Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Field Trip: Scull Shoals. Part 3, Town Ruins – Arched Bridge & Power Plant

From the store, we made our way towards the area where the arched bridge over the raceway and the power plant were located.

The arched bridge and power plant are located to the south and slightly west of the store.

On our way, we stumbled over this beautiful colony of bracket fungi.

The area where the arched bridge and power plant were located was somewhat overgrown and it would have been easy to give up the search. We got a glimpse of stonework supports and decided to try to get through to get a better look.

We rounded a chain-link fence and were rewarded with a glimpse of the arched bridge. Certainly worth a closer look. It’s a pity that the bridge is enclosed by a fence but this is probably necessary to preserve it since it is vulnerable.

A view of the bridge. We have dropped down into a ditch which was the raceway to bring water from the Oconee River to the power plant. We walked carefully in the leaves. It was still warm enough for snakes to be about and Timber/Canebreak Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) could 'hide' in plain sight in these leaves.

A closer view of the brickwork on the arch of the bridge.

We climbed up out of the raceway and were treated to an overview of the power plant foundations. A wall to the right and supports for the floor.

A closer view of the wall to the right of the previous photo.

Looking straight at the wall on the right. This view shows the excellent stone masonry.

*****
A closer view of a couple of the center supports.

This arched structure is partially buried in the ground. I don’t know what it is but it's another excellent example of decorative stonework.

From here we set off to the Oconee River to look at the foundations for the bridge that crossed the river and then back up to the ledge to the remains of the superintendent’s house.

Click on an image to view a larger image

Resources:
Trip map (Google): Scull Shoals

Friends of Scull Shoals: A Brief History of Scull Shoals Mill Village


Related posts:

- Field Trip: Scull Shoals. Part 1, Oconee River – Sandy Creek

- Field Trip: Scull Shoals. Part 2, Town Ruins – Store

- Field Trip: Oconee-Greene County. Part 1, Elders Mill Covered Bridge

- Field Trip: Oconee-Greene County. Part 2, Sand Pit – Ward Rd

- Field Trip: Oconee-Greene County. Part 3. Oconee National Forest & Fishing Creek

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Field Trip: Scull Shoals. Part 2, Town Ruins - Store

The Scull Shoals site is at the end of Scull Shoals Road. A Visitor Information display has a poster with a diagram of the town and a brief history which are very informative. It’s helpful to understand the layout of the town before starting to explore.

The site is visible on Google maps. (The parking area is in the upper right of the map).

The buildings at Sculls Shoals are in ruins. Anything made of wood is gone. Foundations and the store - the only structures made of stone or brick – are all that remain. Since the town is in ruins and very little stands above ground, we found ourselves using the photograph we took of the diagram on the visitors information board as a map as we made our way around.

Looking towards the store from the parking lot.

The area to the right of the store, looking from the parking lot; the superintendant’s and workers houses were in this area as was the blacksmiths shop.

Looking at the front (north side) of the store.

The east wall of the store is mostly gone. Only a small section at the south end still stands.

The south (rear) wall of the store – photographed from the east side - is almost completely intact.

Clearly it was expected that this settlement would be permanent judging by the decorative brickwork at the top of the wall.

A closer view of the decorative brickwork.

The rear wall of the building photographed from the west side.

The west wall of the store.

A closer view of the west wall, photographed from the southwest side.

A closer view of a doorway on the west wall. The doorway was originally constructed to be fitted with double doors. Based on historic photographs, the inner layers of bricks were added and a single door fitted to the space.

The segmental arch above the door.

From here we set off to explore the remains of the arched brick bridge over the raceway to the power plant and the power plant foundations.

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Resources:

- Trip map (Google): Scull Shoals

- Location map (Google): Scull Shoals site

- Friends of Scull Shoals: A Brief History of Scull Shoals Mill Village

- Urban Baboon: Scull Shoals

Related posts:

- Field Trip: Scull Shoals. Part 1, Oconee River – Sandy Creek

- Field Trip: Oconee-Greene County. Part 1, Elders Mill Covered Bridge

- Field Trip: Oconee-Greene County. Part 2, Sand Pit – Ward Rd

- Field Trip: Oconee-Greene County. Part 3. Oconee National Forest & Fishing Creek

Friday, November 26, 2010

Field Trip: Scull Shoals. Part 1, Oconee River – Sandy Creek

Scull Shoals was a company mill town built on the east bank of the Oconee River in Greene County in 1810. The town survived fire and flooding before it was abandoned in 1897. Remains of the town are now an Historic Area. We’d stumbled across it many years ago while we were participating in the Georgia Herp Survey and promised ourselves that we’d come back and explore some day.

We started from Watkinsville again and drove south on GA-15 to the Oconee River Campground in the Oconee National Forest Recreation Area which is east of the highway just south of the bridge over the Oconee Area; the turnoff is about one-half miles south of the bridge. The Recreation Area has a primitive campground and a boat launch. A trail runs from here to Scull Shoals but was marked as impassable due to flooding.

The Oconee River, looking west from the Oconee River Campground parking lot.

The Oconee River, looking east from the Oconee River Campground parking lot. The boat ramp is in the foreground.

We drove south and turned east on Macedonia Road; about 1.3 miles south of the Oconee River bridge. The Sculls Shoal Rd turnoff is approximately 1.0 mile east of GA-15. The road crosses Sandy Creek after about 0.5 miles.


Sculls Shoals Rd is a gravel road that runs through pine and deciduous forests.

At Sandy Creek, this Google map shows that there is a pool west of the bridge and a swamp-marsh area east of the bridge.

Sandy Creek, looking west from the bridge.

Sandy Creek, looking east from the bridge.

