located at 500 Mt Pleasant Road NE, Fairmount, GA. ALL MAIL TO P.O. BOX 28, RYDAL, GA.30171, We are just off of US 411 North of Cartersville Ga. and 3 1/2 miles South of Fairmount, GA. We are in Bartow County Georgia you may reach us at telephone: 770-382-6676, email, belewjean@Yahoo.com or telephone 770-382-6676
The Historic Bradford Store is located in downtown Pine Log. Directions are from I-75 from the South, take the White Chatsworth Exit and go 10 miles to Pine Log Road.
I-75 from the North, take the Pine Log exit, (Hwy 140) travel East approx 12 miles turn at the Pine Log sign to the left, travel approx 1/4 mile the Store is on the left. Ya'all come now.
A LEGACY LIVES Long before Georgia became a Colony, there was a town called “Pine Log – nestled at the foot of Big Pine Log Mountain and following Pine Log Creek sat 20 to 30 cabins. When Desoto and his army of 600 came thru the area in 1540 they were civil to the Indian women and stayed a few days. In Marion R. Hemperley Indian Heritage of Georgia, he calls the Indians, Creek. In 1733 Oglethorpe landed at Yam craw Bluff’s and 20 years later the Cherokee fought the Creek Indians for the right of the land. The Cherokee now had lands north of what is now Atlanta and the Creeks, land south of Atlanta. About 1785 General Washington sent Benjamin Hawkins to the Creek Nation as their Agent, he too stopped at Pine Log. About the same time John Ridge had moved his aged parents from Hiawassee (now Tennessee) to Pine Log for the Peace and Serenity of the Place. When John Ridge left to go on another War Party in what is now Eastern Tennessee his parents both died and is buried at Pine Log Town. On John Ridges’ return he moved across North Bartow to Oothcaloga and on to what is now Rome Georgia. What ever became of the Pine Log Town is now anyone’s guess. Probably this may have been the beginning of the white man’s disease to the Indian Nation. In the early 1800’s white settlers were moving in and the county of Cass was organized by a legislative act on December 3, 1832. Cass was named for Lewis Cass and latter renamed in 1863 to Bartow for Francis Bartow, the first fallen confederate in Manassas. Miss Lucy Cunyus tells us that Pine Log was the largest of all the communities in 1860, but then Sherman came and Northwest Georgia was never to be the same. There are still a lot of people in the area with Cherokee Heritage. We are at Peace here in the Valley and now we celebrate the Marker Dedication to our Living Legacy “The Old Pine Log Town” and a Proud American People that once resided here. THIS HAS BEEN RESEARCHED BY JEAN BELEW AND MAY ONLY BE USED WITH RELEASE BY HER. WA DO (Thank You)
The next meeting will be on Saturday December 1st 2007 at 500 Mt Pleasant Road NE. at 10:am tele: 770-382-6676. Members and all interested people are invited. Plenty of parking. Many projects are planned so, come and be a part of the planning. We now have the Cass/Bartow County Federal Census from 1840- 1930, with some other counties included. All the old newspapers for the county, plus Carrollton, Gordon and some of Cherokee have been ordered, and also the early marriages of early settlers of Cass/Bartow County. Many cemetery records are on file. A new Micro-film/fische reader/printer is ready for your use. If you are new to the area – please come and get acquainted with us. Many items have been donated or are on Loan, if you have items pertaining to the Pine Log area from the bounds of Cherokee County, Gordon County to Spring Place and Wofford Cross Roads, we are interested in what you have, or if you would like to come and bring your items and be a speaker we would be happy to have you. Any questions, please call the President, Jean Belew at 770-382-6676 or email her at belewjean@yahoo.com. We look forward to seeing you.
The community of Pine Log is in the Northeastern section of Bartow County Georgia. In the early days it was referred to as "Possum Trot" There is a census of 1834 for the state and for the Federal Census they run from 1840-1930 with the exception of 1890 when most all of the Census records for that year were destroyed by fire in St Louis.
When the first settlers came the County was named Cass and in 1861 the name was changed to Bartow. We have two beautiful mountains to the East, they are the Little and Big Pine Log Mountain and the stream running from Big and Little Pine Log is called creeks. From Big Pine Log Creek are many branches and forks. Beasley Gap, and the creek running from it is the fork that flows westward from.The State Road 140 goes thru this Gap. The Road was an Old Indian Trading path, and extended westward to Cassville, and was the county seat of Cass County in 1833.
Some of the names familiar to Pine Log are,James Upshaw, Charles Baker, Voluntine Smith, Stephen Ellis, Vinson A Barton, Lindsey Johnson, Willing King,Edwin Barrett,Principal retail merchant, Robert Young,village doctor AJ Covington, was the carpenter, James C Howling and W P Cannon, the blacksmiths, and Isaac Beck made hats. Hon Adam taught in the log schoolhouse.
