jasper, and Walton are pretty much right in the middle.

For many folks, what makes the Georgia Piedmont such a beautiful place are the trees and vegetation. Thick with Oak and Hickory varietals, the woods of our area are truly sights to behold. For more information on this aspect of the Georgia Piedmont, please visit the Georgia Nature Blog and read specifically about the trees and flowers that are indigenous to this area.

For more information on the Georgia Piedmont, visit these following sites:

• The Georgia Department of Natural Resources
• The UGA Museum of Natural History 

Georgia Historical Markers

As anyone who has ever lived in or driven through Georgia can tell you, we are fortunate to have a ton of historical markers dotting the landscape of our fine state. If you've ever wondered about one, or have been curious to learn of others, here is where you need to go:

• The Georgia Markers Intro Page from Georgia Info, a wonderful resource made possible by Galileo and the University of Georgia
• The Georgia Markers Table of Contents Page  
• Georgia Markers Listed by County

Warning! You can spend hours on this. It is so interesting! You can also search at the Georgia Historical Society, but I feel that Georgia Info is the much better resource.

So, learn a little bit about the great state of Georgia, and have a blast!



P.S.--National Register of Historical Places is also a great website to visit if you've got some spare time.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Time’s A Comin’

*from the December 2009 issue of About Covington to Madison magazine

Hey everyone. So glad to be back with you again. Wow, December already! It’s hard to believe. Time really does seem to speed up as we get older. But the Holidays are upon us once again and that makes me very happy. Christmas…man, it just doesn’t get much better. A celebration of faith, love, and fellowship—it’s obviously a very special time of the year.

What is Christmas exactly? That answer can be as varied as the people you ask. For a lot of us, Christmas is a celebration of the Lord Savior Jesus Christ as we remember his entrance to our earthly world. But Christmas is also simply about love. Love of our fellow man. Love of our families and friends. And love of the things we hold most dear. While Thanksgiving is certainly about giving thanks, Christmas, for me, is just as much about gratitude. It is also about the spirit of giving. But what about the history of Christmas?

The roots of Christmas go back to the Romans. They had a festival called Saturnalia that celebrated Saturn, the god of agriculture, marking the end of the fall harvest and honoring the winter solstice. During the heyday of Rome , this was the festival and was considered the most important time of the year. Other cultures and other peoples in other parts of the old continent also had celebrations around this time of the year. In the early years of Christianity, church leaders were looking for ways to help spread the Good Word, so in the 4th century A.D., they adopted the time of Saturnalia as the “Feast of the Nativity.” Within a couple of centuries, it had stuck and December 25 to this day remains the celebration of Christmas. 

For many of us, Christmas always brings back memories of being young and anxiously awaiting Santa. The origins of Santa Claus are as interesting as the origins of Christmas itself. It starts with St. Nicholas, a monk born in the 3rd century who gave away all of his wealth to help the poor and sick. He was known as “Sinter Klass” by the Dutch and this would turn into Santa Claus by the 18th century. The image of Santa that most of us have with his red suit, large belly, and white beard can be traced back to the drawings of Thomas Nast in the 19th century and further reinforced with ads from the Coca-Cola Co. in the 1930’s.

There are many wonderful Christmas stories throughout the annals of history but perhaps there is none better than the story of the WWI Christmas truce. In 1914, on the fields of Flanders  German and British troops were squared off in their trenches fighting a terrible war. Then on Christmas Eve, German troops lit candles and started singing Christmas carols. The British followed suit and in no time, a truce had been called and the fighting stopped. Germans and Brits exchanged gifts, spent time together, and even played soccer. This phenomenon occurred in several other places along the battle lines and in some cases lasted all the way until New Year’s Eve. To me, that is a story that truly captures the Christmas spirit. 

The History of Starrsville, GA

  *originally appeared in About Covington to Madison magazine.

 Starrsville, GA

Howdy folks! Hope everything is going everybody’s way. I’m glad so many folks enjoyed the last column on the “lost towns” of our area. It really is fascinating stuff! And a special thanks to the Mansfield Garden Club for inviting me to speak to their organization about that and other local history. I had a wonderful time and really enjoyed talking with you wonderful ladies. This month—the long-awaited write-up on Starrsville.

