Athens, Georgia - Clarke County, Ga. and the City of Athens (part 2 of 3)

The general surface of the district is uneven and hilly, being broken by the deep valleys of the Middle Oconee river and McNutt's creek, as well as by the waters of Bobbin Mill creek and numerous small branches. Some of the farming lands lie well for cultivation, but the larger proportion of the district may be classed as hillside land. The district has about 55 percent, of its area in woodland, the remainder being cleared and under cultivation.

The town of Princeton is incorporated and has a population of 225. Most of it is built on the lands of the Princeton mills. It takes its character from the presence of the cotton mill, in which most of the inhabitants are employed. Two stores, a school, a church and Sunday school and a blacksmith shop are also found at this point.

The mill building is a large two-story brick structure well lighted and affording ample room for the machinery. Thirty-five hundred spindles and one hundred looms are in operation. The motive power is drawn from the Middle Oconee River at this point where a large dam with 1 5 feet fall gives nearly 500 gross horse power. Of this the mills now utilize 125 H. P. by means of turbines. The possibility of enlarging the plant is easy in the light of the unused power at hand. The company was cap- italized at $60,000 in 1836 and later a re-organization took place in which the capital was made $65,000. It is entirely owned by the heirs of Dr. J. S. Hamilton, and operated as a stock company with J. S. Hamilton, one of the heirs, as president and general manager. The mills now turn out ducks, osnaburgs and a fine grade of cotton rope. One hundred and ten operatives are

It is not incorporated, but sixty or more people are congregated in a small area in easy distance from the mill. For a number of years the mill has been used to make the various grades of wrapping and news paper. The company did business in this line until 1 890. For the past years the plant has been idle, but has been reorganized under the name of the Alpha mills for the manufacture of cotton given employment, and the monthly pay roll amounts to $1400. This excellent property can be purchased from the present owners, through J. S. Hamilton, 1 16 acres of land being part of the property.

The district is at present traversed by the main road from Athens to Watkinsville, which passes directly by both Princeton and the Paper mill. A new road is now being opened, as shown on the map, which crosses the river two

Of this amount about $70,000 represents the property of the two large factories, leaving $54,285 as the value of farming lands in the district. The average price of improved land per acre from these figures will be $9 per acre. That portion of the district on the east of Middle Oconee river is valued at a much higher figure, ranging from $12 to $40 per acre ; while the western part shows by recent sales a value of from $4 to $6. The principal land owners in the district are G. E. Heard, Mrs. John Sansom, Robert Connally, T. J. Epps, David Gann, J. A. Hunnicutt, John Couch and the two factory companies.

Church and school buildings are located at Princeton and the Paper Mill, and Mars Hill Baptist church in Oconee county is in easy reach of many. The churches in Athens are also frequented by a number of the residents of this district. Two colored schools are also in this district.

Outside of the two factories there are several mill sites in the district. Jennings Shoal on Middle Oconee River is now unused but was formerly employed to run a large grist mill. The Bobbin Mill is at present closed down, but has a good power and is equipped for the manufacture of bobbins. Epps Gin on McNutt's creek is an excellent power, now applied for ginning purposes. Stores.

The district comprises twenty-four farms. Eighteen with white and six with colored owners. The farms are not very large, and much of the land is difficult of cultivation. Good returns, however, are secured from the uplands and the soil is strong and fertile. The tenant system is practised to some extent. Crops.

The usual crops of corn, oats, and cotton are generally grown. Of these the district annually raises 500 to TOO bales of cotton, 3000 to 4000 bushels of corn, and 1200 to 1500 bushels of oats. Remarks.

The district lies very near to Athens and will be greatly advanced by the opening of the new road. This road crosses the river by easy grades on each side, and will doubtless, become a favorite thoroughfare.

Athen'S District The City Of Athens

6,603 acres, 10.4 square miles, including the city of Athens, with an area of 3,506 acres, and adjoining lands to the amount of 3,097 acres, The citv limits are marked by stone posts on all the roads leading out of Athens, and the jurisdiction of the city extends one and one-half miles in every direction from the University chapel.

The city is near the center of the county on a parallel to the southwestern boundary. The northwest and southeast corners of the county, as measured by the public roads, are each 11^2 miles from the center of the city. Latitude is N 33° 56' and longitude 83° 21' west of Greenwich. Athens is 60 miles east of Atlanta, 107 miles north of Macon, and 115 miles northwest of Augusta. The main portion of the city is on the west bank of the Oconee river at an elevation of 180' above the river, and 750' above sea level.

several small streams that lead into that river. The main ridgetop is gently undulating, and is outlined by the path of the electric car line on the city map. The gound slopes away from this ridge with rapidity, and the city is quite hilly and uneven in consequence. Building of the better class has in the main clung to the ridge and its numerous spurs, while the hillsides are dotted with the home of the colored people. The aspect which the city presents to strangers is a very pleasing one. Wei built and imposing structures mark the business portion of the town, and many handsome residences, with beautiful grounds, are found on the residence streets. The ante bellum architecture of large porticos, with enormous pillars after Grecian types, stand in charming contrast to many handsome modern edifices. The city is almost a continuous grove of oaks, and the large grounds surrounding the houses are beautiful with evergreens, exotics, and grassy swards.

The principal business streets of the city are Broad, Clayton, College avenue, Oconee, Lumpkin, Foundry and Jackson streets. Most of the important buildings are located on these streets, within the fire limits, as shown on the map.

The principal residence streets are Prince avenue, Milledge avenue. Hill street, Cobb street, the Boulevard, recently opened ; Barber street, Hancock avenue, Thomas street, Hull street and Bearing street.

The First Methodist church, First Presbyterian and First Baptist churches are located in the heart of the city. Emanuel Episcopal church is at the junction of Hill street and Prince avenue, and the Roman Catholic and Christian churches are also on Prince avenue, but nearer the business portion of the city. The grounds of the University campus form an attractive feature of the city at the head of College avenue. The Lucy Cobb institute and chapel are permanently situated on Milledge avenue, and the Home school on Prince avenue.

That section of the city on the east of the Oconee river bears the name of East Athens. It covers a large area and is already thickly settled. The electric lights have been extended to this section, and the water mains of the works now under construction, will extend through the main streets of East Athens. Property is comparatively cheap in East Athens, audit is an inviting field for the purchasers of homes. Its recent growth has been very rapid, and a large number of new houses are in process of erection. F"our bridges, at short distances from each other, form a close connection between it and the business portion of the city. The people of East Athens are energetic and thrifty, and they constitute a sturdy and important part of the city's industrial development. Historical.

Much of the history of Athens is elsewhere told in connection with the articles on the county and on the University. Its foundation in 1806 and its classical name, its complete identification with the educational interests of the State for many years, and the rivalry which its growth engendered, with the town of Watkinsville, resulting in the division of the , county, have all been noted. But other interesting facts remain appropriate to the object of this sketch. The early government of the town was in the hands of a town council, and the chief executive ofificer was known as the Intendant. The charter at that time was very circumscribed and yet satisfactory to the people. In 187:2 the present charter was granted and the first mayor and council were elected early in that year.

The social life of Athens in antebellum days had many marked peculiarities. The town had attracted by virtue of its educational advantages a large number of wealthy and cultured people; the history of the State is dotted at very frequent intervals with the names of Athens men. The University commencements were occasions of most lavish hospitality, and scarcely a home could be found at such times that did not hold a distingushed guest. As there were no railroad facilities, for many years, everybody came in private carriages ; those from Savannah and the lower portion of the State making Athens their stopping place on the way to Madison Springs and the picturesque summer resorts around Clarkesville and Tallulah Falls. Those concerned in the affairs of State followed the Governor and Senatus Academicus to Athens and all were accorded a generous welcome. Many of the political slates in State and national politics were concocted at such times in the handsome drawing rooms that fringe the University campus. Before an audience of this description, made attractive by beauty as well as renown the young recipients of college honors made their best bows and delivered their best speeches.

tion from far and near gathered to celebrate a holiday. Dressed in their Sunday best and gorgeous in all the hues of the rainbow, they surged around the hundred booths in which the toothsome of tarts, fried chicken and gingerbread were dispensed for a moderate sum.

The political significance of the University's commencement has been lost in the reorganization of its trustees ; and the homely custom of the negroes has gradually become a thing of the past. But the commencement of to-day is still a notable intellectual and social event in the State and attracts the attendance of large numbers of the alumni and friends of the University.

