About Us
Butts County, Georgia is a treasure trove of history and culture !!!!
Butts County, Georgia is a treasure trove of history and culture !!!!
Butts County, Georgia is a treasure trove of history and culture !!!!
Our Society is dedicated to the preservation of our community's history, historic sites and cultural heritage. Documentation and education are key components in our preservation efforts.
Up Coming Events......
Butts County, Georgia is a treasure trove of history and culture !!!!
Butts County, Georgia is a treasure trove of history and culture !!!!
REVISED
Calendar of Events for 2020
May 2nd thru Nov. 15th - Indian Springs Hotel/Museum Open for Tours, Saturdays 10 am until 5 pm & Sundays, 1 pm - 5 pm.
May 3rd, June 7th, July 5th, Aug. 2nd
1st Sunday Services at Indian Springs Chapel w/ Rev. Ed Hoard & Music w/ Judy Yielding at 9:00 am each morning
RESCHEDULED CONCERT
Oct. 23, 2020 - Village of Indian Springs Concert w/ Swinging Medallions, 8 pm at Village Amphitheater. Fund raiser for Old Flovilla School
May 13,14,15, 2020 - BCSS 6th Graders History Tour of Museum, State Park Mineral Spring & Gardens of Village at Indian Springs
September 12 & 13, 2020 - 31st Annual Native American Festival
Hours Saturday & Sunday 9 am to 5 pm.
October 10, 2020 - 14th Annual W.J. Shannon Artifact ID Day at Indian Springs Hotel/Museum. 12 pm to 4 pm.
Dec. 5 & 6, 2020 - 6th Annual Christmas Tour of Homes
For the latest details on all Society events visit our Butts County Historical Society, Inc facebook page .
LAST UPDATE
Butts County, Georgia is a treasure trove of history and culture !!!!
LAST UPDATE
Due to the Virus, activities & event dates have changed. The Calendar of events for 2020 has been updated.
March 23, 2020
Indian Springs Hotel/Museum
Indian Springs Hotel/Museum. Built by Chief William McIntosh & Joel Bailey in 1825.
This historic site witnessed the signing of the 1825 Indian Treaty which was also the subject of the first ever U.S. Congressional Hearing
The hotel was built on this site as it was at the crossroad of native american foot-trails, followed by stagecoach trails and modern highways.
The rock outside the Treaty Room upon which Chief McIntosh's rival stood and threatened McIntosh with death if he signed the Treaty.
Annually, a Native American Festival, which began in 1989, are held on the grounds of the hotel/museum.
Artifact ID Day is hosted annual at the Hotel/Museum by the Society & the Ocmulgee Archaeological Society.
Flovilla School House
Old Flovilla School House.
Currently leased to Butts County Historical Society.
Built in 1885, the building served as a community school until 1932.
Following structural stabilization and restoration by the Historical Society, the School Building now serves as a museum and performing arts center.
Youth art camps are conducted at the School House each summer.
Youth theatre camps are also held each summer at the School House.
The one-room school house remains as if the children just left the room.
Civil War History in Butts County
Sherman's March to Sea Route through Butts County
Sherman's March to Sea Route through Butts County
Sherman's March to Sea Route through Butts County
Route shown Atlanta to Sandersville
HistoricMarkers
Sherman's March to Sea Route through Butts County
Sherman's March to Sea Route through Butts County
Attached files below give Civil War Markers located in Butts County
Official State Record
Sherman's March to Sea Route through Butts County
Official State Record
File below gives the official State of Georgia record of Union activity in Butts County Nov. 17-21, 1864
Seven Islands
A Brief History of Seven Islands
Before there was a recorded history of this continent American Indians
formed and used the Okfuskee path for hunting and trading trips from
their settlements on the shoals on the Ocmulgee river that came to be
called Seven Islands.
The Seven Islands of the Ocmulgee was mentioned as a trading point in
accounts of Carolina fur traders that go back as far as 1670. It was
described as having an Indian settlement of about 1400 people. Up until
1730, when George Washington negotiated a treaty with the Creek
Indians ceding land for a stagecoach trail that would connect Augusta
with Mobile AL., Seven Islands was where America ended and the Indian
lands began.
Throughout the early 19th century the Seven Islands stagecoach road was
important to regional commerce. Seven Islands marked the upriver end
of the navigable part of the Ocmulgee River. Cotton growers and fur
traders would bring their goods to the mills near Seven Islands to be
processed and shipped down river. In the mid 1800's at Seven Islands,
there was a grist mill, saw mill, blacksmith shop, school, church, textile mill,
and mill village with several hundred people, located on the west bank of the Ocmulgee river in Butts County. Seven Islands was a thriving community and remained a commercial and historic hub, even after the railroad had
replaced the river steamer.
