Road Trip...

If you've read my blog for a bit then you probably know that I have a great love of the abandoned, the weird and wild, and the random kooky or spooky roadside attraction.  So, when I recently stumbled across an article outlining a 12 1/2 hour trip around my state of Georgia with the focus on some of the ghost towns found here, well, I immediately started my own research and planning my travels.  With over 75% of most known Georgia ghost towns less than 3 hours from Athens it should be easy peasy to see (or in some cases, revisit) the majority of them this summer.  That's my plan anyways!

Believe it or not, I've already been to a few since I've moved here.  In March of this year I visited Apalachee, Georgia and took lots of pictures of the renovated (but not used) schoolhouse.   And almost 4 years ago me, Brady and our dearly departed Miss Vienna took a jaunt to the kind-of-hard-to-find Scull Shoals Ghost Town right on the river.  Juliette, where they filmed Fried Green Tomatoes is another I've been to during our scenic driving explorations although I don't have photos from there so I'll have to go again.  Little did I know that there were so many others nearby or I would've done the whole trek years ago!

The other ghost towns near me are:

Godfrey, GA 

Not far south of us near Apalachee and Scull Shoals lies what remains town although nothing is really known about it other than it was incorporated in 1906 and has since ceased to exist.  Supposedly there's a few buildings remaining that are somewhat picturesque.

White Sulphur Springs, GA

This town started as a health resort and became quite popular in the early 1900's.  Alas, the stock market crashed, the owner could no longer afford to keep the hotel open and the town slowly died out.  All that remains are a few remnants - foundations, stairs, a crumbling fountain - but there are pictures to compare the 'then' with the 'now'.  My only conundrum is that it's on private property and I feel odd mucking about on someone else's land?  The road is public so maybe I can just take shots from there...or I could ask the owner for permission to do a short exploration?  Hmmm...

Auraria, GA

This is the one I'm most interested in for a number of reasons.  Auraria was a town built around the first findings of Georgia gold rush 1832 and is in fact named after the Latin word for gold - aurum.  Until the precious metal was found in California in 1848, Georgia was the mecca for miners and adventurers...but all of that had darker sides including leading to folks taking land from the Cherokee as well as being a huge part of the creation of the Trail Of Tears.  I've been told that my maternal family has genetic ties with both Cherokee and Creek but I'm still learning a good deal about my possible heritage.  Regardless, I've been interested in learning more about native tribes for a while now and while I'm visiting the ghost town I'll also be paying a visit to the Yahoola United Cherokee Museum.  Balancing out my education to include various viewpoints and experiences and histories is the least I can do when I'm exploring my state.  I know it isn't much but I have an interest in some things that can, and sometimes do, have darker sides or cultural ramifications so I think it's important that I try.  I suggest going here, here and here to learn more about the part of north Georgia and how the rush affected the Cherokee.

Livingston, GA

I've driven past here a bunch on my way to visit Waycross, Ga but never knew that there was a ghost town lurking in the shadow of chimney stacks in the distance.  From Native American villages to de Soto visiting to a missionary station, Livingston has had a colorful past that is now represented by a few simple abandoned structures.

Mountain View, GA

Originally named Rough And Ready, GA (yes, really!) much of the town was absorbed by the Atlanta-Hartsfield Airport after a corrupt politician unincorporated it in the 1970's.  Before that it was a stagecoach stop, a known speed trap and a footnote in Gone With The Wind.  I don't know what's left but I'm going to find out!

Bonus!  How about a ghost town that is under water?  Read here about the town of Burton now covered by a lake carrying its namesake.  It's sad to know that folks had to watch their homes flood.  People have said that lake scuba divers can still see where the town stood on the bottom of the lake floor.

Now for the ones that are a bit of a drive:

New Ebenezer, GA

Protestants from Salzburg, Austria founded this 'religious utopia' of a town near Savannah in the late 1700's where it thrived until the American Revolutionary War caused more damaged than the residents could recover from.  It was officially abandoned in 1855 but the church, one of the oldest with members still congregating in the state, remains.  Currently there is a massive archeological exploration happening on the town's original site so it should be very interesting to see what they uncover about life during those times.

Troup(e)ville, GA

You know, I lived in Valdosta for 10 years and I know I had to gone by here numerous times but I had no idea about the history of Troup(e)ville nor can I recollect anything about it.  Weird, eh?  Especially considering how the success of the town depended on riverboats on the nearby Withlacoochee River (what a name) before the railroad changed everything.  Georgia river boats?  How could I not have known something?  I'm fairly certain it's now just an empty field and a state marker but I'd still like to see it next time I'm down that way.

Researching ghost towns has also led me down a rabbit hole of abandoned places that I'd love to visit...like the Georgia Girl Drive-In.  I also found some great ghost stories including a bunch that are about Athens although there are some seriously silly ones in there.  Go here to read about them.

And don't forget to take a peek at some of my more unusual adventures:

The Smallest Church In America (Or At Least The South)

The Tree That Owns Itself

The Georgia Guidestones

Shaking Rock Park

Cryptozoology Museum

And here's a link to the article that I used as a guideline.

If you're in the Athens area or surrounding area and are interested in visiting a town or 2 then feel free to email me (gritsandmoxie[at]gmail[dot]com) and we can road trip together!