One of the joys of travels with NOT is that he always seems to find the time to see things off the beaten track.
Recently he visited Andersonville, Georgia and the only U.S. Monument to a Convicted War Criminal.
Up in the northeast part of the state is Elberton, which bills itself as the Granite Capital of the U.S., probably because there are dozens of granite quarries there and it's the basis of the city's economy.
In fact, Elberton is the home of the Elberton Granite Museum and Exhibit.
(That's NOT threatened by the Elberton piece of granite.)
The museum is open Monday to Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m. for your enjoyment. The museum hosts the Argo Spire, which, at over 50 feet tall, is believed to be the tallest single piece of granite in the world.
The museum is also the home to "Dutchy" often called the "Yankee Confederate." Following the Civil War, the city commissioned a statue to be erected in the memory of the Confederate soldiers. Local craftsman Arthur Beter was commissioned to create the statue. Beter was an immigrant, and legend has it that he never saw a confederate soldier. The completed memorial was unveiled in 1898.
Locals immediately took a dislike to the statue, who wore a Federal looking overcoat and kepi cap instead of the Confederate style clothing and traditional flop hat. On observer declared him to be "a cross between a Pennsylvania Dutchman and a Hippopotamus" giving rise to his nickname "Dutchy."
Beter left town soon after the unveiling.
For about 2 years, Dutchy stood guard over the town square until one night in August 1900, when according to local accounts, he was overcome with the heat in his northern garb and in a whimpering wish for a drink, fell backwards off his pedestal, breaking both his legs off. He lay on the ground, aided by some locals, for a day or two until he was ceremoniously buried at the base of the pedestal. Notably he was buried face down - a symbol of disgrace usually used for executed traitors.
There Dutchy lay for 82 years, until April 1982, when he was exhumed from his resting place, and shined up by being run several times through the car wash. In the intervening decades, the granite business in the area had grown to a multi-million dollar industry, and with the opening of the Granite Museum Dutchy was uncovered to become an exhibit.
Because of his "fall from grace" his legs were broken, and now he lies on his back, face up finally, on a gurney in the museum.
Another famous Georgian honored in statue form is the late Ray Charles. His rendition of "Georgia on my Mind" has been enshrined as the state song. He was born in 1930 in Albany, Georgia. A few years after his death in 2003, the city decided to honor him with a park along the city's river walk.
Along the sides of the walkways, the black keys of the keyboard are raised, producing duck sized benches for sitting and reflecting upon his musical accomplishments.
At the heart is of course the man himself, at his piano, with hidden speakers playing some of his famous songs.
Jamie Foxx won an Oscar portraying Ray Charles in the movies. Tommy Lee Jones portrayed another famous Georgian in the movies - Ty Cobb, the "Georgia Peach." One of the respected players in Major League Baseball, he was also one of the most reviled, known for his propensity to play aggressively or dirty against opponents, as well for his racism. Cobb was born in Royston, and is buried in his home town.
He lies today in a family crypt.
