Historic Effingham appreciates the Herald allowing us to present this column over the last four years as of this week. Two hundred eight columns later, each week has been a challenge.  

You, the readers, have been helpful with subjects and photographs. Many times it takes quite a while to research the subject. The accompanying photograph is an example. After showing this to numerous Groover family members, I was still only able to glean a small amount of information.

Thanks to Elliott F. Groover’s granddaughter, Ann Miller, for sharing this interesting photo. There really is no story to be had as sadly everyone who knows the story behind this mill is dead and gone. This is where some stories end. I do believe that the pictures themselves still chronicle the history and print them anyway for your enjoyment as well as education.

Many thanks to all who have helped write this column, including Norman Turner and Betty Renfro. Norman has authored 60 plus booklets on the history of our county and his material has been very useful in stories like colonial brands and the story of cattle roaming unfenced in days gone by. Look for stories about soft drink bottling companies in our county in time to come from Norman’s writings. I also thank Monteen Crawford for editing from week to week and Julia Rahn for looking up needed genealogical information to keep the story accurate.

I am always thankful for your suggestions such as my friend Wanda’s idea of a story about “Sitting up with the Dead.”  With the help of Strickland Funeral Home and a photo of our museum’s “Cooling Board” it all came together. Reiser Rahn suggested the story published a few weeks ago on Delco Lighting Systems. Although it took a while, the story finally materialized.  

Please keep the ideas and suggestions coming as well as old photographs. I would love to borrow your pictures and make copies for our files in Effingham Museum.

Look for articles to come on dance halls, including Log Landing Casino. You may see some more personal biography type columns in the near future, also. We have great people in this county, too.  

I may have a good story in mind and something entirely unexpected may come my way during the week and the subject I encounter becomes the story of the week. That is not to say that someday, the other story, although cast aside now, will surface eventually in the weekly Echoes.

Thanks for your encouragement and patience on the weeks when pictures tell the stories for me. I hope that these 208 weeks of Echoes are just the beginning and that others will help tell the stories that are not written down, are relayed generation to generation on back porches and in their yards and will be lost forever if someone does not record or share these memories of days gone by. Conversations are how many of our articles get done and finding those who have the answers to the questions is quite an adventure.

I have been fortunate to have my parents and so many relatives and friends as resources. Looking back on my childhood spent at my Grandmother Exley’s house, (the Effingham Judicial center sits on that site now) I recall sitting on the porch and seeing what was going on and asking a lot of questions. I will continue to ask a lot of questions and try to piece together some of our history and places and ways of our past.  
We must preserve these stories now as this county is growing daily and changing as well as discarding old buildings, land and many of the ways of our past. There is always another story to pursue.

Who knows what is around to find tomorrow?

This was written by Susan Exley of Historic Effingham Society. If you have photos, comments or information to share, contact Susan Exley at 754-6681 or email her at: susanexley@historiceffinghamsociety.org