…the
main street led from the ferry up a gentle rise and across
the level bottom lands toward Tazewell. Scattered along this
street through the center of town were several brick and frame
buildings, among them Enoch Wilson's tailor shop where ladies
might purchase crinoline and wire hoops and gentlemen buy cloth-covered
buttons for their tailcoats or fancy waistcoats. Then there
were Si Hill's grocery, Forsyth Ansley's brick shop, another
grocery owned by L. L. Snow, a couple of small frame hotels.
There was a hotel called The Franklin House, which was sold
by John Gilmore to Orron C. Horne in 1848. There were two livery
stables where the stages clattered up in clouds of dust to allow
the passengers breathing space and to change horses for the
trek east or west.
There was only on church in Lanier - a Methodist Church, and the preacher was a circuit-rider.
It is recorded that Bishop George Pearce* once preached there. There was a yearly camp meeting at Lebanon
above Cedar Creek which constituted the bulk of religious and
social activity on a large scale, except on fourth Sundays and
"Socation" times, when the whole populace went to
the Hard Shell Baptist Church at "Tote Over." There
they heard Preacher Rowe or Hubbard, and incidentally discussed
the political situation, had a big picnic dinner and often wound
up in a "free for all."** …
* Major Frederick's diary records
hearing Bishop Pearce there in 1855.
** Tote Over Church
was also called Ebenezer. Other preachers for this church were:
J. R. Respass, Jack English and Frank Sykes.
To read the exact text, see:
Chapter VII: First Towns of Macon County: Lanier; page 171;
"History of Macon County Georgia", by Louise Frederick
Hays; 1935. Published by The County Commissioners as The Official
History, April 1933; Stein Printing Company, Atlanta, GA.
