It was 5:30 in the morning when my alarm clock belted out its revelry to wake and rise on this chilly early spring morning of March 28th, 2019. I arose at this earliest of hours not for work or pleasure, but to experience and be a part of a monumental moment in not only the life of Love Joy United Methodist church, but also in the life of my youngest daughter. For today you see, my dear friend and pastor Gil Gainer would be administering the much needed devotional to the representatives and citizens who were present at the opening on the 38th day of the legislative body in this, the year of our Lord, 2019. Maggie and I, henceforth known as “we”, clambered into the car and headed off on our day trip. We began in our little haven of breakfast known as the country kitchen. At the west ending of state hwy 213 and the mid roads of hwy 36, it is a cornerstone of breakfast and fellowship for some that call Love Joy home. I chatted with Jeff Parker, a member of my Sunday school classroom and Robert Clay a member of the church. We purchased our biscuits, said a few words in fellowship and off we went to the capital.
We arrived in downtown with relative ease and had plenty of time to find a good parking space and make our way into the state capital building. The capital building is the home of Georgia’s state government and houses the offices of the Governor, lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State and the Chambers for both the Senate and House of Representatives. The House of Representatives would be discussing and potentially voting on some hot topic issues in our state and I was looking forward, if not briefly, to see a little bit of how Georgia law is made.
As we headed down capital avenue towards the entrance on the southern side of the building it’s presence grew ever impressive. The General Assembly commissioned the building in 1883 and construction began on October 26th 1884. After almost five years of uninterrupted construction, the beautiful building was delivered to the state legislature within its $1 million budget on March 30th 1889 and was dedicated on July 4th 1889 by Gov. John B. Gordon. It was such an impressive building for its time that it made national news and Harper’s Weekly Magazine described the structure as “the best million dollar edifice in America”. The article also goes on to say that “Atlanta is building more rapidly than at anytime in her history”. I think our modern time could rival any growth rate in this vast cities history.
As we walked up the stairs from the entrance to the main floor the central hall came into view. The rotunda was impressive and you could look high up to the dome with all the floors above looking down on the main floor below. The floor in the center was squared off with lit tiles and was the only fixture I could see around me that had any heir of modernity. The circular room was lined with busts of the major players of the early days of both the Georgia colony and the young state. The walls all over the Capital held a somewhat chronological ordered collection of Gubernatorial portraits. Every Governor elected since 1850 has a portrait here save for one. Rufus Bullock, Governor from July of 1868 – October of 1871. I was curious as to why this was so and found a bit of the answer in the state museum on the fourth floor, but I had to do a little research to find the larger answer.
This is an excerpt from Rufus Bullocks Wikipedia page.
Bullock served as the 46th Governor of Georgia from 1868 to 1871 during Reconstruction and was the first Republican Governor of Georgia. After Georgia ratified the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, the Omnibus Act declared that states were entitled to representation in Congress as one of the states of the Union. Georgia again lost the right to representation in Congress because the General Assembly expelled twenty-eight black members and prevented blacks from voting in the 1868 Presidential election. In response to an appeal from Bullock, Georgia was again placed under military rule as part of the Georgia Act of December 22, 1869. This made Bullock a hated political figure. After various allegations of scandal and ridicule, in 1871 he was obliged by the Ku Klux Klan to resign the governorship, and felt it prudent to leave the state. He was succeeded by Republican State Senate president Benjamin Conley, who served as Governor for the two remaining months of the term to which Bullock had been elected. Conley was succeeded by James M. Smith, a Democrat, and no Republican would serve as governor of Georgia again until Sonny Perdue in 2003.
Due to his request to bring the state back under Martial law and allow the northern states to interfere further in the happenings of Georgia politics, he had become known by his state contemporaries and the population at large as the most hated man in the state. A legacy that his lack of a portrait in the Capital would indicate is still a topic of discussion today.
As we walked the main floor we found the Governor’s office, the portrait of Jimmy Carter, the only Georgia Governor to become President. Not the most successful President in history, but probably the greatest former President of all time. Even in the face of Cancer and old age he still fights for his vision of a beautiful and welcoming world. Some may say his vision of a world void of pain and suffering may be a bit naive, but the world always needs such champions of a brighter future.
The North and South wings of the Capital are massive open spaces and the squared sections have beautiful central halls that climb to the roof of the structure. All the floors look down on to the central rotunda and both floors of the massive wings. Giant marble staircases set at each end of the building rise up to the floors above. A large carved statue of Oglethorpe, the founder of the Georgia colony, sits atop the southern staircase. Maggie and I took the elevator to the top floor which housed not only the viewing galleries for the general public but also the state museum. We arrived at the Gallery entrance to the state house but were a couple of hours early and it was not yet open. We took this time to explore the exhibits of the modest yet highly informative fourth floor of the Capital otherwise known as the state museum.
Known for my love of all things historical and trivial, I was absolutely giddy with the prospect of learning anything I was not previously aware of. So we began to wander the exhibits and I examined them with attentive care. Some of the things I read, I already knew, many I didn’t, some were outright scandalous, others great little pieces of history. To catalog and elaborate on the exhibits here would be to write a book. What I will do here is brush over some things I found to be interesting and I will do my best to do them justice.
