I made a special trip out to this library to get my hands on a rare Southern cookbook…read more I really wanted to buy the book but it's out of print and hard to find. It wasn't available on Amazon or eBay but it did show up in online library catalogs. The UGA Main Library was the only one in the state of Georgia with a copy so it was totally worth the drive to Athens. I called ahead of time so that one of the librarians could pull the book and put it on hold for me. When I got there it was waiting for me at the circulation and reserve desk. Since I didn't have a student ID I imagined I might have to undergo an iris scan and cavity search before they would let me handle it. Instead, they just took a quick peep at my driver's license and passed it right over. Cue the kid in a candy store glee on my face! The librarian directed me a few yards away to the computer lab and their flatbed scanner. I was able to send high quality, color images of the book straight to my USB drive for free. Making digital copies was ideal since each print copy would have run 9 cents for black & white and 50 cents for color. Based on my experience, the UGA Library is a great resource not just for students but for visitors too. The staff is helpful, the facilities are modern and their resources are available to students and the public alike. Finding the rare book I needed in their collection made my weekend.

have literally never seen someone take a book off the shelf and read it here god bless…read more quiet enough, the location isn't great since it's far from a lot of the campus and up a terrible hill

Today I was driving through Athens, Georgia when I can across a strange but beautiful sight. It was…read morean old wooden railroad trestle that seemed to suddenly and abruptly stop in a field along Poplar Street. Being the curious soul that I am, I stopped to take a few pictures and marked my location on my GPS so I could use it to create a yelp page later if I found the trestle to be of any historic significance. My hunch was right, it is indeed significant. I discovered this trestle was once part of the CSX railroad system that connected Athens to Atlanta and the world. CSX offered the old decaying rail system to the city, but city officials declined and in the year 2000, CSX began demolition of the old trestle. However, the mayor underestimated just how important this piece of history was not only to Athens, but the music world as well. You see, the 1980's band R.E.M. used this particular trestle as the cover photo for their 1983 album titled Murmur. It was Rolling Stones "Album of the Year". The band was from Athens, GA and the album cover as well as the trestle itself had become iconic to the bands fans around the world. Protests over the demolition of the trestle broke out and forced the city to negotiate with CSX to halt demolition of the structure. Unfortunately much of the trestle had already been destroyed, but thankfully a major portion of it was saved. I hear the city has plans to use it as a tourist attraction, but in the meantime it stands untouched since demolition halted. Still, it is a gorgeous site that presents unique and rustic photo opportunities. You can still see the concrete base for the trestle that once went over Poplar Street. Use the entrance to the North Oconee River Greenway Trail just behind Mama's Boy restaurant (on the corner of Oak and Poplar) to view the remaining concrete pillars where the railroad continued across the Oconee River. R.E.M album cover (front) - http://sleevage.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/5561106c734c1008ba3262ce25a4d915.jpg R.E.M album cover (rear) - http://www.caratulas.com/caratulas/R/rem/rem-murmur-Trasera.jpg R.E.M full album - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8FbkyyuqG0 FINAL THOUGHTS I had a good feeling this structure had to be of some significance and I'm so glad I stopped to investigate. If you are fond of old bridges like I am, Athens has a treasure trove of 1800's covered bridges within a 30 minute drive of this location. It would make a great lazy Sunday afternoon drive! Be sure to bring your camera :-) Covered Bridges within 1/2 hour to 45 minute drive: Elder's Mill Watson Mill Bridge Cromer's Mill Covered Bridge Howard's Covered Bridge Enjoy!

This local attraction is a curiosity in that some professor deeded the land surrounding to the tree…read moreitself as a sort of thought experiment. This is kind of silly, but it hearkens back to the purpose of having colleges and college towns in the first place, which is doing thought experiments. It's on a residential street in a cramped, historic neighborhood. All the surrounding houses are private properties, so there's not much to see here. You can just walk by and ponder whether trees can actually have property rights.

