Marion County GaArchives News.....Buena Vista's Moral Features - 1907 May 31, 1907
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Carla Miles http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00010.html#0002476 March 17, 2005, 7:21 pm

The Marion County Patriot May 31, 1907
The Marion County Patriot, No. 20
Friday, May 31, 1907
Page One

Buena Vista’s Moral Features

Its Churches

Beside the moralizing influence of secret orders and well regulated schools, 
good officials and enforcement of just laws, Buena Vista has a Missionary 
Baptist Church with one hundred and forty members, a Methodist Episcopal Church 
South with two hundred and thirty members and a Primitive Baptist Church with 
thirty-six members; also three colored churches.

The Methodist Church is a station, the Missionary Baptist Church has preaching 
every two weeks and the Primitive Baptist Church has preaching every first 
Sunday and Saturday before.

Sunday Schools, with large attendance, are held every Sunday in the Methodist 
and Missionary Baptist Churches.

W.C.T.U. Local

Not the least in its moralizing influence is the local organization of the 
Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, whose recent efforts have resulted in 
driving the legal sale of intoxicating liquors and the Dispensary, not only 
from Buena Vista, but from Marion County, and placing it among the “dry 
counties” of Georgia.

The W.C.T.U. local was organized by Mrs. Nell G. Burges, of Missouri, on 
Thursday evening, Nov. 2nd, 1905, with the following officers:

Mrs. Margaret Hirshburg, President
Mrs. Ben T. Reese, Vice President
Mrs. J.W. Roberts, Secretary
Mrs. J.D. Hart, Treasurer
Mrs. Clifford Lowe, Cor. Secretary

There were only a few other charter members.

The first meeting of this little band of noble women was at the home of Mrs. 
Hirshburg.  Few in numbers, and still fewer active workers, they undertook a 
task that appeared beyond their power to accomplish, but with a determination 
born of courage, and on the 8th of Nov. 1906, the fathers, brothers and sons of 
the worthy citizenship of Marion County rallied to the polls to win their fight 
in a battle of ballots.

Nor did those noble women shirk duty on this day of battle.  They met at the 
Baptist church early on the morning of the election, Mrs. Margaret Hirshburg, 
Mrs. J.W. Roberts, Mrs. C.H. Smith, Mrs. Clifford Lowe, Mrs. J.D. Hart, Mrs. 
Emma Mathews, Mrs. Short, Mrs. C.G. Wiggins and Mrs. Sam Wilson; and from the 
church they came to the polls, where they remained until the polls closed 
without showing any signs of fatigue or less interest in their work the entire 
day, not even going to dinner.  Their presence and their influence accomplished 
much good and showed the courage there few true women had in the great work in 
which they were engaged, and when the victory was announced they gave praise to 
God that their labor was not in vain.

The County had gone “dry” by one hundred and three votes.

Nor would we forget to notice the hard, untiring work of those men who come to 
the front in this engagement and made the victory possible.  Messrs. W.M. 
Williams, Wilbert J. Parker and James P. Hogg, and Revs. J.M. Foster and R.B. 
Taylor might be mentioned at this place, while good men were at every precinct 
doing what they could.

The men and women of Buena Vista and in every part of Marion county, are as 
pure, true, honest, law-abiding citizens as can be found anywhere.

The Missionary Baptist Church

The Missionary Baptist Church edifice is a neat building, elegantly furnished, 
and is located in the central part of our little city, and on the same lot with 
the beautiful pastorium, now occupied by the pastor, Rev. Hugh F. Oliver, who 
has recently been called to this field of labor, and comes with fine 
recommendations as a pastor and worker.

The records of this Church were burned a few months ago, making an accurate, 
detailed history hard to get.

Among its pastors in the past are old brother Cawley, who served the Church for 
many years; Rev. A.J. Moncrief, pastor for a number of years; then Rev. J.D. 
Norris; Rev. N.R. Sanford for three years; followed by Rev. Howard Carpenter; 
then Rev. R.B. Taylor for six years, succeeded by the present pastor.