The exhibits went from prehistory to modern times. There were artifacts from Native American tribes that inhabited the region long before Europeans arrived. A statue of a Native American shaman stood watch over his exhibits and I couldn’t help but notice the plaque on his base. “Please Do Not Touch Indian”. Apparently the curator was unaware that “Indian” was no longer an appropriate identifier. I laughed to myself and took a picture. There was an American flag on the wall of unknown origin. The only thing agreed upon by scholars was that it was very old, other than that its details appeared to be mostly speculation. The only information concrete is that the flag belonged to the Richmond Hussars Calvary militia which was founded in 1819 in Augusta, Georgia. The regiment joined the Confederacy in 1861 and continued service for the Union through both world wars.
As we continued through the exhibits I found some interesting photographs and articles. A photograph of Prince Charles of England was displayed with a list of other notable guest that have addressed the General Assembly. The Prince did it in 1977 and other notables were Jesse Jackson, Ted Turner and of course a Bulldog named UGA, Only in Georgia. I learned that the State Legislature appointed a Governor in 1967 and the constitution of the state was amended to make sure it never happened again. The longest sitting speaker in any state house in the country was held by a Georgian who served as speaker of the house in Georgia for 28 years. His name was Thomas B. Murphy and he was elected in 1974. There are many exhibits about the construction of the Capitol building itself. One titled “”Practical” but unpopular” told the story of how Georgia products and materials would be used to construct the building led many to assume Georgia Marble or Granite would be used on the exterior. In the first cost cutting move Indiana Limestone was chosen for exterior work and only the cornerstone in the northwest end of the building is Georgia Granite. There are also many interesting facts about Georgia, a pen used by Gov. Nathaniel E. Harris to sign a bill that gave women the right to practice law in the State of Georgia on August 19, 1916. In comparison the first woman to hold a seat in the State Senate took her position in 1922. Her name was Rebecca L. Felton. A section on the budget showed Gov. Sonny Perdue’s proposal of $14.7 billion dollars in 2004. Just over 100 years earlier in 1899 the treasury disbursement was a whopping $3.6 million. What a difference a century makes.
There was an unfortunate tale of a young man named Richard Vanalbade Gammon who played football for the University of Georgia. He suffered a fatal concussion during a game the day before Halloween in 1897. The General Assembly wasted no time in passing a bill banning football at all state funded institutions. The boys mother pleaded to the Governor, “Grant me the right to request that my boy’s death should not be used to defeat the most cherished object of his life”. Governor Atkinson’s, ready to sign the bill, became emotional in the wake of the mother’s plea and vetoed it instead. Forever saving the future of College Football so beloved by the state today. A football sits in the display that was used in play during a game to commemorate the opening of Stanford Stadium on October 12, 1929. A side note and unrelated to these exhibits is that college football had become so dangerous in that era, as many as 20 athletes may have perished on the collegiate level in 1905 alone, that only a few years later Teddy Roosevelt held a Commission in D.C. to propose banning football nationwide. There were so many interesting things to see and do here, The architecture is so beautiful, It’s definitely worth a visit, but that is not what this story is about.
It was time for the upstairs Galleries to open and Maggie and I headed in to take our seats in the observation Gallery high above the house floor. It was an impressive sight. The furnishings and style havent changed since it was opened. High ceilings, rich woods, giant chandeliers, a gorgeous circular recess high above. It was a beautiful sight. there was a very controversial bill on the books today and the doormen were very clear about behavior expectations. we were not here for political reasons and merely wanted to enjoy a day at the Capitol and see a little bit of how our state government works. The Gallery began to fill and we could see our friends down on the floor. The days session began, My Representative Dave Belton gave Gil’s heartfelt introduction and Gil stepped up and began his Devotion. Here is a excerpt from an e-mail I sent to some fellow church members.
Today Maggie and I had the pleasure of not only touring the capital of this great state, but also the honor of witnessing our little country church being represented by Pastor Gil in his giving of the devotional for the opening of the 38th day of the the legislative session in the House of Representatives. I will not get into the politics of the day for that will only take away from the power of the moment. I can not personally speak of witness to a more appropriate, sincere and honest devotion in modern times. Not only was it in true Gil fashion relevant to the day and time, it was heart felt, powerful and true to us. It is a moment and day in time that Love Joy United Methodist Church should be proud of. Our Churches name and location was displayed on the walls of the great house of our capital for the time Gil gave his homily. For that brief moment, that overwhelmingly emotional moment, we mattered. We were the most relevant church in the state. Our pastor, in our churches name, was representing God to the entire state. He spoke of unity, care for your neighbor and how love and respect for one another could bring us together. I paraphrase greatly and can in no way do his sermon justice. All I can say is be proud Love Joy, be very proud.
We finished our day wandering liberty park in front and the Capitol then we had some lunch at Bar Taco in Inman park. We walked around the renovated neighborhood in East Atlanta and just had a wonderful day. Tomorrow Davin and I will be heading to San Diego to see what fun and crazy adventures we can get into there, check back soon. You never know what we’ll be up to.