The growth of Athens, since it has been a city, has been rapid without being hollow. No gigantic booms have struck the town, and yet in ten years the tax returns have nearly doubled. The interests of the city are no longer entirely based on the University, but have attained a vigor and extent in the commercial and manufacturing lines which are influential over a large adjoining area. The advent of railroads has been frequent. In 1846 the Georgia railroad was built from Augusta to Athens, in 1875 the Northeastern railroad was built to Lula to connect with the Piedmont Air-Line. In 1887 this same line was extended southward, under a different company, to make connection with Macon, and in 1891 the city welcomed the G. C. & N. R. R., which passes through on its way to Atlanta. So that now the city ranks as an important railroad center, and has excellent traffic arrange, ments to the great east, to the equally great west, and to the southern seaboard at Brunswick, Savannah, Port Royal, Charleston, Portsmouth and Norfolk. Marking the steps in manufacturing, two cotton mills, two large foundries, two large planing mills, two ice factories, an oil and fertilizer mill, and other smaller enterprises, are now in operation. Marking the city like acquisitions, a gas company has long been in operation, replaced in part by electric lights furnished by the same company since I8y0; waterworks built in 1882, and now being substituted by a more abundant supply ; electric cars in operation since 1891, public schools begun m 1886^ a paid fire department since 1891, sewers and paved sidewalks at the same date. Bonds have been issued for paving the streets with belgian blocks and macadam, and before long this much needed improvement will be consummated.

City Government

The city of Athens was constituted a municipality in 1872, under a charter from the General Assembly, which is liberal in its privileges and duly guarded against the abuse of power. The government is in the hands of a mayor and council chosen by popular vote.

The mayor of Athens is the chief executive officer of the city. To be eligible for this office a citizen must be at least twenty-five years of age and a resident of the city for the two years immediately preceding the election. The Mayor has genral supervision of the city affairs, presides over the meetings of the council, enforces all city ordinances, and through the medium of the mayor's court imposes fines, imprisonment or work on the city streets, for violation of these ordinances. The salary of the mayor is fixed by the council, and at present is ;^1,200 per year. The term of office is two years from the month of January succeeding the election. The present incumbent was elected for the years 1892 and 1893.

The city council is composed of eight aldermen, two of which are chosen from each of the four wards into which the city is divided. The term of ofifice is two years, but it is arranged that one alderman from each ward goes out of office annually and the vacsncy is filled by election. An alderman must be at least twenty-one years of age and a resident ot the ward he represents for the ten days preceding his election.

Are charged with large power, notably with the determination of the tax rate, with the collection and expenditures of the same, with the choice of all other city officers than themselves, with the fixing of all salaries and with the auditing and payment of all accounts against the city. They control the city affairs at present through the following standing committees appointed by the mayor from the members of the council : On Public Property. On Streets. On Markets. On Railroads.

(a) C/cj-k of Council, a most important officer, who has charge of the city records and acts, and is treasurer of the city funds. He likewise receives all payments of city taxes. He receives a salary of $2,000 and is chosen annually.

(c) Fire Dcpartuient, the city is now provided with a paid fire department supported out of the general taxes. The force consists of a chief officer and 10 assistant firemen. They are provided with a splendid equipment, and an electric fire alarm communicates with the Presbyterian church bell and the engine houses. This department was installed in 1891 as successor to a volunteer fire department which v/as noted throughout the State, both for efficiency in times of need and for skill and quickness in the various competitive contests in which they took part. A large number of prizes have been brought proudly home from Augusta, Columbus, Rome, and other cities in the State. But the city has grown and modern methods have come in to make the city even more secure from loss by fire.

(d) Board of Health, consisting of five members, is annually appointed to inspect all portions of the city and report nuisances. This work is also looked after by a special sanitary inspector, and by the city physician.

(e) City Engineer. The care of the streets, the laying of sidewalks and pavements, the construction of sewers and waterworks, have made the office of City Engineer one of great importance.

Commissions. The city has recognized the wisdom of dealing with special questions of city government through the medium of commissions, or boards chosen by and acting under the authority of the Council, or under general laws endorsed by popular vote.

In this way it comes about that the question of public education is duly in charge ot the board of education, that a sewer commission was charged mth. the construction of the sewerage system, that three water commissioners are now engaged in the erection of the city water works plant, and that the vexed question of the sale of intoxicants is regulated by a body known as the Dispensary Com mission. The latter commission deals with a question of so much general interest that it will be proper to give in detail the plan under which its work is done, and some account of the steps leading to the adoption of this method.

The city of Athens had licensed bar rooms during the early part of its history. In 188n the prohibition movement took strong shape and carried the county under the general local option law of the state. This prohibition law stopped the sale of all intoxicating beverages, save by duly licensed drug stores who could make sales only on the prescription of a physicion. This plan worked badly. A large amount of liquors was sold illegally, and it was well nigh impossible to convict offenders. Such a state of facts brought on another fight, and an election on the question in 1891. The outcome of this struggle was the present dispensary plan carried by eleven votes, but which has worked so well that to all appearances the whole community is satisfied with the decision. The matter stands now where it will require a special legislative enactment to bring the question to another vote.

First. That spirituous liquors are a commodity, if for no other reason, on account of their medicinal value. Therefore the people are concerned simply in regulating the sale, not in its prohibition.

Second. The sale of such liquors, if left in the hands of those who have a pecuniary interest in the amount sold, will be greater than in answer to the voluntary demand.

Fourth. If the price of sale be made low, the violation of the law by illegal sellers is largely precluded on the general business principle of competition.

Accordingly, the city has established its own dispensary, under the direction of three commissioners, who have sole power of regulating the sale of liquors in Athens and Clarke county. These commissioners have elected a manager who is paid a fixed salary of ^1,500. All liquors sold are first analyzed by a chernist and pronounced pure. The sale is made in quantities not less than a half pint, put up in sealed packages, and not to be consumed on the premises. No loitering on the premises is permitted. The doors are opened from sunrise to sunset. The manager can refuse sale to an intoxicated person, or to one whom he has reason to suspect of purchasing for re-selling. No sale to liquor dealers can be made, and no individual can buy at one time more than two gallons. The price may not exceed 50 per cent, profit on the original cost. The dispensary was started by funds from the city treasury, which have since been paid back, and it is now run on the accrued profits. All profits over and above running expenses and stock are annually divided, proportionally, between the city and county, llie manager furnishes bond in $2,000.

One of the three Commissioners goes out of office each year. His successor is nominated by the two remaining Commissioners, and elected by the City Council.

Waterzuoi'ks. The city up to this time has rented its supply of water for city use and fire protection from a private company. This has proven unsatisfactory, and bonds have been floated for the construction of a new plant, supplying 1,000,000 gallons per day, of pure, filtered, freestone water. By the addion of extra filters, the plant will readily furnish 2,000,000 gallons daily. Nearly sixteen miles of mains will be laid to distribute the supply throughout the city, being double the length now used by the pri-

The city purchases its electric lights and gas lamps under contract from the Athens Gas and Electric Light Company. The electric lights swung high in the centre of the streets are placed about eight hundred feet apart on the main streets to the number of 56, and gas lamps at street corners to the number of 42, are used on less important thoroughfares. Together the two kinds of light make a very effective and complete systen in all parts of the city.

grading and surfacing has been done and bonds are voted for the pavement of the principal streets with Belgian block and Macadam. Already a large part of the city is furnished with brick sidewalks built partly by the city and partly at the expense of property owners. Usually the expense is divided, lyi to the owner and i^ to the city, the work being done by the city street force.

The city levied for 1892 a property tax of 10 mills on the dollar, a street tax of ^2.00 per poll, and special taxes on business enterprises. The annual report of the clerk of council will show in detail below, the receipts and expenditures of the city, the assets of the same and the outstanding obligations:

Poperty Of Whites

Household and kitchen furniture 211,299 00 Live stock and vehicles.. ... 77,117 00 Books, pictures, silverware, jewelry, watches, clocks, etc.... 83,741 00

Property Of Colored Anb The City Of Athens

The city officers subject to popular vote are elected on the first Wednesday in December, and enter upon the duties of their offices in the January following'. All officers hold over until their successors are qualified. Voters in city elections are subject to the registration laws of the city.

The use of primary elections by which candidates are nominated avoids much friction and unpleasant features in the conduct of the elections.

Education

The educational facilities of the city of Athens have always been the most distinctive feature of the locality. The county was born with the opening' of the University of Georgia, and the city was given its name under the same influence. They both have owed much of their growth and advancement to the presence of that institution. The city of Athens, known as the classic city, had for many years no interest of large import outside of the University, and it still continues to be profoundly influenced by the numerous excellent educational institutions which have sprung up in the cultured community around the University. Athens is recognized as the most important seat of learning in the state, and the claim is supported by the presence of the University, the Lucy Cobb Institute, the Home School, the public schools of the city, and several private schools of much merit.

