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 PIERCE (OUNTy 
 
 GEORGIA. 
 
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 An Accurate Description of its 
 
 I Great Resources and Wonderful j 
 1 Advantages. An abundance cf Fine I 
 1 and Fertile Land thoroughly I 
 
 I adapted to 
 
 
 FRUIT GROWING. 
 GENERAL FARMING. 
 DIVERSIFIED OR TRUCK FARMING. 
 
 I Good Health, Peace, Prosperity, j 
 
 ATTRACTIVE WATER POWER^_^__ 
 HND IvrANUFACTORlNC SITES. *'"*' ' 
 
 j A Land that flows with Milk ^ Honey ! 
 
 5 Walker, Evans A 
 
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 SMITllSON'lAX UKI'OSIT. 
 
pierce G^^pty, Georgia. 
 
 T^IERCE COUNTY 1ms iiii surpassed and une(iiialed advan- 
 ^^ tages to offer to the new coiner, wlietlier lie be a farmer, a 
 mechanic or a manufacturer. It has all the elements that nature 
 could contribute to render farming, as well as industrial pursuits, 
 successful and remunerative. 
 
 A WHITE man's COUNTKY. 
 
 Pierce County is strictly a white man's country. More than 
 four-fifths of its population is white. The land is owned by a 
 progressive and intelligent people who keenly feel the need of 
 desirable immigrants, who can rest assured that they will be wel- 
 comed with the proverbial generous Southern hospitality. 
 
 AN OI.I) SETTI-EMENT. 
 
 All the benefits that only an old settlement can offer are found 
 here, at the same time the county is only sparsely settled and 
 there is a very large amount of exceedingly fine and fertile farm- 
 ing laud available at comparatively low prices, where an ideal 
 Southern home can be made at little cost ; where abundance, 
 thrift and prosperity go hand in hand with good health; where 
 all the advantages of civilization are as available as the divine 
 climate, and the numberless blessings of the "Sunny South." 
 
 "south GEORGIA," THE (iAKDEN SPOT OF THE STATE. 
 
 Half a century a»;o, when railroad building was in its infancy, 
 the aim of their projectors was to select the richest, the healthi- 
 est and the most promising parts of the State through which to 
 run, where a white immigrant would be attracted and where a 
 white man could live, work and prosper. The sole aim and pur- 
 pose of the projectors of the old Atlantic and Gulf Railroad 
 nearly fifty years ago, was to reach what was then considered, 
 and wiiat is now so well known and recognized as the Garden 
 Spot of the State : "South Georgia." 
 
 RAILROAD FACILITIES. 
 
 The old Atlantic and Gulf Railroad has been succeeded by the 
 Savannah, Florida and Western Railway, which forms the trunk 
 line of the Plant System of Railways. So that to its many other 
 advantages the county has that of being traversed by this great 
 trunk line, with its unequaled passenger and freight facilities, 
 making it possible to reach New York City within twenty-five 
 hours. 
 
 
ALTITUDE AND TOPOGRAPHY. 
 
 The altitude of Pierce County is the highest of any county, 
 traversed by any railway, along the South Atlantic seaboard. The 
 topography of the county is slightly hilly, and the rolling land is 
 traversed by tM'o rivers, the Satilla and the Alabaha, with their 
 numerous branches, which perfectly drain its whole area. The 
 undulations of the land are ample to secure the most perfect 
 natural drainage, while the inclines are not heavy enough to 
 cause the land to wash and become rugged. 
 
 THE SOIL. 
 
 The soil is the fertile gray sandy loam, with clay sub-soil, 
 characteristic of South Georgia, the adaptability of which to in- 
 tensive or truck farming," as well as to the growing of the grape 
 and fruit is so widely known and so well recognized to-day. The 
 clay sub-soil, which is found from fifteen inches to two feet be- 
 low the surface, enables the top soil to retain any amount of 
 humus or fertilizers that may be incorporated in it. 
 
