Looking Back

25 Years Ago The Rev. David Cardoza and his family are just about settled in as new residents of Elberton, where he serves as the associate pastor of Elberton First Baptist Church's Hispanic Mission. "We had wanted to work on the foreign mission field, but God was leading us to other things," he said. Rev. Cardoza, 31, became associate pastor at Elberton First Baptist Church in March, and he and his wife, Linda, along with their children, Nicolas, 5, and Bianca, 2, moved here.

H The new Doves Creek Elementary School is expected to be completed significantly under budget, leaving approximately a $2 million excess, according to Wallace Edwards, facilities director for the Elbert County School System. Edwards told the Board of Education Monday whatever money is not needed for Doves Creek will be applied toward the wish lists previously drawn up by the other schools.

H Traffic will be blocked on the portion of North McIntosh Street from the corner of the square from Elbert Street starting Monday, May 24 to begin the latest phase of the MainStreet Streetscape project. MainStreet Director Sterling Daniel said the renovations are expected to take six weeks. The renovations include removal of existing curbing and sidewalk and replacing it with a herringbone brick sidewalk. More street lamps will be added and brick crosswalks will be laid. There will also be some trees planted at various locations on the street.

50 Years Ago Charles Rucker, Elbert County clerk of courts, was named Employer of the Year Tuesday night at the annual Vocational Office Training banquet held at the Civic Center. Presenting the plaque honoring Rucker were Miss Jane Gunnells, VOT coordinator, and Sharon Rousey, VOT student who works with Mr. Rucker.

H Southern Bell Tel. & Tel. Co. District Manager Jim Newman presented 25-year service watches to Mrs. Martha Fowler and Mrs. Lorene Brown, Southern Bell employees in Elberton. Both Mrs. Fowler, who went to work in 1946, and Mrs. Brown, who began in 1949, have held various positions during this time, including operators in the traffic department and plant clerks in the plant department, before their present positions as service representatives in the local business office.

H The Elbert County High School Eidolons have arrived and students are rushing about to get friends and classmates to autograph them. This year's annual is dedicated to Howard Webb, Humanities instructor at the school. Looking over the new annual with Mr. Webb are Melissa Seymour, editor, Ellen Ayers, co-editor, Rose Cleveland, business manager, Nan Thomason, assistant editor, and Larry Frey, Journalism instructor.

H In a telephone call to Justice Peyton Hawes, Army Secretary Howard "Bo" Callaway announced yesterday that he had signed agreements with the states of Georgia and South Carolina to provide recreational facilities at the proposed Richard B. Russell lake. The lake will be created by the Richard B. Russell Dam to be built at Trotters Shoals on the Savannah River in Elbert County. When completed it will be approximately 28 miles long, lying between the headwaters of the Clark Hill lake and the Hartwell Dam.

H Site clearing and grading have been underway for several weeks on Elbert County's new comprehensive high school which will be located on part of the old county farm property on Rhodes Drive. R.B. Right Construction Co. of Augusta is contractor for the complex which is scheduled to be ready for occupancy in September 1975.

75 Years Ago Yesterday in Washington Congressman Paul Brown asked Congress to authorize the Hartwell dam across the Savannah River. He told the house public works committee that the dam is needed for power production and flood control. In a statement to The Star Mr. Brown said it would be quite a while before the results of the hearing would be known. Mr. Brown said, "Hartwell will have an installed capacity of 177, 000 kilowatts and will help to overcome the serious power shortage which now threatens. Hartwell will regulate the flow at Clarks Hill so as to make possible the conversion of 73, 000, 000 kilowatt hours of energy at that installation from secondary to primary or dependable energy. The net benefits from power alone will run over $5, 000, 000 a year in flood control damages.

H The city swimming pool opened at three o'clock this afternoon. The pool was scheduled to open Sunday but could not be filled because of trouble with the filter system. Free swimming instructions will be begun as soon as school is out. Admission to the pool this season will be 15 and 20 cents.

H Memorial services for Paul Blackwell will be held Sunday afternoon in the auditorium of the school which was named in his honor. The speaker of the occasion will be Dr. W.A. Bell, lifelong friend and schoolmate of Paul Blackwell, who is now president of Miles Memorial College in Birmingham, Ala. Dr. Bell has the reputation of being an excellent speaker and all Elbertonian, both white and colored, are invited to hear him.

