Hi Virginia, I lived in Reynolds for 12 years and never heard of Bonita. I traveled from Reynolds to Butler daily to high school and never saw any signs of this settlement, but it may have been off the beaten path. It was probably near the railroad on what we called the "flats" (what Sallie-Mander called the "highest tableland") between Reynolds and Butler. I'll be in Taylor County on April 11th and will try to look for signs of old Bonita. I'll also ask my Uncle J.W. (b. 1910, still living in Reynolds). Randy > Does anyone know anything or anybody who lived in Bonita. It sounded so > promising! Was there ever a school built there? > > Those peaches sounded so wonderful too. I'd love to know more about the > peaches in Taylor County. Can we assume that most of our early ancestors > had a peach tree in their back yard? > > I'm going to add a section on our page for "towns that no longer exist". I > assume that this is true of Bonita, since I don't see it on the map. Can > some of you natives help me out??? > ============== > > (Taken from the Butler Herald, Tuesday, May 26, 1908) > Dear "Herald": > I here and now make my bow to the readers of the Herald and hope to be > welcomed into the ranks of correspondence of your worthy sheet. > > Bonita, meaning pretty in Spanish, is the name given to the new station on > the Central railroad three and a half miles west of Reynolds and five and a > half miles east of Butler at the crossing of the Central R.R. by the dirt > road between the two towns. > > We are splendidly situated on the highest tableland between Macon and > Columbus surrounded by forty thousand splendid peach trees, twent thousand > full of beautiful Carmen and Elbert peaches. We have just finished a large > packing house and put in the best side track on the road. We expect to ship > fifteen or twenty cars of luscious peaches this season, giving work to a > great number of people. We have arrangements to care for a large crowd. > Also will put in a cannery to care for all fruit too ripe to ship and we > would be glad to have all the help possible to handle the crop. > > Mr. Howard Eubanks, the manager is up to his ears in business, but always > takes time to say a pleasant work or give any information about Bonito. > > Bonito is contemplating the erection of a large free school building to be > known as the Bonito Male and Female Academy. > > We would be glad if some merchant would open a general store at Bonito to > accomodate the large trade at this point. Free house rent will be given to > the right party. > > A blacksmith would do well at Bonito as it is surrounded by large and > prosperous farmers. > > Messrs. A.B. POSEY, JUD WILSON, P.B. HORTON, ASA PARKS, and ARTHUR WILSON > were busy last week completing the now packing house; GUS WILSON acting as > overseer. > > Mr. DAVID STEWART, of Baltimore, was in our midst last Friday looking after > the interest of his house, the Stewart Fruit Co. > > For the next few months our payroll will not be as heavy as Andrew Carnegie's. > > We extend a cordial invitation to all the churches to make Bonito the picnic > center. We have three splendid springs, three wells with the finest, coolest > most sparkling, health giving water to be found in Georgia. Grand old shade > trees, a large roomy packing house that can be used for protection against > rain or storms, for table spreads; etc. and above all the warm welcome. > > We are anxious to secure a good gin and will aid any party wishing to erect one. > "Sallie-Mander" > > > Virginia Crilley 4500 Kenny Lane Waco TX 76710 (254)772-5390 > Subscribe to RUFFIN mailing list: Ruffin-L-Request@Rootsweb.com > Subscribe to CRILLEY mailing list: Crilley-L-Request@Rootsweb.com > Homepages: http://www.eramp.net/~crilley > Ruffin homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/6276 > Taylor Co USGenWeb http://www.rootsweb.com/~gataylor/gataylor.htm > ___________________________________________________________________________ Randy Carpenter http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~randy Georgia Institute of Technology randy@cc.gatech.edu College of Computing (404) 894-9046