Panel chronicles Culberson family’s local ties to baseball
A new panel at the Shannon Recreation Center chronicles the Culberson family, their history in the area and their remarkable ties to the game of baseball.
Most local residents associate the last name with former Calhoun High School baseball standout and former Atlanta Brave Charlie Culberson, but the roots run deeper in the area.
The Watters District Council for for Historical Preservation is responsible for the panel that illustrates, through old family photographs and magazine clippings, some of the family’s history.
The panel focuses on two branches of the family stemming from Charles Burle Culberson and James Martin Culberson. It includes Cliff Culberson who worked as an electrician’s helper in the mill to support his large family. Four of his five sons attended college.
All the boys played on the mill team which began the families storied affair with the game of baseball.
“The dad was the first to play for the mill,” said Jerome Webb who coordinated efforts to have the panel erected. “One of the photos from 1943 shows the dad and the youngest son both on the Brighton team.”
“It also talks about Charles Culberson Sr. who played for Coosa High School and Calvain Culberson Jr. who went to West Rome High,” he added.
Writer Lee Walburn wrote the introduction for the panel,
saying “Facts get recorded but stories get remembered. For long time residents of the Shannon community, especially those who cherish Brighton Mill’s baseball heritage, exploits o fthe amazing Culberson family comprise stories worth remembering.”
Visitors to the community center can learn about many of the Culbersons and how they each played a part in shaping the family’s legacy. Names such as Leon, Cliff, Eva, Calvain and of course the Culberson most people will know, Charlie, are all documented.
A special portion of the panel honors the Culbersons who are Hall of Fame inductees. Leon, Charles Sr., J.M. and Charles Jr. are all members of the Rome/ Floyd County Hall of Fame while Calvain Culberson is a member of the Armstrong Atlantic Hall of Fame.
But Webb said a Culberson is in need of the community’s prayers and support. Kim Culberson, wife of Charles Sr. and mother of Charles Jr., is currently in the hospital after experiencing unexpected medical issues in November.
The Culbersons, along with the Rome-Floyd Sports Hall of Fame, are raffling off a bat signed by 29 members of the 2019 Atlanta Braves team. All proceeds from the raffle will go to help cover medical expenses.
Raffle tickets are $5 and can be purchased at several Rome locations including Owen’s Hardware, Lindale Ace Hardware, Cotton Block Pickers and The Gravy Boat.