Traver in Echols County

f you happen to be driving down Georgia Highway 94 in Echols County about 6 miles east of Statenville, Georgia, make sure to look down what seems to be an old dirt road at the intersection of Will Rewis Road. That dirt road follows the path of an old railroad that was built during the Civil War! Florida's trains didn't connect to the rest of the Confederacy, and this railroad was built between Lawton, Georgia (the name was later changed to Dupont) and Live Oak to link Florida’s railroads. Thanks to iron shortages, the railroad was completed in March of 1865, one month before the Civil War ended, but this crucial link still created an economic boom for years following the Civil War.

Anyone traveling by rail into Florida had to take this connector from Lawton to Live Oak, where they would then board another train to head toward their destination. Small towns sprung up along this route in Clinch and Echols Counties: Potter, Tarver, Alexis, Haylow, and Withers. The area you see in these photos just happens to be where the town of Tarver once stood. There was a railroad stop here, along with businesses to serve the people traveling down into Florida on the railroad.

You won't see any signs that actually say your passing through Tarver today, but if you pay close attention, there is one physical remnant of both the railroad and the town of Tarver if you drive down Will Rewis Road - a lone overgrown cinder block building bearing the name of the town!
Jay Blanton