Thanks to Bacon James, for writing a song and playing it, at the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2025.

And thanks for digging into Suwannee and Withlacoochee River history about Ellavile, the town where George F. Drew had his sawmill, with a boom across the mouth of the Withlacoochee River, to catch logs floated down the river.
https://wwals.net/pictures/songwriting2025

“I’m Bacon James—singer-songwriter and frequent supporter of environmental causes and organizations. I love being in nature, playing and writing music, and generally trying to be too clever for my own good.”

Bacon James, Gainesville, FL, Bluegrass song, Ellaville, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, September 6, 2025

“I wrote Ellaville after visiting the site during one of my recent trips to the Suwannee and subsequently digging into the history of the town and what occurred there. I loved the idea of a bustling little mill town on the river and was so fascinated by the story of how the town boomed and then fell. I thought of all the hardships of the folks I’ve met, and how I have so many close friends now that are currently unemployed and struggling. Dreams found, lives built and then dashed. Nature constantly exploited by those in power, ostensibly retaliating against those by which it had been wronged. Are we learning? Are we growing? Were there lessons the river was trying to impart about humanity, and have we heard them? That’s what this song explores.”

Here’s he is singing his song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37APDWhJBLQ

Lyrics for “Ellaville,” by Bacon James:

Verse 1:

Up where the Swanee meets the Crooked River
There’s a growing industry
The governor’s mansion, mill and saw
Carved from trees alone
I’ve heard the springs there could be clean enough
To wash away the old me
They say a man could find a job
Maybe start a home

Chorus 1:

Welcome to Ellaville
Where you can make a name
Every man with the will to work
Is Given a Fair Shake
If you
Just put your back in it
Working for the mill
Well then
You’ll always have a home,
Here in Ellaville

Verse 2:

Ain’t been but 15 years
Before the woods did start to thin before me
The days grew shorter than the logs
With not much left to show
Then came the fateful night
The fire set the mill alight
So suddenly
Stole the life out of this town
Nothing left but bone

Chorus 2:

Smoke over Ellaville
Sawdust and flame
Thought we’d
Just Never see the end
We all prayed for rain
Oh we’ll
Just have to steel ourselves
But we can rebuild
We’ll turn our luck around
Build back Ellaville

Bridge:

The rain came down
Like it’d never stop
Both the rivers rose above the earth
They rowed downtown
In makeshift boats
Into the storm

Final Chorus

Pour Over Ellaville
Rising with the rain
Well that governor’s made his money
He’s long gone on board that train
Well they say the future’s comin
It’s coming cold and still
Oh but
I’ve seen it all before
Back in Ellaville

Here’s some of the history he wrote about, by Butlet on Abandoned FL, April 19, 2022, The Ghost Town of Ellaville.

Map: Ellaville — in the WWALS map of the Suwannee River Water Trail (SRWT)

Thanks to those who came to WWALS River Revue 2025, and who participated in the silent auction.

Thanks to all the sponsors!

Sponsors Poster –WWALS River Revue 2025

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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