It's a tree that was planted with love and desire. A must…read moresee if you are in Athens. The Tree That Owns Itself is a white oak tree that, according to legend, has legal ownership of itself and of all land within eight feet of its base. Also known as the Jackson Oak, the tree is at the corner of South Finley and Dearing Streets in Athens, Georgia, US. The earliest-known telling of the tree's story comes from "Deeded to Itself", a front-page article in the Athens Weekly Banner on August 12, 1890. The article explains that the tree had been located on the property of Colonel William Henry Jackson.[1] William Jackson was the son of James Jackson, a soldier in the American Revolution as well as a Congressman, US Senator, and Governor of Georgia, and the father of another James Jackson, a Congressman and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. He was the brother of Jabez Young Jackson, also a Congressman. William Jackson was reportedly a professor at the University of Georgia and is sometimes mentioned with the title of Doctor. The nature of his military service and the source of the title Colonel are unknown.] Jackson supposedly cherished childhood memories of the tree, and, desiring to protect it, deeded to it the ownership of itself and its surrounding land. By various accounts, this transaction took place between 1820 and 1832. **THE TREE IS NEXT TO A PRIVATE HOME AND PRIVATE DRIVE PLEASE DO NOT PARK**

I loved visiting Athens and all the experiences that came with it. I am a Georgia Bulldogs fan so I…read moreloved seeing the college town and all it had to offer. I really enjoyed how they had little bulldogs all over the place and different designs on the bulldogs. This is a fun nice college town. I will be very excited to return.

THE GOOD AND THE BAD!…read more The first time I visited Athens, (UGA and surrounding area only), I was shocked because I had expected something different. What I had imagined would be closer to Ithaca, NY and Cornell University, (cute, quaint, clean). I have since learned that UGA it is the oldest state chartered university in the country and now I understand. Let's just say, there is not a lot of modernization and growth in this area. We decided to return to explore the downtown area (during the Christmas holiday), as I had heard about great restaurants and architecture. Parking downtown was very easy and it was interesting to see so many people downtown on such a dreary Sunday. This appears to be a popular destination for eating but the Irish restaurant we most wanted to visit was actually closed today. Booo! We were disappointed but understood that many businesses were still observing the holiday break. Be mindful of this: There are a number of homeless people hanging out in the area, but they are harmless. They will not approach you and usually are sitting quietly holding signs. Unfortunately, when walking through some areas the unmistakable smell of urine permeates the air. Downtown is truly a tale of two cities, you have wonderful stores that are beautifully designed, adequately staffed and masters at customer service and you have stores that make you want to scrub and shower once you leave. There is literally something for every personality and that is what makes this a really cool destination. The coolest aspect of being downtown is just visiting the old buildings that have been lovingly restored but still retain much of their character. People are very nice and you get a real sense of southern hospitality. We are actually planning on returning to Athens because we are interested in seeing a live performance at the local theater, visiting shops that were closed during this visit and finally having that Irish meal. We are also interested in exploring the outlying areas that are now starting to expand and offer some unique shopping opportunities. Interested to see what we might encounter during our next visit.

The Herty Field historical marker in Athens offers a compact but compelling glimpse into the early…read moredays of collegiate football and the legacy of Dr. Charles Herty. Rather than focusing on the field itself, the marker excels at contextualizing the cultural and academic forces that shaped athletics in the Deep South. The marker reads, "This marker overlooks the site of the first intercollegiate football game played in the state of Georgia and one of the first to be played in the deep south. On January 30, 1892 Georgia defeated Mercer College 50 to 0 on the stubbly grounds that served as an athletic field. Several hundred spectators watched from the sidelines, some of them spilling out on the playing ground. Students living in New College close by the field had a splendid view of the action from their dormitory windows. "Georgia played all its home games on this field until 1911 when a new field was constructed off Lumpkin Street. The old grounds were thereafter used for informal intramural games and as a drill field for the R.O.T.C. trainees. "The original field, later converted into a parking lot, was named in honor of Dr. Charles H. Herty, professor of chemistry at the University and sports enthusiast. He introduced football to the college boys and was unofficial coach and trainer of the early teams. Herty later earned fame as a scientist in the development of the turpentine and pine pulpwood industry." This is marker number 029-17. It was erected in 1991 by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. [Review 1380 of 2025 - 862 in Georgia - 24932 overall]