Starrsville, GA

Approximately 6 miles southeast of Covington , Starrsville is one of the oldest communities in Newton Co. Originally settled in the early 1820’s by the Starr family, it would become a full-fledged community by the early 1830’s with a general store, a church, several farms, and a post office. It was situated at the intersection of Dixie Rd. and what we now call Hwy. 213. The centerpiece of this village was the Starr Store Building that was originally run by George Leak and John Starr. It would later be known as King’s Grocery. That building no longer stands but a historical marker can be found at the site that gives more information. The aforementioned church, Starrsville Methodist, is one of the area’s oldest churches as has been a pillar of this community for upwards of 180 years. This area would come to be known as Old Starrsville. More on that in just a bit…

As was mentioned in the Hayston column, when the C of G (Central of Georgia) ran the RR tracks, some towns were created ( Mansfield ) but some locations were picked because there was an existing village (Hayston). Starrsville was an instance of the latter with a bit of the former. Originally, the tracks were going to be brought right through the heart of Starrsville by the general store, but these plans were changed. I read in one resource that it was changed to go further north based on a decision by the C or G presumably based on cost-analysis or feasibility. But in doing a bit more research, I’ve discovered that possibly the residents of Starrsville at the time did not want the tracks and that’s why it was moved. Regardless, the line was moved and so a new village sprouted up in the 1890’s and was called New Starrsville. Old and New Starrsville remained intertwined as a community.

What the old folks used to say vs. that's what they say

*originally appeared in The Covington News in May of 2017

As a young boy I fondly remember my Grandmother talking oftentimes about what the old folks used to say. The old folks used to say this; this old folks used to say that. The old folks had a lot of things they used to say, and I always got a kick out of hearing about it. As a rule, the old folks were good people who believed in doing the right things and doing things right. They believed in hard work, fair dealing & living the Golden Rule (the original one, not the other one). They sounded like good old folks to me.

One thing that really stuck out to me, as a child, was just how old these old folks must have been. Because if my Grandmother was talking about them, they had to be fairly old, because my Grandmother was old. But then she'd talk about hearing about what the old folks used to say when she was a little girl. "Man," I thought to myself, "these old folks sure were old!" She would also talk about her Grandfather, my 2nd great grandfather, and the man I was named after, talking about what the old folks used to say, and that got me really thinking about how old these old folks were. But once I heard from my Grandmother that he remembered his parents and other older relatives talking about hearing what the old folks said when they were children...well, I knew that we were talking about some really, really old people here.

The old folks used to say you never should plant your garden until after Easter. Now, I didn't have any real scientific data on this or anything, but I can recount at least a few instances in the past few years where people I knew who planted their crops before that holy day ran into trouble because of a late frost. So, don't plant until after Easter. That's what the old folks used to say.

A lot of what the old folks used to say were basically proverbial sayings, or proverbs. "You can catch more flies with honey than you can vinegar," or, "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," and many others of the like. Based on what I've found, at least some of these probably wind their way all the way back to the days of antiquity. Regardless of how old the saying, expression or thought was, it seemed to be carried through generations and generations of existence through oral tradition. Folklore. So, there again, when we're talking about what the old folks used to say, we are indeed talking about some really old folks.

[MBM] - Reaching Nirvana Through Lawn Maintenance

The Esoteric South 
Reaching Nirvana Through Lawn Maintenance

By Marshall McCart

* originally appeared in The Covington News in 2016

Cutting grass is a passion of mine, and I believe it to be good for the soul. I truly do.

Now, that statement probably comes as a great surprise to some of my neighbors in and around the North Covington historical community. They'd probably speak to this in the contrary, and, if so, I'd probably not have much to say to dispute it. However, I think I've got a pretty good excuse. For most of the last year or so our lawn mower has been broken, and while we've tried to pay folks to cut it a fair amount, it's just so much harder to put it high on the priority list when we have to dish out money. In addition, I've been known to have a propensity for laziness, and it's just been so hot! And maybe the whiskey sometimes plays a role...

In fact — truth be told — the last time the grass was cut, after our lawn mower was fixed, it was my lovely wife who cut the grass.

There was a time in my life when I used to concern myself whenever she'd cut the grass (so you can tell it's been more than once). I'd think to myself something along the lines of: "Man, the folks around here are going to think you're a total and absolute no-account." I used to concern myself with this but not anymore. No, I finally learned to embrace it. It's like the lyrics to "Good Hearted Woman." I realized, ultimately, that it was a win for Yours Truly. "That rascal Marshall McCart," they'd say. "He won't even cut his own grass. Poor ole Ann has to do it."

For the record, she says she likes to cut grass. Therefore, in my mind's eye, I'm just helping her to be happy and reach Maslow's concept of Self Actualization, right? We do what we can here, folks, I'm just happy to help!