#THROWBACK THURSDAY

Feb. 20, 1920 — A Hartwell man traversed some bumpy roads for a holiday trip and wanted U.S. citizens to step up and improve the highways after ditching his car for a train ride midway through the return voyage.
“The next time I shall spend the winter in Hart County,” declared prominent Hartwell merchant Joe E. Cobb.
Cobb had just returned from Florida, with his wife and another man, where he said he travelled over the worst roads he had ever seen.
“At first we thought it best to return by rail but after some debate decided to come back in an automobile. And I declare that I have never seen such roads in all my life. The people of this country should certainly take steps to improve the highways. When we arrived in Milledgeville I was advised to leave the car behind and take the train, which we did.”

Feb. 18, 1949 — Information about the brewing Hartwell Dam project was released to the public.
The $60 million project was expected to generate 500 million kilowatt hours of low-cost electric power “to supply the greatly increasing demands of this area.”
Other reported benefits of the dam included flood control, soil conservation, reforestation and recreation.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said at the time “the Hartwell site is one of the finest natural locations for a dam east of the Mississippi — in fact, with all factors considered, one of the most finest in the United States.”
A report from the Atlanta Constitution at the time said the reasons the dam was necessary grew out of the economic revolution that was happening in Georgia.
“The movement to make assets instead of liabilities out of the natural resources of Georgia is the reason for the Hartwell Dam,” a writer from the Atlanta Constitution wrote.

Feb. 21, 1990 — Questions surrounding a seized shipment of more than 22 kilograms of cocaine in Hart County still lingered.
Sheriff Kenneth Vaughn said at the time the drug investigation into how a large shipment of cocaine wound up in Hartwell was continuing.
The week prior, two men were arrested in connection with the discovery of nearly 50 pounds of cocaine delivered to a loading dock of The Hartwell Company via commercial delivery truck.
Dock workers reportedly found the cocaine, wrapped  in individual one-kilogram packages, while unloading cartons. At least seven workers were reportedly involved in finding the drugs, removing them from the premises and burying the cocaine inside garbage bags at Hickory Crossing.
Two men were arrested for their involvement with selling the cocaine, while the others were reportedly not arrested.