 THE DRINKING WATER. 
 
 The greater part of the county has a thin layer of iron ore, a few 
 feet below the surface, which is impervious to water, and has the 
 great advantage of effectually preventing the percolation of any 
 contaminated surface water, thereby making the pollution of the 
 well or drinking water from this source a practical impossibility 
 for all time to come. Throughout the county an abundance of 
 excellent, clear, cold, sparkling drinking water can be obtained 
 at depths varying from twenty-live to thirty -five feet. 
 
 HEALTHFULNESS. 
 
 The health of the people throughout Pierce County is phe- 
 nomenally good and is in fact all that could be desired, as there 
 is a total absence of miasma and malaria, being in the midst of 
 vast yellow pine forests, whose invigorating, refreshing and 
 health giving influence is so well known. 
 
 CLIMATE. 
 
 The atmosphere, while it is not totallj- devoid of liumidity, 
 is soft, balmy and wonderfully beneficial for invalids, especially 
 those suffering from lung or throat diseases ; in fact the county 
 can beyond a doubt claim a foremost rank as one of the most 
 perfect sanitariums in the South. Competent medical authority 
 has declared this innnediate section of South Georgia to be the 
 natural sanitarium of the American continent. 
 
 While the winters are so mild, pleasant and beneficial, the 
 
summers are equally agreeable, as the high altitude of the terri- 
 tory causes the never failing Southern trade winds to have a 
 free access and a full sweep. Their effect renders the Summer 
 temperature delightfully pleasant, as it is very rarely that the 
 thermometer ever ranges above 90° F., the mean temperature 
 being in the seventies and eighties. The nights are always re- 
 freshingly cool. 
 
 SEA Island cotton. 
 
 Pierce County is a large producer of long staple or Sea Island 
 cotton. Last year (1894) three thousand, live hundred bales of 
 this valuable staple were shipped. As the name indicates this 
 variety of cotton was formerly produced on the sea islands of the 
 south Atlantic seaboard. The great length of the staple, the 
 fineness of the fibre, as well as its great strength and brilliant 
 lustre render it the best cotton raised on the face of the globe, 
 consequently it commands the highest prices. While upland 
 cotton sold at times below five cents per pound, Sea Island cot- 
 ton brought in the neighborhood of fifteen cents per pound. 
 
 To grow Sea Island cotton successfully the soil must be a well 
 drained sandy loam, while the quantity of humidity in the atmos- 
 pliere and the rain fall must be perfect. It has been found that 
 there are a limited number of counties further inland where this 
 cotton can be grown successfully, its production has therefore 
 increased from 25,000 bales to 80,000 bales within fifteen years. 
 
 The seed of this cotton is black, perfectly smooth and lintless, 
 it yields more oil than upland, green or lint covered seed. The 
 oil c<in be extracted without decorticating. The oil cake from 
 the Sea Island seed resembles the well known and highly esteem- 
 ed linseed oil cake to a high degree. It can be fed in the same 
 manner and with like results to stock, and is much cheaper. 
 
 GENERAL FARMING. 
 
 The best proof or guai'antee that any farmer could require as 
 to the adaptability and value of land, either for general, diversi- 
 fied or truck farming, is the niere fact that Sea Island cotton is 
 successfully grown, since there are only a very few spots on 
 earth that are thus favored. Wherever Sea Island cotton is 
 grown a great number of varieties of other farm products can be 
 successfully cultivated, 
 
 The county is therefore well adapted for general farming, and 
 especially for truck farming. Cotton is the staple or money 
 crop, but all farmers raise an abundance of provisions, such as 
 
corn, oats, rye, sweet and Irish potatoes, sugar-cane, liay, peas, 
 peanuts, clnifas, melons, and an abundance of fruit. Barley can 
 also be grown advantageously, as well as all plants having seed 
 adapted to oil milling, which have always been legitimate pro- 
 ducts of sunny climes and warm rich soils, such as the castor 
 oil bean, the ground pea, and the flax, and those familiar with 
 their cultivation, could not find a soil and climate better adapted 
 to their growth. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS SHOWING THE PROFITABLENESS OF GENERAL FARMING 
 
