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Boat-shaped Playhouse
I saw this while driving down a highway in Georgia. March 30-31: I spent an extra day at Leesburg before driving on up to Georgia, bypassing the old homestead and dry-camping at a Wal-mart. You never know what kinds of things you will see while driving along. I was on Hwy 19 going north when I spotted some backyard playhouses made of wood in unusual shapes. There was a boat, like Noah's ark and a castle and a train. Lucky for me there was a wide shoulder so I could pull off and take pictures!
April 1: April Fools Day! Nothing foolish happened to me, however. One of the things on my bucket list was to visit Plains, GA. Actually, I would like to hear President Carter teach his Sunday School class there, but this day was not on his schedule.
Unfortunately, while I was exploring his home town, he was in church, where I should have been, so I missed the opportunity to get to see him. Maybe I was the fool—not even thinking about that. I do think that Carter was and maybe still is the best man to be President, but not necessarily the best president. Only time and history will tell. At any rate he
Castle Playhouse
Somebody is a creative woodworker. was certainly a man of the people. He was one of the most intelligent men to serve also. I didn't know until I visited the museum that he was a nuclear physicist! To me that says intelligence! What I don't think he had was political savvy—at least for D.C. That crowd chewed him up and spit him out. Okay, I'll get off my soapbox.
The town of Plains is historical on two levels: not only is it the birthplace and current home of a former president, it is the epitome of small-town, rural America. When I say small town, I mean small! Current population including the Carters, is just over 700 people! Main street was about five buildings long. I doubt a whole lot has changed here through the years. I was amazed at how quiet it was—even for a Sunday. No hordes to tourists, no big businesses dedicated to making money off their famous citizen. As a matter of fact, like any other small town, there was much evidence of the faltering economy. There were buildings for rent, lease and sale with peeling paint and boarded-up windows and doors. Some of the streets were unpaved and dusty. Billy
Bottle Tree
Also called a poor person's stained glass window. The tree was on the grounds at the Plains Welcome Center. Carter's Gas Station looked like it probably did in the 40's. Plains is certainly an appropriate name for the town. It is on a flat, plains area in Georgia and it is very plain!
The visitor's center was about a half mile before coming into the town and set back off the road. I had the place to myself, even waiting for the lady to open it a few minutes late—just coming from church. (Another thing typical of a small southern town, lots of churches and slow moving time.) I liked several of the displays—a couple of rocking chairs in front of a fireplace and a life-size poster of President Carter.
One interesting thing on display at the Visitor's Center was a bottle tree. I read that bottle trees were found mainly in the South. The slaves would put them together using painted or colored bottles to attract and trap evil spirits. Then poor whites started using them as yard decorations and Christmas trees. One quote said the trees were poor persons' stained glass windows. Sometimes I learn the strangest things!
The first place I visited in town was the High School and museum. The school building
Cardboard Portrait
This life-size poster greets visitor to the Plains Welcome Center. was massive and pretentious for such a small town. I learned that it actually included all the grades from elementary on up. There were interesting displays and a lot of photos of both the President and the First Lady as they were attending school. There were also photos of the presidential campaign. One story told how Rosalyn told a man to vote for Jimmie because he was running for President. The man answered, “President of what?”
When he was growing up, the Carters lived on a 360 acre farm and grew corn, cotton and peanuts. The family was considered upper middle class for the area and the times. Their small white home was probably typical of their economic level for the 20's and 30's. They had no electricity or running water for the first few years, until a windmill was installed near the house in 1935. The rooms were small and contained much of the original furniture. The bathroom shower head was a bucket with holes in it. The sign at the bathroom door said they didn't mind that the water was cold because they didn't have to hand carry it in buckets. It was piped straight from the
Main Street, Plains
That's all there is to downtown! windmill. Having used an outhouse and pee-pot myself, I can understand the joy of having running water in the house.
Next door to the house was the “commissary”, kind of like a company store for neighbors and farm workers. The prices listed were interesting. Cigarettes were 15 cents each! Lard was 10 cents a pound, workshoes were $1 and lollipops were a penny. There was an old-fashioned gas pump beside the store and gasoline cost 20 cents a gallon. I thought that was high. It was a quarter when I was getting it in the 50's.
I liked the barns and out buildings with the old, rusty equipment on display. There was a blacksmith's hut, a milking barn and several feed areas. There were big metal “bowls” which I assumed were watering places for the livestock. While walking around, I saw one man working on a fire with a kettle hanging over it. He said he was boiling peanuts, and told me where to buy them in town.
I could picture Jimmy Carter growing up on this farm, nevertheless, it is kind of hard to imagine the hands of a former president also milked cows, shoveled manure,
Plains High School
The school which the Carters attended while growing up in Plains. plowed and picked cotton.
I stopped in town to visit some of the stores and take some more pictures. One of the old peanut processing warehouses had been converted to a shop where you could get any kind of peanuts or peanut products you wanted. I bought roasted and boiled peanuts, but skipped the peanut butter flavored ice cream while I was there.
Before I left town, I drove on out to see the Maranatha Baptist Church which Jimmie and Roslyn Carter attend regularly. I didn't think it was a pretty as the one he was baptized in. The Carters are in residence most of the time, but still do Habitat volunteer work about two weeks each year. On the way to that church, there was a neighborhood store with a ten-foot peanut in front. The sign said it had Jimmie Carter's smile on it. I'll let you decide!
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gojoydan@joyce
non-member comment
I remember
Was to me better then Atlanta Library good pics