SSABACOLA, Seminole County. An old Spanishsettlement which was located where the Chatta-hoochee River is joined by the Flint River. Thevill age here was burned by the English in 1685.The name, also known as SAVACOLA, comesfrom the Spanish mission, Santa Cruz de Sabacolael Menor, established here in 1680. There was alsoan Indian town in that same period, further northon the Chattahoochee, in the vicinity of StewartCounty, called SABACOLA (or SAVACOLA)EL GRANDE.

SAFFOLD, Early County, A rural communitylocated 19 miles south of Blakely on the Chatta-hoochee River, named from a plantation familywho li ved here.

S. A. HODGE, SENIOR, BRIDGE. On April2, 1963 the Georgia State legislature passed an actproposing that "...the bridge over the OcmulgeeRiver which connects Jones and Monroe Countieson Georgia Highway 18 be named for the Honor-able S.A. Hodge, Senior," who owned and oper-ated Dames Ferry (q.v.), one of the last ferryboatsin Georgia.

SAINT ANDREW'S PARISH. Created January11, 1758 when the Georgia colony was dividedinto eight parishes. This parish comprised thedistrict around Darien, and it was the intention ofGovernor Elli s that the Church of England wouldestablish a church here to be called Saint An-drew's, after the patron saint of Scotland. In 1777,Saint Andrew's merged with Saint John's and SaintJames' parishes to form the original LibertyCounty.

SAINT ANDREWS SOUND, Camden County.Located at the mouth of the Satill a River, andnamed from Saint Andrew's Parish. (q.v.).

SAINT AUGUSTINE CREEK, ChathamCounty. A channel between Oatland Island andMcQueens Island. Believed named by the earlySpaniards in reference to Saint Augustine, the firstwhite settlement on the continent, in today'sFlorida, which was named for St. Augustine ofHippo (A.D. 354-430). See also Augustine Creek.

SAINT CATHERINE'S ISLAND, LibertyCounty. This was the home of the Indian chief,Guale (q.v.), and the site of the first white settle-ment of present-day Georgia. In April 1566, PedroMenendez de Aviles (1519-1574) made his firstvisit to the northern Georgia coast, and landed atwhat is now called St. Catherine's Island. He then

established here what was the first of the islandmissions, and the head mission, which the Spanishnamed SANTA CATALINA DE GUALE. Itburned in 1597 and was rebuilt i n 1604 half a mileinland. The Spanish called the island SANTACATALINA, and the English settlers later Angli -cized it to the present name. It is believed that thefirst book written in America, a grammar byBrother Domingo, was written here in about 1568.The 25,000-acre island was owned by MaryMusgrove in 1759 and later sold to Button Gwin-nett, who may be buried here. On Saint Catherine'sIsland was the headquarters of the Nation's firstblack Separatist Empire, which was establishedhere by order of General Willi am T. Sherman in1865. SAINT CATHERINE'S SOUND lies be-tween Saint Catherine's Island and Ossabaw Island.

ST. CHARLES, Coweta County. A small commu-nity located nine miles south of Newnan. Incorpo-rated as a town from December 9, 1893 untilMarch 22, 1935.

SAINT CLAIR, Burke County. A communitylocated 12 miles northwest of Waynesboro onGeorgia route 80-305. Was originally calledKILPATRICK ESTATE. Probably named forGeneral Arthur St. Clair (1735-1818) of theRevolutionary War, a friend of George Washing-ton.

SAINT DAVID'S PARISH. Created October 7,1763, and was merged with Saint Patrick's Parishin 1777 to form Glynn County. Probably namedfor David, king of the Hebrews (c. 1012-c.972B.C.).

SAINT GEORGE, Charlton County. A commu-nity located southeast of the Okefenokee Swamp.Originally called BATENVILLE and later CUT-LER STATION by the rail road. Was incorporatedas a city from August 21, 1906 to August 6, 1924.

SAINT GEORGE'S PARISH. Created January11, 1758, it consisted of the district of Hali fax,which included all of the present Burke, and partsof Screven and Jefferson counties. Named for thepatron saint of England since about 1348. A logcabin Church of England was built to serve thisparish. This parish became the original BurkeCounty in 1777.

SAINT JAMES' PARISH. Created January 11,1758, it consisted of Frederica (q.v.) and all thesea islands south of the Altamaha River. Namedeither for the apostle, St. James the Great, brother

Saint John's Parish 196 Georgia Place-Names

of John and the patron saint of Spain, or for thepalace of St. James in London. In 1777, St. James'Parish merged with St. John's and St. Andrew'sparishes to form Liberty County. Telfair Square(q.v.) in Savannah was originally named SAINTJAMES SQUARE, after the palace of St. Jamesin London.

SAINT JOHN'S PARISH. Created January 11,1758, it comprised all of the present LibertyCounty, which included at that time the twosettlements of Midway and Sunbury. Named aftereither the apostle Saint John, or Saint John theEvangelist. In 1777, St. John's Parish merged withSt. James' and St. Andrew's parishes to formLiberty County.

ST. MARKS, Meriwether County. A communitylocated nine miles northwest of Greenvill e. Incor-porated as a town December 15, 1897, named forSt. Marks Masonic Lodge., St. Marks was thepatron of Venice and wrote the second book of theNew Testament.

SAINT MARYS, Camden County. Claims to be"America's Second Oldest City." Incorporated asthe town of St. Mary (sic), November 26, 1802,and as the city of St. Marys, December 13, 1858.This is the most southeasterly town in Georgia.Laid out in 1788 by James Findley on 1,672 acresof land, purchased for $38 from Jacob Weed. Itwas first named SAINT PATRICK (q.v.) and in1792 changed to Saint Marys, named after theformer Saint Mary's Mission in this vicinity, whichthe Spanish called Santa Maria de Guadeloupe(q.v.). The mission was founded in 1568 by PedroMenendez de Aviles (1519-1574), founder of St.Augustine, Florida. It is believed that St. Maryswas the site of an Indian vill age,TLATHLOTHLAGUPHTA, to which CaptainJean Ribault came in 1562.

SAINT MARY'S PARISH. Created October 7,1763, after the English occupation, of what after-wards in 1776 became Camden County (q.v.), afterbeing merged with St. Thomas Parish. Derivationis the same as St. Marys (q.v.).

SAINT MARYS RIVER. Rises in the lowerOkefenokee Swamp and forms the border ofFlorida below Charlton and Camden counties. TheIndians' name for this river was THLATH-LOTHLAGUPHKA or PHLAPHLAGAPHGAW,which means "Rotten Fish," but the white mencouldn't pronounce it. Jean Ribault (1520-65),upon finding it May 1, 1562, called it the SEINE.The present name originated from that of the earlymission (see Saint Marys).

SAINT MATTHEW'S PARISH. CreatedJanuary 11, 1758 when the colony was divided intoeight parishes. This one included all of the presentEff ingham and much of Screven County, includingthe settlements of Abercorn and Ebenezer. Namedfor Saint Matthew, the disciple who wrote the firstbook of the New Testament.

SAINT PATRICK, Camden County. The firstcounty seat of Camden County after it was formedin 1777. It is suspected that an Irishman wasamong one of the early settlers, to account for thename of the patron saint of Ireland. The name ofthe town was changed to SAINT MARYS (q.v.)December 5, 1792, and the county seat was movedto Woodbine in 1923.

SAINT PATRICK' S PARISH. Created March25, 1765. Was merged with St. David's Parish in1777 to form Glynn County. St. Patrick (c. 385-461) was a Christian missionary, called the Apostleof Ireland.

SAINT PAUL'S PARISH. Created January 11,1758, it included all of the present Richmond,Columbia, McDuff ie counties, and a part ofWarren County. Named for the great apostle andmissionary of Christianity, who was the author ofthe principal Epistles of the New Testament.

SAINT PHILIP'S PARISH. Created January11, 1758, it included the south side of the Ogee-chee River, west of Liberty County. Named for oneof the twelve disciples of Jesus, and a missionaryof the early church.

SAINT SIMONS ISLAND, Glynn County. TheIndians' name for the island was ASAO, and theSpanish at first called it ISLA DE ASAO. ThreeSpanish missions were established here, with thecentral one being SAN BUENAVENTURE. Theothers were the Mission ASAO, plus a substation,OCTONICO. The Spanish changed the name ofthe island to the present one, undoubtedly after theone disciple who was a fisherman. The firstEngli sh settlers arrived on Saint Simons IslandFebruary 22, 1736 (A comparative date: GeorgeWashington was born on February 22, 1732). Thevill age of SAINT SIMONS is a resort communitylocated on the southeast edge of the island. Therewas also a former community of SAINT SIMONSMILLS on the west coast of the island.

SAINT SIMONS SOUND, Glynn County.Located south of Saint Simons Island (q.v.) fromwhich it was named. It was previously calledWALLEGONY BAY (1725), a corruption from

Georgia Place-Names 197 Sand Hill

its Spanish name, BARRA DE GUADALQUINI.Ribault had called it the LOIRE.

SAINTS ROW, White Sulphur Springs, Meri-wether County. The old name for an unpaved roadon the west side of present Georgia highway 18,because of the farm and plantation owners li vingalong here who were "God-fearing" and church-going people.

SAINT THOMAS' PARISH. Created March25, 1765. In 1777 it was merged with St. MarysParish to create Camden County. St. Thomas wasone of the twelve apostles who doubted theResurrection until he saw Jesus and touched hisside.

SALACOA CREEK. Pronounced "Salla-coee"or "Sally-coee" by old timers. A tributary of theCoosawattee River, which rises in southwestPickens County, flows through corners of Chero-kee and Bartow counties, and up through southeastGordon County. The stream, as well as the SALA-COA VALLEY, were probably named for an oldIndian town of SAL(L)ACOA in northwestCherokee County. Some famili es from Virginiasettled here in 1850, and adopted the old CherokeeIndian name for the place, which is on SalacoaCreek. Hawkins recorded the name as SALE QUOHEH, which he said meant, "Silke Grass." JohnGoff reported the name is of Cherokee origin, andsignifies "Silk Grass Place" or "Bear Grass Place."He said the town was in Gordon County, on PineLog Creek, eight miles east of Calhoun. Mooneywrote that the Indian word is from Salikawa' yior "Bear Grass." Lloyd Marlin relates that thename is from the Indian word Selu-egwa, to signify"Big Corn," alluding to the fertilit y of the area.

SALE CITY, Mitchell County. Incorporated asa city August 12, 1910. Settled about 1901 andnamed for T.D. Sale, an active promoter.

SALEM, Dade County. Settled in 1830, it becamethe county seat in 1837, and was renamed TREN-TON (q.v.) in 1840. Salem is a Hebrew wordmeaning "peace." There is also a rural communityof SALEM in the southern part of Oconee Countywhich was incorporated November 24, 1818.SALEM (Militi a) DISTRICT is located in thenorthwest corner of Jackson County. SALEMVALLEY in Catoosa County was named from anold church that was established there in 1854.

SALIVAGE RIVER, Elbert County. An earlyname of the BROAD RIVER (q.v.).

SALTE RS CREEK and SALTE RS ISLAND,Chatham County. Located southeast of Savannah

near Five Fathoms Hole. The island was previouslyknown as DAWBUSS' ISLAND, and was in 1741acquired by a brick mason, Thomas Salter, afterwhich it and the stream were named. Fort Jackson(q.v.) was established here in 1808.

SALT SPRINGS, Douglas County. Incorporatedas a town December 12, 1882. Previously knownas DEER LICK by the Cherokee Indians, as deerfrequently li cked the rocks here to benefit fromthe healthful healing salts from the springs. Theplace was also called BOWDEN (q.v.). The earlycommunity produced salt for the Confederacyduring the Civil War. The name of the town waschanged from Salt Springs to LITHIA SPRINGS(q.v.) August 19, 1918.

SAN BARNARD, Worth County. The first countyseat when Worth County was established in 1853.It was Georgia's first summer resort, and wasnamed for Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, by GeneralBrisbane, a Catholic who proposed building amonastery here. The name of this early resort waspopularly given a "cracker" corruption toSANGUINARD. The succeeding county seat wasIsabella (q.v.).

SANBORN CREEK, Decatur County. Locatedin the extreme lower part of the county, com-mencing near Facevill e, and running into JimWoodruff Reservoir at the Flint River. The deriva-tion of this name, which was bestowed by whitemen, is not known. The former Muskogee Indianname of the stream was EASTAHATCHEE (q.v.).