The general progress of education in this section began with the University's establishment, and has kept pace with its growth. The Academy system had its representative in Athens until 1884. The poor school fund, unfortunate in name, accomplished some good in the early years of the county. But the primary education here, and in the State never had a very vigorous organization until the public schools were established by the State in 1S77. As a factor in female education, the Lucy Cobb Institute was founded here in 1858, and has become the most noted school for N'oung ladies in the State. Subsequently, in 1865 Madame Sosnowski, a most accomplish lady, opened the Home school, affording an excellent training and home life for the young ladies in her charge. The public schools of Athens took their place in the work in 1886 and were wisely planned and brilliantly carried out. The duty of educating the colored population has been well cared for since 1870, and has comprised the maintenance of the Knox School, and various other private schools for the colored people. At present the city of Athens gives to this class of children equal advantages of instruction and equipment with the whites.

The University of Georgia, which has found its permanent home in Athens, comes down as an heritage from the days of the American Revolution. Within two years after that war, the Legislature of 1784 passed the act which granted

40,000 acres of the best public lands in the counties of Washington and Franklin for the establishment of a public seat of learning, and in the following year ofave a charter to the institution under the name of Franklin College. This charter was laid down on broad and abiding principles, constituted the college as the head of the educational system, and gave its president and governing board general supervision over the entire system of academies and common schools aided by public funds.

Franklin College was located at Athens in 1801, after much hesitation; the final choice being determined by the gift of 633 acres of land by Governor John Milledge, upon a portion of which the college buildings now stand. The site was a beautiful one, upon the high hills overlooking the Oconee river, near a clear, cool spring, and beneath the shade of majestic oaks and hickories, which covered a favorite trysting place of the Cherokee Indians. The same year a contract had been authorized to build as a dormitory, the building still in use and known as the Old College. Josiah Meigs, LL. D., at the time Professor of Natural Philosophy in Yale College, was elected President, and for ten years la bored under almost insuperable difficulties to raise up an institution of learning. Quoting one of his successors in office: "The Israelites had not a harder task when required to make brick without straw, than President Meigs, when, under such circumstances, he was required to raise up, in a few years, an institution which would compare with those of New England. President Meigs commenced the exercises of the University when no college building of any description had been erected. Recitations were often heard and lectures delivered under the shade of the forest oak ; and for years

The first commencement was held in 1804 in a rustic arbor, amidst the gathering of a few friends of the College, and witnessed the graduation of ten young men with the honors of the institution. Other states have overcome obstacles in building up their universities, but none of them have ventured to send forth their young offspring with an infested wilderness for a habitation, and without a roof for its head. Yet, for ten years. Dr. Meigs braved these dangers, and graduated more than fifty men with the regular A. B. degree.

But having thus secured a foothold, the University has continued to grow; always surrounded by difficulties and antagonized by influential elements in the state, but wisely managed by such men as Moses Waddell, Alonzo Church, Andrew A. Lipscomb and Patrick H. Mell. The periods of most marked expansion in the University have the dates of 1859 and 1872. At the former radical changes in the curricula and disciplinary methods took place whereby a greater importance was given to scientific studies and tutorial espionage was abolished; at the latter date the addition to the landscrip fund materially modified the organization of the college by the establishment of the State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. From the latter date the University of Georgia became the legal title including under separate faculties the Old Franklin College for classical training and the State College for scientific instruction. The head of the institution became known as Chancellor of the University of Georgia. Various changes have taken place on the governing board of the institution, starting with the Senatics Academicus (the

And The City Of Athen.S.

State Senate and a board of trustees),then a board of trustees of large number, until the present board is reached, composed of one representative from each congressional district, four from the state at large, two from the city of Athens, and ex-officio the Governor of the state, and the president of the local boards in charge of the Georgia Technological School, the Girls Industrial College, and the College for Colored Youths, all branches of the parent institution. Under the State Constitution of 1887 the University is the sole recipient of public moneys for higher education, and as such has a number of branch institutions.

The organization at present embraces Franklin College, The State College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts, Academic and Professional Schools in Mathematics, History, Physics, Chemistry, Ancient and Modern Languages, Geology, Agriculture, Law, Medicine, and Engineering ; The Georgia Technological School ; The Girl's Industrial School ; The College for Colored Youth ; and branch colleges at Dahlonega, Thomasville, Cuthbert, Hamilton and Milledgeville. Of these Franklin College and the State College, all the academic schools and the professional schools of Law and Engineering are located in Athens.

The chancellor of the University has supervision over the entire institution. The departments at Athens are arranged under the management of. The General Faculty for both colleges ; the Academic Faculty for Franklin College ; the Scientific Faculty for the State College; and the law Faculty for that school. The academic faculty is provided with a dean as presiding officer, and the State college has its separate president.

as being thorough and substantial in every department. Regular courses of four years each are arranged leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Letters, and Bachelor of Science in the Franklin College; and to Bachelor of Science, (special). Bachelor of Engineering, and Bachelor of Agriculture in the State College. Masters degrees are likewise offered upon successful completion of additional work. Each year beginning the first of January, a special course adopted to the needs of farmer's sons is available. It is given at a time when the farms can be left with greatest ease, and fills a need that has long existed in the State. Every opportunity is given to students in special subjects to pursue their studies at the University, certificates beinggiven when honestly deserved. The admission requirements are made comparatively low, (embracing English, Mathematics, Latin and Greek) but the gates to higher classes and graduation are opened only by steady effort and intelligent progress on the part of the student. The tuition in the academic schools is free to all young men of Georgia above the age of sixteen.

The institution is thoroughly equipped for all branches of its work - with a splendid library for general and literary purposes, with special libraries for each department, with magnificent scientific apparatus and laboratory facilities in the schools of Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Engineering, and with an excellent farm in charge of the professor of Agriculture, and for the use of students in that subject. The buildings of the University are large and the rooms well fitted with benches, desks, maps and blackboards.

work is characterized by conscientious and intelligent effort. The relation between professors and students is one of marked sympathy and friendship, and cases where severe discipline is needed are practically unknown. The fundamental principle of the management of the students comprises the treatment of one gentleman towards another, combined with a firm policy of removing quickly those men who are disposed to idle. The faculty is in earnest and the men who attend the University must adopt the same spirit.

The college men are wide awake, generous and democratic in their ideas. Athletics and military claim a fair share of their attention and conduce to healthfulness of both mind and body.

The University campus covers 37 acres in the heart of the city, on which eight large buildings for college purposes are now built. The property of the institutions as represented by its buildings and splendid literary and scientific equipment will aggregate at least four hundred thousand dollars. Its annual income is nearly forty-five thousand dollars.

This well-known and admirably managed seminary for young ladies has been a prominent institution in Athens and in Georgia since 1858. It was founded in response to the demand that Athens, which was doing so much for the young men of the state, should not be behind hand in its services to its own lovely daughters. The importance of the idea impressed itself most strongly on Gen. Thomas R. R. Cobb, and the success of the movement is due to his strong efforts in raising the funds necessary. The movement was begun in 1855, ^ charter obtained in 1859, and the sum of ^25,000 raised among the citizens of Athens was expended in building the handsome and permanent structure in which the institute is still carried on. The original projectors of the institute looked chiefly to home patronage for its support, and it was at first called the Athens Seminary for Young Lad es. The death of Gen. Cobb's daughter during the erection of the building determined the present name as a fitting memorial to the efforts of its founder, and a touching evidence of sympathy with him in his distress.

The Lucy Cobb Institute, as it has ever since been called, was a success from the first. The opening session showed 155 names enrolled as scholars, and subsequently the school has been favored with a large patronage. The building contains boarding accommodations for sixty, and the boarding department is limited to that number.

The work of the institute has long since been broadened beyond local patronage. The alumnae of the school mclude many names from every section of the state, and every year witnesses a new list of applicants for admission far in excess of the vacancies to be filled This gratifying state of facts speaks volumes for the wisdom, thoroughness and efficiency with which the institution is now managed.

The school was first opened under the care of a gentleman of Northern birth, Mr. B. M. Wright by name, who conducted the school well, but whose intense views had little sympathy amongst Athenians in the opening days of the war between the states. His resignation took place in a few years, and the institute was for a short time in the hands of Mr. Muller and Miss Lipscomb as associate principals. To them succeeded Madame Sosnowski, a cul- tured and refined Polish lady, who for ten years carried on the school with ability and success. Upon the resignation of Madame Sosnowski, Rev. Dr. Jacobs was placed in charge, holding office during one year, and followed by Mrs. A. E. Wright, who was for ten years the principal of the school. Upon the resignation of Mrs. Wright, in 1880, the present principal, Miss Mildred Rutherford, was placed in charge. Her selection has proven a very wise one, and for thirteen years her energetic conduct of the school has strengthened and broadened its work in every department. She has placed the institute on a footing where its merits attract more patronage than can be accommodated, and where its claims to distinction amongst seminaries for young ladies are second to none in the South.

