Steve in the DLG

The Digital Library of Georgia is amazingly accessible given the size of it. The information is skillfully organized and cared for; you can get what you want and need. But what if you want something you don’t need? What if you don’t know what you want? What if you just typed “S..T..E..V..E” into the search box for the kick of it?

Well…138 results from twelve collections is what you would find. Here’s a sampler:

    1. Peanut damage: “Peanut pods decay as a result of holes bored by wireworms, also known as click beetles, which feed on the underground portions of many Georgia crops.” A photograph by Steve Brown. (New Georgia Encyclopedia)

    2. The Silver Eclipse Band members at the Pulaski County Courthouse. Steve Richardson is fourth from the left on the front row. (Vanishing Georgia)

    3. A fire tower with bell for alarms in Augusta, Georgia. Known as “Big Steve,” it was dismantled in 1894. (Vanishing Georgia)

    4. Poster for “The Crimson Cowboy.” The text reads: “Co-starring ANITA BUSH. Little Mother of Colored Drama and the Versatile LAWRENCE CHENAULT. Supported by BILL PICKETT, Worlds Champion Wild West Performer, the one-legged marvel, STEVE REYNOLDS “and 30 Colored Cowboys .” (The Blues, Black Vaudeville, and the Silver Screen, 1912-1930s)

    5. Sergeant Steve Hall, fallen in combat during WWII. (Gordon County, GA Obituaries collection)

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The Goat Man

“The Goat Man” at the end of his life.

“The Goat Man is here!” Word would quickly spread through town as soon as someone spotted the famous wanderer and his band of smelly goats on the outskirts. Adults and children alike would drop whatever they were doing and dash over for a visit with the Goat Man.

McCartney in 1945

An article in the New Georgia Encyclopedia says Charles (“Ches”) McCartney was a significant folk and religious figure in Georgia for more than four decades. After being injured on a Works Progress Administration job, McCartney experienced a religious awakening and began traveling to preach his message of eternal damnation for sinners.  It is widely held that McCartney was an influence on the writings of Georgia author Flannery O’Connor.

After being brutally attacked several times, McCartney settled in South Georgia,  his unique life’s story ending in a Macon nursing home in 1998.

Newspaper articles about “Goat Man” can be found in the Georgiana Collection clipping files of the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Additional images of McCartney and his goats can be found in the Vanishing Georgia Collection by searching for “Charles McCartney” or “Goat Man.”

If you have memories of the “Goat Man’s” visits, leave a comment — we’d love to hear from you!

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