2021 Mid-Eastern Road Trip Part 15A

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 15 – 7/26/2021

After a nice breakfast at the motel this morning, I headed southeast out of Columbus, 50 miles on US-280 to visit the Plains Train Depot Museum located in Plains, GA.  This small depot was built in 1888 and served the Plains, GA community from 1888 to 1951 when passenger service to the town was discontinued.  The depot was restored in 1975 and used as the headquarters for the 1976 Jimmy Carter Presidential Campaign there in Plains.  The museum displays photos and artifacts focusing on the activities held in the building during that time period.

A few blocks down the road I stopped to take a photo of Billy Carter’s Service Station Museum.  I learned that Billy Carter gave up managing the family peanut business in 1972, and bought this service station, where many of the 1976 Jimmy Carter presidential campaign celebrations were held.  Billy continued to run the station until 2008, when the station was renovated for use as a museum.  The museum displays artifacts and family memorabilia covering mostly the life and times of Billy Carter.

Now I continued east 10 miles on US-280 to visit the Windsor Hotel located in Americus, GA.  This hotel should be a museum, as it is one of the most lavish hotels I’ve seen.  Built in 1892, it was designed for many of the same reasons the Alcazar Hotel in St. Augustine Florida, to attract rich northern winter visitors.  This 100-room Victorian masterpiece served the community until it closed in 1972.  It was renovated in 1991 and modernized in 2010 to its present grander when it became part of the Best Western Group.

I drove over to the Jimmy Carter Regional Airport, there in Americus, Georga, to see where Charles Lindbergh made his first solo-flight in 1923, at age 21.  As the story goes, Lindbergh rode his blue Harley Davidson motorcycle to Southern Field in Americus to purchase a surplus WWI Curtis JN-4 ‘Jenny’ airplane for his barnstorming career.  He was able to purchase a new ‘Jenny’ (still crated in its shipping container), from a Mr. Wyche for $500.  

That price included the cost of mechanics time to assemble the plane there in one of the hangers at the field.  When the plane was ready to fly, and after several hours of instruction by Glenn Messer, Lindbergh took his first solo-flight in that airplane there at the field.  As you might remember, that young man went on to world fame, by being the first to fly non-stopped (solo) from New York to Paris in his ‘Spirit of St. Louis’ airplane and winning the coveted Orteig Prize ($25,000), in May of 1927.

Now I continued southeast 15 miles on US-280 to visit the Georgia Rural Telephone Museum located in Leslie, GA.  This museum is housed in an old 1920s cotton warehouse, across the street from the Citizen’s Telephone Company, and displays antique artifacts, photos, exhibits, and memorabilia explaining the history and advancement of telecommunications from 1878 thru the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

Continuing south 30 miles on US-195 I visited the Thronateeska Heritage Center located at the Heritage Plaza in Albany, GA.  This center, situated in the old restored 1913 Union Station, is dedicated to the preservation of the history of Southwest Georgia, and displays photos, exhibits, and artifacts related to the development of the southwest Georgia area dating from the 16^th century.

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 64 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

Tags: #Roadtrip, Museum Road Trip, Travel in Georgia, Travel Series, Windsor Hotel