SANDERSTOWN, Gilmer County. Located onthe Old Federal Road, one mile northwest ofTalking Rock, it was the site of CARMEL (q.v.)or TALONEY STATION (q.v.). The name isderived from the Cherokee chief, George Sanders,who once kept a house of entertainment here.

SANDERSVILLE , CS Washington County.Called "The Kaolin City" or "Kaolin Center of theWorld." Established as the county seat in 1796 andincorporated as a town November 27, 1812. Thename is derived from SAUNDERS CROSSROAD, its original name, which was named aftera Mr. M. Saunders, who once owned land and astore here. In early times it was also calledSAUNDERSVILLE.

SAND HILL , Carroll County. Descriptivelynamed, this former town was located eight milesnorth of Carrollton, and incorporated August 17,1903.

Sandhill s 198 Georgia Place-Names

SANDHILLS, Liberty County. Descriptivelynamed, because of its location in sandhill s adjoin-ing the headstreams of the North Newport River.The name of the post off ice here was later changedto WALTHOURVILLE (q.v.).

SANDTOWN, Fulton County. This was animportant early community, located along the eastside of the Chattahoochee River below UtoyCreek. The name is a translation from the ancientIndian town here called, OKTAHASASI orOKTAHATALOFA. This place was first listedas BUZZARD ROOST (q.v.). SANDTOWNTRAIL began here, running through the middleof present Atlanta to Decatur. The name was laterchanged to SANDTOWN ROAD and then CAS-CADE ROAD. SANDTOWN is also the name ofa community in northeast Wilkes County.

SANDY CREEK, Butts County. A descriptivelynamed stream, which flows easterly into ChiefMcIntosh Lake. It was called HOPOETHYLE-LOHOLO by the Indians. Another SANDYCREEK rises in lower Madison County and flowswesterly through lower Jackson County to theOconee River. It was called POCATALIGO (q.v.)by the Indians, which is also the name of a com-munity in Madison County. At least three otherstreams called SANDY CREEK are found inGeorgia, located in Coweta and Heard counties,Turner and Irwin counties, and in Jasper County.BIG SANDY CREEK is in Twiggs and WilkinsonCounty.

SANDY CROSS, Oglethorpe County. A commu-nity located 5 1/2 miles northeast of Lexington.So named on account of the white sandy soil foundhere, and because several roads cross here, goingin the four directions of the compass.

SANDY RIDGE (Militia) DISTRICT, HenryCounty. Located in the southeast section of thecounty. There was also a SANDY RIDGE postoff ice here in the 1830's through the end of thecentury. It was believed named by early settlersafter a natural sandy ridge in the red clay hill shere.

SANDY SPRINGS, Fulton County. Called"Golden Ghetto" because it is an aff luent commu-nity. A large suburban area lying north of Atlanta-- a non-city with no local government or legalboundaries. Originally here was a spring bubblingthrough the sand used by Creek Indians and horseriders to Atlanta. A Methodist Church congrega-tion later fathered the community. The originalspring exists today in a yard on Sandy SpringsCircle.

SANFORD, Stewart County. A community in thesouthwest section of the county. Thought to havebeen named for noted Indian fighter, General JohnW.A. Sanford (1798-1870).

SANGUINARD, Worth County. This name is the"cracker" corruption of SAN BARNARD (q.v.).

SANSAVILLA BLUFFS, Wayne County.Located on the Altamaha River at the mouth ofAlex (Alecks) Creek. The name is derived froman early Indian town located on the bluffs, calledSANTA SAVILLA (or SANCTA SAVILLA). Theorigin of the Indian town name is not certain, andthere is no evidence of any former Spanish mis-sion, fort or settlement here. There was also awhite settlement called SAINT SAVILLA on theUpper Sansavil la Bluff , later called WILLIAMS-BURG (q.v.).

SANTA CLAUS, Toombs County. A communitylocated below Lyons. Incorporated as the City ofSANTA CLAUSE, March 27, 1941. The spelli ngof the name was changed to the present, March 13,1970. Farmer Green had a pecan orchard and motelhere and thought this catchy name would inducetourists to stop. "Santa Claus" is the patron saintof children and is a corruption of the Dutch formof Saint Nicholas.

SANTA MARIA DE GUADELOUPE MIS-SION, Camden County. A mission built by theSpanish in 1568 in the vicinity of the present SaintMarys (q.v.).

SANTA MARIA STATE PARK, CamdenCounty. Located two miles north of St. Marys. The65-acre site includes ruins of a sugar mill builtabout 1825 by John Houstoun McIntosh (1773-1836). It had been widely circulated that this wasthe ruins of the Santa Maria de GuadeloupeMission (q.v.), which accounts for the name.

SANTO DOMINGO BOYS ESTATE, McIn-tosh County. A self-governing boys' town, foundedin 1946 on the Elizafield Plantation. Named afterand located at the site of the former SANTODOMINGO STATE PARK. The former 350-acrepark was donated to the state by Cator Woolford.It is reputedly on the site of old Santo Domingode Talaxe Mission, on the Altamaha River, one-half mile west of U.S. 17. See Talaje.

SAPELO ISLAND, McIntosh County. Pro-nounced "Sap'a-lo." Named for the SixteenthCentury mission of San Jose de Zapala, after whichthe island was called ZAPALA by the Spanish andthe Indians. Zapala is the name of a province in

Georgia Place-Names 199 Savannah

Spain. Oglethorpe entered the picture, and Angli -cized the name to Sapelo, which was sometimesspelled SAPELOE. The island is now owned bythe state except for the Hog Hammock (q.v.)community. Sapelo was called "Nigger Heaven"by envious planters because of Thomas Spalding'streatment of the slaves on his plantation here (seealso Spalding County). SAPELO RIVER arisesat Eulonia and flows southeasterly toward SapeloIsland. SAPELO SOUND lies between Sapelo andSaint Catherines islands.

SARDIS, Burke County. Incorporated as a townAugust 16, 1912. Believed named after the SardisBaptist Church, established here in 1810. Thechurch name is for the ruined city in Asia Minor,which was destroyed by Tamerlane. A communityof SARDIS is located in northwest Talbot County.It was settled in the 1820's.

SARDI(N)S CREEK, Emanuel County. Was alsospelled SARTINS. It arises at the Johnson-Jeffer-son county line, and flows southeasterly acrossnorthwest Emanuel County to the Ohoopee River.This was originally called SARTAINS CREEK,and was named for James Sartain who acquiredproperty along the stream as early as 1794.

SARGENT, Coweta County. Previously a farmingcommunity called LODI (q.v.). In 1866 the namewas changed to honor Captain H.J. Sargent andhis brother George Sargent, founders of a cottonmill here that same year.

SASSER, Terrell County. Incorporated as a townDecember 29, 1890. Named in honor of a Mr.Willi am Sasser.

SASSERVILLE, Meriwether County. Namedfrom Willi am Sasser who first settled here in 1829.This was the first stop on the stage route fromGriff in to LaGrange. Mr. Sasser gave land for thefirst school here. The name of the place was laterchanged to GAY (q.v.).

SATILLA, Brantley County. A communitylocated 30 miles south of Jesup on the Satill aRiver (q.v.). There was another community ofSATILLA in Wayne County which was also calledHASLAM. It was settled at the approximate siteof the present town of ODUM, ten miles from theLittle Satill a River, and ten miles northwest ofJesup.

SATILLA BLUFF, Camden County. This wasan early community located three miles east ofWoodbine, just east of highway I-95, where it

crosses the Satill a River (q.v.). It was on the southbank, just above Burnt Fort.

SATILLA RIVER. Pronounced "Satill y" by oldtimers here, and is often called the GREATSATILLA RIVER. Ribault had first called it theSOMME in 1562, and it was later given the nameAI(S)NE by La Moyne. The present name is acorruption of SAINT ILLA, the name given theriver by the Spanish invaders in honor of a captainin their King's army by that name. The name"Satill a River" was rendered in a decision by theU.S. Board of Geographic Names in 1892.

SATOLAH, Rabun County. Located on Georgiahighway 28, it is the most northeasterly communityin the state. The name is derived from a Cherokeeword meaning "six."

SAUNDERSVILLE, Washington County. Alsocalled SAUNDERS CROSSROAD, this was theearly name of the county seat, SANDERSVILLE(q.v.), and it was named for a Mr. Saunders.

SAUTEE, White County. Located three miles eastof Helen at the junction of Chickamauga Creek andSAUTEE CREEK. The Cherokee town of ITSATI near this site was called SANTA by ColonelHawkins (1796). Bernice McCuller said thatSautee was named for a legendary Indian lad whowas the lover of Nacoochee (q.v.). The post off icename here is SAUTEE NACOOCHEE.

SAVACOLA, Seminole County. See Sabacola.

SAVAGE CREEK, Twiggs County. Flows intothe Ocmulgee River at the southwest corner of thecounty. The name was given this stream becausewhite famili es li ving near here were massacred bysavage Indians. A smaller stream named SAVAGECREEK is in Bibb County. It flows through thenorthern residential section of Macon, and into theOcmulgee River.

SAVANNAH, CS Chatham County. EstablishedFebruary 12, 1733, when General James EdwardOglethorpe landed at the Indian settlement onYAMACRAW BLUFF (q.v.), and founded Geor-gia. OGLETHORPE BENCH on Factors Walkmarks the spot where Oglethorpe's landing wasmade (see also Oglethorpe County). The town wasnamed by Oglethorpe after the Savannah River(q.v.), on the banks of which it is located. In theearlier days it was often referred to as SAVAN-NAH TOWN. TOMOCHICHI BOULDER onWright Square was placed there in honor of thefamous Yamacraw Indian chief, Tomochichi,

Savannah Beach 200 Georgia Place-Names

(c.1642-1739) who befriended Oglethorpe'scolonists. Peter Gordon completed the plan of thetown within the first year of their arrival. It be-came the first municipality in America to be builton the system of city squares. The streets that werethen named KING, PRINCE and DUKE (as thiswas a royal colony), after the Revolution, in 1803were changed to PRESIDENT, STATE andCONGRESS streets respectively. BULL STREETwas named for Colonel Wil liam Bull (1683-1755),Surveyor-General of South Carolina, who helpedOglethorpe lay out the city of Savannah. JOHN-SON SQUARE was laid out in 1733, and namedin honor of Robert Johnson (c.1676-1735), colo-nial governor of South Carolina, who aided Ogle-thorpe in the settlement of Georgia. ELLISSQUARE was also laid out with the original cityplan, and later named in honor of the secondcolonial governor of Georgia, Henry Elli s (1756-1759). JONES STREET was named in honor ofMajor John Jones, who was kill ed in the siege ofSavannah in 1779. EMMET PARK was namedfor Irish patriot, Robert Emmet (1778-1803).CHIPPEWA SQUARE was laid out in 1813, andnamed to commemorate the July 5, 1814 Battleof Chippewa in Canada. Located here is a magnifi-cent bronze statue of General James E. Oglethorpe.MONTERREY SQUARE was named in 1848 tocommemorate the Battle of Monterrey, Mexicoin 1846. FACTORS ROW consists of East BayStreet between Bull and Abercorn streets, and wasnamed for the cotton factors (or agents) who madethe nineteenth century a period of flourishing tradefor Savannah. WRIGHT SQUARE was named forSir James Wright (1714-1785), Georgia's lastcolonial governor (1760-1776). VICTORY DRIVEwas named in reference to the victory of the Alli esin World War I. Savannah was the place in 1733of the first agricultural experimental station everto be established (see Trustees' Garden). TheSavannah post office was established in 1764, withRobert Bolton its first postmaster. The S.S. Savan-nah sailed from here in 1819, which was the firststeamboat to cross the Atlantic. Juliette Lowfounded the Girls Scouts of America in Savannahin 1912. Some of the city's nicknames have in-cluded, "Georgia's First City," "Cradle of Geor-gia," "Hostess City of the South," "Forest City ofthe South," and "Port City."

SAVANNAH BEACH, Chatham County. Theeasternmost town in Georgia. Located east ofSavannah on Tybee Island, it was previously calledTYBEE (q.v.) until the present descriptive namewas adopted August 1, 1929.

SAVANNAH COUNTY. In the mid-1700's,Georgia was divided into two so-called counties,

Savannah and Frederica (q.v.), named from the twoprinciple towns. Colonel Willi am Stephens wasmade president of Savannah County April 15,1741. With Frederica County, it was joined underone government in June 1743

SAVANNAH DISTRICT, Dawson County.Georgia Militi a District No. 931, in the southernpart of the county, was named for the old commu-nity of Big Savannah (q.v.).