This marker stands on a busy street in front of the First African Methodist Episcopal Church which…read morewas designed by Mr. Persley in 1916. The church itself was established in 1866 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "Originally from Macon, Georgia , African-American architect Louis H. Persley attended Lincoln University, and graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1914. Persley then joined the faculty of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. One of his few projects in Georgia, Persley designed a new building for the First African Methodist Episcopal Church on this site in 1916. First AME began as Pierce's Chapel in 1866, believed to be the first congregation in Athens established by African Americans after the Civil War. Persley went on to design buildings including the Masonic Temple in Birmingham, and several structures on the campus of Tuskegee. On April 5, 1920 Louis Persley became the first African American to register with the new Georgia State Board of Registered Architects." The marker was erected by the Georgia Historical Society and the church in 2006. It is marker number 29-3. There is street parking for you to use while reading the sign and visiting the church. [Review 18062 overall - 537 in Georgia - 1584 of 2022.]

As a firearms afficionado, I was excited to stop and see the only Double Barrel Cannon in…read moreexistence. A clever idea by a Confederate engineer but it turned out to be a complete failure. The problem, of course, is the imprecise detonation of the explosives which causes the two cannonballs to fire in different directions. According to witnesses, "[The chain shot] had a kind of circular motion, plowed up an acre of ground, tore up a cornfield, and mowed down saplings. The chain broke, the two balls going in opposite directions; one of the balls killed a cow in a distant field, while the other knocked down the chimney from a log cabin." The cannon was presented as a gift to the City of Athens and legend has it that it remains pointed to the North as a warning to the Union. There is street parking nearby. [Review 223 of 2025 - 793 in Georgia - 23787 overall]

Athens is where the famous University of Georgia is located (Go Dawgs!) and the city has a long…read morehistory of education. This marker points out one of those earlier educators whose work led to the origin of the university. It reads, "Dr. Moses Waddel, educator and minister, was born in 1770 in North Carolina. At fourteen he began teaching pupils near his home. Moving to Georgia in 1786, he taught in the Greensboro area until 1787, opening another school at Bethany, Greene County, in 1788. While at Bethany Waddel decided to enter the ministry. He studied at Hampden-Sydney College and graduated in less than nine months in 1791, thereafter combining the careers of teacher and minister. "Establishing his most famous academy at Willington, South Carolina, in 1804, Waddel continued his work there until 1819 when he became President of Franklin College, now the University of Georgia. One of the most prominent ante-bellum leaders of that institution, he served until 1829. Unwilling to divorce education from religion, Waddel stimulated the religious life of the campus. In 1820 he organized and was pastor of the First Presbyterian congregation in Athens, which became the First Presbyterian Church. The present church building was erected in 1855. Waddel died in 1840 at his son's home in Athens. His pupils during a lifetime of teaching included John C. Calhoun, William H. Crawford, George R. Gilmer, Augustus B. Longstreet, and George McDuffie." In 1819, Waddel published Memoirs of the Life of Miss Caroline Elizabeth Smelt, a sentimental religious biography that became a transatlantic bestseller, reprinted in both the U.S. and Britain. Less widely acknowledged is that the 1820 census recorded sixteen enslaved individuals in his household, including nine children under fourteen, reflecting the complex and often contradictory legacy of Southern educators in the antebellum period. It is marker number 029-11 and it was erected in 1963 by the Georgia Historical Commission. [Review 1376 of 2025 - 860 in Georgia - 24928 overall]