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TODAY'S
ISSUE
Scots-Irish concept
of clan and family lives on even today
By Dr. Don Printz
Special to GwinnettForum.com
(Editor's note: with the "On Eagle's Wings"
drama about the Scots-Irish set to have its world premier in Gwinnett
County next week, here is a look at that immigrant flock which
has propagated so mightily in America. The writer is a retired
dermatologist who formerly practiced medicine in Lilburn. He lives
in Stone Mountain.-eeb.)
APRIL 30, 2004 - - The "Scots-Irish" are a peculiar people.
These people were different even in the Old World. The indigenous
Irish looked askance at the peculiar people, now living in Northern
Ireland, but who came from somewhere in Scotland. By the same token,
both the Highland Scots and Englishmen looked askance at those "Border
people" between Scotland and England as not belonging to either
country. Yet those folk--those in Northern Ireland and those of
the Border people--were of the same ilk: a group that seemed independent
from Ireland, Scotland, and England. These are the people who are
now referred to as "Scots-Irish."
By 1720 these people were fed up. They were tired of high taxes,
absentee landlords charging outrageous rent, and government officials
who told people which crops must be planted (at least in Northern
Ireland) and, what they would be paid. So they began leaving over
a period of almost 80 years. While most were certainly poor, they
were not destitute. Most paid their own way or did so with help
from their families. Thus this mass emigration was not bound by
those of indentured servants who were committed to work for a period
of time to earn their passage; this group of people were independent
of such commitments.
Most of these "Scots-Irish arrived at the Delaware Valley ports
of Philadelphia or New Castle. No doubt, the pious Quakers at these
ports most have been aghast at the earthy and unusual people as
they began to arrive by the tens of thousands.
The Pennsylvania Quakers quickly directed these new arrivals to
the western frontiers of Pennsylvania and to points south. They
poured down through the Shenandoah and into the Carolinas and, later,
even into the mountains of Georgia. They gave names to towns, political
divisions, and geographic features quite different from those of
Puritan New England or the Quaker and German settlers of Pennsylvania.
Names like Sandymush Creek, Frying Pan Mountain, Cutthroat Gap
abound, along with many names so earthy that on most subsequent
maps have been changed or eliminated. Charlie's Bunion, a peak in
Great Smoky Mountains, was a name that survived while Shitbritches
Creek has been sanitized to another name. Cumberland, after the
ancestral name in England, was popular. In Georgia, Gilmer County
survives as a name of a large clan which was one of the most powerful
in the mountains.
Indeed, the concept of the clan and family is the single feature
of the Scots-Irish which tie the entire folkway system together.
While most were hard-shell Baptist and Presbyterian, it was the
sense of the extended family or clan which united the isolated communities
through the Appalachian Mountains. Since they were fiercely independent
from those outside the mountains, they developed music, speech patterns,
and mores rooted in the Celtic and Scottish culture which lasted
well into the Twentieth Century.
Although many were functionally illiterate, a group of elite clan
leaders left the mountains to become well-known nationally. Three
presidents: Zachary Taylor, Andrew Jackson, and James Polk, all
sprang from this group of people along with a vice-president and
later senator from South Carolina, John C. Calhoun. More information
detailing the history and culture of this unique people can be found
at the Musuem of the Mountain People at Western Carolina University
in Cullowhee, N.C.
A drama about the Scots-Irish people, "On Eagle's Wing,"
which will next week be performed at the Arena in Gwinnett County,
will give a glimpse into a window of these "peculiar people"
through word, dance and music.
ELLIOTT
BRACK
County
seat founders spotted location close to center
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
APRIL 30, 2004 -- Americans seem transfixed on knowing where they
are, especially wanting to know the center of different geographies.
 We
have the Mid-West, of course, which some call Mid-America. Here
in our state, we call the area around Macon, Middle Georgia. Augusta
used the moniker the Central Savannah River Area. In Atlanta, there
is Midtown, and there's a city called Midway, which is halfway between
Colonial Savannah and its southern outpost at Darien.
Where, we wanted to find out, is the center of Gwinnett? Fortunately,
we found a kindred soul in Darlene Locklear of Flowery Branch, who
has spent 18 years with the county government as a technical specialist,
and who loves a challenge. Aidedby her computer and the Geographic
Information System (GIS) program, she produced the result. In the
meantime, she instructed us in the use of polygons.
We wanted to know how she went about it. "We had to find the
centroid," she said, using a word with which we were not familiar.
(For an explanation, go to http://faculty.evansville.edu/ck6/tcenters/class/centroid.html)
 Then
by plotting the coordinates and using GIS, she came up with the
exact land parcel in the center of the county.
Some background here: in the late 1950's and early 1960's, the
early development of Gwinnett was focused around the county becoming
a distribution point for Georgia and the Southeast, which still
continues today. Because of the accessibility of Interstate-85 and
the railroads, firms found Gwinnett ideal, especially as land prices
were low. Even today, 20 percent of the labor force is involved
in distribution from Gwinnett locations.
It's fitting, therefore, that the land parcel in the exact center
of the county is….yep, a warehouse. It's located at 1300 Lakes
Parkway, just a little west of Lawrenceville. And this parcel is
the location fo
Hanson Packaging's
building is located on the center parcel of Gwinnett County. |
r Hanson Engineered Packaging Solutions. The firm distributes and
sells all sorts of packaging supplies and equipment. Up until recently,
it was owned by the Calvert family of Gwinnett and Hall Counties,
and is now part of Amcor, an Australian multi-national firm in the
packaging field.