Levi Pierce operated a millwright shop and cabinet shop . Stephen Ellis was the pastor of the Pine Log Church.(Still in operation today),William Eddleman and Isaac Lowery were mechanics and William Perkins was the shoemaker., John Mauldin was operating a mill a mile from the village at the site of the later Tanners Mill on the old road to Adairsville, Eliza M Harris, from Tennessee was the school teacher. John O. Ellis was a Photograph artist, William Gordon was now operating the principal retail store , William McDaniel was the community physician, Benjamin F Strain was operating a store, location is not known.
John Gladden lived two miles away on the Canton Road and was a retail grocer. in about the latter part of 1870, The Blacksmiths living in the village or closeby were Larkin Franks, J. M. Maxwell, Charles Whitworth, Ned Johnson, and Anderson Dover, Carpenters were Jasper McElreath and Wesley Upshaw, John B Britton operated a cabinet shop, as was Levi Pierce operating his shop, and is now listed as a millwright. Henry Powell was a wagon maker and was associated with him.
William Eddleman was still in the retail business, William, R Perkins had a flouring mill at Thompsons's mill on the Tennessee Road, (Now UShighway 411. Perry Jones operated a saw mill. Mrs Mary Franks the wife of Larkin Franks was a dressmaker. Frances Say was a coatmaker and Sara Floyd and Carry a Dykes were seamstresses. Doctor E Head and Daniel B Mull were shoemakers.
The ministers of the gospel at this time were, Jabez Brittain, a Baptist minister, James England, of the M.E. Church and at the Fairview Church, the newly organized Northern M.E. Church on the Tennessee road close by to the Pine Log Church was Vincent Nelson, several black members of the Pine Log Church left to join the new congregation, that was supported by missionaries dsent to Georgia by the parent Methodist Episcopal Church.
Teachers at Pine Log school were James Addington and Bailey A Barton. Former slaves had elected to live in the Pine Log Community as freedmen. Some of the heads of families who lived in or near the village were Samuel Carson, Anthony Weems, Ned Johnson, Bias Maxwell, George Upshaw, Charles Richey and Jackson Carons.,
During the years 1880-1890 many of the families moved as did the craft makers, however, William Gordon was still managing his store. Larkin Franks operated his balcksmith shop across the road from his home. and Joseph Goode was also a blacksmith, Levi Pierce, was now 70 years old, and was still a millwright at his own shop. W H Madden was operating a mill and W H Heath who was a community farmer, also did cabinet work and made coffins.
Three doctors had come to the community, Robert A Richey, Henderson Fite and James Thompson. Teachers of the school had increased and were G W Hendricks, Nancy J Fite, and Alice Carson, W J Hamby was the principal for several years.
The Post office was just beyond the intersection of Calico Valley Road and old Highway 140. It was then moved into the Bradford Store and finally moved to the outskirts of town on Hwy 411. The Pine Log Postmasters and postmistresses from 1833-1971 were. James A Thompson - 1833: Edward Barrett-1836: Bryan B Bradley-1837: William R Erwin-1840: John H Wigginton-1841: Edward Barrett-1843: Feliz H Walker- 1847: William Allen-1865: John Britton-1871: Christopher C Childer - 1889: James C Collins- 1891 - Larkin S Franks- 1894: James C Collins - 1898: William A Land- 1919: Collier M Barton- 1921: Mrs Louanna Moseley_ 1922: Mrs Bertie Dorroh- 1927: Mrs Janet S Roberts- 1944: Mrs Janet Elrod- 1971.
THERE ARE MANY MORE JUST VISIT OFTEN
On May 22, 2004, The Society dedicated a historical road sign for Old Pine Log Indian Town, about 200 interested people were in attendance. The Bartow County Commissioner, Clarence Brown, the Mayor of Cartersville, Mike Fields, State Representative, Jeff Lewis, Assistant Bartow Co. Director, Stephen Bradley, Cartersville/Bartow County Toursism Director, Ellen Archer and Director of Public Lands, Jim Lankford each spoke on the sign and the area. The County had purchased several hundred acres for greenspace and some of the land falls into the area where Old Pine Log Indian Town Site is.
The sign can be viewed by traveling either from the west on State Highway 140, 3 miles east of the Rydal Post Office, or about 10 miles west of Walske.
Plans are for erecting more signs around Pine Log. We have promise of many artifacts and we have a wide variety of Family research material. There are many of the houses still standing that we want to get on the National register. You will be able to view pictures of these homes at the Archives and Library. We look forward to seeing you.
On January 16, 2006 at 5PM the Historical Society will host a comunity organizational meeting to keep Pine Log Beautiful, The speaker will be Mrs. Sherry Henshaw, the director of Keep Bartow Beautiful and a resident of Pine Log for many years We want all who are interested to come to this meeting and share your interest to all of us. There will also be Soup, Sandwiches and Desert for those that want to come for Dinner, at a small fee.
The Society had a great year, We now have 3 reader/printers in the Genealogical Section, a Computer, printer, copy machine, Over 2000 volumns of research material for Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania, The New England States, North Carolina and many more states. We have all of the census records for Cass/Bartow County and all of the old Newspapers, starting with 1840 thru 1929. Cemetery records and much more.
The Society has organized "The First Families of Cass/Bartow County 1832-1863 for more information on this please contact Jean at the Society.
This file last updated 11/07/2007