H The Elberton Cardinals' bright new uniforms have arrived at last, and they will limber them up tonight against Dick Dodson's Brotherhood of Southern Railways team of Atlanta. Dodson's team has seven pros in its starting lineup, and is undefeated this season. The Elberton team, however, is awful anxious to show offtheir new rags and in their eagerness may put up the best battle of the year.

H Everyone in Elbert County will have a chest x-ray and blood test next week if they want to be in style. Mrs. Frances R. Combest, public health nurse, says that 12, 000 citizens of the county are expected to take these tests in the $20, 000 VD and TB drive which will get under way next Wednesday. Three testing stations will be set up for handling the expected 1, 000 persons a day. A "permanent" station will be located in the Firestone building, on the public square, and a station for colored people will be set up in St. Mary's Methodist church on Elbert Street. A third station will rove about the county serving schools, industries and communities. Mrs. Combest says that the VD-TB drive will doubtless find early cases of tuberculosis and syphilis.

100 Years Ago A site for the Elberton Community Hotel has doubtless been selected by the stockholders. The votes have been cast by mail. The letters containing the ballots will not be opened until Saturday afternoon, therefore it is not officially known what site, if any, has been selected. Eight sites have been offered. By common consent the people have agreed on the proper site for the proposed building. Therefore, it wouldn't take a prophet to foretell that the "Bailey Lot," southwest corner public square, will be officially endorsed tomorrow. Other splendid locations are Swift lot between residences of Col. Thos. M. Swift and Mr. Cheek, located on Heard Street; Brown Bros. Cotton Warehouse lot on College Avenue; Sam Patz lot on College Avenue; the Brewer Tate residence on Heard Street next to the Baptist pastorium; the H.J. Brewer residence lot opposite post office; the Mrs. J.H. Maxwell lot on Oliver Street; the Hotel Roberts lot, corner of Church and Oliver streets.

H Mr. W.C. Roberts, 77, of Bowman, made an auto trip to Athens Monday and returned home through Elberton the same day. Saturday night he went to Vanna and listened to Hon, J.J. Brown speak and didn't get home til midnight. Sunday he went to Sunday school and preaching in the morning and evening. Can you beat it? He is a live wire at a ripe old age.

H The oldest woman in Elbert County died in Elberton last Saturday, According to the records of her owner in slavery times, Mealy Anthony was 106 years old. One of her daughters living in Ruckersville could not attend the funeral on account of infirmity due to age. Her youngest child, of a large family, is nearly 70. She was born and raised in Oglethorpe County and belonged to the Grimes in slavery time. She had made her home in Elberton for the past several years. Four years ago she was thought to be dead. Preparations for burying her were in progress. As friends were shrouding her body they discovered signs of life, and she was finally brought around. She is dead this time and buried.

H The colored farmers of Elbert County are urged to meet at the courthouse Saturday at 1 o'clock to discuss matters relative to the Elbert County Fair next fall. $100 will be given by white officials for the best corn and peanuts. We want several men from every community in the county to be present. P.J Blackwell, Supervisor, Colored Dept. of Elbert County Fair

125 Years Ago Below is a list of those who lost in the conflagration Wednesday morning: Elberton Furniture Co., stock $3, 000 with $1, 600 insurance; Tate & Oliver, owners of the granite building, $5, 000, no insurance; W.C. Smith & Bro., building $2, 500 stock $15, 000, half of which was saved, $2, 000 insurance; H.A. Roebuck, loss of library and papers $300, no insurance; J.N. Worley, damage to office $100; Dr. A.S. Oliver, damage to post office, $50; T.C. Paschal, tailor, $50, no insurance.

H The ladies of Elberton deserve much credit for the part they took in the fire. It was inspiring to see them carrying water to the men to extinguish the flames. H If you want to keep cool this summer, get one of those hammocks and ice cream freezers at H.L. Turner's. H Some of our farmers are getting in a hurry. They say they are very near done thinning cotton. -Holly Springs correspondent