GEORGIA HISTORICAL MARKERS
Location: 8 miles South of Blakely on Three Notch Road at Damascus-Hilton Road Marker Dedication or Erection Date: 1998 Erected by the Centerville United Methodist Church and the Historic Chattahoochee Commission, 1998.
SIDE 1: The Centerville Methodist Church was organized in 1891, and the people of the community erected the first church building eight miles south of Blakely on the Three Notch Road. It was a pine log structure with posts in the middle section for support and two single doors for entering the church. The original floor joists and ceiling trusses, which were made of whole pine logs, are still in place. A wood stove was placed in the middle of the room to warm the congregation. The church was dedicated on August 7, 1898, with Reverend C. C. Lowe serving as its first pastor. In 1976, the social hall was added and synthetic siding installed.
SIDE 2:
CENTERVILLE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Ben Johnson and his wife, Miss Ellie attended the DuBose Methodist Church located six miles away until they were caught in a rainstorm that frightened their horse. In an attempt to get a church nearer home, Ben Johnson and Dick Mock rode for several days before finding someone to donate land for the church. Most of the land in the area was mortgaged because of the Civil War but Elian Harper deeded four acres to church trustees, Ben Johnson, Sam Roe Johnson and John King to be used for a church and a cemetery. Miss Ellie named it Centerville because it was in the middle of the community.
Location: Coheelee Park, at the covered bridge, 9 miles southwest of Blakely, Georgia on Old River Road neear Hilton Georgia, off Georgia Highway 62 Marker Dedication or Erection Date: October 31, 1980 Erected by the Historic Chattahoochee Commission and the Early County Historical Society, 1980.
Side 1
COHEELEE CREEK BRIDGE
According to the May 2, 1883 minutes of the Early County Board of Commissioners, a commission was appointed to "inquire into the practicability of construction a bridge across Coheelee Creek at McDonald Ford." However, the construction contract was not let until July 7, 1891. Cost of labor was $490.41 with J. W. Baughman serving as supervisor and W. C. Sheffield, Chairman of the 1891 Commissioners.
Side 2
FANNIE ASKEW WILLIAMS PARK
The Fannie Askew Williams Park, a picnic area adjacent to Coheelee Creek Covered Bridge on Old River Road, is maintained by the Early County Board of Commissioners. The land was made available to the county in 1959 by the late John H. Williams, of Blakely, and bears the name of his first wife. The Peter Early Chapter DAR serves as custodian of the Park.
Location: Georgia Highway 92, two miles south of the bridge Marker Dedication or Erection Date: December 22, 1985 Erected by the Historic Chattahoochee Commission and the Early County Historical Society, 1985.
Constructed in 1891 by the Early County Commissioner, this relic of by-gone days is the southernmost covered bridge in the United States. The bridge consists of two spans, measuring 96 feet in length. Of the queen-post truss modified design, it stretches across Coheelee Creek with its picturesque waterfalls. The Fannie Askew Williams Park, a county maintained picnic area, is adjacent to the bridge. Coheelee Creek covered bridge is located two miles north of Georgia 62 on Old River Road. On May 13, 1976, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Location: Georgia 62 West, at Hilton, Georgia. Erected by the Historic Chattahoochee Commission and Friends of Hilton School, 1994.
In 1855, Anthony Hutchins and a group of local citizens built a two-story cotton mill of handmade bricks, fired in Early County, on the north side of Harrod's Creek. The mill, known as the Early County Manufacturing Company, was constructed to spin the cotton produced in the area. It was powered from the falls on Harrod's Creek. Thread from the factory was sold to the W.C Bradley Company in Columbus, GA. The mill operated for two decades before closing in 1876. Trespassers burned the abandoned structure on March 17, 1927. Over time the name of the creek changed from "Harrod's" to "Old Factory."
* Orginal marker was placed on 10-31-1980. The marker was damaged beyond repair. A new marker was erected in 2002, with a slightly different text. Marker has been stolen from sight.
Location: Georgia 62, Hilton, Georgia (on the road to Coheelee Park) Marker Dedication or Erection Date: April 24, 1994 Erected by the Hilton United Methodist Church and the Historic Chattahoochee Commission, 1994.
The Hilton Methodist Episcopal Church, South was organized in 1850. The first church was erected one mile southwest of Hilton on the Lower River Road. This structure was sold after the Civil War and services were then conducted in an arbor. E. Hilton deeded land to the church trustees for the present site on November 1, 1889. The pegged-frame building for the Hilton United Methodist Church was built in 1890 and the social hall was added in 1973.
Location: This marker has been stolen Marker Dedication or Erection Date: November 1, 2002 Erected by the Historic Chattahoochee Commission and the Early County Historical Society, 2002.
In 1855, Anthony Hutchins and a group of local citizens built a two-story cotton mill of handmade bricks, fired in Early County, on the north side of Harrod's Creek. The mill, known as the Early County Manufacturing Company, was constructed to spin the cotton produced in the area. It was powered from the falls on Harrod's Creek. Thread from the factory was sold to the W.C. Bradley Company in Columbus, GA. The mill operated for two decades before closing in 1876. Trespassers burned the abandoned structure on March 17, 1927. Over time the name of the creek changed from "Harrod's" to "Old Factory."
Location: Zion Free Will Baptist Church, 856 Zion Road, Blakely, GA Marker Dedication or Erection Date: January 15, 2006 Erected by the Historic Chattahoochee Commission and the Early County Historical Society 2005
The school was established prior to 1879 and consolidated with Hilton School in 1925. It served as a Free Will Baptist Bible School for young ministers from 1930-1942. Reverend T. B. Mellette was the instructor and Reverend K. V. Shutes was president during that time. In 1942 the school was moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and is currently known as the F. W. Baptist Bible College. Since 1942, the school building has been used for worship, fellowship, and related community activities.