This result has not been attained without the expenditure of much time and energy on the part of all the excellent teachers connected with the institution. Nor could it have been done under a system of education less broad and progressive in principle, and less strongly carried out in practice.

The present organization of the institute includes under its management a boarding department and day school for resident pupils. No such distinction is made in the class room, where the classification is based on the relative advancement of each scholar. The school does not adopt the principles of formal examinations for entrance, but the regular class room work and the passage to higher errades is determined on written examinations. The regular courses of study lead to diplomas in the Latin and English Course, the French and English Course, and the English Course alone. The requirements for these courses are prescribed and are well chosen with a

The departments represented in the general curriculum of the school, are those of Science ; Languages, including Latin, French and German ; Music, vocal and instrumental ; English, including history, general and current literature, grammar, rhetoric and composition ; Elocution and Physical Culture. Special classes are provided with instruction in drawing and painting, and in dressmaking. Special lectures, with experiments on scientific subjects, are delivered by prominent gentlemen from^ time to time.

In apportioning the time for study and recitations in the several departments, care is taken to secure the mastery of each, and thereby to give the pupil a well-rounded and wholesome development.

The attention which is given to well directed physical culture deserves special commendation as being a most essential factor in a proper system of female education. The work in current literature, which is used to direct the attention of the pupils to the marked events and questions of the time, is a step in advance over most schools, and one which gives a zest and relish to general study. All the departments are in the hands of cultured and experienced educators, and are conducted with great ability and success,

The home life of the Institute is full of brightness and variety, taking the form of private concerts, charades, and games amongst themselves, or an occasional entertainment of a literary, musical or social character at which the friends of the young ladies are present.

very thorough. The rooms, parlors, library and school rooms are handsomely furnished, and the domestic arrangements are very complete. In addition to the main building, a handsome chapel, the gift of George I. Seney, of New- York, seating 600 people, and with -excellent stage arrangements, is of ser vice in the public exercises of the institution. A fine or^an is built in the

The Lucy Cobb Institute does excellent educational work - keeping abreast of the times, securing the best instructors, and combining systematic and firm regulations with much gentleness and consideration. The diploma of the Institute ranks high and is won only by honest and intelligent work.

-chapel, thus affording the means of instruction on that instrument. The musical equipment in pianos is ample to give every facility for practice in that line. The Institute property covers four acres and is well shaded by large trees. It is situated on Milledge avenue, the handsomest residence street of Athens, and is itself an ornament to the avenue. The location is healthy, and much of the f j,vor in which the Institute is held is

The Home School for young ladies, under the care of Madame Sosnowski and her accomplished daughter. Miss Caroline Sosnowski, has been doing splendid educational work for many years and is one of the best schools in the state. The ladies who are identified with its control came to Georgia just after the burning of Columbia, S. C, in which their large establishment at that place was destroyed. In the time which has since elapsed, nearly one thousand young ladies of this and the adjoining states have been educated under their care and are ready to testify to the charm and excellence of the training which they received, by the rare culture which they possess as well as by their words of praise. The Home School, as its name would indicate, claims no showy characteristics. What Miss. Porter's school, "The Elms," is to Massachusetts, large size. Miss Sosnowski desires not more than twenty-five for the boarding department, in the belief that a larger number would be ill suited to the method of instruction which she believes to be best, viz , that of developing each pupil as an individual rather than trying to mould all to the same model ; at the same time throwing around each scholar an atmosphere of culture and common interest in the pursuit of knowledge.

the Home School is to Georgia, a refined family circle where the young girls are constantly under the care of accomplished and kindly instructors, and are daily led to the fountains of knowledge and culture. There is no lack of system and order in the methods of instruction practiced, and the results attained are very gratifying to all who become acquainted with the pupils of this institution. The school does not aspire to a

This, she believes, is best done through the medium of a home school of moderate number, and where the classes shall never be so large as to allow the individuality of each scholar to become lost in that of the class.

In carrying out her ideas of education Miss Sosnowski has associated with herself a number of very talented and efficient teachers in order to secure to each scholar thorough and wisely planned instruction. The engraving given above shows the beautiful spot on Prince avenue occupied by the school, what broad piazzas and roomy grounds are at hand for exercise and pleasure. The picture does not show the well-furnished interior, the handsome pictures, the musical instruments, the well-filled library, which tell of the enthusiastic work which is done both by scholars and teachers in the field of literature, art and music. The young lady is fortunate who becomes an inmate of this excellent school, and every September witnesses the arrival of those whom fortune thus kindly favors.

The public school system of Athens has been, since its foundation in 1886, a source of constant pride to the city. Success has marked them for its own, and springs from the exceptional personel of the school board, and the no less excellent officers who have been placed in charge of the school work. Professor E. C. Branson, the organizer and superintendent of these schools, laid them out upon broad lines of policy and inspired the teaching force with a zeal for intelligent dealing with the problems of school work. The result has been a growing satisfaction amongst the taxpayers and an increasing interest and attendance by the children. Professor Branson resigned in 1891, and his mantle has fallen on Professor G. G. Bond, a gentleman well fitted to continue the work and thoroughly familiar with the details of modern school methods. To give some idea of the spirit in which the schools are managed, the following quotations from the several reports of the Superintendent, covering the chief points of school government, will be of interest : -

"A school into which a dozen or sopupils every morning reluctantly saunter,, a few minutes, or a half hour late, is a. school too poorly managed to be tolerated in an intelligent business community, where punctuality is a cardinal virtue."

" Methods of teaching subjects have begun radically to change since the days. of Commenius. But methods of discipline all the while and now, more than methods of teaching, have demanded reforms of the most radical nature. Public sentiment is always nearer right than the average autocrat of a teacher, who is ordinarily left alone in a school room to resort summarily to brute force whenever whim, or pleasure, or need happens to be the uppermost thing in the mood of him. The doors of school houses thrown open, visitors let in, the public eye searching^ every nook and cranny of the establishment, the true facts of the institution placarded upon public bulletin boards - and at once the instincts of common humanity substitute fairness, and gentleness, and justice, and mercy for much that before outraged them all."

"Teaching language instead of teaching grammar takes aliveness, ingenuity, and originality, endlessly in contriving materials and occasions for picture story work, for number-story work, and for observations of plants and animals and every day home occurrences, all to the end that in telling of these, habits and not rules of grammar may be established in the pupil.

" The Gospel of Humanity to Children is a blessed gospel to organize intO' schools. The short daily sessions of our schools, the short annual session, the:

Christmas and May intermissions, the frequent holidays are the part of wisdom, I take it. The danger of making excessive drafts upon immature nerve and muscle are very evident to those that daily watch the development of the minds and bodies of hundreds of children. I believe it to be wise to let the work of the schools be slow, if you please, and thorough, and at all times within reach of the child's powers when reasonably put forth. Meanwhile, to contend that education has to do with books and schools alone, and to deny to children a superabundance of sunshine, and air, and out-of-doors romping, the discipline of home duties, and contact with the love of parents, is to rob the child of most of the things he will have actual need for in life - a sound body, a healthily mind, and a strongly marked individuality, it may be. The play ground and the home develop strength of character as the school never can. ' What we do not call education is more precious than what we call so,' says Mr. Emerson, with great suspicion of truth.' "

These extracts present in strong relief the principles which are successfully enforced in the system as it now' exists. Visitors are always welcome and never fail to be favorably impressed by the methods and spirit of the teaching. Annual examinations are held for the teachers as well as pupils and proves a wise measure in preventing stagnation in the teaching force. The teachers of the school are young, bright and devoted, and their work is already telling upon the city life.

The whole range of instruction covers the progress of the little child from the alphabet to a good preparation for entering the University at the age of i6.

The accommodations for the pupils are ample and thoroughly comfortable and healthful. Excellent desks, maps, blackboards and other necessary equipments are provided liberally. Four large buildings are now occupied by the whites, and two equally comfortable structures are given to the colored pupils. The teachers are well and promptly paid. Tuition is free, except to non-resident pupils or those over i8 years of age.

On the list of private schools may be found several excellent ones. Mrs. E. A. Crawford has for a number of years taught with much success a school for children and young ladies. A similar

The profession of law, dentistry, medicine, music and divinity are strongly represented in Athens, both as to numbers and ability. There are 25 lawyers, 5 dentists, 12 physicians and 7 ministers on the list. The professional practice of many of them is large and lucrative. A number of instructors in school for children is in charge of Miss Julia Moss, and has an excellent attendance. The Misses Mell have a flourishing school in vocal and instrumental music. Miss Smith's classes in art are largely patronized and do much for the art culture of the city. A business college is kept open during the winter which offers good advantages to those desirous of a business) training.

