Kaarel & Susan Hamersky wrote: > > Can anyone tell me why a piece of Carroll County (esp. Carrollton) > history is not accessible to the public? > > A stone marker was erected in 1906 to commemorate the spot where, on > June 6, 1836, a military company from Carrollton made their first > night's camp on their way to help quell an uprising of the Creek > Indians. On the marble stone, reads the following: > > Officers > Capt. W.L. PARR > Lieut. J.R.(?) RODGERS > 2nd E.B. MARTIN > 3rd A. MANDEVILLE > First camp of Carroll Volunteers > going to Indian War > > Camp Odum > June 6, 1836 > > The 3rd Lieut. A. MANDEVILLE is my g-g-grandfather. (His son L.C. > MANDEVILLE <my g-grandfather> was the builder and original owner of the > beautiful Victorian home on Maple Street, Carrollton, which is now the > Maple Street Mansion restaurant. L.C. figured prominently in many areas > of Carrollton history.) > > Last summer, while on vacation, we went searching for this marker, > having read about it in the book AT HOME IN CARROLLTON published by the > Carroll County Historical Society in 1995. The book shows a picture of > the marker on p. 10. However, finding the marker in person was quite an > adventure. > > We got directions from a "local," but we still had trouble finding the > marker, because, as our local had warned us, it is off a small, country > road (Blandenburg Road, south of Carrollton) on private land, and though > it is just a few yards from the roadside, the area is all overgrown > around it and there is no public access, with not even a sign posted on > the road to note it. > > After finally finding where the marker should be, we were fortunate to > meet the realtor who was handling the property adjacent to the marker. > (We could not determine who owned the land with the marker on it.) The > marker was just a few yards from us, but we never would have seen it, if > not for the realtor who was vaguely aware of "something he had one time > heard about it" and thought it might be "over that way". > > **On private land, hidden from roadside view by trees and overgrowth, > with > no historical marker sign posted, this piece of history is all but > lost.** > > As a descendant of one of the officers named on the tablet, I want to do > something to preserve this bit of Carrollton history and make it > accessible to the public, if possible. I have talked with Jan Ruskell > at the Carroll County Historical Society twice, but cannot get > anywhere. Since I live in California, I am limited as to what I can do. > > Do any of you also feel that this Camp Odum marker is important? Perhaps > some of you recognize one of your family names on the marker. > > Can anyone shed some light on this subject, or suggest how this can be > brought to the attention of the appropriate person or organization > before the marker is completely covered over and forgotten? > > Thank you! > > Susan Patton Hamersky > Woodland Hills, CA