All this came to an end on November 17, 1864, when Sherman's army, of
about 65,000 men marched thru Jackson and Seven Islands destroying
and burning most of the mills, buildings, and structures at Seven Islands.
It was the end of an era. The community at Seven Islands could never
recover from all the destruction and all that remains today are several of
the old rock foundations.
Seven Island Downloadable Files
Below you may download files which have additional information related to
the history of Seven Islands.
Robert Grier & Grier's Almanac
Robert Grier, astronomer and founder of “Grier’s Almanac”, lived in Butts County. He and members of his family are buried in a family cemetery in the Stark community.
The home of Robert Grier , built about 1840, was deemed one of the finest homes in the area and represented the considerable wealth of a very prosperous farmer.
Grier's Almanac
Grier's Almanac
Grier's Almanac
“Grier’s Almanac” was first published in 1807 as “The Georgia and South Carolina Almanack”. Published continuously since its founding, it became “Grier’s Almanac” soon after Robert Grier’s death May 4, 1848. Circulation is almost 2 1/2 million copies annually.
Grier's Almanac
Grier's Almanac
The Grier's family cemetery, long neglected, is in the process of being preserved though a restoration project of the Butts County Historical Society.
Native American History in Butts County
Early Inhabitants
Early Inhabitants
Early Inhabitants
Attached file below describes the early inhabitants of Butts County
Coweta Town
Early Inhabitants
Early Inhabitants
Coweta Town, located on the Ocmulgee River in Butts County was the "political" center of the Creek Indians.
Native Paths to Stagecoach Routes & Roads
Native Paths to Stagecoach Routes & Roads
Native Paths to Stagecoach Routes & Roads
Attached file below describes native american paths & their evolution into stagecoach routes & today's modern highways.
Map from 1721
Native Paths to Stagecoach Routes & Roads
Native Paths to Stagecoach Routes & Roads
This Barnwell - Hammerton Map of 1721 shows the location of Coweta Towns on the Ocmulgee River.
Indian Springs Hotels of Past
Indian Springs Hotel
Indian Springs Hotel
Indian Springs Hotel
The Indian Springs Hotel was built around 1823 by General William McIntosh and Joe Bailey. In 1825, the Treaty of Indian Springs, which gave away the last of the Indian lands in Georgia to the white man, was signed at the Indian Springs Hotel. It was sold to the State of Georgia in 1975. The State deeded the hotel to Butts County in 1982. It is also known as the Varner House. The printing of this card was donated by the Big Chief Grocery of Indian Springs, Georgia.
Elder Hotel
Indian Springs Hotel
Indian Springs Hotel
The Elder Hotel a two-story frame building was built in 1851 and burned in 1897. It 1903 the hotel was rebuilt into a lovely three story frame building overlooking the mineral spring. In all, the hotel was in operation over one hundred years. In burned in February 1984. The printing of this card was donated by James E. Cornell, Jr. of Indian Springs Georgia.
Foy Hotel
Indian Springs Hotel
Foy Hotel
The Foy Hotel was originally called the Hoard House. It was built in the 1880's with fourteen rooms. By 1896 it was know as the Foy Hotel. It was enlarged in 1990 and enlarged again in 1921 to include 55 rooms. It was located south of the springs and across the road from the Indian Springs Hotel. The Foy Hotel burned in May of 1956. The printing of this card was donated by the citizens of Indian Springs, Georgia.
Hotels of Indian Springs Past
Calumet Hotel
The Varner House
Calumet Hotel
The Calumet Hotel was built in the early 1890's. It included a two-story hotel with dining rooms and ballroom. The hotel was located on the main highway (U.S. 42) across the street from the Elder Hotel. It burned in 1910. This card was donated by McMichael Brothers, Inc., Indian Springs, Georgia.
Wigwam Hotel
The Varner House
Calumet Hotel
The Wigwam Hotel was built in 1890 on the hill above the spring on the ten-acre reservation owned by the State of Georgia. This site was a part of the original Indian reserve. It was a four- story frame Victorian structure, said to be one of the largest frame buildings in the world at that time. The hotel burned August 21, 1921. The printing of this card was donated by the citizens of Indian Springs, Georgia.
The Varner House
The Varner House
The Varner House
The Varner House, also known as the Indian Springs Hotel, was built about 1823 by General William McIntosh and Joe Bailey. In 1825, a treaty was signed, giving the last of the Indian lands to he State of Georgia, at the hotel. The Varner family bought the hotel in 1850 and owned it until 1953. Butts County, Georgia now owns the hotel Springs Hotel. The printing of this card was donated by the citizens of Indian Springs, Georgia.
Butts County Courthouse
Historic 1898 Courthouse
The file attached below, written by Michael Brewer in 2016 provides an historical perspective, analysis of current condition & future needs the industry you’re in. General business trends (think national and even international) are great article fodder, too.