Athens supports an excellent daily and weekly newspaper, which has a circulation through ten or twelve adjoining counties and reaches a population of about 70,000. The paper is known as the Athens Banner, and is edited by Mr.

T. W. Reed, a bright and versatile writer. The Banner is the official organ of the city and county, and has a large local circulation. Bntertainment.

The city has one of the prettiest opera houses in the South. Its seating capacity is about 900, and stage arrangements are large and commodious. During the winter season a number of excellent troupes occupy the boards and afford amusement to the community. Many of the best companies on the road annually visit Athens. The opera house is under local management, and is run with good taste and judgment.

Athens is well provided with Churches and Sunday-schools, and her pulpits are ably filled. The Young Men's Chistian Association has a very vigorous growth in the community, and owns a magnificent building in which its parlors, lecture hall, bowling alley, library and gymnasium are found. The rooms are always open and strangers are welcomed.

The main items of the religious life in a tabular form are given below, and when taken in proportion to the population, will show the general moral tone of the community.

White Colored

The present value of property, as shown by the tax returns, reaches the large sum of $6,385,145, on which a city tax of $1.00 per ^100 is levied. In 1882 the city was valued at $3,402,000. For -details of the distribution of this property, the reader is referred to the tables 'On page 16.

of the city are, Thomas Bailey, J. M. Barry, R. L. Bloomfield, Mrs. M. Bishop, the Carlton estate, A. K. Childs, tlie Hamilton estate, Y. L. G. Harris, J. A. Hunnicutt, Cobb Lampkin, E. S. Lyndon, R._ L. Moss, the F. Phinizy estate, R. K. Reaves, J. H. Rucker, the Athens Park and Improvement Co., the Lilly Land Co., James White, and the Athens Manufacturmsf Co.

Commercial Life Of Athens

The commercial life of Athens is char- :acterized by great energy and marked success. In proportion to its population and to the legitimate territory supplied, few cities can show so large a volume of business. It will not be far from accurate to place the aggregate volume of business in one year at twelve million dollars or more, and to make the following subdivisions :

The substantial nature of the business done in this section and the integrity of the business community are well known throughout the country. Drummers are ever eager to sell to the merchants of Athens in the assurance that the goods will be paid for. It is a rare thing to see a business house in Athens forced to close its doors. In all lines of trade the representative men are good business men and make a success of their work. Many firms do an unusually large business, and at least two houses may safely be placed at $1,000,000 of yearly business. Back of this volume of business stands a real property to the extent of $3,000,000

The strength and variety of business life in Athens is best realized in reading the following outlines of the personal and business policy of a few representative firms doing business in various lines.

It is fitting that the special description of the prominent business enterprises of Athens should begin with the above named company. Organized in 1 848 by Athens men, it has prospered as few institutions have ever done and now ranks as one of the best, if not the very best, fire insurance company in the world. This claim is not made on the volume of business done, but on the conservatism and careful selection of risks which the company has always shown and which is witnessed by the fact that fifty-eight per cent, of the premiums was returned last year to the policy holders, making the insurance cost only 42% of the premiums paid in. The company insures for three-fourths of the value of the property, and has reached the point where it commands more business than it desires to undertake. It has as reserved assets nearly ^900,000, which are well invested and the income of which is annually distributed among the policy holders in the form of dividends.

The firm of J. S. King & Co., occupy a large three-story building on the northeast corner of Broad and Thomas streets, in which they carry on an immense business in groceries and general supplies. The gentlemen who constitute the firm are natives of Athens, and have established a strong hold on the confidence of the city and adjoining territory. The partnership under which they are now operating was formed in 1887, and includes J. S. King, E. R. Hodgson, A. H. Hodgson and J. M. Hodgson, all of whom are strong, conservative business men Nothing more fully proves the wisdom of this firm than the methods on which they conduct that branch of the business by which farmers are supplied with groceries and merchandise. They have discarded the old method of advancing supplies on long time prices, and have adopted the plan of selling to customers at cash prices and carrying the accounts on interest. The effect of this plan is, in fact, to divide a portion of the profits with the customer. To make such a plan of business successful requires the patronage of none but thoroughly reliable and prompt paying customers. The firm is to be congratulated on having just such a patroxiage from which slow payers have been eliminated. . Mutual confidence between the firm and their customers is thus very strong, and both parties find that money is to be made by adopting strict business methods. The customers of this firm are not only the best class of men in this section, but they set an example to the farmers of the South generally by meeting incurred obligations with the promptness of bank paper. They have found that their business runs more smoothly and that they save a large amount formerly lost by exorbitant prices at which goods were sold in the spring to be paid for in the following fall. The firm are proud of the promptness and reliability of their customers. That such a wise business policy is actually in force constitutes the reason that when other firms are handicapped and retarded by slow paying customers, J. S. King & Co. have gone forward with easy and rapid strides. The wholesale business of this house is very large, covering all the adjoiningcounties, while in city retail supplies they give entire satisfaction to an increasing number of families every year. The business is backed by large capital, and the firm carries a stock valued at fifteen thousand dollars. The members of the firm are prominent and influential men, foremost in all movements for the good of the city, and possessed of marked popularity and progressive spirit. They stand as the leaders of the grocery business in the city.

The firm of R. C. Orr & Co. is located at an excellent point on Clayton street, No. 104, and two doors west of the postoffice. Unlike most of the drug stores of the city, they devote themselves exclusively to a prescription business, and despite the cold water which greeted their start some four years ago, they have shown their ability to make the business pay. Dr. R. C. Orr, who is the active member of the firm, has an enviable record as an accurate and skillful man in filling prescriptions, and as such has the confidence of all the local physicians. In order to give the best satisfaction, he orders his drugs from the best known houses, and guaranteed as to the strength and purity of every medicine he uses. In this way, he can make every one of his customers sure of the full beneficial action of whatever medicine the physician may have prescribed. A good cigar may be purchased from him, too, as you are on your way to the postoffice.

No one business man in Athens is quite so valuable a factor in the commercial world as Jeptha H. Rucker, cotton buyer and exporter. Mr. Rucker has done business in Athens and the adjoining section for twenty years past, buying large lots of cotton for the strongest cotton firms of New York and for European markets. His business has grown to such proportions that he now handles, yearly, sixty thousand bales of the fleecy staple and makes direct shipments to Bremen, Liverpool, Havre Barcelona, Spain, and the continent generally. His business is conducted chiefly from Athens and Madison, at both of which points he owns commodious warehouses and hydraulic cotton compresses. He is thus prepared, by virtue of the size and choice location of his property along the railroad points, to handle cotton to best advantage and prepare it for compact shipment. As promoter and owner of the Belt Line railroad, he has secured the connection of all the railroads in Athens, and cotton can be brought to his compress, unloaded, pressed, and forwarded with only a few hours delay. His plant in Athens is valued at ;^6o,ooo, and that in Madison, Ga., at ^25,000, while the volume of his business largely exceeds a million dollars. In order to control so much cotton, Mr. Rucker employs a large and experienced force of buyers located at various points in Georgia and Alabama, the more important agencies being at Athens, Augusta, Washington and Madison, in this State, with headquarters in Athens.

Mr. Rucker avers that Athens is as good a cotton market as can be found in the South. Competition is lively among buyers and transportation companies, and the prices for 1892 have uniformly ranged from }i to %. cent per pound higher than in Augusta, our neighboring competitor. The high market attracts a laro:e amount of cotton to

Athens, and of the total Mr. Rucker usually purchases 50 per cent. Outside of the cotton business, Mr. Rucker hasalways been a valuable citizen to Athens, having held the Mayoi's chair, and is always ready to lend the strength of his good judgment and energy to all movements that promise a benefit to this city.

Anyone in search of silverware, watches, or jewelry in Athens, is attracted at once in passing down Broad street by a handsome window fitted in dainty colored plush and displaying attractive pieces of silverware, diamonds and cut glass. The most striking thing is the marked good taste of the window fittings and the tempting manner in which a few beautiful things are displayed, and the impulse created to enter the adjoining door and inspect the well-filled cases and shelves inside. Whenever you. enter this store you are equally pleased by the same display of good taste and handsome objects, and you are surprised to find such a striking array of beautiful things so faraway from New York. You.

are always welcomed, and even if you have no purchase in view, you will find a chronometer there that is worth your inspection. It is a large clock, which winds itself by electricity, and is connected by the Western Union wires with the observatory at Georgetown Heights, in New York, from which every day the seventy-fifth meridian time is telegraphed at noon and is recorded automatically on the chronometer. Athens time is just 30 minutes behind New York and the black hand on the dial gives the time in Athens while the red hand indicates that in New York. Everybody goes there to set their watches, and when the University professors are making any astronomical calculations, this chronometer is invaluable. Well, this store is on Broad street, just above the University Bank, and everybody in Athens will recognize it as Scudder's

Mr. C. A. Scudder, the proprietor, is an Athens man, who was for several years connected with Tiffany, and the Gorham Silver Co , in New York, and he brmgs to Athens the newest and prettiest things in gold and silverware, jewelry, imported china, bric-a-brac, cut glass, watches and rings. His business is large and increasing, and his establisment would be a credit to any city. The accompanying cut gives a faint idea of the interior of this attractive store.