SAVANNAH RIVER. This 314-mile riveroriginates at Hartwell Dam (q.v.) and is the bound-ary between South Carolina and Georgia. Alongwith its tributaries, it drains more than 10,000square miles. The Frenchman Jean Ribault calledthis river the GRANDE in 1562, and then theSpanish called it RIO DULCE, meaning "Soft (orSweet) River." Some attribute the name to theSpanish word sabana, meaning "flat lands" or"plains," and others believe it comes from theIndian, shawano, "the southerners." Then there arethose who say it is a Creek corruption of the nameof the Shawnee Indians, who formerly lived on theSavannah River. George Stewart relates that thename was probably derived from that of an Indiantribe, which may have been called this by theSpanish on account of the savannas found here,to mean "meadow," "open glade," or "treelessplain." The Indians' name for the river wasISONDEGA, or ISONDIGA, which means "bluewater" (although the water was never blue). TheMill s Atlas of 1825 labels this the ISUNDIGARIVER. The Indian name has also been said to bea corruption of I'su nigu, the name of an importantCherokee settlement in South Carolina that thewhites called Seneca, meaning "muddy water." TheWestoe Indians named the river WESTOBOU, or"River of the Westoes." In the upper part (in NorthCarolina) it is called the Whitewater River, andfurther down, Keowee River ("place of mulber-ries"), then Seneca River (these latter two in SouthCarolina), which flows into Hartwell Reservoirat the head of the Savannah River.

SAVANNAH STATE COLLEGE, Savannah.Established in 1890, it is now a part of the Univer-sity System of Georgia.

SAVANNAH TOWN, Chatham County. An earlyname which referred to the city of Savannah. Therewas also a noted trading post of the early 1700'scalled SAVANNAH TOWN, across the SavannahRiver in South Carolina, opposite the present cityof Augusta.

SAW DUST, Columbia County. A communitylocated in the southern corner of the county, one

Georgia Place-Names 201 Screven County

mile east of Harlem. The name was adoptedbecause of the lumber produced from several sawmill s here, which were powered from Big KiokeeCreek.

SAWHATCHEE CREEK, Early County. Thisstream name is now generally spelled SOWHAT-CHEE (q.v.).

SAWMILL, Chattooga County. This was a formercommunity in the northwest corner of the county,located on Little River, which provided the powerfor the mill referred to in the name.

SCANTVILLE, Carroll County. A former settle-ment in the western part of the county. Its namerefers to the habit of local bootleggers of wateringdown the product so that the real li quor wasscanty.

SCARBORO, Jenkins County. Incorporated asa town in "Scirven" (sic) County, December 19,1859, according to the State Acts. It lost its charterJuly 1, 1995. One of the original five commission-ers was Enos H. Scarborough, who was the firstpostmaster when the post off ice was establishedhere about 1839. The original community wasnamed for him and first called SCARBOROUGH.When the Central of Georgia Rail road was builtthrough here, they named the stop, STATIONNUMBER SEVEN.

SCARECORN CREEK, Pickens County. Flowsnorthwesterly to enter Talking Creek. Brinkleyrelates how an Indian farmer was said to havemerely "scared the corn" as he whooped throughthe field trying to scare away the birds.

SCHATULGA, Muscogee County. A ruralcommunity located nine miles east of Columbus.Goff explained that the name is a Creek Indianword meaning, "Crawfishes" or "Crawfish Place."

SCHLEY COUNTY. Pronounced "Sly." CreatedDecember 22, 1857 with 162 square miles takenfrom parts of Marion and Sumter counties. Namedfor Willi am Schley (1786-1858), governor ofGeorgia (1835-37), legislator, and jurist of distinc-tion. The county seat is Ellavill e (q.v.).

SCOTLAND, Telfair and Wheeler counties.Incorporated as a town August 19, 1911. Theoriginal name of the town was McVILLE whichwas sometimes confused with McRae, so it waschanged to the present name because of the pre-dominance of Scotch settlers here.

SCOTT, Johnson County. Incorporated as a townAugust 6, 1904 until July 1, 1995. The post off icewas established May 21, 1897, with James V.Carter the first postmaster. Derivation of the nameis unknown.

SCOTTDALE, DeKalb County. This northeastsuburb of Decatur was named for himself byColonel George W. Scott (1829-1903), who builtthe Scottdale Cotton Mill here in 1900. He wasoriginally from Florida, where he was electedgovernor in 1868. Scott was also an Atlanta broker,and benefactor of Agnes Scott College (q.v.).

SCOTT HIGHWAY, WILLIAM FRED, SR.Georgia highway 155-212, running southeast fromDecatur. Named March 10, 1964 to honor thisformer state senator and U.S. congressman fromGeorgia.

SCOTTSBORO(UGH), Baldwin County. Thisearly community was located four miles south ofMill edgevill e, and named for General John Scottof the state militi a, whose modest house here waslater enlarged by one of Georgia's richest planters,Farish Carter, and still stands (see Cartersvill e).

SCREAMER MOUNTAIN (or OLD SCREA-MER MOUNTAIN), Rabun County. This 3,200-foot mountain was purchased in 1971 by ModernStates Life Insurance Co. One legend relates thatthe name was adopted because an Indian squawonce screamed all night at its top, and anothertradition is that she leaped to her death rather thanleave the mountains when the Indians were ex-pelled from the state in 1838. The name of thismountain was changed March 24, 1839 to BLECK-LEY MOUNTAIN (q.v.), in honor of Logan E.Bleckley (see Bleckley County).

SCREVEN COUNTY. In the original act creatingthe county, December 14, 1793, the name was

Scruggsvill e 202 Georgia Place-Names

spelled SCRIVEN, and it is not believed to haveever been changed off icially to the correct spelli ng(see also Scarboro). Screven County comprises651 square miles taken from parts of Burke andEff ingham counties. It was named for GeneralJames Screven (1744-1778), public off icial andRevolutionary War hero, who lost his li fe fightingthe Briti sh near Midway Church in Liberty Coun-ty. The house of Benjamin Lanier was used forthe first courthouse of the county until 1797 (seeJacksonboro). The county seat is now Sylvania(q.v.). The courthouse was destroyed by fires inthe 1860's and in 1896. There is also a town bythe name of SCREVEN, which is in WayneCounty. It was incorporated August 19, 1907.

SCRUGGSVILLE , Glascock County. A postoff ice established January 22, 1886. It was movedand changed to Mitchell (q.v.), February 18, 1887,when the rail road came through.

SCUDDERS, Forsyth County. Named for notablewhite settler, Jacob M. Scudder (1788-1870), whocame here in 1815 from Wilkes County, Georgia,and was the first state senator from CherokeeCounty. Scudder established the first post off icein the county here in 1833, and this was a centerof government and commercial activities duringCherokee Indian days. The present communityhere is now called HIGHTOWER (q.v.).

SCULL SHOALS, Greene County. Located onthe Oconee River, in the northwest part of thecounty. This post off ice was established in 1825,and the town here at one time had a population ofabout 600. Thought to have been named becauseof skulls and skeletons found in the nearby areaof Indian mounds. Coulter said that this was thesite of an early paper mill established in 1810 byZachariah Sims, who also built and operated a tollbridge here. The factory ruins are preserved by theUnited States Park Service.

SCULL 'S CREEK, Jenkins County. Located inthe southern section of the county, it flows intothe Ogeechee River. Goff presumed it was namedfor a colonial family by the name of Scull .SCULL'S BLUFF on the Ogeechee River inJenkins County was previously known as INDIANBLUFFS, and later was called PARAMORE'SBLUFF after a resident here (see Paramore Hill ).

SEABROOK (VILL AGE), Liberty County. Arural community located between the Midway andNorth Newport rivers. Settled by freed slaves fromnearby farms after the Civil War. Was descrip-tively named in reference to a small stream flow-

ing into the sea. A restoration project of the vill agewas begun in 1991.

SEA ISLAND, Glynn County. This communityon the island from which it was named, was laidout in 1828. The Cloister Hotel here is one ofGeorgia's oldest and most exclusive resort facili -ties. Sea Island has also been called LONG IS-LAND in the past. The series of beautiful semi-tropical islands that extend along the Georgia coastfrom the Florida border to St. Catherine's Soundare called the Golden Isles (q.v.) and sometimeswere referred to as the SEA ISLANDS. The nameSea Island has later been applied specifically tothis privately owned resort island, which lies onthe seaward side of Saint Simons Island.

SEAY, Meriwether County. Was located threemiles east of Mountvill e, at which time the site wasin old Troup County. SEAY'S POST OFFICE wasin service from March 18, 1830 to September1835. The first postmaster was James Seay, well -to-do plantation owner here.

SECLUSION FALL S and SECLUSIONLAKE. See Lulah Falls.

SEED LAKE, Rabun County. Also calledNACOOCHEE LAKE (q.v.).

SEITUAH, Chatham County. A former settlementon Skidaway Island (q.v.) where General JamesOglethorpe built a stockade in 1834 for protectionagainst Indians. Seituah is believed to be a Yama-craw Indian name of unknown origin.

SEMINOLE COUNTY. Created July 8, 1920with 254 square miles taken from Decatur andEarly counties. The county is named for theSeminole Indians, an important Muskhogean tribethat li ved primarily in what is now Florida and inthe Okefenokee Swamp. They are a mixed people,combining aborigines of the area, migratoryCreeks, and Negro slaves. The name is a CreekIndian word meaning, "separatists," "runaways,"or "wanderers." The county seat is Donalsonvill e(q.v.). The Jim Woodruff Reservoir in the south-

Georgia Place-Names 203 Shake Rag

west corner of the county is also called LAKESEMINOLE. It covers 37,500 acres, and has a243-mile shoreline. On its shores is SEMINOLESTATE PARK which was established March 17,1960. The 343-acre park is located 16 miles southof Donalsonvill e. There is also a smaller SEMI-NOLE LAKE in lower DeKalb County, whichdrains into Conley Creek. It is located almost fourmiles south of Panthersvill e.

SENOIA, Coweta County. "Home of FriendlyPeople" First settled in 1860 by Rev. FrancisWarren Baggerly, and incorporated December 12,1866. John Willi ams suggested the name of thetown, after an old Indian chief who had lived nearthe present community of Sargent. May also havebeen corrupted from "Shenoywa," a possibleIndian title of Creek chief, Willi am McIntosh.

SEQUOYAH CAVERNS, Walker County.Named for Sequoyah, which was the Indian nameof George Gist (usually corrupted to Guess) (1770-1843), a halfbreed Indian who by 1821 had in-vented the Cherokee syllabary (alphabet), whichmade literature of all kinds available to the In-dians. Sequoyah became the accepted Indian name(Sikwayi) for the "Lonely Lame One," which isthe same name they gave to the white man's pig,and also to the possum, as the Indians thought theopossum was an animal of mixed breed. It is forthis Georgia Indian that the gigantic redwoods ofCali fornia were named, and he was also the onlyIndian to merit being in the National Hall of Fame.The SEQUOYAH STATUE to his honor faces thememorial arch at the city limits of Calhoun. Alsonamed for him is LAKE SEQUOYAH, at 2,800feet elevation in Pickens County, six miles north-east of Jasper.

SETTINGDOWN CREEK. Rises in upperForsyth County and flows westerly to enter theEtowah River just inside the Cherokee Countyline. Also spelled SITTINGDOWN, it was namedfor Cherokee Indian chief, Setten Down. He wascalled this because he allowed some of the whitesettlers to "set down" and li ve peaceably near hisvill age. The vill age called SETTENDOWN waslocated on this stream, four miles northwest ofCumming.

SEVEN BRIDGES, Bibb County. This descrip-tive name designates a district in the vicinity ofseven separate bridges located in a 3/4 mile stretchof U. S. highway 41, beginning below the citylimit of Macon.

SEVEN ISLAND ROAD, Jasper and Morgancounties. This was an old highway that connected

civili zation with the red man; an old Indian trailthat crossed the Ocmulgee River at the SEVENISLANDS.

SEVENTEEN MILE CREEK, Coffee County.Warren Ward said it was given this name about1812-15 by General David Blackshear, undoubt-edly because of its length. Brinkley states that thename refers to the distance to another stream ormilit ary point.

SEVENTY NINE (or OLD 79), Jenkins County.The early name of MILLEN (q.v.).

