Tom, You are very welcome. I am glad someone enjoyed it. I unfortunately do not live in Walker County even though a lot of my roots are from there. After I purchased the Heritage book, my desire to go there has gotten greater. It is a great book. I am from the Shaw family of Walker County and the Estelle Mines were named after Estelle P. Shaw (1st cousin 4 times removed). Glad you enjoyed it. Becky R Pilotsmom@classicnet.net ----- Original Message ----- From: "brannon" <skbran@mississippi.net> To: <GAWALKER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2004 6:20 PM Subject: Re: [GAWALKER] Estelle Mine > Hi Ms. Becky Roberts, All the Brannon's mentioned in this article are my GG > Grandparents and Uncles. Doc and Salley Brannon are my GG Grandparents that > ran the old boarding house. Now buried in the Estelle Cemetery. My Father, > Ralph Brannon, Son of Tom Brannon that was Son of Doc and Salley Brannon, > was born in Estelle when it was a thriving community. I still remember the > old wooden trussle and the small Dinky train down there when I was very > young. Thanks for putting the article on the E-Mail. My Grand Mother was a > Smith, her Mother was an Andrews from the same area. We have the Walker > County Heritage Book and it is really interesting to read. Thanks again for > putting this on the E-Mail...... > Tom Brannon > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Becky Roberts" <pilotsmom@classicnet.net> > To: <GAWALKER-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 9:41 AM > Subject: [GAWALKER] Estelle Mine > > > > List Members, > > I just thought I would post a little information about the Estelle Mine in > LaFayette, in case some of your ancestors worked at the mine. > > > > The following was taken from the Walker County Heritage 1833-1983: > > > > ESTELLE IRON > ORE MINES > > > > During the early part of this century the iron ore mines at Estelle were > yielding vast quantities of high grade ore. These mines were dug into the > same foothills of Pigeon Mountain where just a few years earlier Gen. > Braxton Bragg stood waiting for an unsuspecting union army to walk into his > trap. > > > > The iron ore mines in Estelle were operated for many years by a number of > hard working employees who lived in this mining town. One of the men who > worked in these mines was Raymond Watts. He along with my grandmother, > Daisy Kellogg, were able to recall the following history of the Chattanooga > Iron and Coal Corporation at Estelle. > > > > Boys as young as seven would help load ore. Ten year old boys worked at > the crusher, and at the age of twelve could become what was known as "mule > boys". The mule boys would leave home around six-o'-clock in order to get > the mules prepared for entry into the mines at six-thirty. The mule boys > worked ten hours a day for twenty cents per hour. Push boys, crushers, > fireman, engineers, and breakies were some of the other jobs available for > the men and boys who lived in the area. > > > > Sally and Doc Brannon operated a boarding house for several years. It > offered the miners, who didn't live in one of the many houses, a place to > stay. Paul Shaw, clerk, and Barker Hall, butcher, were employed at the huge > commissary where food and supplies could be obtained. > > > > S.F. Evans, Otto Deits, and Mike Lowe are three men who served as > superintendent of the mining company. Mr. Evans was the first man to own an > automobile in Estelle, a Ford Model-T. There were two schools in Estelle. > One was a little red schoolhouse located in Depot Hollow. The other was a > three room school, the Estelle School, which stood on the hill where Estelle > Cemetery is now found. Lily Morgan Ransom, Professor Sartain, and a Mrs. > Tanner were some of the teachers who taught the three R's to the children. > > > > Rev. John Bill Devlin, pastor of the Church of God, was the minister of > the only church in Estelle. Rev. Devlin was well liked and respected by his > neighbors who listened to his Sunday morning sermons. > > > > When the people of Estelle needed the services of a doctor, they would > call on either Doc Gates or Doc Jim Wood. These two gentlemen were very > capable physicians, who tended to the