May the third, Mrs. Sarah Ward was 82 years of age. She has a home with her son, W. P. Ward, and gave a birthday dinner to her friends last Wednesday. She furnished the dinner, out-and-out superintended the cooking of some of the dishes, especially the old-fashioned chicken-pie, family style.
Mrs. Ward is in splendid health, rises every morning at five o'clock, feeds the chickens, gathers the eggs, etc.
Mrs. Ward came to Douglas 1858, the year the first court house was built in Douglas. She was then Miss Sarah Hilliard. Her brother, J. K. Hilliard, built the first hotel in Douglas. It was a big two-story log house and stood where the B. Peterson home now stands. The big old water oak in front was planted there by Mr. Hilliard.
Mrs. Ward says that Douglas was a nice little town before the war. There were a dozen or more families and several stores. The stores were located about where Love's Garage is situated. The town of Douglas was located on 50 acres of land given to the county by James Pearson, who lived on a farm near where Mr. Joe Daughtery's home is now located. The lumber out of which the first court house was built was sawed out up the Ocmulgee river and floated down the river and then hauled to Douglas
Coffee County was created 1854 and court was held at the home of Daniel Lott, father of Elias Lott, till a court house could be built.
Mrs. Ward can tell you all about these olden times and the people who made Douglas and Coffee County in those primitive days.
W.P.
mmccook@alltel.net
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