SEVILLE, Wilcox County. Pronounced "See-vil ."Incorporated as a town December 27, 1890 to July1, 1995. Named for the famous province and itscapital in Spain, that is called Sevilla by theSpanish.

SEYMOUR, Jackson County. This former com-munity was located near the bridge across theMulberry River on Georgia route 11, betweenJefferson and Winder. It was named for AndrewJ. Seymour, who was the postmaster here from1893 to 1902.

SHACKLETON, Chattooga County. Now a ghosttown, it was established southwest of Gore in early1909 by R. G. Peters from Michigan. He namedthe place for the manager of his iron mine, R. H.Shackleton. The post off ice existed from March25, 1910 to April 15, 1911.

SHADY DALE, Jasper County. IncorporatedNovember 13, 1889. It is a commendatory descrip-tive name for this community which is located ninemiles northeast of Monticello. Another communitywhich is descriptively called SHADY GROVE islocated in Carroll County on the Little TallapoosaRiver, 5 1/2 miles northeast of Carrollton. Thesame name has also been given to communitiesin Forsyth, Towns and Twiggs counties.

SHAFTESBURY KNOLL, Chatham County.This is the name that was long ago given to theonly high place on the old SHAFTESBURYPLANTATION on Argyle Island. The early ownerJames Deveaux named his plantation for the Earlof Shaftesbury, Anthony Ashley Cooper (1621-1683).

SHAKE RAG. This name was applied to variousearly rail road stops, referring to the waving of asignal flag. This was the early name of the presentWADLEY (q.v.), and is still the name of two ruralcommunities, one in upper Fulton County, sixmiles east of Alpharetta (see Sheltonvill e) and

Shaking Rock Park 204 Georgia Place-Names

another in Fayette County near Senoia. A streamcalled SHAKERAG BRANCH in Towns Countyis located southeast of Hiwassee, and flows intolower Chatuge Lake.

SHAKING ROCK PARK, Lexington. This parkwas named in reference to a 20-ton boulder whichcan be rocked with one hand because of its pivotalbalance.

SHANGRI-LA LAKE, Rabun County. Thisfishing pond is located just above Clayton. Thename originated from the mythical land of eternalyouth described by James Hilton in his 1933 novel,Lost Horizon.

SHARON, Taliaferro County. IncorporatedDecember 24, 1884. The name of this town hasa Biblical origin, and is from the Hebrew, meaning"A Plain."

SHARON GROVE, Fayette County. The originalname of BROOKS (q.v.).

SHARP, Carroll County. This former settlementwas named for Uncle Hiram Sharp, probably thefirst settler in this part of the county, who livedto be 90. The place was later called FARMVILLE.Of the same derivation is SHARPE (or SHARPS)CREEK, which flows northerly into Spence Lakein Carroll County, near the Haralson County line.

SHARPE, Walker County. Located six milessouthwest of LaFayette. This small communitywas named for Thomas A. Sharpe, early settler anddelegate to the Secession Convention in 1860.

SHARPE'S STORE, Brooks County. Named forHamilton W. Sharpe, who built a store out of logshere in 1826. This was the second post office inthe original Lowndes County, having been ap-proved April 2, 1853. The name of the place waschanged to the present MORVEN (q.v.), July 21,1853.

SHARPSBURG, Coweta County. Founded in1825 by Anglo-Saxon descendants of Connecticutsettlers. Incorporated as a town December 13,1871. Named for Judge Elias Sharp (c. 1813-1884), who was one of the original town commis-sioners. The post office was built here in 1870 andstill stands.

SHARPS CREEK, Carroll County. See Sharp.

SHARP TOP MOUNTAIN, Pickens County.Located four miles northwest of Jasper with an

elevation of 2,600 feet. Usually thought to be adescriptive name, but Brinkley says the origin isprobably from a Cherokee family of Sharp Fellowor Peggy Sharp who lived here.

SHAWNEE, Effingham County. A communitylocated ten miles northwest of Springfield. Namedafter the Shawnee Indian tribe of the Algonquianlinguistic family. Their chief was Tecumseh(1768?-1813).

SHELL BLUFF, Burke County. Was a thrivingcommunity and post office in early colonial days,located about one mile from SHELL BLUFFLANDING, from which it was named. The bluffextends forty miles along the Savannah Riverbelow Augusta, and was so named after the com-mon oyster fossil which is found in abundancehere. This is the highest bluff on the river, andrises up to 150 feet elevation. SHELL BLUFF(Militia) DISTRICT is located at the northeastcorner of Burke County.

SHELL MAN, Randolph County. Originallyincorporated as WARD (q.v.), the town wasincorporated as SCHELLMAN October 6, 1885,with the spelling corrected July 30, 1908. Namedto honor W.F. Shellman who contributed gener-ously for the academic institute.

SHELT ONVILLE , Forsyth County. The postoffice was established here October 27, 1848, withthe first postmaster being Vardy B. Shelton. Thename of the community was later changed toSHAKERAG (q.v.).

SHENANDOAH, Coweta County. The idea forthis planned city, just east of Newnan, was con-ceived in 1969 by developer Scott Hudgens ofAtlanta. With a start in 1971 it was expected to bea city of 70,000 by the year 1993. The site is nowan unincorporated residential and commercial area.Mrs. Douglas Wilson of Senoia submitted thename which was selected from over 1,000 entries.For this she was given $5,000 by Hudgens.Shenandoah is an Algonquian Indian word mean-ing "spruce-stream."

SHEPERDS (Mili tia) DISTRICT, MorganCounty. Located in the lower section of the county,and named for early landowner here, CarterShepherd (sic).

SHEPHERD, Coffee County. Located six milesnortheast of Douglas. The name was adoptedbecause of this being a center of sheep raising andwool carding. The community here is now knownas HUFFER.

Georgia Place-Names 205 Siloam

SHERRILL 'S FORT, Richmond County. Estab-lished in 1751 by Quaker families who abandonedthe settlement because of Indian attacks. Thesettlers returned in January 1774 under the leader-ship of Sherrill , and built a fort. While it wasunder construction, the Indians attacked again,killi ng some of the settlers including Sherrill , andset the fort aflame.

SHILOH, Harris County. Incorporated as a cityFebruary 14, 1961. This name was taken from theShiloh Baptist Church here. It is of Biblical origin,from the city of Shiloh in Ephraim, north ofBethel. There is also a SHILOH (Mili tia) DIS-TRICT, located in Lowndes County, below SalemDistrict.

SHINBONE RIDGE, Chattooga County. Locatedin the northwest section of the county. The nameis in reference to the anatomy of a horse, asassociated with nearby Horseleg Mountain.

SHINGLER, Worth County. Incorporated as atown August 16, 1912 to July 9, 1924, and islocated five miles northeast of Sylvester.

SHOAL CREEK, Newton County. An earlycommunity named from the nearby stream, andcentered around Shoal Creek Baptist Church. Itis now known as PINE GROVE community.

SHOALS, Walton County. Formerly called HIGHSHOALS (q.v.).

SHOALS, Warren County. A rural communityin the southwest section of the county, which wasfirst called LEXINGTON. An industriali st namedColonel Willi am Bird from Virginia settled herein 1794, and established what is believed to havebeen the first woolen mill and iron foundry inGeorgia. The community was also called VIL-LAGE SHOALS and SHOALS OF OGEECHEE.

SHOOTING CREEK BALD, Towns County.Located in the northeast section of the county, thispeak has an elevation of 4,317 feet. Named afterShooting Creek in North Carolina, which isderived from a translation of the Cherokee, du-stagalan'yi, "where it made a great noise."

SHORTER COLLE GE, Rome. Founded August2, 1873 as CHEROKEE BAPTIST FEMALECOLLEGE by Colonel Alfred Shorter, his wifeMartha Baldwin Shorter, and Luther Rice Gwalt-ney. The school opened October 6, 1873 withGwaltney the first president. In 1876 the presentname was adopted to honor Mr. and Mrs. Shorter.

SHOULDER, Hancock County. A former commu-nity, which was located nine miles northwest ofSparta. It took the name from its location onShoulderbone Creek.

SHOULDERBONE CREEK. Rises in lowerGreene County and upper Hancock County, andempties into the Oconee River. Named in 1784,although the derivation is not known. A famoustreaty was signed with the Creek Indians near themouth of this stream, November 3, 1786, whereinall lands east of the Oconee River were ceded tothe white men.

SHURLINGTON, Bibb County. An 800-acredevelopment in northeast Macon established in1958 by Francis Fielding Shurling (1913-1977).

SIDNEY LANIER BRIDGE, Glynn County.Opened July 18, 1956. A one-mile long span whereU.S. highway 17 leaps the confluence of theBrunswick and Turtle rivers. Named for Georgia-born poet, Sidney Lanier (see Lanier County). Tenpeople were kill ed November 7, 1972 when theship African Neptune struck the span of the bridge,causing it to collapse.

SIDSHA' LIDSHA, Chattahoochee County. Thiswas the name of a branch town of the CussetaIndians. The name signifies, "Under BlackjackTrees,"

SILCO, Camden County. This community in thewestern section of the county is located on theheadwaters of the Crooked River. It is probablya coined name, but it also may be from the Creekword, silkosi, meaning "narrows" or "narrowplace."

SILK HOPE, Chatham County. This earlycommunity was about five miles west of Savannah.It was named when the Georgia colony was firstformed, reflecting aspirations of establishing aflourishing silk industry here.

SILL YCOOK MOUNTAIN, Habersham County.Located 11 miles northeast of Mount Yonah nearthe Rabun County line. The name is the whiteman's corruption of the Cherokee, Saligugi, whichsignifies, "turtle," because of the shape of theformation.

SILOAM, Greene County. The community wasoriginally settled as SMYRNA in the early 1840's.At the request of the post off ice department thata new name be adopted, it was decided to use theBiblical name from the Tunnel of Siloam, used byHezekiah in the defense of Jerusalem.

Silver Bluff 206 Georgia Place-Names

SILVER BLUFF. Located on the east side of theSavannah River opposite a place called SPANISHCUT. The Spanish thought there was silver underSilver Bluff .

SILVER CITY, Forsyth County. Originallycalled TATUM (q.v.). The post off ice of SilverCity existed seven miles north of Cumming fromApril 7. 1886 to June 22, 1907. It is believed thename was taken from one of the western miningtowns.

SILVER CREEK, Floyd County. This commu-nity is five miles south of Rome, located on thestream called SILVER CREEK. The name of thisstream was adopted because of the mining of silverin the vicinity.

SILVER HILL , Chattooga County. Locatedsouth of Gore and named because silver had oncebeen mined here. The post off ice existed here fromSeptember 4, 1891 to May 31, 1901.

SILVERTOWN, Upson County. IncorporatedJuly 27, 1929 to February 21, 1958. Establishedas a company town by the B.F. Goodrich Com-pany, which built one of the world's largest plantshere for the production of tire cord. The town wasgiven the trade name of the company. It waslocated above Thomaston and annexed to that cityin 1958.

SIMSTON (Mili tia) DISTRICT, OglethorpeCounty. Located east of Lexington. Originallycalled SIMSTOWN for resident John Maze Sims.

SIMS TOWN, Oconee County. An early commu-nity located on Hog Mountain Road (q.v.) near theBarrow County line. It was named for the earliestsettlers here who were called Sims.

SIMSVILLE, Carroll County. A former commu-nity located on the Little Talapoosa River, twelvemiles north of Carrollton on Georgia highway 113.The place was named for the local pastor, Rever-end S.T. Sims.

SINCLAIR, LAKE. Located on the borders ofBaldwin, Hancock and Putnam counties. This15,330-acre reservoir with a 420-mile shorelinewas created by the 3,000-foot long SINCLAIRDAM on the Oconee River. Both the lake and damare named in honor of the late Benjamin W.Sinclair, who served the Georgia Power Companyfor many years as manager of production.

SITTING BULL MOUNTAIN, Towns County.This is the middle summit of the Nantahala Moun-tains (q.v.), with an elevation is 5,046 feet. Named

for the noted Indian chief, Sitting Bull (c.1837-1890), medicine man of the Sioux Nation.

SITTINGDOWN CREEK. Also spelled SET-TINGDOWN CREEK (q.v.).

SITTON('S) GULCH, Dade County. A pictur-esque canyon located on the west side of LookoutMountain near Trenton. Named for Jacob Sitton(1807-1892), who got land here by lottery andestablished a mill . The name of SITTON'SGULCH STATE PARK here was changed toCLOUDLAND CANYON STATE PARK, Decem-ber 11, 1953.

