What’s Going On

Join The Pierce County Area Delivery & Curb-Side Group to keep up with all our local businesses, what they are offering, hours of operation, and other valuable information. (Business please utilize this platform to communicate with our community 👍🏻) ... See more

Photos from Main Street Blackshear's post

Today’s History Lesson: The first automobile was brought to Blackshear in 1910 by rural mail carrier Jeff Allen. His automobile was run on a chain and made a terrible noise and everyone could hear Allen coming! This Model T Ford was another early car in Blackshear and was owned by R.W. Belvin shown in the front seat with Mrs. Belvin. The car came with only one seat, but Mr. Belvin made the backseat and in which Mrs. E.Z. Byrd and Mrs. Iva McGee Ratliff are sitting. Eustace & David Earl McKinney are shown in their father E.J. McKinney’s Northern (which didn’t have a steering wheel, but was controlled by a handle). Mr. McKinney operated a bicycle shop and became one of our first auto mechanics. Blackshear’s first traffic lights were put up in 1925 at the corner of Main Street and Highway Avenue. These were not changing lights. The greenlight faced both ways on Main and the red light faced Highway, Avenue in both directions. Traffic going north and south had the right of way and Highway Avenue traffic was required to stop before proceeding. (Photos & Information: The History of Pierce County Georgia by Dean Broome) @ Blackshear, Georgia ... See more

Georgia Department of Community Affairs

Are you a small business owner? Keep reading.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to Georgia small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

SBA acted under its own authority, as provided by the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act that was recently signed by the President, to declare a disaster following a request received from Governor Brian Kemp on March 17.

We've provided those details for you here (in English and Spanish). ... See more

Photos from Main Street Blackshear's post

#throwbackthursday Today’s history lesson: Pierce County has had 5 courthouses since it’s creation in 1857. Our first two courthouses were designated homes near Shiloh Church and a small log structure on Main Street near the Presbyterian Church. The third courthouse on Main and Central was destroyed by fire in 1875. This photo made in 1899 shows the fourth courthouse built in 1875 and was considered to be a fine spacious structure at the time. This beautiful antebellum style courthouse was the last wooden structure to serve the county before a new building was erected in 1902. Our present courthouse was completed in 1903, and the previous one known as The Belvin Home, became a private home that now keeps guard over our beautiful Blackshear City Park. @ Blackshear City Park ... See more

PierceCounty Chamber

BINGO!!!!

Let's play BINGO while supporting our local businesses and spreading some good old fashioned PC love! Once you have BINGO, list your activities in the comments, and when possible, tag the businesses you interacted with. Then your name will go in the drawing. (We are on the honor system here, so play fair! 😀)

Next Monday, we will draw from the BINGO winners and give away a $100 gift card from a local restaurant!

Share this with your friends! 😀 ... See more

The Blackshear Times

TIMES OFFERS FREE WEB NEWS THROUGH MARCH

http://www.theblacksheartimes.com/news/the-times-offers-free-web-news/article_00948976-6876-11ea-b2ac-a388afaa319c.html

Timeline Photos

Today’s Pierce County history lesson: Southern Pine Lumber Company. Operating from 1886-1905 SPL (sometimes called J.J. McDonough & Co., after one of its owners), was one of the two largest timber cutting operations in the county. The company opened their large sawmill August 31, 1886. The mill consisted of a large circular saw about 7 1/2 feet in diameter, a planing mill, boiler, shingle mill, and other features necessary to carry out a complete lumber operation. At its peak of operation several hundred men were employed at the mill and in the woods. One of their big outputs was large railroad and bridge timbers. In 1900, SPL was shipping about 60 car loads of lumber to Brunswick every week. In time, the railroad would extended from Nichols to Brunswick. From the railroad, tram roads, using logs for rails, were built on each side about every 2 miles. These tram roads reached out into most of the northern half of Pierce County, into Bacon County and the eastern section of Coffee County. Timber cars, oxen and mules are used to transport the logs to the tram roads where they were loaded on flatcars. These were pulled by miles to the main railroad. Four to six wood-burning steam engines went out each day from Offerman to bring in the cars loaded with logs, each train pulling from 12-15 cars. The Southern Pine Lumber Company cut only long leaf yellow pine and shipped only timbers that were all heart wood. During the process of cutting a large log down to pure heart wood, many boards containing only a small portion of sapwood would be sawed and hauled out by the slab chain to the slab pit to be burned. Local people were allowed to take, without charge, any of this lumber. Many homes in the Offerman and Patterson communities were constructed from the discarded lumber, and remain in good condition for most of the 20th Century. After almost 20 years of operation this company closed down in August 1905. Part of the mill was transferred to Lumber City, Georgia and part was sent to Florida. #historylesson #neverstoplearning📚 ... See more

Timeline Photos

If we must stay at home let’s learn some history!

The Great Train Wreck: March 17, 1888. 132 years ago today, one of the most significant events in Blackshear history occurred. Happening just east of Blackshear at the hurricane trestle, a 37 foot high span over the Alabaha River. The trestle collapsed, sending passenger cars crashing into the river bed. Local citizens and physicians raced to the scene to aid the victims. Buckets of water were hauled up toward the wreckage to put out fires, which were consuming the crushed cars. At least 22 people died and more than 30 injured. The wreck was later believed to have been caused by a brake mechanism which fell from its place on the train, ripping across the track ties. When it hit the wooden trestle, it literally tore the bridge from under the train. #historylesson #neverstoplearning📚 ... See more

The City of Blackshear