What subsequently became the site of the little town of Francisville, in Crawford County, Georgia, was at first selected and used by Colonel Benjamin Hawkins as a convenient locality for the transaction of the important duties confided to him by President Thomas Jefferson.
The Location: Established upon the left bank of the Flint River, on the line of what was afterwards the route between Macon and Columbus.
The Mission: Colonel Hawkins resided here for a number of years, devoting his energies to his trust as the United States Agent to the Creek Indians. He strove to ameliorate their condition and perpetuate amicable relations between them and the white settlers.
During his occupancy of the "Old Agency" (as it came to be known), the settlement thrived with activity. A considerable plantation was formed, complete with:
A central residence, mills, and work-shops.
Store-houses and appurtenances requisite for comfort, security, and frontier commerce.
A substantial bridge constructed across the Flint River—utilizing a gate at either end—to separate grown cattle from their young.
Aside from his official duties, Colonel Hawkins devoted much attention to agriculture and animal husbandry, once possessing a herd of no less than 500 calves. This large stock of cattle and swine enabled him to habitually practice a profuse, though coarse, hospitality toward the Indians who constantly visited him.
The French General Jean Victor Marie Moreau, who was Hawkins' guest during his exile, was so impressed by his character and labors that he pronounced him "one of the most remarkable men he had met in America." Colonel Hawkins died in 1816 and was buried on the wooded bluff overlooking the Flint River. Following his death, the Old Agency fell into a period of neglect and decay.
New life was infused into the settlement around 1825 by Francis Bacon of Massachusetts, who had married Jeffersonia, the youngest daughter of Colonel Hawkins. Establishing himself upon the site of the Old Agency, Bacon founded the town of Francisville and sold lots on what was then known as the Federal Wire Road.
Being a man of means, intelligence, and enterprise, Bacon invited free traffic with the surrounding country. Other settlers were attracted by the prospect of gain, purchasing lots of about an acre in extent to locate themselves on both sides of the public road.
At its peak between 1830 and 1850, the bustling little town had a white population of about 100 and featured:
Several dry goods and grocery stores
A wagon manufactory and a blacksmith shop
A drugstore
A church and a public school
A tavern and a local post office
With the eventual building of the railroad connecting Macon to Columbus, traffic bypassed the community. Francisville rapidly disappeared and was never rebuilt.
Today, a traveler crossing the Flint River and ascending the long, rocky hill sees no remaining traces of this dead town. The Old Agency and the town of Francisville have fallen into nothingness—leaving behind only tall trees, a tangled undergrowth hiding the graves of the dead, silence, and tradition.
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