SIXES CREEK, Cherokee County. Named afterthe once noted Sixes Gold Mine of the 1830's,which was owned by Allen Lawhorn, and locatedabout six miles southwest of Canton. The mine hadbeen named after a former Cherokee vill age,SIXES OLD TOWN, and Goff said it was proba-bly translated from the Cherokee word, sutali,meaning "six." The site of the mine is now coveredby the waters of the Alatoona Reservoir.

SIX FLAGS OVER GEORGIA, Cobb County.Located west of Atlanta, just past the Chattahoo-chee River on Interstate 20. This 276-acre amuse-ment park presents the discovery, founding anddevelopment of the State of Georgia, and wasnamed from the fact that in past history, thefollowing flags have flown over the state: Spanish,French, English, Georgia, Confederate and UnitedStates.

SIX MILE, Floyd County. The name of thiscommunity refers to its distance south of Romeon the Southern Railway. It was first call edCOURTESY.

SIX MILE CREEK, Forsyth County. See TwoMile Creek.

SKELL Y'S STATION, Gordon County. Locatedon the Rome and Dalton Rail road, five milessouthwest of Calhoun. Was named for Captain andMrs. Thomas Skelton, teachers in Gordon Countyin the 1850's. The post off ice was established in1881 and changed in 1896 to OOSTANAULA(q.v.).

SKIDAWAY ISLAND, Chatham County. A 12square-mile island, located just south of Savannah.Oglethorpe had a fort built here in 1734 on thenortheast point of the island. He sent ten famili esto colonize the area, but the settlement was soondeserted. Various spelli ngs have been: SKIDWAY(1735), SKIDAWAY (1737, 1883), SKEEDWAY

Georgia Place-Names 207 Snapfinger Creek

(1737), SKEDOWAY (1738), SKEEDOWAY(1740), SKEEDAWAY (1745), SKIDDOWAY(1749), SHIDOWAY (1767), and SKIDOWAY(1878). Not enough is known of the Yamacrawlanguage to hazard a guess as to the meaning ofSkidaway, assuming that it is of Indian origin.Brinkley says it is an Anglicized form of Scenaw-ki, the wife of Tomochichi, for whom Oglethorpenamed the island. A bridge built here prior to theCivil War was destroyed about 1864. After thisit was reached only by boat until June 1971, whena causeway and highway bridge were completed.The 480-acre SKIDAWAY STATE PARK hasbeen established here. Also located on the islandis SKIDAWAY INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRA-PHY, a unit of the Georgia University System. TheSKIDAWAY RIVER lies on the island's westernshore. See also Priests Landing.

SKIN(T) CHESTNUT, Douglas County. Earlyname of DOUGLASVILLE (q.v.). Mr. YoungVansant was the original settler who built a storehere. This was said to have been an old Indianground, where it is believed they stripped barkfrom a chestnut tree which stood at the site of thepresent Kirkley's Store.

SKITT MOUNTAIN, White County. With anelevation of 2,076 feet, it is located on the HallCounty line. Reportedly derived from "skit," aform of humorous story, because of the wildstories and hoaxes told by miners here.

SKYUKA SPRING, Dade County. Located twomiles west of Rock City Gardens. This watersource was named for an old Cherokee chief,Skyuka (or Wyuca).

SKYWATER PARK, Dougherty County. Anearly name of RADIUM SPRINGS (q.v.).

SLABTOWN, Atlanta. Jonothan Norcross put upa sawmill on the site of present Decatur Streetopposite Pratt Street. The place here was so namedwhen Norcross gave slabs of wood to poor peoplefor use in building cabins in the locality.

SLAUGHTER GAP, Union County. The nameof the pass between SLAUGHTER MOUNTAINand Blood Mountain. Located about 1 1/2 milessouthwest of Vogel State Park. The name wasapplied because of a legendary savage Indian warfought on this mountain, when the Cherokees aresaid to have defeated the Creek, who were en-croaching on their territory.

SLYGO, Dade County. Located ten miles northof Trenton. Named for an Indian chief.

SMARR, Monroe County. Founded in 1838 byWilli am Smarr when the first train stopped here.The SMARR'S STATION post off ice opened May24, 1872 with a name change to SMARR'S July31, 1895. The present name was adopted July 1,1950.

SMITH CREEK, White County. Located aboveAnna Ruby Falls. Named after the former NathanSmith settlement.

SMITHFIELD, Carroll County. Joe Cobb saidthis was a settlement on the western section of thecounty, near the Alabama line. Named for the largenumber of Smith famili es residing here.

SMITHSONIA, Bibb County. A 280-acre devel-opment for the juvenile detention home, locatedjust south of Herbert Smart Airport. Named in1926 for juvenile court judge, Bridges Smith.

SMITHSONIA, Oglethorpe County. Incorporatedas a town August 23, 1905 to July 1, 1995. Namedfor Colonel James M. Smith (1839-1915), one ofthe three original councilmen.

SMITHVILLE, Lee County. Incorporated as atown April 18, 1863 and named for a family ofSmiths who moved here from Atlanta. Was previ-ously named RENWICK (q.v.).

SMYRNA, Cobb County. "The Jonquil City"Incorporated as a town August 23, 1872. The firstcommunity here was called NEAL DOW, in honorof a friend of Stephen H. Young, Western andAtlantic Rail road engineer. It was also calledVARNER'S STATION. The present name wastaken from the Smyrna Campground here, whichname was taken from Smyrna, the ancient seaportof Asia Minor, the birthplace of Homer. See alsoSiloam, Greene County.

SNAKE NATION, Atlanta. A tenderloin districtor settlement, so named as it consisted of criminaland immoral elements. It was sprawled along theold Whitehall Road (later Peters Street). Thesection was cleaned out in the early 1850's.

SNAKE NATION, Fannin County. A communitylocated three miles south of the city of Blue Ridge.The name is derived from the old Cherokee Nationwhich had leaders such as Going Snake Speakerand Speckled Snake Chief.

SNAPFINGER CREEK, DeKalb County. Anundocumented story relates that when DeKalbCounty was being surveyed, one of the surveyors

Spaniard Mountain 208 Georgia Place-Names

tripped at the edge of an unnamed creek and brokehis finger. Because he "snapped" his finger, thecreek became known as Snapfinger Creek. Brink-ley declares the name of the stream was adoptedbecause it is a "branch" or "finger" of SnappingShoals Creek. Union general, George Stonemanwas involved in a skirmish by this stream July 27,1864. The stream name has also been applied tothe community of SNAPFINGER and also toSNAPFINGER ROAD in the South Decatur area.

SNAPPING SHOALS. Located on the SouthRiver east of McDonough. Rainer said the namewas adopted because of the rapid current of thestream. Brinkley wrote that it was "named for anold Indian fishery where the fish could be pitchedout or 'snapped' as they passed over the shallowshoals." A post off ice of SNAPPING SHOALSwas established on the Newton County side of theriver from 1850 to 1902.

SNAPPING SHOALS CREEK, Rockdale andHenry counties. Rises at Conyers and flows downinto the South River at Snapping Shoals (q.v.).

SNEED'S STORE, Lee County. The originalname of WOOTEN (q.v.).

SNELL VILLE , Gwinnett County. Incorporatedas a town August 20, 1923. Settled in the 1870'sby two Londoners, Thomas Snell and JamesSawyer. The first post off ice was named SNELLand opened in 1885.

SNOW SPRINGS, Dooly County. A communitylocated three miles west of Unadill a. The namewas expanded from an earlier designation ofSNOW, so derived because of bubbling springsthat washed over white sand around which thesettlement was established.

SOAPSTONE RIDGE, Clayton, Fulton andDeKalb counties. Covers an area of approximately25 square miles in a triangular shape. At least 450milli on years old, it is predominantly ofmetapyroxenite -- a rock type which has beenlocally (but inaccurately) called soapstone. Indiansquarried stone here about the time the pyramidswere being built i n Egypt.

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Walton County. Incorporatedas a vill age December 22, 1832. The post off icewas transferred here from Sunup (q.v.) in 1900.The derivation of this name is not certain. Goffrelated that local tradition held that it was namedin the 1820's when a group who first gathered hereto start a settlement, passed around a jug of spirits.

They looked upon themselves as a happy socialcircle, and thereupon decided on this name. Brink-ley claims it was, "Named for a rest station of theearly overland drives where 'crackers' would swapstories and socialize while passing the jug." Butthe most likely derivation is that it was broughtfrom a former Social Circle in Bulloch County,as shown on an 1818 map of Georgia.

SOCOHACHEE CREEK, Randolph Creek.Believed to be a tributary of IchawaynochawayCreek, located east of Shellman. Willi am Readwrote that the name is of Creek Indian origin, fromsukha, "hog," and hachi, "creek."

SOCRATES, Monroe County. Candler and Evansrecord this former community which was locatedin the northwest section of the county on a branchof the Towaliga River. Named for the ancientGreek philosopher of Athens.

SOFKEE, Bibb County. A small community, tenmiles south of the center of Macon, which wasbegun as a rail road junction point. The presentname was shortened from its previous, TOBE-SOFKEE, which undoubtedly was taken fromnearby Tobesofkee Creek (q.v.). There was alsoa community named SOFKEY near Cairo in GradyCounty on Sofkee Creek (q.v.).

SOFKEE CREEK, Grady County. Flows easterlyto enter Tired Creek four miles south of Cairo. Inan early survey of this region, the stream waslabeled "SOFKA CR." The meaning is not certain,but may mean "Hominy." Or the name may derivefrom the Indian word sufki or soofka, signifying"deep." A Cherokee chief called Old Sope oncelived on this stream. It was later corrupted to SoapCreek. There is another SOAP CREEK in CobbCounty, and also a SOAP CREEK which rises ineastern Wilkes County.

SOLDIER CAMP ISLAND, Charlton and Warecounties. Located about ten miles south of CampCornelia. Was used as a camping place during theCivil War for deserters from the army, and soldiershunting for deserters.

SOLDIERS BRANCH, Telfair County. Brinkleysays this was a camping spot for General Black-shear's troops in the War of 1812. The name of thestream was adopted after one of his soldiers diedand was buried here,

SOMM E. This was the name (of a French river)given by Ribault to the present SATILLA RIVER(q.v.).

Georgia Place-Names 209 Spalding County

SOPERTON, CS Treutlen County. "The Milli onPine City" Incorporated as a town December 17,1902. It was named for Benjamin Franklin Soper(1856-1901), founder of the Southern Railway andMilli ng Co. The post off ice was establishedSeptember 4, 1903. The Soperton News printedits newspaper on pine-pulp paper for the first timeof any newspaper in the United States on March31, 1933.

SOQUE(E) RIVER. Rises in Habersham Countyand flows southwesterly into Lake Sidney Lanierin Hall County. Its name was taken from a formerCherokee town of SOQUE or SAKWIYI, whichwas located eleven miles northwest of Clarkesvill eon the Soque River.

SOULE, A. CHARLES, BRIDGE, GilmerCounty. Spans the Cartecay River at the city limitseast of Elli jay. Named March 25, 1958 in honorof former Mayor Soule of Elli jay.

SOUTH END POINT, Chatham County. Adescriptive designation that was given to the siteon Wilmington Island (q.v.) where remnants ofConfederate breastworks can still be seen.

SOUTHER FIELD, Americus (q.v.). Named inhonor of Major Henry Souther, who was a notedaviation engineer during World War I.

SOUTHERN SCHOOL OF PHARMACY,Atlanta. Opened in 1903 as an independent collegeby Dr. R.C. Hood, Dr. Edward Everhart and Dr.Hansell Crenshaw. A board of trustees assumedcontrol of the school in 1938, then in July 1959it was merged with Mercer University (q.v.) andis now located on Mercer's Cecil B. Day Campusin northeast Atlanta.

SOUTHERN TECHNICAL INSTITUTE,Marietta. Established in 1948 at Chamblee as theTECHNICAL INSTITUTE. The name waschanged to the present in 1949, and moved to itsMarietta location in 1961. It is now a branch ofGeorgia Institute of Technology (q.v.).

SOUTH GEORGIA COLLEGE, Douglas. Thefirst state-supported Junior College in Georgia.Established in 1906 as the ELEVENTH DIS-TRICT AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICALSCHOOL. In 1927 the present name was adopted.It came under the State University System in 1932.PETERSON HALL (1908) was named for BenjahPeterson of Douglas who gave the original 300acres of land for the college. DAVIS HALL (1908)was named for Charles Wesley Davis, first princi-

pal of the school, and POWELL HALL (1908) forJosiah W. Powell , the second principal. FRASERHALL was named for Charles West Fraser, thethird principal.

