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  Annual Meeting, December 4 Friends of Scull Shoals, Inc. Annual Meeting was held on Sunday, December 4, at the Oconee County Library. More than thirty members and Friends had a lively discussion of accomplishments and goals for the organization. The members voted on a new set of By-Laws and elected new officers. If you want to see the new By-laws, let us know and we will send them. The new By-Laws include an Advisory Board of non-voting topical Advisors but not decision-makers, as on the Board of Directors. The new officers for 2006 are: President: Jack Wynn Vice-President: Charles Baugh Treasurer: Jim Ashworth Secretary: Joyce Baugh Past Co-President: Maxine Singleton Past Co-President: Ed Goff Added to the Board of Directors was Billy Lavender, a Scull Shoals village descendant. Note Cards for Sale Friends of Scull Shoals Note Cards are now available for sale! The 12-note packages sell for $15.00. Contact Joyce Baugh for your set today! Planning Group Meeting Jan 15 A Board planning session met Sunday, January 15 at the Baugh’s home. Facilitated by David Chamness, the 9-member group reviewed the December goals and actions then worked out short-term goals, and activities to accomplish them. This is the first of a series of such planning sessions. Spring Festival, April 29 Spring Festival is coming, with guided mill town ruin tours and demonstrations by 19th Century Crafters. Friends are encouraged to help, so call Jack to volunteer at 770-536-2564. Research Continues Field archaeology is currently suspended, pending a final report and management plans for Scull Shoals, but research continues. Members are working in archives, old newspapers, and census data for information on the mills and families. Bob Skarda has updated the 1979 chronology. That new chronology can be had by contacting him email: bob@hotwtr.com. It will be included in the archaeology report. Jack Wynn is working on completing that report for submission to the Forest Service and the Historic Preservation Office. Elaine Neal is editing the Hunt history. She decided to bring it up to date with old tax records. They will show who lived where, and define the population figures and possible town boundaries. She and a colleague are reconstructing tax maps of the early 1800’s. Goals of the Friends At the January 15th meeting, short-term goals were produced to guide the year’s activities. 1. Public Education: Public tours, a tour booklet on history and ecology, research results, web site, Education Center, newspaper articles and outreach efforts. 2. Site Preservation and Improvement: Regular site work days at the site, in coop-eration with the Forest Service to maintain and improve the appearance of the old mill village. We support the site; we should spend some regular time there caring for and enjoying both it and each other’s company in the process 3. Membership and Financial Expansion: A membership drive will reach old and new members, seeking donors for educational, preserva-tion, and outreach projects. Letters, newsletters, web site, direct personal contacts, and grant proposals will help reach these goals. 4. Personal Discovery: This is the fun part! Each of us came to the Friends because we could learn and explore something new: archaeology and history of a poorly known place in our midst. We remain for friendships made and cooperative public education such as the 19th Century festivals. We continue to do archival and genealogical research, for non-disturbing site recording and hope for future return to the regular archaeological work at Scull Shoals. Cemetery and Site Recording Trip Several of the Friends plan to visit known and suspected cemeteries around Scull Shoals on February 10. Led by Jack Wynn, they will record places on topographic maps and with Geographical Positioning System (GPS). They will note surface conditions, count graves and record marker texts. Several cemeteries are known, but none have been monitored in years. This field trip will relocate and record them, for the on-going research reports. If you are interested in spending a day in the field on future outings, please contact Jack at or 770-0-536-2564. You will need to dress comfortably for the weather, wear gloves, boots, and bring your lunch! Guides, Talks Available The Friends of Scull Shoals have several excellent tour guides for the old mill village who are available and willing to guide groups of 15 and up around the village ruins. Bob and Deb Skarda, Ed Goff, and others bring insights into the history, archaeology and ecology of the Oconee River mill town and the historic and prehistoric inhabitants. If you know of a civic, social, family, business or church group who would enjoy an afternoon in the quiet of the Scull Shoals village, having fun in the outdoors, learning about the environment, let us know! Tours can be arranged for any size group, but with larger groups, it may be desirable to schedule them in shifts, so as not to overcrowd the village. Prices for the tours can be arranged at the time of reservations. For reservations, call Joyce Baugh at 706-310-1580. Friends also have a fine 45-minute Powerpoint ® presentation on the history and archaeology of the village which can be personalized for the emphasis desired by the audience or arrangers. This can be give at any location in the area which has electricity, a suitable screen or blank wall, and seating for the group. For information and reservations, call Jack Wynn at 770-536-2564, or mfjtwynn@bellsouth.net. Prices for the presentation will be provided at the time of reservation. Prices will be based on the number of persons attending, ages and scheduling. Guide Booklet Planned One of the activities planned during the strategy session in January was to prepare a self-guided tour booklet for the public. It is to be a more extensive treatment than the “Yellow Folder” with more of the historic details, including some of Bob Skarda’s recent discoveries, along with data on the environment, flora and fauna of the area. A section will be devoted to the uses and abuses of the landscape over the past few hundred years, which have resulted in the present condition of the land, its vegetation, the rivers and streams. Bob is to lead this project, with help from everyone who has information to share on these topics. The booklet is to be sold to the public at the site, through our website and other outlets. If you have data to contribute, contact bob@hotwtr.com. Educational Center Background Friends of Scull Shoals owns land near the mill village. We raised funds to buy it from the Plum Grove Company in 2003-4. There are 14.2 aces, on Macedonia Road at Forest Road 1234. Plans are underway thanks to Prof. Alfie Vick of UGA, to develop the tract, now covered with young pine trees and feisty briars, as an educational center for the public and the schools in the area. It will have wooded and open spaces, parking for visitors and school busses, a visitor center and exhibit area, a large shelter for group gatherings and teaching classes out of the weather, nature trails, and restrooms. Future developments there will include classrooms, laboratories, offices, a library, work and storage rooms. Central to the visitors’ entrance will be a dedication wall or walkway, containing the names of our major supporters and donors to Friends of Scull Shoals, Inc. A centerpiece of the Center may be the 1810 Smith Academy, a one-room school house graciously donated to the Friends by Mrs. Martha Johns. It will be moved to the Center and renovated to serve as an exhibit building. This quarterly Newsletter is published by the Friends of Scull Shoals, Inc. P.O. Box 295 Greensboro, GA 30642. Friends of Scull Shoals, Inc. is a non-profit educational organization. The Scull Shoals Newsletter is edited by Jack T. Wynn, 3052 St. Charles Avenue, Gainesville, GA 30504. Please e-mail comments to: mfjtwynn@bellsouth.net  |
