FIFTY & 100 YEARS AGO CONTINUED

Sunday, July 23, 1972 Sheriff’s ‘pot’ crop is stolen

A funny thing happened to the experimental marijuana crop of Lamar County Sheriff J. C. Waller.

Somebody decided the plants were better for smoking than for looking.

Waller planted the marijuana seed behind the Barnesville courthouse as an “educational project” to show visitors what the crop looked like.

However, some visitor to the courthouse apparently decided the weed would look better as a cigarette then a demonstration plant and picked the sheriff’s crop.

Waller said he first told reporters that the crop was poisoned to “scare whoever got them so they just throw them away.” The sheriff later admitted that there was no poison in the plants.

Waller said local and state authorities were aware of the plants.

Wednesday, July 26, 1972 Lewis returns home as Coosa assistant

Terry Lewis, who played his high school football at Coosa, is back home.

Athletic Director Branch Bragg announced that Lewis has joined the Eagle staff, filling a vacancy created only days before when Leroy Jackson resigned to become head coach at Gilmer County.

Lewis has served for three years as an athletic staff member at West Rome.

“We are really pleased that Terry is coming back to Coosa,” explained Coach Bragg. “We are fortunate to obtain a coach of his ability and we know he will be an asset to our staff.”

Lewis graduated from Coosa in 1965. During his high school career, he lettered for four years in football and baseball. He was a member of the Coosa 1962 state championship football team.

Lewis graduated in 1969 from Shorter College with a degree in biology and a minor in chemistry. He is married to the former Nancy Jackson of Rome.

At West Rome, Lewis coached on the junior varsity level and also scouted for the varsity. At Coosa, he will be in charge of the offensive line and also work with both varsity wrestling and track.

Friday, July 28, 1972

Armuchee Baptist gets Mac Allaster, new pastor The Rev. Willard Mac Allaster of Griffin has accepted the call as pastor of the New Armuchee Baptist Church.

Mr. Mac Allaster is a graduate of Southern Technical Institute, Mercer University and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has pastored churches in Mountville, Rocky Mount, Va., and Griffin.

He is married to the former Chris McDearis and they have three daughters and one sons.

There will be a reception at the New Armuchee Baptist Church Sunday following the evening service honoring the interim pastor, the Rev. Melvin Smith, and also welcoming the new pastor, Mr. Mac Allaster.

All Floyd County minsters and friends are invited to come by for the reception and meet the new pastor.

100 years ago as presented in the July 1922 editions of the Rome TribuneHerald

Believing that she and her husband were saved from drowning by the hand of Providence when a boat they were in overturned on the Oostanaula River, Mrs. S. J. Williams has requested that she be baptized at the same place in the river.

Mr. Williams is a student at Georgia Tech, Atlanta. Mrs. Williams’ brother, the Rev. Varnie Broom, Baptist minister at Forney, Ala., probably will baptize her.

While boating on the Oostanaula near Armuchee at the Edwards’ place, formerly known as the Darlington farm, Mr. and Mrs. Williams were thrown into the water when the former rocked the boat. Mrs. Williams clutched her arms around her husband’s neck in such a way that both of them probably would have been drowned had it not been for their rescue by some boys who were swimming nearby. Mrs. Williams had gone under the third time when she was rescued.

Mr. and Mrs. Williams, recently married, reside in Atlanta but are visiting relatives near Armuchee. She was convinced that her narrow escape from death was providential and for that reason will join the Baptist church at Armuchee and will be baptized in the Oostanaula River at the point where the accident occurred.

--Rome singers are no better than Cedartown singers and vice versa. That was the opinion of judges at a singing contest between the Kiwanis clubs of the two towns at the Log Cabin tearoom, six miles from Cedartown where the annual Kiwanis picnic was held.

Cedartown won the singing cup put up by Rome last year to be contested for until one club wins it two successive years. Being unable to “play off” the tie, the cup was placed in the hands of the Romans until next fall when the two clubs will meet again to settle the question.

More than 100 Kiwanians and ladies from the two towns attended the picnic which was in the nature of a chicken barbecue served by the Log Cabin tearoom.

--Crane-like birds that were observed in the Texas Valley community several weeks ago apparently have taken up their abode on the Berry schools’ property in the vicinity of the mountain farm school at the foot of Lavender Mountain. Seventeen of the birds have been seen in a flock around the lake at the foot of the mountain for several days.

What species of bird they are has not been determined, but Dr. Wallace Rogers, pastor of the First Methodist Church and an authority on birds, believes they are snowy herons or egrets, although those birds are not common in this section. Some of the birds appear to be older than the others and it is thought that four of them form two pair that hatched and raced their young near the streams and lakes of Floyd County.

Berry school authorities hope to keep the birds on the place to add to the bird sanctuary and request all persons refrain from shooting or frightening them. The collection of birds at Berry schools is rapidly growing in numbers and variety. Every care and precaution is taken by the students and faculty to encourage birds to stay on the property.