SOUTH NEWPORT, McIntosh County. Acommunity located 19 miles north of Darien onthe SOUTH NEWPORT RIVER. The name isbelieved to be derived from Newport, RhodeIsland.

SOUTH RIVER. Flows out of undergroundsprings in downtown Atlanta, and runs easterly toJackson Lake. In early days it was known asSOUTH BRANCH, OCMULGEE RIVER beforethe name was shortened to "South River."

SOUTH ROME, Floyd County. Incorporated asa town February 20, 1874, and incorporated intoRome October 24, 1889.

SOWHATCHEE RIVER, Early County. Pro-nounced locally, "Sy-hatchy." Flows southerlyfrom below Blakely to the Chattahoochee River.Originally called SAWNOOK HATCHIE. Goffsays that the name is of Muskogean origin, mean-ing "mad river." However Read claims it is fromthe Hitchiti , sawi, "raccoon," and hatchi, "creek."There was formerly a community with a post off icecalled SOWHATCHEE, located two miles east ofHilton (q.v.).

SPALDING, Macon County. Incorporated as atown from March 16, 1869 to March 21, 1958.This community is located just east of Montezuma.

SPALDING COUNTY. Created December 20,1851 with 201 square miles taken from Fayette,Henry and Pike counties. Named for ThomasSpalding (1774-1851), who was born at Frederica,and purchased Sapelo Island (q.v.) where he wasa prominent planter. Spalding was also an earlypolit ical leader, and a member of the ConstitutionalConvention of 1798. The county seat is Griff in(q.v.). This county's first clerk of court was MajorHenry B. Holli day, father of the notorious gunmanof Texas, John Henry "Doc" Holli day.

Spaniard Mountain 210 Georgia Place-Names

SPANIARD MOUNTAIN, Towns County. Withan altitude of 3,786 feet, it is located six milessouth of Hiawassee. Brinkley attributes the nameto the legendary explorations into north Georgiaby Juan Pardo in 1566, as directed by Menendez.

SPANISH CREEK, Charlton County. Flowssoutherly to enter the St. Marys River belowFolkston. Named for a Seminole Indian calledSpanish John who li ved in this vicinity.

SPARKS, Cook County. Founded by Dr. I. J.Goodman and incorporated as a town December26, 1888. The original post off ice here was calledAFTON. In the 1880's, when the Georgia Southern& Florida Rail road was built through here fromMacon to Jacksonvill e, Florida, the people ofAfton decided to re-name the place for a Mr.Sparks, who was the rail road division president.In later years at the nearby town of Adel, a sayingcame into being to the effect that "Adel is so closeto Hell you can see Sparks."

SPARTA, CS Hancock County. Established in1795, made the seat of justice in 1797, and incor-porated as a town December 3, 1805. Was sonamed, to indicate the bravery of its citi zens, byits founder, Major Charles Ambercrombie, Revo-lutionary soldier from North Carolina. The originalold world Sparta was a famous classical Greek citystate. This new world Sparta, along with Athens(q.v.), helped inspire Georgia's Greek revival.

SPELMAN COLLEGE, Atlanta. Founded in1881 by Misses Sophia B. Packard and Harriet E.Giles of the Women's American Baptist HomeMission Society of Boston. It was originally calledATLANTA BAPTIST FEMALE SEMINARY,and was the first college ever established for blackwomen students. The name was changed to SPEL-MAN SEMINARY in 1884 in honor of Mrs.Harvey Buel Spelman, mother of the school'sbenefactor, John D. Rockefeller of New York.This is now one of f ive colleges that make up theAtlanta University Center (q.v.). The educationbuilding was built i n 1886 and namedROCKEFELLER HALL, as this was the firstmajor gift of John D. Rockefeller to education.SISTERS CHAPEL was dedicated in 1935, andwas named to honor Rockefeller's mother and aunt.The FLORENCE MATILDA READ HEALTHAND RECREATION BUILDING was dedicatedin 1951, and named in honor of Miss Read, whoserved as president of the college from 1927 to1953.

SPEWRELL BLUFF, Upson County. Theformer spelli ng of the name of SPREWELLBLUFF (q.v.).

SPIERS TURNOUT, Jefferson County. Has alsobeen recorded as SPEAR'S TURN OUT. Estab-li shed in the 1850's, this was the original name ofthe present town of BARTOW (q.v.). It was namedfor Willi am Spier who had kept a commissary forrail road hands here.

SPIVEY, LAKE, Clayton and Henry counties.A 550-acre private lake located east of Jonesboro.Claims to have the world's largest man-madebeach. Was formerly owned by Dr. Walter B.Spivey.

SPLIT SILK, Walton County. A small commu-nity located between Between and Loganvill e. Itwas reportedly given this name when a girl acci-dentally tore her sil k dress in front of the C. L. IveyGeneral Store.

SPOIL CANE CREEK, White County. Goffexplained that this name evolved from the originalsurveyor's naming this stream, SPOIL'D CANECREEK (1820), somehow related to the use ofcane as a forage plant. From the edge of Georgiahighway 75, just short of Unicoi Gap, one can lookdown on the very head of Spoil Cane Creek.

SPREAD, Jefferson County. Incorporated as atown August 15, 1903. The post off ice here wasfirst known as SPREAD OAK, and later shortenedto "Spread." The name of the town was changedto STAPLETON (q.v.) August 17, 1917.

SPREWELL BLUFF, Upson County. This bluffoverlooks the Flint River about eight miles westof Thomaston. Named for Jeptha Sprewell , anearly settler of upper Talbot County. SPEWRELL(sic) BLUFF STATE PARK was establishednearby on Old Alabama Road. Efforts to build a"Spewrell Bluff Dam" on the Flint River weredefeated by the state assembly in February 1974.By executive order in early March 1974, GovernorJimmy Carter corrected the spelli ng from itsformer name, SPEWRELL BLUFF.

SPRING BLUFF, Camden County. This bluffis located near U.S. highway 17 on the south sideof the Little Satill a River. Goff said that it had thisname for over 200 years, and it refers to themineral spring three miles to the east.

SPRING CREEK. Rises in southeast ClayCounty and flows through Early and Mill er coun-ties, thence down near the western boundary ofDecatur County into Lake Seminole. Named forthe artesian springs at its source.

SPRINGER MOUNTAIN. Located at the junc-ture of Dawson, Fannin and Lumpkin counties. Its

Georgia Place-Names 211 Stark

elevation is 3,782 feet, and it is the southernterminus of the Appalachian Trail (q.v.). The peakis about one mile north of the Dawson County line.It was previously known as PENITENTIARYMOUNTAIN (q.v.). Derivation is not certain, butmay be named for John Springer, the first Presby-terian minister to be ordained in Georgia, July 22,1790. The name was off iciall y approved in 1959by the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club. If this wasa later designation, it was most likely for Willi amG. Springer, an early settler of Carroll County whowas appointed (c.1833) by Governor Lumpkin toimplement legislation to improve conditions forthe Indians.

SPRINGFIELD AT POWDER SPRINGS,Cobb County. An early name of the town ofPOWDER SPRINGS (q.v.).

SPRINGFIELD, CS Eff ingham County. Foundedin 1799 and incorporated as a town December 31,1838. Thought to have been named for the planta-tion of General David Blackshear (see also Black-shear). The original county seat was at Tuckasee-King (q.v.).

SPRING HILL, Chatham County. This sectionof Savannah was descriptively named as it was thesite of some never faili ng springs of water.

SPRING PLACE, Murray County. Designatedthe county seat in 1834 and incorporated as a townOctober 9, 1885 to July 1, 1995. The originalsettlement was called POINSET (q.v.), but it waslater renamed for the former Spring Place Mission(q.v.), which was located southwest of the presenttown. The county seat was moved to Chatsworthin 1913. Nearby stands the home of the formerCherokee Indian chief, Joseph Vann, who was awealthy plantation owner (see also Vann).

SPRING PLACE MISSION, Murray County.Located southwest of the town of Spring Place(q.v.). Founded in 1801 by Moravian Brethrenfrom Salem, North Carolina, and was the firstschool among the Cherokees. It was named for anoted spring in the locality, which had made thisa famous resort of the Indians.

SPRINGVALE, Randolph County. A commen-datory name for a community located eight milesnorthwest of Cuthbert. Was incorporated as avill age October 25, 1870 to July 1, 1995.

STALKINGHEAD CREEK, Jasper and Jonescounties. Rises about five miles south of Monti-cello and flows southward to enter Little Falli ng

Creek in northwest Jones County. Derivation isthe same as for Stocking Head Branch (q.v.).

STALLINGS ISLAND, Columbia County.Located eight miles northwest of Augusta in theSavannah River. Was also known as INDIANISLAND. Found here is one of the most importantshell mound sites in the Southeast, with potteryfrom a period prior to 1700 B.C. The name isbelieved to be from that of an early owner of theisland.

STAMP CREEK, Bartow County. Rises inwestern Cherokee County and flows southwardinto Allatoona Lake. Originally known as LICKCREEK in the state surveys of 1832. A li ck orstamp was an area in which cattle were fed, andthey stamped their feet while li cking salt or feed-ing.

STANDING BOY CREEK. Rises in lowerHarris County and flows into upper MuscogeeCounty, entering the Chattahoochee above Colum-bus. The Indian spelli ngs were CHU-CETHLOCCO, CHUSSETHLUCCO andHATCHAUXA, which do not translate directly.Goff said, that properly spelled to mean "StandingBoy Creek," it should have been written,Chiponusihuili. The stream is now called HEIFER-HORN CREEK (q.v.).

STANDING PEACHTREE, Fulton County. Waslocated on both sides of the Chattahoochee Riverat the mouth of Peachtree Creek. This name is anEnglish translation of the Indian name for theCreek Indian vill age, PAKANAHUILI. JamesMontgomery was the postmaster of the earlycommunity here (see Montgomery Ferry Road).See also Peachtree Street.

STANFORDVILLE, Putnam County. See Devil 'sHalf Acre.

STANLEY CREEK, Fannin County. Flows intothe Toccoa River about six miles southeast of BlueRidge. Brinkley says it was named for the JohnStanley rest station of 1818.

STAPLETON, Jefferson County. Was calledSPREAD (q.v.) when it was incorporated August15, 1903. The present name is in honor of aColonel James Stapleton.

STARK, Butts County. An unincorporated vill age5 miles northeast of Jackson which was settled inthe early 1820's. It was named for Judge James H.Stark. This was the home of Robert Grier (1780-1848) who founded "Grier's Almanac" in 1807,

Starkvill e 212 Georgia Place-Names

with a current circulation of almost 2 1/2 milli oncopies annually.

STARKVILLE, Lee County. Incorporated anddesignated the county seat December 26, 1852.It lost its charter July 1, 1995. Was located on thewest side of Muckalee Creek, several miles eastof present Leesburg (on the east side of the creekwas a Chehaw Indian town). Named in honor ofMajor General John Stark (1728-1822) of Revolu-tionary War fame. The county seat was moved toLeesburg in 1872, after which this eventuallybecame a dead town. See also Webster.

STARRSVILLE, Newton County. A communitylocated six miles southeast of Covington, onGeorgia highway 213. Settled in 1820-21 by theStarr and Epps famili es. Named for Silas H. Starr,Sr., popular state legislator.

STATE LINE, Heard County. An early commu-nity which was located at or near the presentcommunity of Waresvill e. It was descriptivelynamed regarding its location on the Alabama stateline. This same name has also been applied to thecommunity of Red Clay (q.v.), Whitfield County.

STATENVILLE, CS Echols County. Named forCaptain James W. Staten, who opened the firststore here. Incorporated as the town of STATES-VILLE December 13, 1859, and is the name bywhich it is now popularly known. It was previouslyknown as TROUBLESOME. It is located withinthe STATENVILLE (Militi a) DISTRICT.

STATESBORO, CS Bulloch County. "TheTourist City" On December 19, 1803 it wasdecided that the county seat would be "States-borough" but there was no record of a town by thename of Statesboro until 1805. Was incorporatedas a town and designated the county seat Decem-ber 20, 1866. This is the only Statesboro in theUnited States, and is believed to have been namedin honor of States' Rights after Jefferson becamepresident in 1801 with the platform of States'Rights.

STATESVILLE, EchoIs County. The name bywhich STATENVILLE (q.v.) was chartered.