The Deacons of the Church are J.O. Smith, Capt. J.A. Shephard, William Nutt and 
Dr. John Walton.

The Methodist Church South

The Methodist Church South here is the outgrowth of the old Uchee Methodist 
Church which was organized in the forties, on Uchee creek, two miles south of 
Buena Vista.

The original membership embraced the names of Rev. D.W. Burkhalter, Bland 
Wallis, William Wells, Benjamin Blanton and Seaborn Martin.

In a few years it was moved to Buena Vista, to the site of the present location 
of the church building, where Rev. D.W. Burkhalter gave five acres of land.

The congregation worshiped in a hewed log church until 1854, when it was moved 
about half a mile and used as a school house, and the present building was 
begun, but was not completed until 1858.

Buena Vista and Tazewell were in one work for some time, then the work 
consisted of Buena Vista, Brantley and Shady Grove, but at the last session of 
the Conference Buena Vista was made a station, with Rev. J.J. Ansley pastor.  
Rev. Ansley and family now occupy the parsonage.  He and his wife are useful, 
strong workers and their influences for good is being felt in our county.

Its pastors for the past thirty years were, J.P. Wardlow, 1877, 78 and 79; L.D. 
Clements, 1880 and 81; R.L. Wiggins, 1882; J.M. Western, 1883; T.K. Lunard, 
1884; J.D. Maulding, 1885; B. Anthony, 1886; B.L. Sentel, 1887 and 88; C.H. 
Brunch, 1889; J.W. Austin, 1890 and 91; G.C. Clark, 1892; E.J. Burch, 1893; 
D.H. Riley, 1894 and 95; H.C. Brutan, 1896 and 97; G.L. Johnson, 1898 and 99; 
R.L. Wiggins, 1900 and 1901; W.E. Arnold, 1902 and 1903; W.D. McGregor, 1904 
and 1905; J.M. Foster, 1906 and J.J. Ansley, 1907.

Buena Vista’s Educational Advantages

Far Above the Average

Buena Vista is far above the average in its educational advantages.  Beside 
public money that comes from the State, the city corporation spends about four 
thousand ($4,000.00) a year to maintain a graded school system in connection 
with high school work that is second to none in the State of Georgia, and gives 
a thorough preparation for entering into any college in the State.  We are 
speaking of the white school advantages.  The colored school here has an 
attendance enrollment of nearly three hundred pupils, a good corps of competent 
teachers and occupies a commodious, two story school building in the south-east 
part, just at the edge of town, with large play grounds.

The Institute Building

But this is the home of the Hoke Smith Institute.  Situated in the north part 
of town, a handsome, commodious, two-story structure of modern school 
architecture.  On the first floor are recitation rooms, hat and cloakrooms, 
superintendent’s office and school library.  On the second floor are the music 
and kindergarten departments and an auditorium with a seating capacity of five 
hundred people.

Design of the Institution

The design of the school is not only to meet the needs of those preparing for 
college entrance, but to provide for a broader culture and development than 
other like schools, and an aim that bespeaks more than the mere preparation for 
college courses.

The High School Work

The regular high school courses of study offered here requires four years to 
complete, and are sufficiently broad to prepare for the successful performance 
of the duties of life.

The aim of the management of Hoke Smith Institute is to have an institution 
which shall not only be above the average in giving mental culture, but which 
shall deserve to rank “first class” in everything that constitutes true worth.  
Here under a corps of competent teachers and trained educators, boys and girls 
are prepared for the great responsibilities, as well as the great opportunities 
of American life.  They recognize that real education is the unfolding of the 
whole nature towards its highest possibilities, and they purpose for this 
school to provide the proper environment for this development.

The geographical position of Buena Vista renders the climate pleasant, insures 
healthfulness, makes the school easy of access reduces cost and thus gives to 
Hoke Smith Institute marked advantages over many fine schools.


We did not get our notes about the Primitive Baptist Church ready for this 
issue.  It will appear later.





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