January – March 2021
The First Peoples of Okefenokee by “Turtleman” Chris Adams

The South Georgia we know today is far different than that which was known by the very earliest inhabitants of this region. One place however with a familiar look about it is the Okefenokee Swamp. Having remained much the same for around 6,500 years, the landscape provides us with a glimpse back in time to understand the conditions and the environment that shaped many cultures over the course of centuries.

Radiocarbon dating from archeological sites in Florida proves that ancient man had been present in the Deep South drastically different, being then a much more open and arid place not desirable to the early nomadic hunter/gatherer types of the Paleo era. It wasn’t until the latter part of the Archaic era that we begin to see evidence of the semi-permanent presence in the general area of the swamp. Okefenokee by this time was very much the wetland we know today, hosting a myriad of plant and animal species. This would prove invaluable to the early people who would utilize its natural resources for their very survival.

Plants such as “Beargrass” and Spanish moss were used for cordage making, cypress and pine were burned and scraped to construct dugout canoes, fish, and nearly all other creatures were consumed in great quantity.

Find out more in our Newsletter, click the link below:

OHC Newsletter

October – July, August & September 2023 In Memory of Susan Lott Clark Susan Lott Clark, 98, passed away peacefully at her home on May 2, following a long and productive life. She was preceded in death over 20 years ago by her husband, Dr. S. William Clark, Jr., a prominent ophthalmologist in Waycross.

OHC Newsletter

April, May & June 2023
Jewish American History in Waycross, GA
Despite the extreme level of population turnover, the Jewish community of Waycross began to organize in the 1920s. In 1920, Jews in the area first gathered to pray together. Four years later, 13 men officially organized a congregation, with Alex Gilmore as its first president.

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October – Jan, Feb & March 2023 When Pogo’s Father Visited the Ok’fenok’
by Larry Purdom
Our memory returns to the good ol’ day of PogoFest and to the man who helped put our little corner of the world on the map. He was Walt Kelly, as almost everyone knows, the cartoonist who created Pogo…

OHC Newsletter

October – December 2022
Gram Parsons Guitar Pull
by Dave Griffin

Ingram Cecil Connor III, known to the world as Gram Parsons, spent the first 12 years of his life in the small, South Georgia railroad town of Waycross.
It was here in Waycross that he hunted and fished the Okefenokee Swamp …

OHC Newsletter

April – June 2021
Waycross Entertainment History by Marla Howell
Waycross has a wealth of history but more specifically we are addressing two areas being those who performed live at our City Auditorium and the magnificent theaters of our town, one that hosted three world motion picture premiers.

OHC Newsletter

January – March 2021
The First Peoples of Okefenokee by “Turtleman” Chris Adams
The South Georgia we know today is far different than that which was known by the very earliest inhabitants of this region. One place however with a familiar look about it is the Okefenokee Swamp. Having remained much the same for around …