Harlem, Ga

Description

The beginnings of Harlem, which turns 131 years old this year, run along the Georgia Railroad and through the lives of two men who wanted a liquor-free town. ''Railroad people worked here,'' said Betty Sargent, whose great-grandfather John Walter Bell was Harlem's second mayor. ''The Georgia Railroad made Harlem. It's sad that it's not running today.'' When the Georgia Railroad was built from Augusta to Eatonton, Ga., in 1835, Saw Dust was a main stop. The booming lumber town was founded in 1840, situated a mile from where Harlem is today. Travelers often stayed overnight in the town, which sold liquor and bore a reputation of being a little wild. In 1857, Andrews J. Sanders - one of the first graduates of Medical College of Augusta - moved to the area. Hoping to increase population, he sold his land for a dollar an acre. Mr. Sanders also donated land to build Harlem Baptist Church, Harlem High School and Harlem Methodist Church. He remained as the first mayor for nine years. Around 1865, railroad engineer Newnan Hicks decided to quit his job when he was asked to work on a Sunday. He wanted to start a town that didn't sell liquor - unlike Saw Dust - and decided to build a house near Mr. Sanders'. So Harlem was founded on Oct. 24, 1870. It was named by a New York resident visiting relatives who thought the town resembled Harlem, N.Y., the elite artistic area near New York City. Lined with big oaks and blessed with good drinking water, the town was a haven for many...

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