FROG LEVEL PLANTATION

OLD TIMES WERE NOT FORGOTTEN




Rita Dickens loved to listen to her daddy talk about the old times on the Blackshear place in eastern Laurens County known as the Frog Level Plantation. She remembered those stories and put them down in a book which she titled "Marse Ned."


In the latter years of the 18th century, the choice lands in the Buckeye District were along the Oconee River and Big Creek. The Blackshear family acquired large holdings along both. Edward Jefferson Blackshear, son of the venerable Gen. David Blackshear, established his eleven hundred acre plantation home just above the intersection of Big and Buckeye Creeks. Blackshear named the plantation "Frog Level", undoubtedly due to an abundance of frogs along the creek banks.

E.J. Blackshear brought his wife Mary Jane from Florida back to Frog Level. It was there where their three children were born and grew up. Mary Jane died when Ned was born. Ned was nursed by a Marthy, a slave woman, who had lost her child in still birth a few days before. Their grandmother Pittman made annual visits to Frog Level to help their father. She had to take a boat to Columbus and then a train to Oconee, Georgia. From there, the Blackshear coachmen took her down to Frog Level.

Ned was raised by his grandmother during her visits, but mostly by Hannah and Reuben, two slaves to whom Ned had a special attachment. Yes, the slaves were treated differently. But Ned loved them like they were his own family. Ned idolized "Uncle" Reuben and wanted to be just like him. Ned loved to sit out on the veranda and listen to the old Negro spirituals. He tried to play them on his father's old violin.

One day, Grandma bargained with a German peddler-musician to teach Ned how to play the violin in exchange for six month’s room and board. The professor asked Ned if he knew what a note was. Ned proudly answered " Yes sir, Pa sent a note by me yesterday. "Humph" the professor grunted, "Do you know what a key is?" "Yes sir, I know the old smoke house key." The professor continued, determined to stay in his new home, "Do you know what a chord is?" "Yes sir, I helped stack all those chords of wood in the back yard." The music lesson ended and the dazed professor packed in bags and left in defeat. Eventually, Ned became a pretty fair violin player.

Grandma gave frequent week-end parties for young Mary. Friends and kin folks came from all over for two days of food, music, and dancing. Mary was becoming a beautiful young lady. It was around this time that Grandma began receiving letters from her son John Pittman, who was a student at the University of Virginia. It was October of 1860. Little did John know what was in store for him in the coming months.

The Blackshears attended church once at month at Boiling Springs Methodist Church, a few miles to the east. The Church was the religious, social, and eventually the military center of the community. For days before "Church Sunday," the plantation kitchens were busy with preparations for a dinner on the grounds. The carriage drivers and attendants worshiped in the Church from the gallery. After the preaching, a lavish dinner was held. The boys swung in the trees and joggled on the joggling board. Ned noticed Mary slipping off to the spring with Cince Guyton.

Grandma saved some boiled custard which she brought home and gave to a sick and aging slave, "Aunt Dicey." Grandma stayed with "Aunt Dicey" up to the time of her death, taking care of her every need.

The terrible war began. Cince went off to fight the Yankees and became a Lt. Colonel. "Uncle Reuben" was scared. He wanted his freedom but feared life on his own. John's letters kept coming. Mary was worried about Cince. In the fall of 1862, she entered Wesleyan Female College in Macon. John left college and joined the army. Within three months, the teenager was lying dead on the battlefield at Manassas, Virginia.

Ned and his Pa went to Macon and brought Mary home. Grandma arranged a party. Col. Guyton took leave from his regiment in Atlanta to come home and marry his sweetheart in the parlor at Frog Level. The Colonel went back to the war.  Thankfully, he survived and came back to live with Mary at Frog Level to help on the place since Pa was going blind. Ned went to Florida to live with Grandma. He returned to Dublin, but stayed a short while until he got a chance to open a livery back in Florida. Ned married Belle Milton, granddaughter of Florida's Civil War governor, John Milton. Her sister, Susie, married William Atkinson, a two term governor of Georgia. Their son, William, Jr., was Chief Justice of Georgia's Supreme Court. On the night of their marriage, the entire business district of Marianna burned. Ned was quoted as saying "I'm probably the only man ever to spend his wedding night fighting fires."

Ned and Belle moved back to Dublin. Ned sang in the Methodist Church. Belle was one of the first members of Christ Episcopal Church, which Ned later joined. Ned went into the insurance business. Belle led the effort to erect the Confederate monument in Dublin. Belle passed away and after being married to Ned for more than 50 years. As Ned realized his time was coming, he regretted not ever answering the call to preach. His daughter Rita comforted him, telling him that his whole life had been his sermon. One night Ned went to bed - thinking of his dear Belle. As his life slipped away he saw Belle coming to see him, amidst the sounds of the old Negro spirituals and visions of Grandma and Uncle Reuben sitting on the porch at old Frog Level.

You can reach Frog Level by traveling east along Highway 319 from East Dublin. Turn left on Willie Wood Road and go north until you come to Frog Level Circle. Turn left on Frog Level Circle and go west until you reach the point where Pierce Road comes in from the left. Frog Level lies on both sides of Big Creek running south past its intersection with Brewton Creek down to the Graham farm.