sick, cared for the injured, and > delivered babies. > > > > Mining ore was not only an exhausting occupation but also a dangerous one. > Accidents can occur in any mine and Estelle was no exception. Gilbert Watts, > son of Columbus Watts, was killed while working in one of the mines. He was > accidentally run over by a dinky car and died the following day. > > > > The town barber, Balcom Barfield, cut hair for a very reasonable price. > Brothers Pearl and Luke Steele handled any jobs concerning a blacksmith. > William Watts owned a gristmill and ran a general store in part of his > house. He was also a carpenter for the mining company. He built trestles, > bridges, and the forms for the concrete tip still in existence in Estelle. > > > > Sunday, the day off, was the time for recreation. If the miners weren't > fishing, hunting, or playing horseshoes they could be found at the baseball > field. The Estelle crew played teams from Durham, LaFayette, and > Chickamauga. > > > > Here is a list of a few of the many men who worked in the Estelle mines; > Frank Atchley, Clarence Ballinger, Quillian Ballinger, Edmund Beard, Ellison > Beard, Sam Bradley, Tom Brannon, Walter Brannon, Garland Castleberry, Webb > Castleberry, Joe Cole, Jess Cornish, Will Cornish, Ed Devlin, John Bill > Devlin, Baxter Elders, Earl Franklin, Alec George, Jip George, Marion > Gibson, Hugh Hise, Albert Hopkins, Charley Hopkins, Dick Houfman, John > Houfman, Jack Huffstetler, Luke Jefferies, Paul Kellogg, Bill Kilgore, Gord > Kilgore, Willie Kilgore, Herman Lee, Ison Lee, Jess Lee, Walt McCullough, > Charley Martin, Chester Martin, Homer Martin, Grady Mathis, Richard Monds, > Jim Nalley, Mack Nelson, Shane Nelson, Duff Odum, Jess Pettijohn, Jim > Powell, Ad Ray, Joe Ray, Huss Ridley, Jack Ridley, Jim Ridley, Bob Sims, > Charley Slayton, Gene Slayton, Pearl Steele, Luke Steele, Earl Styles, Grady > Sweet, Bunk Voiles, Bud Watts, Clifford Watts, Charley Watts, Duel Watts, > Gilbert Watts, Henry Watts, Joh! > > n Watts, Lum Watts, Jim Watts, Raymond Watts, and William Watts. By: Dan > Stoker, Jr. > > > > > > Another article about ESTELLE MINES: > > > > > ESTELLE MINES > > > > The ore mines at Shaw, Georgia, were incorporated on June 24, 1897. > Partners in the venture were John V. Costello, W.D. Hix, and James Costello. > The operation was known as the Estelle Mining Company, named for Estelle P. > Shaw (1864-1882), daughter of Jesse Mercer Shaw and Mary Camp Shaw. > > > > At the height of this operation the company employed two hundred and > thirty five men. This community comprised one hundred and seventy-five > houses for the workers. A commissary provided for all the needs of the > employees and their families from furniture to clothing, groceries and > household goods. > > > > There were two schools with an enrollment of one hundred ninety children. > Both of the schools were maintained by the county and the men at Estelle who > subscribed seventy percent of the cost and who also retained a physician for > medical attention. > > > > The Estelle property consisted of four thousand six hundred acres and had > a blacksmith shop, machine shop, carpenter shop, steam plant, sawmill and a > supply house. There was a six mile narrow gauge railroad called the "Dinky" > which began at the crusher and ran through seven tunnels to the mines. Ore > was hauled from the mines to the crusher on this railroad. As the demand for > ore started to wane, operations at the mines began to slacken and finally > ceased in 1924. By: Frank Shaw, Jr. > > > > > > Becky > > Pilotsmom@classicnet.net > > > > > > ==== GAWALKER Mailing List ==== > > If you wish to unsubscribe from the Walker Co., GA list, send only the > word > > UNSUBSCRIBE to GAWALKER-l-request@rootsweb.com or if you are on the Digest > List > > to GAWALKER-d-request@rootsweb.com > > > > > > > > ==== GAWALKER Mailing List ==== > NOTICE: Posting of virus warnings, test messages, chain letters, political > announcements, current events, items for sale, personal messages, flames, > etc. (in other words - spam) is NOT ALLOWED and will be grounds for removal. > Consideration for exceptions, contact Kathleen Burnett kathleenburnett@earthlink.net > > >