BY JOHN HARVEY
"The Monticello News", 1970's
"Matters Brought Before the Shady Dale Council"
The earliest city minute book still in existence for the town of Shady Dale begins in 1927. At that time, the city officials were J. H. Young, Mayor and J. R. Blackwell, W. J. Tucker, J. A. Brown and O. H. Banks councilmen. On July 18, a special meeting was held at which W. C. Smith was elected to fill the unexpired term on council of J. S. Shaw, J. P. Spearman as city clerk. The council then passed a resolution to give aid to the state highway board in securing right of way through the town for the widening of state highway 142, a main highway through the town.
The two main highways through Shady Dale and therefore important to its business and trade are Georgia 142 and Georgia 83. This widening and paving of these two highways was important to the town in the 1920's and 30's as much of the business of council shows for this period. Citizens of the town gave permission for right of way and in return the city promised to protect them from further infringement on their property.
Other business taken up at various times were arrangements for making water more available to the citizens from the public well, putting horse troughs up for visitors to water their animals while in town on business and in 1928 the council carried on a lengthy effort to stop the "Whiskey Traffic" on Saturday nights. The Marshall was given strict order to put a stop to it. The county was asked to detail at least two officers to spend at least two Saturday nights a month in Shady Dale aiding the town marshal in enforcing his duties on this one problem.
In February 1928, a meeting was held to petition the county commissioners to authorize tie repairing of the bridges between Shady Dale and Monticello which had for over a year made communication with the county seat difficult. In 1928 members of council were J. R. Blackwell, Otis Farrar, J. L. Perry W. C. Smith and O. H. Banks, W. C. Smith was requested to make a list of those inside the city limits who would be required to pay the recently passed street tax. Councilman Banks was asked to contact D. R. Browner about repair of the town watering troughs.
A final meeting in 1928 concerned requests to Mayor J. R. Blackwell to investigate a "slot machine" said to be in the town. After discussion, a resolution was passed banning such gambling machines and Mr. Farrar was appointed as a committee of one to inform the owners of the machine that they were to remove it from their business.
A train schedule for the Covington and Macon Railroad in the early part of this century shows four trains daily between Macon and Athens. The two freight and two mail passenger trains passed through Shady Dale. The Covington and Macon later became the Central of Georgia and is now the Southern Railroad.
Jasper Reflections, by John Harvey
"The Monticello News", 1970's
"Former Shady Dale Mayor Remembers"
A visit to Shady Dale recently included a visit with O. H. Banks, former mayor of the town. Mr. Banks served as mayor and councilman for over 44 years. His office in the former bank building contains many souvenirs of the town and its government. A plaque on the wall of his office attesting to this was given to him at the time of his retirement and signed by the new mayor and council.
Among the souvenirs are the old city marshals badge and "billy stick" and a "bulb changer stick". This stick is about five to six feet long with a cage shaped to fit a light bulb at the top. A rope is attached to the cage in such a way that the light bulb can be turned to the right or left the required number of times to replace it in a socket. These sticks were used on the old street lights that Monticello and Shady Dale had in the 1930's and 40s. Mr. Banks said that during World War II he and his youngest daughter would change the bulbs in town in the late afternoon. She would carry the bag of bulbs and he would carry the stick.
A fine old table in the office also has a story. The table was originally in one of the private dining rooms of the Ezell House Hotel. In the latter 1800's and early 1900s political conventions were held at the hotel. At various times, politicians, political parties and citizens groups met there. The state legislators for Jasper, Putnam <Morgan, Walton, Newton, Jones and Monroe Counties met at the hotel three or four times a year. Doctor G. H. Bullard was always master of ceremonies at these meetings.
The table in Mr. Banks possession was always reserved for the leaders of these conventions.
Mr. Banks said that often the next state senator was decided upon at this table. When the hotel went out of business in the early 1930's Mr. Banks bought the table so that he could have something that had come from it. Not long afterward the old hotel burned.
Mr. Banks also spoke of Shady Dale's two banks. The first was the Bank of Shady Dale, which opened in 1906 with Mote Thompson as president and G. A. Tucker as cashier. This bank closed in 1922 and was associated with L. O. Benton, Sr., and the Bank of Monticello.
The second was the Citizens Bank of Shady Dale. It opened in 1920 with D. N. Harvey, Sr. as president and M. B. Perry as cashier. Mr. Perry left shortly after the Citizens Bank opened to begin an illustrious career with D. C. Heath Publishers. He died earlier this year. He was succeeded by W. W. Perry as cashier. The Citizens Bank moved its charter to Alpharetta in the early 1960's where it is still in business.
Two former mayors were W. D. (Dorse) Wynn and Judge John Hunt Blackwell. Mayor Wynn was the father of Ed Wynn, well known businessman in Monticello and Shady Dale (1905-1928) Judge Blackwell served nine terms as state representative, one term as state senator and a number of terms as mayor and justice of the peace of Shady Dale.
As state senator in 1910 he got the only amendment to the city charter of the City of Shady Dale through the legislature. The amendment extended the city limits to include the houses along the Central of Georgia Railroad between Shady Dale and nearby Machen. Judge Blackwell's brothers house was among these houses.