 A list of one hundred average, middle-aged farmers of Pierce 
 County, selected from the tax list of the county, shows that they 
 have increased in wealth, as the legitimate outcome of their farm- 
 ing operations alone, 386 per cent, in fourteeji ysars. These 
 farmers in 1880, retuj-ned for taxation $52,114 of property ; in 
 1894, these same farmers return a total of $253,377 worth of 
 property. 
 
 Numerous individual instances can be gathered from the tax 
 books oi the county where the increase is very much larger, for 
 instance, in 1880, Mr. Jackson Walker returned for taxation 
 $1,270, and in 1894, his returns amount to $13,215. This tre- 
 mendous increase is the result of his farming enterprises simplj'. 
 What he has done others can do, and are doing. 
 
 In 1880, the total returns of property for taxation amounted 
 to $525,802; in 1894, the aggregate returns of the county 
 amounted to $1,386,135, an average increase of 163 per cent. 
 in fourteen years. 
 
 TRUCK FARMING. 
 
 Truck farming is engaged in to a limited extent, with very 
 satisfactory results. Two and three crops are gathered from the 
 same land in a single year. The proximity of the county to the 
 sea ports of Savannah, Brunswick and Jacksonville, all being 
 within fifty or seventj^-five miles, besides the unsurpassed rail- 
 w^ay facilities, which always offer to the truck farmer quick and 
 chsap transportation to the markets of the north and west, make 
 it practicable to ship even the most delicate vegetables, fruits 
 and berries with perfect safety. 
 
 Irish potatoes, English peas, snap beans, asparagus, cabbages, 
 cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, cantaloupes, celery, etc., can all be 
 grown to reach the markets much earlier than the same products 
 grown further north, cons3rpi3utly better prices are obtained. 
 Both the watermelon and muskmelon grow luxuriantly and pro- 
 
duce an excellent quality of splendid size and tine flavor. Both 
 melons are largely grown to supply the early demand, which of 
 late years has grown to enormous proportions. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS OF TRUCK FARMING. 
 
 The following is a record of one and a quarter acres, cultivated 
 hy Mr. Elijah Aspinwall, at his home eight miles from Black- 
 shear, this year, (1895): 
 
 February 5— Planted Irish Potatoes, using four barrels of seed at a cost of $ 15 00 
 
 Expended for Fertilizers 20 90 
 
 Paid for Labor, Cultivating and Harvesting 15 70 
 
 Cost of Barrels • 5 '^» 
 
 Total Cost '. 8 56 80 
 
 From this he gathered fifty-two barrels of first-class Potatoes, which he sold, 
 
 net, for 81*0 65 
 
 5 barrels of Culls, valued at $'2 per barrel • ^0 00 
 
 Making a total of $150 65 
 
 Deduct Expenses • 56 80 
 
 Net Profit from planting of Potatoes ..893 85 
 
 On May 31 Corn was planted, at a cost for Cultivation and Harvesting of $ 3 90 
 
 From this he gathered Fodder valued at 6 00 
 
 50 bushels Corn valued at 37_50 
 
 Making a total of $ 43 50 
 
 Deduct Expense 3^0 
 
 Net Profit r 839~66 
 
 Following the Corn a fine crop of Pea Vines and Grass Hay was raised, valued at . $ 20 00 
 
 Deduct Expense— Planting and Harvesting 1 50 
 
 Net Profit ,$ 18 50 
 
 Grand Total Profit from one and one-quarter acres in twelve months $151 95 
 
 FRUIT CULTURE. 
 