The firm of E. I. Smith & Co., dealers in boots and shoes, was organized in 1885, and is composed of Mr. E. I. Smith as senior partner, and Mr. George Lucas as junior partner. Both of these gentlemen are recognized as men of ability and the highest business integrity. Mr. Smith, the senior partner, has proven himself one of the best citizens of Athens, both in public and private life. His popularity has been attested by his flattering election as member of the city council during several successive terms, and he has repaid public confidence by a vigorous and wise advocacy of many of the most beneficial public movements of the past ten years. The same energy and good judgment which he has displayed in public affairs have characterized his efforts in the shoe business, and the result has been equally as successful. 'J'ogether with Mr. Lucas, who is thoroughly well known and valued by the business public, the house ranks as a strong and reliable business firm. In seven years they have established a reputation and patronage in the retail line that easily entitles them to leadership throughout this section of Georgia. They carry a large and well chosen stock, which is artistically arranged and displayed in one of the handsomest stores in the city, located on the southwest corner of College avenue and Clayton street. They guarantee every pair of sh; es which they sell.

Athens shows its appreciation of music by the handsome way in which it supports the excellent music house of Hazelton & Dozier. Their place of business is No. 112 E. Clayton street, next door to the postoffice, a handsome store with plate glass front. The firm carries a full line of musical instruments and musical supplies. Passim^ along that way, the people find their steps and pulses quickened by the stirring music which issues from piano, violin, or cornet as played in that store. Often you can locate the store by the crowd gathered to hear one of these impromptu concerts. One can buy there almost anything wanted in the musical line, from a banjo string to a fine piano or a cabinet organ. The firm are agents for a number of prominent piano manufacturers. They lay most stress on the Knabe, Behr Brothers, Ivers & Fund, and Kimball makes of this instrument. They have placed several pianos at the young ladies schools in this city, which have given entire satisfact ion. The terms on which they sell pianos are liberal, and every family should make inquiries with a view of purchasing" an instrument which can give the home circle so much pleasure. They carry a full supply of artists' materials and picture frames. Major T. H. Dozier and Mr. D. P. Hazelton compose this energetic firm. They have been in the business for ten years past, and know how to please their customers.

A college town and a cultured community cannot do without a good book store. It is this need which the firm, whose name is given above, fills in the business and intellectual life of Athens. The firm takes its name from Mr. D. W. McGregor, the senior partner, a gentleman well acquainted with the publishing houses of this and the old country, and thoroughly up with the times in supplying the literature which the popular taste demands. Mr. J. C. Hutchins, a gentleman well known in Athens and the adjoining towns, is an energetic associate in the firm. The house carries a full stock of books, stationery and artists' supplies. Books of general literature, Bibles, and commercial supplies, school and college text books, pens, pencils, picture frames, and blank books of all description find a place on their shelves. The firm does a large business, particularly in school supplies, throughout this section. They keep on hand the prominent monthlies and periodicals and are agents for subscriptions to many of the magazines. They are energetic and progressive merchants, and are backed by a capital which enables them to carry a varied and attractive stock.

A more enterprising and wide awake insurance man than Mr. Fred S. Morton would be difficult to find in any community. Mr. Morton belongs to the progressive young men who are urging on the fortunes of this city with marked success. That he is highly esteemed in fire insurance circles is attested by the fact that he acts as agent for no less than thirteen of the strongest fire companies now doing business, and representing aggregate assets to the amount of ^159,000,000 That he makes a popular and reliable agent is proven by the one million dollars of risks which he annually places for the merchants and property owners of this city on cotton, stores, warehouses, and private dwellings, and on furniture and stocks of merchandise. He now occupies handsome new offices at No. II Jackson street in the center of business and with telephone connection throughout the city In three years he has built up a strong and growing business, besides proving himself a valuable and public spirited citizen.

Among the most successful firms of Athens must be noted John Crawford & Co., the wide-awake and energetic College avenue druggists. The proprietor. Dr. Jno. Crawford, cast his lot in Athens eight or nine years ago, and from a comparatively small beginning built up the business that stands to-day a monument to his business ability and energy. The aggressive policy of the firm has, in addition to their large retail business, spread their jobbing trade over a more extended territory perhaps than any other Athens firm, and has made them successful competitors of the large firms of our larger cities. Besides being manufacturers of many pharmaceutical preparations, they control a line of useful household remedies for which there is a large and growing demand ; notably Crawford's Skin Cure or Eczema Wash, which is sold throughout the Union. The policy of the firm to employ none but skilled labor has given the public assurance that the work they do can be depended on, and the firm merits the patronage of those who wish pure drugs and the best service.

Of the three strong firms dealing in hardware and agricultural implements, in Athens, T. Fleming & Sons are recognized as the leaders. They have been identified with this business for the past fifteen years, and from small beginnings have established a strong and increasing patronage. In 1891 the company had grown to such size that it was deemed best to transform it from a simple partnership to a regularly incorporated stock company, with a capital of ^125,000. The company is now composed of Messrs. J. H. Fleming, Herbert Fleming, and E. D. Sledge. A stronger business firm cannot be found in Georgia. They possess an amount of energy, clear judgment and popularity which have won a merited reward. In addition to the partners in the firm, the business demands the employment of seven other men, and two drummers are kept on the road almost constantly. Wherever this firm once gets a hold on trade it is an abiding one. They are wellknown as men of sterling integrity and make every effort to furnish their customers with first-class goods. That they are well able to do this and meet competition in prices, needs no better proof than the fact that the stock which they carry is usually $35,000 to $40,000 in value. This stock embraces a full line of cutlery, rifles, fire arms, farming implements, bar, sheet, and other forms of iron and steel, castings of various kinds, belting, rope, nails, and ginning machinery. They are the special agents for the Pratt gins, of which they sell a large number; and they handle a popular buggy known as the Classic City buggy. They take under contract the entire output of the Princeton mills in cotton rope, and have no trouble in disposing of it to their large trade. They likewise sell large quantities of sash, doors and blinds. Marking the prosperity of the firm is the fact that a new building is in process of erection to accommodate their enlarged stock. This building is located on Clayton street, about midway the block between Jackson and Thomas streets, and is owned by the firm. It extends through the block from Clayton to Washington street, with a frontage of thirty-six feet, and a depth of two hundred and twenty feet. When complete, the Clayton street end will be three stories in height, and the Washington street end two stories. The building is faced with pressed brick and trimmed with Lexington granite around the windows, doors, etc.

The territory which the firm supplies extends as far north as Toccoa, on the Richmond and Danville Railroad, to Abbeville, S. C, and Augusta on the east, to Madison and Monticello on the south, and to Gainesville and Jug Tavern on the west and northwest.

livery business. The outfit in landaus, buggies and carriages of all kinds is very complete, and the stable contains an excellent stock of fine roadsters. Mr. Cooper, as successor to J. Z. Cooper & Son, has been identified with this line of business during 24 years, and is thoroughly well known throughout the country. He yearly visits Kentucky, and other noted markets, and brings out fine roadsters and carriage horses, both for sale and for use in his general livery business. His business is a large one, and he endeavors to give the best service at the lowest prices. The present year has been marked by a large addition of new buggies and landaus to the outfit of his stable, and constitutes a strong and efficient appeal to the patronage of the riding public who value stylish turnouts and handsome horses.

Conspicuous upon the maps of the county and city are the lands of the Athens Park and Improvement Co., a corporation organized some three years ago under a very liberal charter for the purpose of developing a beautiful section of Athens. This company, realizing that the city was outgrowing its bounds, purchased the only unimproved parcel of land near the heart of the city, three hundred acres in all, removed all objectionable features, negro cabins and the like and began the work of opening up the property. At an immense expense a magnificent boulevard 76 feet wide and a mile and a half long was graded through the entire property, cross and parallel streets and avenues were surveyed and laid off and the blocks thus formed divided into lots of one-half acre.

The Boulevard terminates within three hundred yards of the county court house, but to bring all parts of the property in easy access to the balance of the city, the directors of the company induced the street railroad to adopt electricity as its motive power, and then closed a contract with it to operate an electric line with convenient and rapid schedules along the full length of the Boulevard and to and from the heart of the city. With this great convenience added to the natural advantasfes of the property, the magnificent air, the easily accessible water of the purest sort, and the fact that every house is new and of the most tasty design, the lots are the most desirable in Athens for handsome homes.