STATHAM, Barrow County. Pronounced "Stay'-tum." Incorporated as a town from December 20,1892 to December 6, 1902. In 1846 it was calledBARBERS CREEK, after the nearby stream,BARBER'S CREEK (q.v.). The name was changedto DELAY in 1854, and the present name wasadopted in 1892, in honor of Dr. Charles Statham,chancellor of the University of Georgia.

STAUNTON, Dade County. A former communitylocated just south of Rising Fawn. The post off icehere was called HANNA. In 1870 the station wasnamed for a Mr. Staunton who built the AlabamaGreat Southern Rail road through here.

STEADMAN, Newton County. Incorporated asa town February 21, 1866, to enable Enoch Stead-man to build a large manufacturing establishmenton the falls (known as Henry Shoals) of the YellowRiver. It lost its charter July 1, 1995. On this siteis today's town of PORTERDALE (q.v.).

STEADMAN ISLAND, Chatham County. Lo-cated in the Little Ogeechee River south of Savan-nah. Believed to have been named for its earlyoccupants.

STEAM MILL, Seminole County. Located nearthe Chattahoochee River, eight miles southwestof Donalsonvill e. This littl e community was givenits name when there were steam-operated cottongins and grist mill s here. It was also known asDICKERSON'S STORE, with this name fromstoreowner S.H. Dickerson.

STEARNESVILLE, Pike County. Named forJohn T. Stearnes who operated a general storehere. This was an early name of WILLIAMSON(q.v.)

STEKOA CREEK, Rabun County. Flows fromClayton northeasterly to the Chattooga River. Thename is a misspelli ng of STICOA, an early Chero-kee vill age.

STELLAVILLE, Jefferson County. Incorporatedas a town September 11, 1891 to July 1, 1995. Thiscommunity was first established in 1817 as aBaptist church called DARCY'S MEETINGHOUSE, and then later changed to WAYSCHURCH, for a Mr. Willi am Way. It was calledSISTERVILLE until 1871, when it adopted itspresent name after Stella Brinson, the daughter ofJohn Brinson.

STEPHEN C. FOSTER STATE PARK, Charl-ton County. This 80-acre park is located on JonesIsland in Okefenokee Swamp, and is on the Suwan-nee River, 18 miles northeast of Fargo. Named forStephen Colli ns Foster (1826-1864) of Pittsburghwho wrote Old Folks at Home (1851), also knownas Swanee River.

STEPHENS, Oglethorpe County. A communitylocated eight miles southwest of Lexington.Originally called ANTIOCH or ANTIOCH DE-POT, after the local Baptist church. Later namedfor Alexander H. Stephens (see Stephens County).

Georgia Place-Names 213 Stocking (Or Stockin') Creek

STEPHENS COUNTY. Created August 18, 1905with 180 square miles taken from Franklin andHabersham counties. Named in honor of Alexan-der Hamilton "Little Alec" Stephens (1812-1883),who opposed secession, but was made vice presi-dent of the Confederacy. He served as governorof Georgia for only four months before he died.The county seat is Toccoa (q.v.).

STEPHENS MEMORIAL STATE PARK. SeeALEXANDER H. STEPHENS STATE PARK.

STERLING CREEK, Bryan County. Enters theOgeechee River two miles below Richmond Hill .Named for two Scotch brothers, Willi am and HughSterling, who in 1734 received a grant of 500 acresin this area from General Oglethorpe. They aban-doned the place after being refused permission tointroduce slaves.

STEVENS POTTERY, Baldwin County. Acommunity located nine miles southwest ofMill edgevil le, which was sometimes called WHIT-ING. Established in 1858 by Henry Stevens (1813-1883) who came to America in 1831 from CountyCornwall , England. He built and operated a claymanufacturing plant here which was burned to theground by General Sherman's soldiers. A postoff ice was later established here in 1870.

STEWART ARMY AIR FIELD. See CampStewart.

STEWART COUNTY. Created December 23,1830 with 463 square miles taken from part ofRandolph County. Named for General DanielStewart (1759-1829), scion of the famous Midwaysettlement, who served in the Revolutionary War

and the War of 1812. The county seat is Lumpkin(q.v.). The court house was destroyed by fire in1922.

STICOA, Rabun County. A former Cherokeetown. See Stekoa Creek.

STILESBORO(UGH), Bartow County. Incorpo-rated March 21, 1866 to July 1, 1995. This commu-nity located eight miles southwest of Cartersvill ewas named for Willi am H. Stiles who settled herein 1838.

STILL MORE, Emanuel County. The communityof KEA'S MILL (q.v.) was here originally. Whenthe town was first established, the U.S. Post Off iceauthorities sent a li st of names to choose from, andalso indicated that if none were acceptable theywould send "still more." So this last suggestionwas used for the name of the post off ice.

STINK CREEK, Union County. Rises near theWhite County line and flows northwesterly intoNottely Lake. This name is a literal translation ofthe Cherokee word sunga, which referred to astrong offensive odor, such as found with wildonions.

STINSON, Meriwether County. First named forearly settler Dr. James Winslow Stinson, thecommunity is now called DURAND (q.v.).

STITCHIHATCHIE CREEK, Laurens County.Rises west of Dexter and flows northeasterly intoRocky Creek. Read wrote that, "The first part ofthis name probably means Indian, from Creek isti,man and chati, red. The second part is from hachi,creek." Goff on the other hand said it is a garbledform of the earlier name TICKEHACHEE, mean-ing "Crossing Creek" or "Fording Creek."

STOCKBRIDGE, Henry County. Incorporatedas a town in 1895 and as a city August 6, 1920.First established in 1882 as a rail road stop. VessieRainer said it was named after a Professor Stock-bridge who taught school here before the war atwhat is now known as OLD STOCKBRIDGE,which is on the north edge of the present town.Brinkley wrote that it was, "Settled in the 1820'sand named for Thomas Stock, State Surveyor andlater President of the Georgia Senate."

STOCKING (or STOCKIN') CREEK, BurkeCounty. Arises a mile or so to the northeast of St.Clair and flows northerly to join Bushy Creek. Thename is a shortened variation of the original name,STALKING HEAD BRANCH (see Stocking HeadBranch).

Stocking Head Branch 214 Georgia Place-Names

STOCKING HEAD BRANCH, Candler County.Flows southerly to enter Fifteen Mile Creek onthe northeast edge of Metter. Goff said that thename is in reference to a camouflage of a deerhead worn by Indian hunters when stalking theirprey. In Jasper and Jones counties there is asimilarly named Stalking Head Creek (q.v.). Seealso Stocking Creek.

STOCKTON, Lanier County. Incorporated as atown (then in Clinch County) February 28, 1876to July 1, 1995. This community changed its namefrom REGISTERVILLE (q.v.) to honor a Mr.Stockton, who was in charge of grading for therail road through here.

STONE HOUSE SHOALS, Putnam County.Located on Murder Creek at Resseaus Crossroads.The name is a translation of the Creek Indian wordChattochookohatchie, which means "Stone HouseCreek."

STONE MOUNTAIN, DeKalb County. Thisdescriptive name is given to the largest exposedgranite rock in the world, which is 650 feet highand two miles long. It is located sixteen miles eastof Atlanta. The Indians had called it LONEMOUNTAIN or CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN, andthe white men later named it ROCK MOUNTAINor ROCK FORT MOUNTAIN, and sometimesNEW GIBRALTER (q.v.). A town called STONEMOUNTAIN was established here, with a postoff ice which opened July 18, 1834. It was incorpo-rated as New Gibralter in 1839, with the namebeing changed to Stone Mountain, December 24,1847. In 1885 there was some agitation to movethe county seat of DeKalb County here fromDecatur. This dispute came to a head in 1896 and1897, which resulted in an election in which StoneMountain won a majority vote, but not the requiredtwo-thirds. The 3,000-acre STONE MOUNTAINPARK is located on the east edge of the town ofStone Mountain and encompasses the mountain.It was dedicated to Confederate soldiers andsailors.

STONE PILE GAP, Lumpkin County. SeeTrahlyta's Cairn.

STONEWALL, Fulton County. Located fivemiles northeast of Fairburn. It was incorporatedas a town August 18, 1911 to July 1, 1995. Be-lieved to have been named after the nickname ofConfederate general, Thomas Jonothan "Stone-wall " Jackson (1824-1863).

STORY, LUTHER, BRIDGE. Spans the FlintRiver on Georgia highway 27 between Americus

and Vienna. Named March 10, 1959 in honor ofLuther Story of Sumter County, who was posthu-mously awarded the Congressional Medal ofHonor for heroism in the Korean confli ct.

STRAIGHT GUT VALLEY, Walker County.A descriptive name for this beautiful valley; theword "gut" refers to a channel or stream.

STRIBLING LAKE, Jones County. A seven-acrelake located at the Macon YMCA Camp on High-way 18. Named in 1972 in honor of W.L. "Young"Stribling who died in October 1933. See alsoMacon, Stribling Memorial Bridge.

STROUD(S), Monroe County. Located five milesnortheast of Culloden. This community wasoriginally called STROUD CROSSROADS,named for the first settlers of the community, LeviStroud Sr. and his wife Frances, who arrived hereabout 1830.

STUBBS, Mitchell County. A former communitywhich was located in the southwest corner of thecounty. Named for the mill of John Stubbs.

STUCKEY, Wheeler County. A communitylocated 7 1/2 miles southwest of Mount Vernon.Believed named for early postmaster Henry T.Stuckey who had a general store here, when thiswas part of Montgomery County. The post off iceopened November 8, 1881.

STYX, RIVER. See River Styx.

SUBLIGNA, Chattooga County. IncorporatedOctober 28, 1870 to July 1, 1995. A communitylocated on Taylor Ridge (q.v.) named by a Dr.Willi am Dunlop Underwood for himself. This isa Latinized form of his name, from sub, "under,"and ligna, "wood." The post off ice existed fromJune 22, 1848 to August 31, 1953.

SUCHES, Union County. Pronounced to rhymewith "touches." Located 18 miles north ofDahlonega. This community is over 75 years old,and may be derived from a family name.

SUGAR CREEK, Fannin County. Located twomiles west of Blue Ridge. The name is derivedfrom an earlier Cherokee Indian vill age calledKULSE' TSI, meaning "sweet place," which wasnamed from the honey locust.

SUGAR HILL, Gwinnett County. Incorporatedas a town March 24, 1939. The origin of this nameis not known. There is also a community of

Georgia Place-Names 215 Sumter County

SUGAR HILL in Hall County, located nearGainesville.

SUGAR VALLEY, Gordon County. The postoffice was established here by Elias King in 1849,and the town was incorporated October 24, 1887to July 1, 1995. This community is located a fewmiles south of Resaca. Four different explanationshave been offered as to the origin of the name: 1.It was said to have been covered with sugar mapleswhen first settled to account for the name. 2.Pioneer John Bough named it in 1831, because itwas the sweetest valley he had ever seen. 3.Brinkley reports that it was named for the Chero-kee Indian called Su-A-Ga who settled in the areaunder the protection of the treaty of 1817. 4. OrrinDavis introduced sugar cane here and it becameSWEET VALLEY then Sugar Valley.

SULENOJUHNENE FORD, Crawford-Taylorcounties. Located about one-half mile aboveIslands Ford (q.v.). There was another Suleno-juhnene fording place upstream from the U.S. 80bridge. This Creek Indian word means "BuzzardRoost Trail," although it was here used to desig-nate a ford on the Flint River. It was used as acrossing of a branch trail of Toms Path (q.v.).

SULPHUR SPRINGS, Hall County. This wasa descriptive name given to this once celebratedresort, located six miles northeast of Gainesville.It was also called OCONEE WHITE SULPHURSPRINGS or WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS (q.v.).There is also a rural community in Dade Countycalled SULPHUR SPRINGS, located 13 milessouth of Trenton on the Southern Railway.

SUMACH, Murray County. A community locatedten miles north of Spring Place on SUMACHCREEK, which is a tributary of the ConasaugaRiver. Sumach is a translation from the Cherokee,which they called Qual-lakia-ica-ie, and this namewas adopted by them because of the sumac treesor shrubs (genus Rhus) found in the area. Hawkinstranslated it onto maps as SHEWMAKE or SHOE-MAK.

SUMMERTOWN, Emanuel County. Incorporatedas a town August 21, 1906. This community islocated ten miles northeast of Swainsboro onGeorgia 56. The name was adopted as residentsestablished summer homes here to flee the mosqui-tos along the Ogeechee River.