 Fruit growing on a large scale as a commercial commodity is 
 still in its infancy in Pierce County. The raising of Sea Island 
 cotton has always been attended with such success financially 
 that the people have been slow to take hold of other products 
 from which to realize the ready cash ; this fact, however, has not 
 prevented some from experimental fruit culture. It is a notable 
 fact that every farm has its fruit trees, the peach, the pear, the 
 plum and the grape predominating, affording more than an am- 
 ple supply for home consumption. 
 
 Tlie orchards and vineyards in existence will convince the ex- 
 pert at a glance that as a fruit country the county is simply per- 
 fection, and that its possibilities in this line are great indeed. 
 
 The pear, the plum, the peach, the apricot, the apple, as well 
 as every variety of grape, grow to perfection and yield enor- 
 mously. 
 
 The people are well aware that the growing of fruit for ship- 
 ment to the early markets of the North and West is one of the 
 surest and best ventures that can be made, and there are a num- 
 ber of orchards planted. The majority of these orchards, while 
 thrifty, are young, but those which have come into bearing 
 
11 
 
 demonstrate beyond a doubt the financial success of fruit grow- 
 ing in Pierce County. The abundance of excellent fruit grown 
 is a splendid illustration of the adaptability of soil and climate to 
 fruit culture, and throughout the county the matter is now re- 
 ceiving active attention. 
 
 Mr. Joseph A. Harper has a vineyard of seven acres, near 
 Blackshear; the vineyard is now seventeen years old; it has 
 yielded regularly for years fifteen hundred gallons of excellent 
 wine annually, never missing an abundant crop. The vineyard 
 has exclusively Scuppernong vines. The bunch grape, however, 
 grows equally well wherever it has been planted. 
 
 STOCK RAISING. 
 
 The raising of cattle, hogs and sheep has been carried on suc- 
 cessfully as an adjunct to farming for years, not as a specialty ; 
 there is, however, no doubt that well appointed dairies or stock 
 farms would thrive well and yield handsome returns. 
 
 BEE CULTURE. 
 
 The flora of the County is excellent for bee culture. Where- 
 ever bees are kept they thrive well, and the yield of very fine 
 honey is large, although as a nile the bees receive very little care 
 or attention. Professional bee culture, with all modern methods 
 and improvements, would doubtless pay handsomely in numer- 
 ous localities. 
 
 THE YELLOW PINE. 
 
 The whole of Pierce County was originally covered with as 
 fine a growth of yellow pine as only a very fertile soil will pro- 
 duce. The manufacturing of lumber and naval stores were pio- 
 neer industries, which have gradually given way to farming and 
 kindred pursuits. The annual output of sawn lumber from the 
 County is estimated at fifteen million feet, while the turpentine 
 farms produce fifteen thousand barrels of naval stores. Unlike 
 hard woods, the cutting away or the bleeding of the yellow pine 
 does not effect or impoverish the soil in the least degree for farm- 
 ing purposes. There is an abundance of timber everywhere, 
 and lumber for building purposes is of excellent quality and 
 cheap. 
 
 HARD WOODS, ETC. 
 
 While the supply of hard woods is by no means so exhaustless 
 as that of yellow pine, there are nevertheless quantities of various 
 kinds, such as the hickory, the oak, the black gum, etc., to be 
 had. Besides these, there is a plentiful supply of cypress, pop- 
 lar, maple, etc. 
 
13 
 
 CHEAP FUEL. 
 
 Wood for household purposes can be liad ou any farm ahnost 
 for tlie cutting and hauling. Thousands of cords of excellent 
 wood is annually destroyed, wasted, so plentiful is it ! Wood 
 for fuel, for steam, or other industrial purposes is cheaj), abundant 
 and of excellent quality. 
 
 WATER POWER POSSIBILITIES. 
 
 Besides cheap fuel, the County has great water power possi- 
 bilities, as there is a considerable change of elevation and an 
 abundance of flowing water. The Satilla River, as well as the 
 Alabaha River, can be made to yield a vast amount of power. 
 