Some of the city churches are seeking up town locations, and the Episcopal church has already purchased a lot near the Barber street entrance to the Improvement Co.'s property, and will build upon it a handsome granite church. The company has also donated a lot in the centre of its property for a church which will be erected at once.

To the street railroad company the Improvement Co. conveyed twenty-one acres of land lying between the Boulevard and Prince avenue to be used as a park. This tract has been improved and beautified and will always be a pleasant resort for those living in the neighborhood. Negroes are excluded and fine order is always maintained.

Before the work of grading was completed the company determined to test the market with a sale, about oneseventh of the property being offered. Buyers were eager for th^ lots and very satisfactory prices were realized. Since the sale and through the stringency that has been felt throughout the South, the company has vigorously prosecuted its work of grading and developing. Private sales have been made to a number of home builders, and pretty cottages and residences now dot the landscape, completely changing the appearance of the property. The building of the G. C. & N. railway through the northern portion has opened up a number of valuable manufacturing sites, some of which have already been utilized by the Electric Plant, the Brown Planing Mill, and the D. M. Kinney Variety Works. Water for manufacturing is plentiful and easily obtained.

From Barber street to the Park, the lots are within the city limits, owners having the advantages of the city's excellent system of graded school, its lights and waterworks. Beyond the Park the high, airy lots of Buena Vista Heights have all the benefits of the electric line and nearness to the city, but enjoy a freedom from city taxes.

The company has been and will continue to be very liberal with those who buy with the intention of building. It has undertaken the work of development on a grand scale, and has advertised the city of Athens more liberally than any other agency - the upward strides of the city dating from its incorporation. As the outcome of its work, so far, the city and county have reaped a harvest in the increased valuations, and numbers of young men have been enabled to build cosy and comfortable homes for their families under the liberal policy of its directors. To all good works looking to the advancement of Athens and Clarke county, the company has given a helping hand. Its policy has ever been liberal, its advertising of the city in connection with its own enterprise has been generous, and its reward has been a success that is gratifying to every good citizen. The directors of the company are noted as active, energetic business men who have succeeded m all their undertakings ; they have given the company the benefit of their sound judgment and commercial sagacity, and have watched over its affairs with careful and painstaking forethought.

The officers are W. S. Holman, president; J. N. Booth, vice-president; C. W. Baldwin, treasurer, and C. D. Flanigen secretary and manager, and these officers, with E. T. Brown, J. T. Voss, E. K. Lumpkin and Geo. M. Booth constitute the board of directors. With the return of good times, the Athens Park and Improvement Co. promises to be a greater factor than ever in the upbuilding and prosperity of the city of Athens and the county of Clarke.

This firm began business in September of '90 in the elegant building, known as the Carlton building, on the corner of Clayton and Thomas streets.

Close attention to business, honest, reliable goods, and close prices, have made this, the third year of their business, nearly double that of the first. They keep always a full stock of firstclass dry goods and notions, never allow old stock to accummulate on their hands, but put a price on it that moves it off.

The buyer of the firm, Mr. A. W. Vess, after a thorough training, is specially well equipped in his line of business, and is generally conceded to be one of the best dry goods men in the city.

Mr. A. S. Parker, who is associated with the firm, is one of the best accountants in the State, and his ability is beyond dispute. They are all young and energetic men, and are pressing their business with a determination that is winning an ever increasing success.

This great system has just come among us by the completion of the G., C & N. division from Monroe to Atlanta, thus placing Athens on a through trunk line between the North and South. This means a great deal for the Classic City and her citizens. The passenger rate has been reduced one-half between Athens and Atlanta. In order to reach Athens the Oconee river was spanned by a magnificent iron bridge, and a cut 28 feet deep and 650 feet long was opened through a prominence of solid rock at the mouth of which stands the passenger depot.

As this line passes through and opens up a new territory, which means lower rates and quicker despatch for our products, it will be hailed with delight by our farmers, planters and the traveling public at large.

The officers of the Seaboard Air Line are active and piogressive men, which is fully demonstrated by the construction of this Southern division of 272 miles in order to reach Atlanta, the great railroad centre of the South. Finding opposition to their entering her portals at the desired point, they at once constructed a belt line around the city, tapping all the roads centering there, and now running their passenger trains into and out of the Union Depot, where connections are made with all trains to and from the South and West.

heart of the city of Atlanta, and are arranging for the erection of a brick and granite fire-proof depot 900 feet long and 75 feet in width.

With its many rail and water connections at Norfolk, their deep water terminus, this building is necessary in order to handle the traffic, which is daily increasing.

The Henderson Warehouse Company runs one of the largest cotton warehouses in Athens, and is owned by Hodgson Brothers & Griffith. The warehouse is a large brick building, covering one acre of ground and occupying half the block between Clayton and Broad streets, adjoining Hull street. It is built in four compartments with fire appliances throughout, and is the safest storage for cotton in the city. The capacity is 5,000 bales. The owners have for many years conducted an immense storage and commission business in cotton, handling from twelve to fifteen thousand bales each season. The experience gained in this line of business commands for them a steady patronage and enables them to control cotton from a large section of country. Keeping abreast of the trend of the cotton business, they place experienced buyers at various other points and ship directly to the Southern and Northern ports. They carry cotton for their customers, making advances on the same, and giving the benefit of standard insurance to those who deal with them. The firm likewise conducts a regular banking business, although they do not advertise as bankers. The members of the firm are thoroughly reliable men. Mr. E. R. Hodgson is the senior partner, and a man honored by commissions of trust from his city and the State. The same is true of Mr. A. H. Hodgson, who has recently relinquished the office of mayor of Athens, which he filled with great distinction. Mr. C. B. Griffith, the junior partner of the firm, has established a strong hold on the business public by his energy and ability. Mr. J. M. Hodgson is a member of the company but not actively engaged in this department. The combination of talent and capital which these gentlemen represent makes this company a power in the business world of Athens. A long list of the best class of customers testifies to the satisfaction and confidence that rewards the honest and reliable methods for which the firm is distinguished.

The presence of large numbers of handsome young men and fair young maidens in attendance on the educational institutions of Athens, gives a marked stimulus to the work of a good photographer, such as Mr. A. J. Mirick has proven himself to be. It needs but a glance at the specimens of work that fill his studio to appreciate the fine taste and excellent finish that characterize his pictures. He is found in well appointed quarters at No. 115 E. Broad street, and is prepared to take photographs in all sizes, and to guarantee satisfaction to his patrons. For out door work he is splendidly equipped, and many of the handsome residences of Athens are reproduced in artistic pictures under his skillful hand. In addition to photography, Mr. Mirick does excellent work in crayon and in portrait enlargement. He is a conscientious and skillful artist, and spares no pains on the small details which make the difference between first-class and botched picture making. The engravings in this book are all reproduced from photographs made by him.

This firm has within the last two years established a strong business in the drug and prescription lines. The firm is composed of Mr. H. R. Palmer, who was for twenty-five years connected with Dr. Lyndon's drug store ; and Dr. E. R. Kinnebrew, who gave up active practice to lend his strength to the business. Mr. Palmer's skill as a prescription clerk has been known in this section for many years, and has brought the new firm no small portion of its business. Dr. Kinnebrew is a native of this county and has a large acquaintanceship who, knowing him in active practice, have stuck to him in the business of selling drugs. The firm does both a wholesale and retail drug business and find lucrative sales for their goods in the country and smaller towns around Athens. They cover a territory embracing Oglethorpe, Jackson, Madison, Oconee and Walton counties, and reaching sometimes into Elbert and Greene counties. The firm is fast tvinning its way forward and deserve the patronage which they have won by vigorous and enterprising methods. They occupy an excellent stand just opposite the postoi^ce, at No. 105 E. Clayton street.

