Hello All! I Found a lot of tidbits also that I would like to share with you. I am not responsible for any errors in the information. Please as always, remember to verify it yourself. There will probably be more than one email. Watch the subject line for each section. Please let me know if this is helpful. If not I will not take the time to do it. Thanks. These are abstracts from a Book "Wilkinson County Early Abstracts" . I copied the pages with the names I was searching, but as You know, we end up with extra stuff as well. I copied this info at the Library in Jeffersonville (twiggs co.) Georgia. Enjoy! Pat Twiggs County List Manager Visit my website: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Lake/8044 WILKINSON COUNTY EARLY ABSTRACTS PART # 4 Page 35 TALMADGE INSTITUTE The first real step forward towards higher education in Wilkinson County was the incorporation of Talmadge Normal Institute in the town of Irwinton in 1854. Again Senator Arthur E. Cochran, a long-time proponent for betterment in the field of learning, had advanced his ideas still further. The original thought was to create a centrally located institution for teacher training. The program did not work out as planned and in 1874, the name of the school was changed to Talmadge Institute honoring Samuel Talmadge, an educator. >From 1874 until the building was razed in 1923, the institute was a 11-grade school. As the number of students gradually increased following World War One, modifications were continually being made inside the building in an effort to isolate the various classes. Such changes not only distracted pupils because of the continuous movement in conducting classes on the two floors, but it was a fire trap also. The new partitions partially blocked escape routes. The physical building was a simple square two-story frame structure and 75 years of use had rendered it unfit for continued occupancy.