Civil War Articles by Julian WilliamsWilcoxes Had Rare Photograph At Jacksonville Heritage Day
This article was compiled by Julian Williams.
Once a year we have to take a break from our history articles to put something in about a very special event celebrated at Jacksonville, Georgia - Heritage Day. Of course, it is about history, too - and other things.
Heritage Day at Jacksonville was started last year and I, for one, had grave reservations about how it would come out (succeed). My apprehensions were not at all justified because I saw quickly that this was no half-hearted effort. It was like the whole character of the small town was up for the world to inspect. And, boy, were those folks over there ready for inspection! Never had I seen so many people and vehicles (and animals) in a parade in that small a place. People came from everywhere.
Heritage Day 2000 was much like Heritage Day 1999 but it had its own flavor. Representative Roger Byrd was there again and made some award presentations and received a beautiful quilt. There were also awards this time for Outstanding Senior Citizens and no better choices could be made than Mrs. Garlena Culver and Mr. George (Brat) Wells. Not only was Mr. Brat accorded this honor, but he got right up from where he was sitting and belted out a gospel song, all by himself, whose rendition would make your hairs stand straight up. His voice at 83 years is still strong and under control. Makes you know that many times we get results if we give the effort. Mr. Brat and the Five Stars of Harmony have put in many a year of singing. Such as that gives a little town like Jacksonville a lot of pride.
And, really, many of the gospel singing groups last Saturday were from places nearby. Stanley Wells didn't sing but he sure sat tall when Charity Land, his granddaughter, was up on the stage displaying her great singing talent.
Pete Warren was the master of ceremonies. Pete identifies himself as the son of Leroy and Ophelia Warren. That's about as high a recommendation as a fellow can address to himself. Pete did a great job. Pete came back to Jacksonville and built a home. He is retired from keeping IBM straight with its computers. In fact, he was at one time one of the eight men in the whole country chosen to instruct other technical experts in diagnosing special problems associated with the operation of the personal computer.
James Strickland and Jerry Williamson were everywhere. "Strick" had made some little carts for the children to ride in. He and Jerry have mechanical skills which would be hard to measure. About the time you think there's a limit, they will come up with something else.
Terry Neal, the Mayor, was also everywhere. The young man has certainly put his whole energies into trying to improve the town of Jacksonville and get it on the move. Terry moves a lot of things, including real big buildings. He moved some school houses for us over in Coffee County. He and his crew moved Paulk School fifteen miles to Douglas. It is now part of Westside School.
But with all the hoopla and parade, music, speeches, hot dogs, meeting old friends, and just reminiscing, I will have to say the two things that made my day as much or more than anything were items one of the Wilcoxes and one of the Lowes came up with. First off, Bill Lowe approached me with the original 1927 check his father, Jim Lowe, owner and manager of Jacksonville Chevrolet Company, made to General Motors. Mr. Jim Lowe was quite the entrepreneur and we will have more on him later. Bill wanted me to keep that piece of history in a safe place for future generations to enjoy. I will certainly do my best in that regard.
The next surprise I got was when Aunt Gertrude Wilcox Williams and her daughter, Diane, told me they had found a picture of the old Jax Theater. Now, to the uninterested or uninitiated passerby, the picture of the "Jax" wouldn't cause too much excitement. But to the boys and girls, and many adults, of the old Jacksonville of the 1940's and early 50's, the Jax was a beloved shrine of almost continuous entertainment. The steady stream of visitors to our town - Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda, Buster Crabbe, Hopalong Cassidy, Fuzzy Q. Jones, Tom Mix, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Bob Steele, Lash LaRue, William Holden, James Stewart, John Wayne, and the other good guys and bad guys - kept us all in a permanent state of bedazzled transfixation. We looked forward to "The Return of Frank and Jesse James," "Yellow Sky," and "The Outlaw," more than we did the coming of the county fair or a trip to Jay Bird Springs.
Not only did the "picture show" provide onscreen entertainment. The loudspeakers were exposed to the real streets of Jacksonville and those sounds of singing bullets jumping off rocks and the threatening voices of some bad desperadoes might have stimulated some of the local citizenry to some of their rowdiness, especially if they had already been fooling with forbidden spirits.
And there were the prize nights when drawings would be held and if you were in the lucky seat you would get the prize. One night John Russell Clark and I were arguing over a seat because both of us thought it was the winning seat. As I remember, I finally gave up the seat to John Russell and took another seat and bless my bones, that turned out to be the winning seat. It was a huge box of candy and we all ate for a long time. John Russell, like the rest of us, went to the show as often as possible. One night he turned up missing at home, past bedtime. The theater was opened and it revealed a fast asleep John Russell Clark.
Stanley Wells led the first boycott in Jacksonville when he crusaded against raising show ticket prices from nine cents to twelve cents. He hated losing that three cents worse than he regretted losing some swamp land down on the Ocmulgee when the river decided to cut straight through to Swain's Landing, changing the land line.
But with all the good memories of the "Jax," there was not a photograph - until Aunt Gertrude Wilcox Williams and Diane found one in some of their stuff. The Willcoxes/Wilcoxes (same people) always come through. Now we have a photograph of "The Jax" and can share it with others.
Buster Vaughn built the Jax about 1947 or so. Uncle Horace Williams ran it awhile, long enough to get his finger painfully caught in the projector. Cecil Bowen had it awhile and made me wash the wall down where I had dutifully placed the initials of my girlfriend (whom I will not name to prevent her embarrassment). Tic Dunn and his wife from Fitzgerald ran it awhile with the help of John and Ruby Brewer. Dean Dopson served at times as projectionist. Aunt Hazel Williams Wilcox sold tickets. Uncle Bunk Bowen (Cecil's father) and Aunt Will ran it at another time. Many people made an effort to keep clean entertainment at Jacksonville. And we will never forget them or the institution they so faithfully administered. And now we have a picture to go with the memories of "the picture show."
It was a beautiful day at Jacksonville, Georgia, on Saturday, October 21, 2000. Heritage Day 2000 was a success beyond all expectation. Many worthy citizens were given awards for lifetimes of unselfish and effective service. That was nice.
PS - The post office stamp of The World Record Bass caught at Montgomery Lake, Jacksonville, Georgia, arrived late but Postmaster Jean Horne has the stamp. The stampings are done for only 30 days. Be sure to get one - or more. If you want the 20 historical pictures about Jacksonville be sure to let me know - you can leave a message at 384-7178.
Credits:
Gertrude Wilcox Williams and Diane Williams Rogers;
Bill Lowe;
Hazel Williams Wilcox;
all the participants in Heritage Day 2000.
