Southern Peace and Plenty
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The Old South
Clouds Gather---(1860)
America, Land of the Free?
Southern Peace and Plenty-----(1820 - 1860)
From the book "The History of Greene County, Georgia" By Rice and Williams-----Copyright 1961
The Golden Age of the South was between the years of 1820 and 1860. The boats of the world stood anchor in the harbors wanting cotton, and now the cotton gins were operating, the virgin and fertile fields with slave labor could supply their wants and a tide of wealth came into the South. The plantation owners who had come into the South from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and older parts of Georgia could now have time for leisure. Their families had more comforts and educational advantages.
They had beautiful homes of colonial design with large columns in front, green window blinds, ample front porches, on which they would sit and view the landscape. The planters and their families lived in luxury and their children were educated in the best schools in the country. The men wore ruffled linen shirts with high collars and black stocks for cravats. The women dressed elegantly, with small waists and ruffled large skirts.
Their homes were substantial and well built by slave labor and their rolling lands as far as the eye could see were growing in fleecy cotton. The rail fences cut off lush green pastures for the blooded horses and fine cattle. The drivway curved up across a vast expanse of lawn, bordered by crepe myrtles or cedars on either side. The flower garden on the side or back, smelled of verbena, phlox, cape jessamine, roses, lillies and star jessamine and there on the wall cascaded the purple wisteria and yellow banksia rose.
The old English boxwood against the house gave off a peculiar though not unpleasant fragrance especially when drenched with the dew at night. The huge oaks made silvery shadows on the great house and gave it cool restfulness that people eagerly sought on the long summer days.
The children could hardly believe it, when grandfather told them that only thiry years ago, the Indians were raiding this very land, burning and pillaging the towns and that a dozen forts manned all night gave the settlers little time to rest from their labors. These settlers were now landed men and gentlemen.
There were no large cities and most of the people lived on farms and villages. The plain people's children went to the Field Schools or Poor Schools. There was the log school house where the pupils sat on benches made of split logs without backs. The windows had no glass, only a wooden shutter. The teacher kept school from sunrise to sunset and she taught the three R's readin' ritin' and rithmetic'. For his services the teacher received fifty cents for each pupil per month, usually paid in provisions. Ther were a great many plain but excellent people who did their own work, raised on their farms the crops and cattle which supplied their food and the women made the clothing from cotton and wool, carded, spun and woven, on cards, spinning wheels and hand looms. Candle light and lightwood knots were the only illumination. Many of these boys who studied by firelight became distinguished leaders in mature life.
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