SUMMERVILLE, CS Chattooga County. "Cityof Young Men" Incorporated as a town anddesignated the county seat December 21, 1839.

The origin of the name is uncertain, but is thoughtto have been named because of its picturesqueenvironment in a beautiful mountain valley. Therewas originally the post office of SELMA at thissite which was opened April 16, 1830. On March3, 1840 the Summerville post office was estab-lished in its place.

SUMMERVILLE, Richmond County. Incorpo-rated as a village, December 16, 1861, and 50 yearslater was incorporated into the city of Augusta. Itis now a suburban area of that city known as THEHILL. It was believed given the original name byits early residents who included many distin-guished families, such as Hugh Nesbit and JohnMilledge, because of its unusual advantages forsummer residence.

SUMMIT, Emanuel County. Incorporated as atown April 23, 1898. This descriptively namedcommunity was combined with Graymont in 1924to create TWIN CITY.

SUMNER, Worth County. Incorporated August9, 1883. This community was once also known asALFORD. The first settlement here was on landbelonging to John C. "Jack" Sumner, and the placewas named for him. (It was certainly not namedfor the ardent antislavery spokesman from Boston,Senator Charles Sumner!)

SUMPTERVILLE, Laurens County. In 1807 thisbecame the first county seat of Laurens County.It was located on the west side of the Oconee Riveron Turkey Creek, eight miles from the presentcounty seat of Dublin. The derivation of this nameis not known.

SUMTER COUNTY. Created December 26,1831 with 485 square miles taken from part of LeeCounty. Named for Major General Thomas Sumter(1734-1832) of Revolutionary War distinction,who was born in Virginia and died in SouthCarolina. He was given the nickname "FightingGamecock" by the British. The county seat isAmericus (q.v.). See also Andersonville. There isalso a community named SUMTER in the lowersection of the county.

Sumtervill e 216 Georgia Place-Names

SUMTERVILLE, Lee County. Was located about12 miles northeast of Leesburg, with a populationof about 250. It existed several years before theCivil War.

SUNBURY, Liberty County. First settled in 1752on the south side of the Midway River at the siteof restored Fort Morris (q.v.) by the famili es ofBenjamin and Samuel Baker of South Carolina.The town was established June 20, 1758 by MarkCarr (see also Carr's Fort) and others and was thefirst town in what was then Saint Johns Parish. Itwas most likely given its name because that wasthe name of Carr's ancestral home in Sunbury,Middlesex County, England. It was incorporatedDecember 8, 1791, and the town governmentcontinued to function to about 1825. It becamea point of entry in 1761, soon rivalli ng Savannahas a port. The post off ice served about half acentury until discontinued December 8, 1841. Thiswas the home of Governor Lyman Hall , a signerof the Declaration of Independence. Severalfactors caused the town's demise, but the coup degrace was delivered by one of Sherman's divisionsin 1864. SUNBURY ACADEMY was authorizedin February 1788 and established in 1793, afterwhich it existed for over forty years. Located inKing's Square in Sunbury, this was for many yearsthe most famous school in South Georgia. SUN-BURY CHANNEL is the designation of the harborlying between the bluff at Sunbury and a smallisland. SUNBURRY CREEK, also in LibertyCounty, is a tidal stream located several milesdownriver from the site of Sunbury. (OLD)SUNBURY ROAD was laid out about 1792, atwhich time it was the longest vehicular route ofpost-Revolutionary Georgia. It extended fromSunbury to Greensboro in Greene County, and wasvariously called, SUNDBURY, LUNSBURY,SUNBERRY, SUNSBURG and SUNSBERRYRoad.

SUNDALHATCHEE CREEK, Heard County.This stream is now called CENTRALHATCHEECREEK (q.v.). Willi am Read wrote, "Sundalhat-chee may have been altered from Creek sandala-kwa, perch (a fish) and hachi, creek. Folk etymol-ogy must be responsible for the change of Sundalto Central."

SUNHILL, Washington County. A commendatoryname given this community when it became astation on the Central of Georgia Rail road, fourmiles east of Tennill e. There was once an earlycommunity called SUNNY DALE, six miles westof Summervill e in Chattooga County, where thereis today a SUNNYDALE ROAD. And anothercommendatorily named community of SUNNY-

SIDE in Spalding County is located on the Centralof Georgia Rail road, near the Henry County line.It was incorporated December 20, 1897.

SUNSWEET, Tift County. Formerly known asCYCLONETA (q.v.), Brinkley said it was firstknown as LITTLE PENNSYLVANIA by thePennsylvania investors who reclaimed the cottonlands here. A bountiful peach crop of 1894 led tothe Sunsweet name which is still i n use in the fruitindustry.

SUNUP, Walton County. A post off ice which wasestablished in 1887 and transferred to Social Circlein 1900.

SUOMI, Dodge County. Pronounced "Sue-oh-mee." A community located in the southern partof the county just east of Chauncey. This wasoriginally the town of NORMANDALE, { q.v.).The place was named Suomi by the group oflumbermen from Finland who purchased theproperty in July 1901. Suomi was the native andoff icial name of Finland (otherwise known asSuomen Tasavalta).

SURRENCY, CS Appling County. Incorporatedas a town August 21, 1911. Named for Mill ardSurrency, an early settler of Hazlehurst, Jeff DavisCounty.

SURREY, Tift County. The early name of OME-GA, it was named from the county in England.

SUTALLE, Cherokee County. A communitylocated eight miles west of Canton. Was alsospelled SUTTALLEE. The name is a translationof Sutali, an Indian word referring to six or sixes,a Cherokee settlement.

SUTHERLANDS BLUFF, McIntosh County.Overlooks the Sapelo River about 1 1/2 milessouth of Shellman Bluff . Named for LieutenantPatrick Sutherland, who was granted this propertyon the recommendation of General Oglethorpe,in recognition of Sutherland's service in the Battleof Bloody Marsh.

SUWANEE, Gwinnett County. IncorporatedFebruary 25, 1949. A community in the northwestsection of the county. Established in 1871, whenwhat is now the Southern Rail road was put throughhere. The name is taken from a former CherokeeIndian vill age of SUWANNEE OLD TOWN, ashort distance to the west, which had earlier beenspelled SUWANI. The Cherokees said the namewas of Muskogean origin, possibly meaning

Georgia Place-Names 217 Swords

"echo," or may have been named for the ShawneeIndians. See also Suwannee River.

SUWANEE CREEK. Rises in southwest HallCounty, it flows southwesterly through the townof Suwanee (q.v.) in Gwinnett County, and thenenters the Chattahoochee River.

SUWANEE RIVER. Commences in the Okefen-okee Swamp (q.v.), flows through Clinch andEchoIs counties then runs down through Floridato the Gulf of Mexico. When the Spaniards withDeSoto first crossed this river, they called it RIODE VENADO, or "River of the Deer," which hasno connection with its present name. Its name isderived from a former Seminole vill age on itsbanks, which took its name from a Cherokeesettlement of SUWANI, which was in what is nowGwinnett County (see Suwanee). The river hadalso been called LITTLE SAINT JOHN(S),LITTLE SAN JUAN or SAN JUANITO (pro-nounced "Wah-nee'-toe"), which some havesuggested was corrupted to Suwanee. Anothertheory is that the name is attributed to a noblechieftainess, Su-wannee, who ruled over theSeminoles in early times. See also Stephen C.Foster State Park.

SUWANOOCHE CREEK. A tributary of theSuwannee River, that rises in Clinch County, andflows southeasterly to join the mother river inEchols County.

SWAINSBORO, CS Emanuel County. "Pine TreeCountry" Also called "Crossroads of the South,"as U.S. highways 1 and 80 cross here. Establishedas the county seat February 18, 1854 when thename of the town was changed from Swainsboroto PARIS. Was incorporated again as the town ofSwainsboro December 22, 1857. Named forColonel Stephen Swain of the state legislature.

SWAMP CREEK, Decatur County. Rises alongthe west border of Grady County, flows south-westerly into Decatur County, thence into Floridato enter Attapulgus Creek. Descriptively namedfor the swampy region through which it flows.

SWAN (TOWN), Ben Hill County. Settled bythe Drew brothers of North Carolina, who namedthe vill age after the steamship Swan, which hadoriginally brought them up the Altamaha-Ocmul-gee River from Darien. The land here was pur-chased in 1895 by the American Tribune SoldierColony Co. which established the present city ofFITZGERALD (q.v.).

SWEDEN, Pickens County. A former communitywhich was located eight miles west of TalkingRock, at the northwest section of the county. Itsname is from the Scandinavian country.

SWEET CITY, Elbert County. A rural commu-nity located four miles west of Elberton on Georgiaroute 72. Early store owner Gordon Colson sug-gested the name in the early 1900's.

SWEET GUM, Fannin County. A rural commu-nity located near the North Carolina line. Namedfor the deciduous tree, Sweet Gum, Liquidambarstyraciflua, which was found in abundance here.

SWEETWATER. This place-name is frequentlyused to identify a source of potable water, and maysometimes be a direct translation from the Spanishterm, agua dulce. A former community namedSWEETWATER in Gwinnett County was locatedseven miles northwest from Lawrencevill e. InMcDuff ie County, SWEETWATER was the nameof a post off ice which was established December21, 1826. It was named from the nearby streamcalled SWEETWATER CREEK. SWEETWATERBRANCH in Camden County flows easterly alongthe northern edge of St. Marys' airport to the NorthRiver. SWEETWATER CREEK in northeastCrawford County, according to Goff , was one ofthe oldest recorded names of interior Georgia(1775). Another SWEETWATER CREEK risesin northeast Douglas County. It flows throughPaulding and Cobb Counties, returning to DouglasCounty where it enters the Chattahoochee River.The 35-mile stream is named after a CherokeeIndian chief, AmaKanasta, or Chief Sweet Water.Named also for this chief was SWEETWATERTOWN on the aforementioned creek, in thevicinity of the present Austell i n Cobb County (seeFactory Shoals). And lastly, a SWEETWATERCREEK rises south of Andersonvill e, then formsthe border between Macon and Sumter countiesbefore entering the Flint River. Legend relates thatthe name is derived from an accident in which abarrel of homemade cane syrup tumbled into thisstream, in the last days of the Civil War.

SWIFT'S LITHIA SPRING, Elbert County.Believed to have been located in the southern partof the county. Named for I.G. Swift who purchasedthe spring in 1806 from Mrs. Salli e L. Bell . Anearlier name for this once noted watering place wasPOWDER SPRING.

SWORDS, Morgan County. A rural communitylocated 3 1/2 miles east of Buckhead. Incorporatedas a town August 16, 1909. Previously calledBLUE SPRING, it was named after John BuchananSwords (d.1940) who settled here around 1889 to1900, and was the greatest benefactor of the town.

Sycamore 218 Georgia Place-Names

SYCAMORE, Turner County. Incorporated asa town September 29, 1891 when this was in partof Irwin County. Named for the sycamore trees,Platanus occidentalis, in the area.

SYLLSFORK, Oglethorpe County. This earlycommunity was located eleven miles southeast ofLexington, on SYLLSFORK CREEK, from whichit was named.

SYLVAN BOWER, Walker County. This namesignifies a secluded (or wild) location. The postoffice department refused this name, so it wasnecessary to change the name of the place toBRONCO (q.v.). In Rabun County northwest ofClayton is found SYLVAN FALLS, at the northend of SYLVAN LAKE, which means "WoodLake." SYLVAN GROVE was the name of an oldcommunity located in northwestern JeffersonCounty.

SYLVANIA, CS Screven County. "The WelcomeStation City" Established as the county seat

December 24, 1847. The post office was openedAugust 10, 1848, and the town was incorporatedFebruary 20, 1854. The name was suggested byCuyler Young of Halcyondale (q.v.). Sylvania isa Latinized form for "Place in the Woods" or"Forest Land," suggestive of the Arcadian beautyof the woods here. The decision was made May11, 1847 to transfer the county seat here from itsprevious location of Jacksonborough (q.v.). Seealso Round Oak.

SYLVESTER, CS Worth County. "Heart ofHunting Land" Laid out in 1893 and incorporatedas a town December 21, 1898 to August 15, 1904,The original community here was called ISABEL-LA STATION (q.v.). The present name wasadopted in 1894, with the derivation from the Latinwords, silva, meaning "wood," and rester, meaning"your." Brinkley says the town was named for apioneer family. See also WILLINGHAM.