Sumter Historic Trust

The Americus Trolley is now available for rentals! We have been diligently working to take the necessary safety precautions to keep our rental guests and troll...ey driver safe. If you are interested in renting the trolley for your next event feel free to contact (229)924-4411 ext. 235 or email [email protected]. #americusmainst #trolley #visitamericus

Downtown Plains, GA in 1925 vs. today. A lot has changed in almost 100 years, but it's still the same beautiful little town that President Carter has called home for most of his life. What differences can you see? What has stayed the same?

On this day in 1946, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter were married in Plains, Georgia. Happy 74th wedding anniversary President and Mrs.Carter! #NPS #FindYourPark... photo: newlyweds, Jimmy And Rosalynn pose for a picture.

Happy 136th Birthday to the SAM! One hundred and thirty-six years ago today, June 17, 1884, Americus leaders chartered the Americus, Preston & Lumpkin Railroad,... predecessor of the Savannah, Americus & Montgomery Railway (SAM). We are fortunate to have among the family papers a copy of The AP&L Rail Road Polka, composed by Cordie (Cordelia) Hawkins, the eldest daughter of Col. Samuel H. Hawkins, founder and president of the Americus, Preston & Lumpkin Railroad, predecessor of the Savannah, Americus & Montgomery Railway (SAM), a line to which many communities east and west of Americus owe their existence. There are conflicting stories concerning the naming of one of these new communities, Cordele, which was founded in 1888 with the arrival of the railroad. Some sources indicate that it was named for Cordie, the composer of the polka. Others say it was named for her mother, who was also named Cordelia. In any event, we have the sheet music in our family papers because my great-great-grandfather, Major M. Speer, was an investor in and director of the AP&L and S.A.M. Railway and a friend and business associate of Col. Hawkins. Maj. Speer was president of the Bank of Southwestern Georgia and trustee to the bondholders of the SAM. In fact, one of the SAM's locomotives was named the "M. Speer." Other prominent local investors similarly honored included John A. Cobb, J. W. Wheatley, G. W. Glover, and J. W. Sheffield. ++++++++++++ Savannah, Americus & Montgomery Railway During Georgia’s New South era railroad boom, Americus lawyer, banker and leading Baptist layman Samuel Hugh Hawkins organized local investors in 1884 to construct the narrow-gauge Americus, Preston & Lumpkin Railroad through Sumter, Webster and Stewart Counties. In 1887 the AP&L completed track to Abbeville on the Ocmulgee River and soon afterward operated steamboats to Brunswick and Savannah via Darien. Rechartered in 1888 as the Savannah, Americus & Montgomery Railway, the company converted to standard gauge and built extensions to Lyons, Georgia and Montgomery, Alabama. The SAM contributed to the rapid growth of Americus and the establishment of new towns east and west along its route, including Vidalia, Cordele and Plains. Sold under foreclosure in 1895, the SAM became a part of the Seaboard Air Line Railway in 1900. Erected by the Sumter Historic Trust, the Charles L. Mix Memorial Fund, and the City of Americus. ++++++++++++

Congratulations to the Americus-Sumter County Movement Remembered Committee, Inc. (ASCMRC) on receiving an African American Civil Rights grant from the National Park Service. The grant, awarded this past September, will be used toward rehabilitating the Americus Colored Hospital. African American Civil Rights grants fund projects that will preserve and highlight stories related to the African American struggle for equality in the 20th century. Through the work and engagem...ent of public and private partners, these grants will preserve a defining part of our nation’s diverse history, National Park Service Deputy Director P. Daniel Smith said. By working with underrepresented communities to preserve their historic places and stories, we will help tell a more complete narrative of the African American experience in the pursuit of civil rights. Follow their Facebook page to learn more about the project.

Great article by Trust member and GSW History Professor, Evan Kutzler, PhD.