Mark McDuffie of Buford, the operations manager of the firm, when
told of his location, was stunned. "Wow. I can now tell all
our people that we are centrally located, and even use this as part
of our marketing approach."
Darlene
Locklear
(photo by Kinsey Hansel.) |
By the way, the 33 acre property is partially undeveloped. The
land is owned by Teacher's Insurance and Annuity of New York City.
The land is managed locally by CB Richard Ellis.
Every day, thousands drive by the center of Gwinnett without realizing
it. When entering Highway 316 south from Riverside Parkway, the
land is on the right immediately as you come to the gorp with Highway
316.
Another side tidbit: back when the founding fathers of Gwinnett
at the temporary courthouse near Dacula, were seeking property to
found the county seat, they wanted to select a spot in the middle
of the county, for the ease of early settlers to get to the courthouse.
They wanted it to be within a half day's horseback ride. (That's
the reason we have so many counties in Georgia, more than any state
except Texas. Remember, Georgia is the largest state east of the
Mississippi River.)
The early Gwinnett fathers did a pretty good job of picking the
middle of the county. Back to Darlene Locklear, who using the computer,
figures that the exact center is "14,339 feet from the GJAC
building." That's 2.7 miles! Pretty good siting for a county
seat!
Now we know the exact location of the center of Gwinnett. And Mark
McDuffie of Hanson Packaging has a new marketing tool!
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McLEMORE'S
WORLD
4/30: Arm-wrestling
in heaven
A different look at the world by cartoonist Bill McLemore:
BOOK
RECOMMENDATIONS
From Attorney Mike Tennant:
"Flag of Our Fathers" by James Bradley is what I am reading
currently. I have just finished "When Character Was King"
by Peggy Noonan. Concurrently reading "This Just In" by
Bob Scheiffer. Will start Zell's book (Sen. Miller) next. Do you
see a historical bent to my selections?
- (What book did you enjoy recently? What do you plan to read
next? Give us your selections so others can enjoy them. -eeb)
CALENDAR
Movies under the stars
set for May 1 at Tribble Mill Park
Gwinnett County Parks & Recreation is bringing back the popular
Movies Under the Stars outdoor movies this year. On Saturday, May
1, pack a picnic, come out to Tribble Mill Park in Grayson and watch
the popular animated family flick "Monsters, Inc." on
a giant five-story screen.
Bring your blankets and low-back lawn chairs and enjoy an evening
filled with music, inflatable amusements and a free movie. The movie
is sponsored by Crystal Springs. Sandwiches, popcorn, soda as well
as other food items will be available for purchase before and during
the movie. Pre-movie festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. and the movie
begins at sundown (approximately 8:30 p.m.).
Gwinnett Fire Department
to be soon in new location
The Gwinnett Fire Administration headquarters is moving to its
new location at 408 Hurricane Shoals Road in Lawrenceville. It begins
operation there on Monday, May 3. Previously it was at 1900 Five
Forks Trickum Road.
The new Fire Administration building is a $7 million project, funded
by the 1997 SPLOST, and includes a new Logistical Support Facility.
The opening of the new administration building will allow for the
consolidation of Fire Administrative Support Staff into one building
from six separate work locations, enabling the Department of Fire
and Emergency Services to more efficiently and effectively serve
the needs of the public.
The new phone number for the facility is 678-518-4800.
Norcross gets $800,000 for downtown streetscape project
The City of Norcross has received $800,000 in Federal Transportation
Enhancement (TE) funding for FY 2004 and FY 2005 from the Georgia
Department of Transportation. The funds will be used to implement
downtown streetscape projects included in the LCI Town Center Study.
GDOT and the TE Advisory Panel reviewed 338 applications requesting
a total of $218 million in federal funding. The State Transportation
Board members had only $52 million to allocate for TE projects statewide.
The area DOT board member, Steve Reynolds, was instrumental in helping
secure this funding, said Lauren Blaszyk, economic development of
the Main Street Coordinator in Norcross.
Norcross seeks volunteers
for Stream Clean-up Day on May 8
The City of Norcross is inviting volunteers to help clean up creeks
as part of a continuing statewide campaign to preserve Georgia's
70,150 miles of rivers and streams. The second City of Norcross
Adopt-A-Stream Creek Clean Up and Storm Drain Stenciling will be
held on May 8, 2004 from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.
For those that want to volunteer but may not be in the physical
condition to climb in and out of the creeks, they can take part
in the Storm Drain Stenciling Program. Lunch will be provided for
volunteers.
Volunteers will assemble for a breakfast in front of the old City
Water Works building on North Barton Street. In the event of inclement
weather, the clean up will be postponed. The make-up date will be
announced after May 8.
For more information, contact Maggie Raburn at City Hall, or call
770-449-4062.
ENCYCLOPEDIA
TIDBIT
"Clay eating"
documented for years within Georgia
The ingestion of kaolin, also known as "white dirt,"
"chalk," or "white clay," is a type of pica
(eating of nonfood substances). Found in the central Piedmont section
of Georgia, vast deposits of kaolin are mined around Sandersville,
in the area between Macon and Augusta. Kaolin is naturally deposited
clay used in the manufacture of ceramics as well as in coatings
for paper and textiles. It is also a key ingredient used in medicines
for diarrhea. Geophagia (earth eating) has been observed and documented
in many areas of the world, but a specific preference for kaolin
is less well known. There is, in fact, little published research
on geophagia, particularly the ingestion of kaolin.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Key person is one
who knows answer to question of "Why?"
"The person who knows 'how' will always have a job. The
person who knows 'why' will always be his boss."
-- Historian and Educator Diane Ravitch , via Deb Roberts.
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