 POPULATION. 
 
 According to the census of 1890, the population of Pierce 
 County is 7,367 souls. Careful estimation places the population 
 in 1895 at 8,500 souls. 
 
 According to the records of the School Commissioner, there 
 are 43 schools in the County, of which 36 are for white 
 and 7 for colored children. The attendance of white children 
 at school is 1621, against 481 colored children. The registration 
 books of the County show that there are 932 white voters regis- 
 tered, against 225 colored voters. These figures show that four- 
 fifths of the population is white. 
 
 THE NEGROES. 
 
 The small colored population consists mostly of people born 
 and raised here, and they are humble, civil and willing to work. 
 Among their number are many estimable and worthy colored 
 citizens. 
 
 There is no friction between the races, and all live harmoni- 
 ously and peacefully, each race having its own sphere, its sepa- 
 rate churches and schools. 
 
 BLACKSHEAR. 
 
 Blackshear, the county seat, has been very properly termed 
 " The Garden City'' of South Georgia, for it is one of the prettiest 
 and most picturesque towns in this region. Nearly all of its 
 dwellings are surrounded by neat flower gardens, beautiful trees 
 and thrifty orchards, while its principal streets are lined with 
 fine shade trees. The town is built on a high hill, on the banks 
 of the Alabaha River. Its altitude is about 200 feet over sea 
 level, the slight undulations affording a very perfect natural 
 drainage. 
 
15 
 
 The healthfulness of the town, like the rest of the county, is 
 excellent. 
 
 The city is incorporated, and the municipal authorities are 
 capable, public-spirited men, who have the good of the commu- 
 nity at heart. 
 
 The moral status of the town is high, no liquors being sold, as 
 a $20,000 license is equivalent to prohibition. 
 
 Blackshear has 1200 inhabitants ; the court house, and all county 
 offices are located here. The town has two prosperous weekly 
 newspapers : " The Times," and " The Hustler." 
 
 The Blackshear Bank has a subscribed capital of $50,000, and 
 an autliorized capital of $200,000, and does a large business, and 
 stands high on account of its integrity and business-like manage- 
 ment. 
 
 Blackshear has four churches, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist 
 and Episcopal, each having representative congregations. It is 
 also tlie home of the Pierce County High School, an institution 
 which ranks high in the educational world. This school is thor- 
 oughly normal, and draws its patronage from a wide and increas- 
 ing territory. 
 
 Blackshear has two physicians, three dentists, four lawyers, 
 one drug store, and thirteen general stores with choice varieties 
 of goods not often found in towns many times the size of Black- 
 shear. 
 
 In the cotton season all roads lead to Blackshear, the farmers 
 of Pierce and all of the adjoining counties finding an excellent 
 market for their cotton here. It is not an uncommon occurrence 
 for a farmer to haul his cotton 25 or 30 miles by wagon to ol)- 
 tain the advantages of the Blackshear market. In this respect 
 Blackshear is ahead of any town in southeast Georgia. Exceeding 
 $200,000 is annually paid out over the counters of Blackshear's 
 cotton merchants. 
 
 Its merchants are energetic and progressive. Their customers 
 are to be found in Pierce and all of the adjoining counties. The 
 business done will approximate three-quarters of a million dollars 
 annually. 
 
 Blackshear enjoys the distinction of having the onl}' exclu- 
 sively Sea Island Cotton Seed Oil Mill in Georgia, a large Fer- 
 tilizer Manufactory, and the largest and most complete Sea 
 Island Cotton Ginnery in the State. All of these enterprises are 
 owned and operated by Tlie A. P. Brantley Company, and afford 
 
16 
 
 employment to a large number of people. 
 
 Blackshear has two hotels furnishing excellent accommoda- 
 tions, and a stay here will always be remembered with pleasure. 
 It is one of the most pleasant towns for residence, whether per- 
 manent or transient, in Georgia. 
 
