Sunday, May 18, 2008

Crawfordville - Orange Crush

Orange Crush
Crawfordville, the county seat of Taliaferro County (pronounced Toliver) is a dieing town. To see this for yourself, check out local Athens photographer Daniel Fell's work. You'll get the point. The town, most famous for being the birth place of Alexander "Little Aleck" Stephens, Vice President of the Confederacy, proudly displays this fact on a building mural that welcomes the occasional traveler who's passing through town. Halfway between Atlanta and Augusta, the city at one time thrived because of its location. But with construction of I-20 a few miles south of town, Crawfordville has become just another poor, rural town over the last half century. Taliaferro, the smallest county in Georgia, has a poverty rate of over 30%. Other than its notorious speed traps along I-20, the county has little industry and a very small tax base. Unfortunately, this economic reality means county leaders and citizens see little value in preservation, even though the past is really all they have to hold on to.

1 comment:

Dayhiker032 said...

He really captures the place well. Thanks so much for the link to this slideshow.