Category Archives: History

Old Troup Bridge Pilings –Phillip Williams 2022-11-23

Phillip Williams sent some pictures of the old wood pilings he found in and at the Little River just downstream (south) from Troup Bridge, which carries GA 133 (St. Augustine Road) over the Little River, just west of Valdosta past Val Tech Road.

This is relevant to his pretty well documented idea of where the streets and buildings of old Troupville really were located, and my slightly different idea. More on that later.

[Old wood pilings just below Troup Bridge, GA 133 @ Little River --Phillip Williams]
Old wood pilings just below Troup Bridge, GA 133 @ Little River –Phillip Williams

He wrote, “These are three of the wooden pilings. My theodolite app on my phone has them being about 6′ apart from one another, given 3° of separation and about 106′ from where I was standing on the east bank.” Continue reading →

County Bridge, Hillman Bridge, Suwannee River 2022-11-26

More old bridge history from Ken Sulak, retired from USGS: Ellaville County Bridge, the ferry before that, the log boom, and Hillman Bridge, plus the Ellaville Gauge turns out to be one of the oldest, all on the Suwannee River near the Withlacoochee River Confluence.

You can see these sights on the WWALS paddle, Allen Ramp to SRSP, Withlacoochee River, 2023-02-04.

[Abutment, Piling of Ellaville County Bridge, Suwannee River]
Abutment, Piling of Ellaville County Bridge, Suwannee River

Ken wrote,

The Ellaville ‘County Bridge’ over the Suwannee was built in 1908. The ‘County Bridge’ was parallel to and just upstream of the RR trestle. Continue reading →

Parking lot litter Click ‘n’ Fix closed without cleanup 2022-11-21

Previously I promised an update on the lack of trash cans in the parking lot on St. Augustine Road at Hightower Creek that resulted in litter.

[Pictures and Actions]
Pictures and Actions

The short version is in https://seeclickfix.com/issues/13703334: Continue reading →

Ellaville Westlake & Jennings RR Bridge and Lee Bowstring Bridge, Withlacoochee River @ FL 141 2022-11-26

Ken Sulak, retired from USGS, is a bubbling spring of information about old bridges and ferries in Florida. Here’s what he sent recently about three Withlacoochee River bridges: a railroad bridge and two road bridges.

[EWJ RR Pillar and Lee Bowstring Bridge Lally column; Photos: Ken Sulak]
EWJ RR Pillar and Lee Bowstring Bridge Lally column; Photos: Ken Sulak

You can see two of them on the WWALS paddle from Allen Ramp on the Withlacoochee River to Suwannee River State Park, 2023-02-04. Continue reading →

No trash can results in litter 2022-08-30

Update 2022-11-30: Parking lot litter Click ‘n’ Fix closed without cleanup 2022-11-21.

This happened at the bottom of the parking lot on St. Augustine Road next to Hightower Creek. The same parking lot we previously reported as a good example, upstream from Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River.

Yet they never put out trash cans, and this is what results.

[Litter, litterers]
Litter, litterers

Bobby Mckenzie sent these pictures August 30, 2022, with this explanation:

Obviously there is no excuse for this woman’s actions. But she walk to look for a trash can and didn’t find one. Then she threw it in the mess that was already there.

Initially the litter bug looked for a trash can.

Just as guilty of allowing this to happen are the business/property owners, the Public Works Director, Assistant City Manager and City Marshalls for failing to do their part.

The business not complying with the existing City Ordinance, the City Marshalls REFUSING to enforce that very City Ordinance

Continue reading →

Pictures: Hahira Veterans Day Parade 2022-11-11

I didn’t know there was a Hahira Veterans Day Parade.

Turns out that’s because there wasn’t one since the 1950s, until Friday. WWALS was invited to participate, so we did.

[Hahira Veterans Day Parade, WWALS Booth, Inside]
Hahira Veterans Day Parade, WWALS Booth, Inside

Among the many WWALS members who are veterans, Vanessa and Nick Kroening rode in the parade with their children Jonah and Primrose. Continue reading →

WWALS at Hahira Veterans Day Parade 2022-11-11

Update 2022-11-13: Pictures: Hahira Veterans Day Parade 2022-11-11.

WWALS was invited to participate in the annual Hahira Veterans Day Parade. Some WWALS veterans will be in the parade; others are invited to help at the WWALS booth.

All WWALS members are also invited to help at the booth.

When: Gather 8 AM, launch 10 AM, end 11 AM, Friday, November 11, 2022

Put In: Downtown Hahira, between the Little and Withlacoochee Rivers, on the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.

Event: facebook,

[WWALS at Hahira Veterans Day Parade]
WWALS at Hahira Veterans Day Parade

Continue reading →

Troupville River Park Kiosk 2022-07-02

A tour around the future site of Troupville River Camp and River Park, at and near the Little River Confluence with the Withlacoochee River, just west of Valdosta, on GA 133 at Val Tech Road, off of I-75 Exit 18. Included are some more pictures of that old dam site and the likely location of the Thomasville Stage Road Bridge on the Little River. Withlacoochee River pictures include the proposed takeout for Troupville River Camp, a slough, and several cleared deadfalls. Plus Old Broad Street. All this could go on a kiosk for Troupville River Park.

[Collage, Troupville, 2022-07-02]
Collage, Troupville, 2022-07-02

Using datapoints from this and other walkarounds, this map includes the apparent routes of two streets of old Troupville, the seat of Lowndes County before Valdosta: Continue reading →

It’s Crawford Branch next to Skipper Bridge, Withlacoochee River

Phillip Williams has the answer to the first question about the creek that gushes out of the woods into the Withlacoochee River just downstream of Skipper Bridge Road: “For most of the 1800s, it was called Shanks Mill Creek after James D Shanks, who owned a fair bit of land in the area and had a mill a bit further up the run of the creek. By 1908, it was called Crawford Branch. The Crawford family moved to the area in 1866 and purchased the land from the heirs of James D Shanks.”

[Map: Shanks Mill next to Crawford Branch, in WWALS WLRWT map]
Map: Shanks Mill next to Crawford Branch in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.

Phillip has also provided the approximate location of Shanks Mill: “”The deeds suggest somewhere in the WH of LL 99. LD 11. I have been locating it about here based upon the geography.” You can see it on the map above, behind Ziegler’s Auto Body Shop, about where there are dams now on a feeder creek.

How does Phillip know all this? Continue reading →

Pictures: Dam, Troupville, Little River, GA 133, 2022-11-03

Update 2022-11-07: a few more dam pictures in here: Troupville River Park Scouting 2022-07-02.

About halfway between Troupville Boat Ramp and the Troup Bridge (the GA 133 Little River Bridge), are these remains of an old dam.

Phillip Williams pointed this out some time back.

Maybe Don Davis can turn up some records of this dam.

[Timbers seen from downstream, 11:05:42, 30.8519297, -83.3472014]
Timbers seen from downstream, 11:05:42, 30.8519297, -83.3472014 in the WWALS Map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail

Bridge pilings are vertical, not horizontal.

Horizontal timbers would make sense to hold a dam in place. Right next to Troupville would be a good place for a mill, which would need a dam. Continue reading →