 Blackshear is one of the most important towns on the line of 
 the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway, almost equi-distant 
 from Savannah, Georgia, and Jacksonville, Florida, and all 
 trains stop here regularly. 
 
 Mail, Express, Telegraph and Banking facilities are excellent. 
 
 Undoubtedly the future of Blackshear is very bright ; a mag- 
 nificent water power is available at its very door, making it one 
 of the most desirable points in the South for the establishment 
 of cotton spinneries. The climate is well suited to the spinning 
 of the finest yarns and threads, and there is an abundance of 
 intelligent white labor, male and female, who can easily be 
 taught. 
 
 PATTERSON. 
 
 Patterson is a thrifty, incorporated town on the Savannah, 
 Florida and Western Hail way ; it has a population of 250 souls. 
 The town has schools and churches, a number of stores, and a 
 large cotton ginnery which is operated by The Henry Hyers Com- 
 pany. 
 
 In the season of 1894 Patterson shipped about 1,000 bales of 
 Sea Island cotton. 
 
 OFFERMAN. 
 
 Offerman is a depot on the same railway. The Southern Pine 
 Company operates the largest single circular saw mill in the 
 South at this point. This mill turns out 50,000 feet of merchant- 
 able lumber per day. This Company has fourteen miles of rail- 
 road, and its three locomotives haul, besides logs to the mill, pro- 
 duce from the interior. 
 
 SCHLATTERVILLE AND HOBOKEN. 
 
 These are depots on the line of the Brunswick and Western 
 Railway. Each is a village of from 50 to 100 souls, having one 
 or more stores, besides being a neighborhood shipping point. 
 No part of Pierce County is far remote from railway facilities. 
 
 FINIS 
 
 Persons interested and desiring further information may ad- 
 dress THE A. P. BRANTLEY CO., Blackshear, Ga. 
 THE BLACKSHEAR BANK, Blackshear, Ga. 
 ANDREW B. ESTES, Blackshear, Ga. 
 
TIeJMERSON & FISHER COM 
 
 CINCINNATI, OHIO. 
 
 Wholesale Carriage guilders 
 
 FOH THE TIRADE. 
 !Send for Catalogue. 
 
 «. H. BALDWIN, President, G. W. FARRINGTON, Sec'y & Treas., 
 
 Springfield, Mo. Chattanooga, Tenn. 
 
 (ihattan©©ga St©^e G@mp€inij, 
 
 —MANUFACTURERS 0P» 
 
 STOVES, RA ITGES, HOLLOW WARE, Etc. 
 LOOKOUT STOVES ANDJANCESJMS"" """""' """'■ "^ 
 
 Write for Catalogue. CHATTANOOGA, TENN. 
 
 ANDREW B. ESTES, 
 
 ATTORNEY AT LA^A^, 
 
 :; ^ 51dcl<shedr, Georgia. 
 
 IMPROVED and 
 
 UNIMPROVED LANDS, -4^- 
 
 Pierce and Adjoining Counties. 
 
 SELECT LINE OF FARMS, 
 ^ CITY LOTS, and 
 
 MANUFACTURING SITES. 
 
 COHRESPONDENCE INVITED. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. 
 
 REFER BY PERMISSION TO 
 
 THE A. P. BRANTLEY CO , BLACKSHEAR, GA. 
 THE BLACKSHEAR BANK, BLACKSHEAR, GA. 
 
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 MONARCH! 
 
 I LIGHT, STRONG, SPEEDY, HANDSOME. | 
 
 I $85 and $100, 
 
 EVEUY CENT. 
 
 MONARGH CYCLE M'F'G CO., 
 
 I Lake, Halstead and Fulton Streets, 
 
 CHICAGO, ILL. 
 
 I SOUTHERN BRAEH, 44 MONROE ST., MEMPHIS, TEM. [ 
 
 I BUNTING BROS., Managers. | 
 
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