WAYCROSS
magazine
Old Waltertown Brick Factory
We peer through the dim mists of history to glean important
details of how we got where we are today. One signpost along
the way was the old Waltertown Brick Factory. Old Waltertown
Road, still on the maps and still located in “downtown”
Jamestown saw plenty of activity toward the turn of the (19th)
century. That’s when the family of Wilbur Fisk Moore of Marietta,
GA bought the whole town of Waltertown, lock, stock, and barrel
and turned its brick-making facilities into a peach orchard.
The idea was to grow peaches in South Georgia. The effort was
termed “the Waltertown experiment.” One of the last of the living
connections to those days, Ralph Carl Moor of Atlanta died “of
natural causes” April 12, 2015 at the age of 102.
Waltertown at the time of its purchase consisted of several
houses, a hotel, and several churches. Operating as “George A.
Moor and Company” the family sought to produce peaches in the
Wiregrass. Peaches were grown there, but eventually, the effort
was abandoned due to the climate’s this far south in Georgia
being just too hot for Georgia’s namesake fruit for commercial
development. The family then turned its efforts toward growing
pecan trees. You may have one of these old “Moor” pecan trees
in your backyard there.
According to his obituary from the Atlanta Journal-Constitu-
tion, the deceased Ralph was born “in a country farmhouse on
Dec. 18, 1912, in Waltertown.” His was an idyllic country upbring-
ing, picking peaches in the field and driving the wagon carrying
the peaches to market. His time was spent with the family’s mule
team of Jim and Elic, along with Sookie the milk cow and Bess,
the family horse.
When he grew up, Ralph left his rural ways behind and made
quite a name for himself in the military and government service.
Commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the Adjutant General’s Corp of the
U.S. Army before the outbreak of World War II, he served for sev-
eral years in the War Department in D.C. When General Douglas
McArthur returned to the Philippines, Ralph volunteered to serve
on his staff and worked to help plan the anticipated invasion of
the Japanese homeland. He was scheduled to be in the third
wave of the invasion force. Fortunately, the war ended before the
invasion was needed. After the War, Ralph continued to serve his
country and commanded a unit in the Georgia National Guard,
rising to the rank of Brigadier General. He served on the Wash-
ington, D.C. staff of several Georgia Senators, including Richard
Russell and Herman Talmadge, and as Dean of Men at South
Georgia College. His first job with the State of Georgia was work-
ing for the Georgia Board of Regents as an assistant to Dr.
Steadman V. Sanford (of Sanford Stadium fame).
A graveside service was held in April 2015 at the Georgia Na-
tional Cemetery in Canton, as another link to those old days-
gone-by headed to that “great peach orchard” in the sky.
--
information contributed by family members and local
historian and collector Joe Ballentine.
by Larry Purdom
The Journal-Herald recently published an article about the death
of Ralph Carl Moor of Atlanta, one of the last living connections
to old Waltertown, who died in April 2015, at the age of 102.
Moor’s family had bought the entirety of old Waltertown at the
turn of the 20th century to grow peaches and cantaloupes in
South Georgia. As a result of the article, with information sup-
plied by local collector and historian Joe Ballentine, a family
member has made available these antique photographs of activ-
ity there. As these photos show, there were mighty peaches and
cantaloupes grown in Waltertown. We believe the distinguished,
better-dressed gentleman to be a family member. Do you recog-
nize the workers? And while we are at it, does anyone know how
Waltertown and Jamestown got their names? Who was Walter?
Who was James? Call Ballentine at 283-2221 if you know.
The Waltertown home of Arthur Fisk Moor
Peach Orchard owned by Mr. Moor
Covered bridge over the Satilla at Waltertown
in the early 1900s. The view is from the north.