A Confederate monument rises in the center of Gainesville's tree-shaded town square, surviving efforts in recent years to remove the gray-tinged remnant of the Lost Cause.
Erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy in 1909, the 28-foot-tall statue of a Confederate soldier called Old Joe stares with weary eyes at a lively restaurant, shopping and entertainment scene.
Hall County, which owns the plot of land where Old Joe stands, a few years ago entered negotiations with the UDC to remove the statue to a "more suitable location." The Confederate daughters hold a lease on the spot for a few more years, and Ole Joe remains.
Near Old Joe, a plaque remembers Franklin D. Roosevelt's visit to the city in 1936 following two devastating tornadoes. Roosevelt often stayed at nearby Warm Springs, Ga., seeking relief from his crippling polio in its healing waters.
On a visit to Gainesville for a couple of days last week, I explored a traditional Southern small town undergoing rapid change and population growth, revealing striking contrasts between the past and future. Everyone I encountered was very friendly, a welcome Southern tradition.
Gainesville's square pulses with the city's thriving economy, based on the poultry industry and a few high-tech ventures, law firms carrying out legal work at the Hall and federal courthouses, and shops catering to homeowners on nearby Lake Lanier.
Along with high-ticket interior-design stores, the square is home to gritty retail businesses like Moe's Records, loaded with bins of used vinyl albums. I was tempted at a live album of the jazz pianist and vocalist Mose Allison, a favorite of my wild youth in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
While the restaurants were packed, the expensive home-furnishing stores had few customers. At one store whose merchandise included pillows with biblical messages, a hymn praising Jesus played.
Brenau University, with three locations in the city, is a major economic generator. The university's students fill the streets surrounding the square, swarming the bars and pizza restaurants. Local residents, the men wearing beards and baseball caps and the women summer dresses, join the crowd.
Ninth District Congressman Andrew Clyde, an ultra-right wing ally of Marjorie Taylor Green who voted against legislation authorizing aid for Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel, runs an office on Washington Street adjoining the square. A few blocks away is the headquarters of the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, closed on Friday afternoon.
Along with pizza places and Avocados, a popular spot serving tacos, sandwiches and brunch dishes, the square offers fancy dining at the excellent Italian restaurant Cotto and old-style steaks and seafood at The Stag - Chophouse.
On a walk down a desolate street outside of the square, I discovered the ultramodern Hall County Library, with a huge collection of books, a well-stocked children's section and computers and printers. An impressive local history room provides archives for family genealogists and other researchers. I read the informative Gainesville Times, glad to see the local paper still putting out a daily print edition.
Leaving, I was amused at a communal jig saw puzzle sitting unfinished on a table. Library patrons can pause and help complete the puzzle.
Hall County's politics and economy are also challenging to piece together.
In the 2020 election, Donald Trump received 70 percent of the vote in Hall County. Yet the country's poultry-based economy depends on immigration.
While disapproval of President Biden and inflation runs deep, every restaurant on the square had waiting lists of up to 40 minutes Friday night.
Comments