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Dick's Hill, Georgia
by Ed Williams
My boss was talking to me the other day, and in the course of our conversation he mentioned that he had just talked to an old friend who lived in Cackle Corner, Georgia. Naturally, I figured I was getting my leg pulled all the way to Texas and back, so I told him so. He responded by saying that he was telling me the truth, and that I should go and do some research so that I’d see he was right.
Well, I took his advice and did a web search for Georgia cities and towns, and happened to find a site where they had all of them listed. Sure enough, I found a listing for a little community here in Georgia called Cackle Corner. I dutifully reported back to my boss that I’d done the research and found that he was right. He nodded, accepted my remarks graciously, and then added that I‘d better be thankful that I hadn‘t been raised up in Destitute Acres, Georgia.
Destitute Acres, Georgia. A quick look back at the web site showed me that this, too, is a real Georgia community. From that, I figured it might be interesting to go through the entire list and see what other unusual community names might be out there. It took me maybe about an hour to do it, and y’all won’t believe the names of some of our less publicized Georgia communities. So now, as a public service, I’m going to list some of them for you, and even add in a few thought provoking opinions by each . . .
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GASS - Probably the place where chili dogs originated in Georgia, or maybe baked beans. FIFE - The little known birthplace of the most famous deputy sheriff in America. SPRITE - A resort community for rich Coca Cola company executives. TRICKUM HILLS - I’m not gonna offer any opinions as to how this name came to be, but my best advice for anyone reading this would be to not buy any used cars there. TAIL'S CREEK - This is actually one of two adjoining communities, Tail’s Creek is the southern most one, and the northern most one is named Head’s Creek. FLEA HILL - Not the place where you want to board the family pet when you’re headed out on a vacation. PO BIDDY CROSSROADS - The last place in Georgia where a widower wants to look for a new bride. CRANE EATER - Needless to say, I wouldn’t patronize any of the restaurants there. JAY BIRD SPRINGS - Few people know this, but this was probably the first nudist colony in the state of Georgia, its name shortened from the original, “Naked As A Jay Bird” Springs. [Note from Ye Editor: "Uh huh. And Ed will fib for a good story. Don't be fooled. I understand this is a beautiful resort . . ."] VEGA - A community for ex-Chevrolet executives. FROGTOWN - What happens when you locate a community too close to a large pond. SHOULDERBONE - An attempt at the first planned community in Georgia. Had this been successful, future communities named Kneecap, Appendix, and Elbow were planned. NAMELESS - The community where scientists first came up with the concept of generic branded products. |
There are also some other names that y’all might get a kick out of, but, in order to keep my editors happy, I won’t offer any opinions or commentaries regarding them. They’re as follows: Dick’s Hill, Hix, Tee Pee, Abide Awhile, Cabbage Town, Hothouse, Peter Point Oaks, Skullhead, Dewy Rose, and Water Pipe.
If y‘all would like to take a look for yourselves at the names of these and other towns in our state, you may do so by pointing your browser at the following web address (URL):
. . . and you can see for yourselves all the varied and colorful community names that we enjoy. In fact, I could write ten more columns about this, but I’m pressed for time right now. Retirement isn’t all that many years down the road for me, and I’m gonna do some research on what the property values are like over in Willacoochee, Georgia. For some reason, this seems like the kind of place where I could really enjoy my remaining days.
BIO: Ed WilliamsBorn in Forsyth, Georgia, Ed was raised in Juliette and is a proud product of the Monroe County public school system.
His life took a decided turn in 1995 when he bought a home computer and began writing down wild old stories about his upbringing in Juliette. These stories, through an unusual series of events, were published in 1998 in hardback under the title, Sex, Dead Dogs, and Me: The Juliette Journals.
Ed’s book started out in four bookstores in Macon, Georgia. Through word of mouth and the internet, eight months later he was being stocked nationally in the Books-A-Million chain. In December of 2000, Southern Charm Press (Atlanta) purchased the rights, and published the book in paperback. Since then, Ed's second book, entitled Rough As A Cob: More From the Juliette Journals, has been released (March 2003) in both hardback and trade paperback formats by River City Publishing. His third book, tentatively titled, Honin' The Tulip: Yet More Juliette Journals, is currently being considered for future publication.
Recently, Ed appeared on the Georgia Public Radio program, "Cover to Cover," and has begun writing a weekly nationally syndicated newspaper column called Free Wheelin'. He is in demand as a speaker, and is already being compared to some of Georgia’s most noted humorists.
Ed’s new book, Rough As A Cob, can be ordered by calling River City Publishing toll-free at: 877-408-7078. You can contact him via email at: ed3@ed-williams.com, or through his web site address at: Ed-Williams.com.
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Thanks!
COMMENT from Denise Best:
I am the owner of Jay Bird Springs Resort & Family Fun Center. I have had a couple of people say they read about Jay Bird Springs being the first nudist colony in the state of Georgia. I feel like Ed Williams was just fabricating interesting names with possible origins, however, since we are still in business (and not in the nudist colony business) I would appreciate the real story being told next time.
This property has an old legend attached to it, claiming that a man once injured his leg in a logging accident. The stranded logger followed a jay bird to a natural spring bubbling up through the ground, and it is said this mineral spring water healed his leg.
I would like to invite you all to Jay Bird Springs to have a "look-see" sometime when you are in our area.
I enjoyed the article!
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