In a city whose population is so rapidly increasing, and where nearly three hundred buildings are erected each year, a well equipped planing mill is a very profitable necessity. The Lyndon Manufacturing Company is the leading enterprise of that type in this section. In 1887, Dr. E. S. Lyndon, a gentleman noted for his broad views and clear judgment, saw the financial success and value to Athens which awaited just such an enterprise. Associating with him his brother, Mr. A.J. Lyndon, they invested ^35,000 in a large plant, fully equipped with the best modern machinery needed for dressing lumber and for the manufacture of sash, doors, and blinds. Since the mill was opened, it has not known a day of idleness, and a large force of men are kept busy with the various branches which the firm carries on. The plant consists of a large brick building, used as a shop, two stories high, with dimensions 50x125 feet, with severa acres of ground occupied by lumber yards and storage sheds for coal and fire wood. A side track makes convenient shipping connection with the Macon and Northern railroad. The company carries a splendid assortment of pine lumber which is worked up into dimension stuff for house building, and manufactured into door and window frames, doors, sash, and blinds. The large demand for these products in local markets makes it easy to dispose of the output with good margins of profit. The firm deals largely in wood and coal for the citytrade and handles a gcod share of the business done in that line. They have excellent arrangements with the mines of Tennessee and Alabama, and supply the best grades of anthracite and bituminous coal at low prices. The majority of people in Athens still use wood for fuel, and find in Lyndon's large wood yard the most conv^enient and best place to buy seasoned hickory and oak by the cord as well as pine wood and kindlings. The aggregate of these business activities constitutes a very valuable total of business, which the company conducts with dispatch and reliability. As the business grows, the owners propose to enlarge the plant and make it one of the largest and best planing mills in North Georgia.

This excellent banking institution was organized under a state charter in 1885, and has grown vigorously ever since. Its success has not only been a gratifying fact to the citizens at large, but represents a very substantial improvement in finances to a large number of small depositors who take this means of saving money from small incomes. The charter of the bank is wisely drawn and provides for the payment of interest on small deposits. Four per cent, is the rate on deposits subject to withdrawal, and 5 per cent, on money deposited for a year's time without withdrawal. The charter provision which makes each stockholder responsible in proportion to the stock he holds is one that gives the best possible guarantee to depositors. The original stock of $40,000 has been largely increased, and the bank now carries nearly 250 accounts in its savings department. The bank has built and now occupies the handsome three story building shown in the accompanying cut, located on the north side of Broad street in the heart of the business part of the city. The president of the bank is Dr. J. A. Hunnicutt, the cashier, Mr. G. A. Mell, both of these gentlemen of high business standing and ability. The Savings Bank is accorded the fullest confidence and ranks as one of the institutions in the city.

The Athens Manufacturing Company, which owns and operates a large cotton mill plant in this city, was one of the first cotton mills opened in the South. The company was organized in 1832, and built the first mills in that year. The successful and continuous operation of that enterprise has been accompanied by a large expansion of the plant, which represents an invested capital of $200,- 000. The mills have a total floor space of 69,000 square feet, of which 34,000 are used in the spinning department, and 3 5, coo for weaving purposes. Ten thousand spindles and three hundred and twenty looms are kept in constant movement to fill the large orders with which the company is favored.

The buildings are lighted by electricity and are furnished with automatic sprinklers and other ample fire protection. The company employs 375 operators, and provides nice 2 and 3-room cottages for their comfortable living.

The spinning mills are run by waterP power from the Oconee river, furnishedf^ by a thirteen-foot dam, and yielding 338 : gross horse power ; of this turbines now utilize 300 H. P. The weaving plant is driven by steam. The company owns a large amont of real estate in the city, on which the mills and operatives' houses are built. In addition, they own the magnificent water power at Barnett Shoals, twelve miles lower down on the same river with 4,000 gross horsepower. They lease this power to manufacturers putting up such buildings as the lessees may desire. At present 400 H. P. is thus rented, and a factory building furnished, which runs 7,500 spindles in the manufacture of yarns.

The growth of the enterprise is largely due to the energy of Mr. R. L. Bloomfield, who took charge as agent in 1862. At that time 1,800 spindles and 40 looms were in operation. Mr. Bloomfield is still in charge and holds the confidence, not only of the company, but of the entire community, in which he has lived so long, and for which he has done so much. The company is a striking example of the success which is possible for cotton milling in this section.

A city without a first-class real estate agency scarcely deserves the name. Judged by this criterion, Athens would stand very high, for a better and more reliable firm handling city real estate cannot be found than that of Messrs. Griffith & Charbonnier, who occupy offices on College avenue, number 14, in the heart of the city, and in easy reach of investors and land owners. Mr. W. D. Griffith has been identified with Athens real estate for many years, and is, without doubt, the best posted man on matters of this kind in the city. His ability has been put to the test by the delicate and arduous work of the city tax assessor's office, in which he has served for a number of years to the entire satisfaction of all. The words of such a man carry weight, and his statement that Athens real estate has always been a secure and profitable investment is emphasized by his long and intimate experience with the land sales of this section. He says that Athens property has always shown a steady increase of value, and in the absence of booms, has never suffered from the reactions which follow inflated values. The firm handles the best real estate of all kinds in the city and county, and has the largest rent list of any agents in the city. Just at present they have on hand and are advertising fine bargains in improved city lots, in farming lands, and in mineral lands lying in the counties of Habersham, Fannin, Union and Towns. The latter properties contain gold, copper and corundum, and abound in fine hard wood forests, and can be bought at prices from one dollar per acre and upwards. They have good homes for sale from ^1,000 upwards, and small houses and lots, suited for working men, as low as ^500. They conduct auction sales as well as private sales and do a large annual business.

Mr. L. H. Charbonnier, Jr., the other member of the firm, is an enterprising business man and has more especial charge of the insurance business done by the firm. Representing strong companies in fire, life and accident insurance, they place risks to best advantage for their customers in large or small amounts. The fire companies for which they hold agencies represent an aggregate of 75 millions of assets. In life assurance they represent the ^tna Life Insurance Company, the oldest and one of the best life companies in America. In accident insurance they place contracts as agents for the United States Mutual Accident Company of New York, the strongest company doing business in that line. The promptness and energy which characterizes this firm and their high integrity have won for them a large business and a host of patrons.

That Athens is a growing town is well attested by the formation of the Lilly Land Company, who own a valuable landed property of more than one hundred acres in the southwestern part of the city. A reference to the city map will indicate the location of the property and the ease with which it can be reached from both the business and residence portions of the city. The property is a very beautiful tract of upland lying exceptionally well for building purposes, and covered with the grateful shade of pine and hard wood trees. The company is holding the property as an investment. They are gradually proceeding with the work of laying out broad avenues, winding in graceful curves, and destined to be lined with fine suburban villas. The main avenue, running north and south, curves with the gentle hill slope until it reaches the center of the property, when it branches into the two arms of a handsome oval 800 feet long and 200 feet broad. From the south end of the oval the avenue runs in gentle curve into the Georgia Factory road. When this avenue is opened it will at once become one of the most fashionable drives in the city. Already the Georgia Factory road is very popular with those who love horses, and the new avenue will offer a broader way and easier grades than the present excellent road. The natural advantages of this property are many. It is located on the top of the main ridge on which Milledge avenue is found ; it is well drained, and yet smooth and gentle in slope. It is very healthy, and the odor of the pine imparts a spiciness to the air that is very refreshing. Well shaded, within a short distance from the post office, the men who own this property are secure in their excellent investment. The property was bought cheap,and the company can afford to sell at low figures. An investor desirous of buying a home would be wise to consult with the agent of this company. The owners are organized as a stock company, and are as follows : Billups Phinizy, president ; Arthur E. Griffith, W.

To those who know the community, the names in this company is assurance that the best men in this city have confidence in local real estate.

in Athens, organized in 1870 and dealing in a large assortment of stoves, tinware and similar goods. Mr Jones was sole proprietor until 1891, at which time he associated Mr. T. S. Methvin as partner in the firm. Both of these gentlemen are well known throughout this section and rank as fine men of business. They sell by far the largest amount of goods of any house in this line and practically control the retail stove trade of the city. For many years they have appealed to the domestic comfort of housekeepers, by selling the splendid stove known as the Iron King brand, and have placed no less than fifty carloads of these stoves in the hands of local householders. They carry a large stock of kitchen utensils and tinware, and give employment to two expert tin workers in the manufacture of standard tin goods. Their patronage extends throughout the adjoining counties and towns for which Athens is the recognized distributing point in this class of merchandise. They sell on small margins and liberal terms, and are agreeable and efficient men with whom to have dealings,

No city need wish for a better house than the one whose name is written above to supply the delicacies and substantial that fill the pantry shelves of every good housekeeper. Fine groceries, fresh Jersey butter, and choice poultry can always be found with them. Devoting themselves largely to the retail domestic supply of the city, the firm leaves nothing undone to give a large line of customers complete satisfaction. In the three years since this store was opened, they have won and kept as customers, many of the best families of this city. The active business management is in the hands of Mr. W. E. Eppes, to whose good judgment and obliging spirit the success of the firm is due. The names of Mr. James Galloway and J. H. Lambert appear in the firm as largely interested in the business. Mr. Galloway is known from his long connection with the railroads of this section, and his many friends are glad to deal with him in commercial lines, now that he has given up the engine throttle.

Mr. Lambert is also esteemed highly in the community as an official in the National Bank. Few enterprises in Athens have had a more satisfactory growth than the business of this firm, and none more thoroughly satisfies its patrons.