Wood Duck nest boxes to the right of the swamp. It is noteworthy that Wood Duck nest boxes have been places around many lakes and ponds in National Forests and Wildlife Management Areas in Georgia.
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Resources:

- Trip map (Google): Scull Shoals

- United States Department of Agriculture (USDA): Oconee River Campground

Related posts:
- Field Trip: Oconee-Greene County. Part 1, Elders Mill Covered Bridge
- Field Trip: Oconee-Greene County. Part 2, Sand Pit – Ward Rd
- Field Trip: Oconee-Greene County. Part 3. Oconee National Forest & Fishing Creek

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Field Trip: Oconee-Greene County, Part 3. Oconee National Forest & Fishing Creek

When we got back to GA-15, we turned south and drove to Cold Springs Rd, approximately 19 miles south of Watkinsville.

We turned west on Cold Springs Rd. This barn – I have a thing for barns – is the first landmark of interest…

and is part of this property which grazes cattle. In the distance, hay is stored at the edge of the woods in readiness for winter.

We took the first road on the right (FS 1245) into the Redlands Wildlife Management Area. We explored two roads through the woods, FS 1245 and FS 1245a. These are gravel roads that wind through the pine woods.

The south branch (FS 1245) wound down through the woods to a bend in the Oconee River. It’s marked on the Redlands WMA map as a canoe launch. There was little room to park – no formal parking area; just spots among the trees - and the area was being used by fishermen to launch boats. We could only see a small section of the river, but the map indicates that there could be some interesting side pools off the river just north of this point.

The north branch of the road (FS 1245a) ended in a turnaround where the road became impassable. It was a pity that the road ended here. It looks like it’s just a short distance down to the river. Tall Goldenrod plants were blooming at the edge of the turnaround; there must have been easily 50 Pearl Crescents feeding on them.

Interestingly, just before we reached the turnaround, a section of the road was flooded and we had to drive slowly. Just at the end of the flooded section, I spotted a 4-5 foot tall Strawberry Bush (Euonymus americanus) with many ripe fruit. This is the only 'wild' Strawberry Bush I've seen apart from those at Fort Yargo State Park. This bush was much larger than those at Fort Yargo SP.


We returned to Cold Springs Rd and completed the loop around the road through an area of farms and the Oconee National Forest until the road returned to the Greensboro Hwy.
We drove back north to Fishing Creek. Some years ago, we had recorded Bird-voiced (Hyla avivoca), Cope’s Gray (Hyla crysoscelis) and hybrid Bird-voiced/Cope’s Gray treefrogs where GA-15 crossed Fishing Creek. It is impossible to see the creek at this site because of the trees that shade the creek. To see the creek, we turned east onto Nichols Rd (about 15 miles south of Watkinsville) and then south and followed Callaway Rd to Fishing Creek.

Looking east along Fishing Creek..

And at the swampy area immediately to the north of the creek.

I could see several schools of fingerlings in the creek below the bridge.

We continued along Callaway Rd and turned west on Boswell Rd by woods and grassy fields to return to the Greensboro Hwy, and then back north to Watkinsville.
Click on an image to view a larger image


Map source:

Georgia Outdoors: Redlands WMA


Related posts:

- Field Trip: Oconee-Greene County. Part 1, Elders Mill Covered Bridge

- Field Trip: Oconee-Greene County, Part 2. Sand Pit – Ward Rd

Monday, November 22, 2010

Field Trip: Oconee-Greene County. Part 2, Sand Pit – Ward Rd

We drove further down GA-15; about 12 miles south of Watkinsville. We turned right and drove up and back along Sand Pit – Ward Rd (B) in northern Greene County; this road connects GA-15 with S. M. Copeland Rd. This road has been a favorite for a long time. When we were volunteering on the Georgia Herp Survey some years ago, we would drive along this road to listen for, and record, frog calls. I recall sitting out one night in quite cold temperatures listening to the melodic calls of American Toads (Bufo americanus) in the distance to the south of the road.

The Sand Pit Rd turn-off is about 12 miles south of Watkinsville to the right just before you cross the bridge over the Oconee River. These sheds and silo to the east of the highway also serve as a landmark for the turn.

The gravel road runs almost level for some way and then very gradually climbs beside cultivated fields confined between woods on either side. At some point the road name changes to Ward Rd. This view looks back towards GA-15.

Where the pines have been cleared, the woods are composed of deciduous trees.

The road then enters an area of rocky ground and deciduous woods that come right up to the road. In late October, Narrow-leaf Sunflowers (Helianthus angustifolius) were blooming along this section of the road. Pearl Crescents (Phyciodes tharos) and Common/White Checkered Skippers (Pyrgus communis/Pyrgus albescens) butterflies were feeding on them.

At S. M. Copeland Rd where we turned around and retraced out route to GA-15, there were some Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra) bushes; these were about 10 feet tall.

Eastern Baccharis (Baccharis halimifolia), photographed in mid November, is not common in this area but there is a specimen bush on the south side of the road not far from GA-15.

This road may be interesting to check out next year.

Click on an image to view a larger image

Related post:

- Field Trip: Oconee-Greene County. Part 1, Elders Mill Covered Bridge


Sunday, November 21, 2010

Field Trip: Oconee-Greene County. Part 1, Elders Mill Covered Bridge

In early October there were still some butterflies and wildflowers around about but the season was rapidly winding down. So this was a perfect time to start scouting locations to find new and such year. Roadsides and fields that are not mowed are the best places to find wildflowers. Most roadsides in Georgia are mowed at least once, if not twice, each year. Although mowing reduces the amount of flammable material that might fuel a brush fire, wildflowers – particularly annuals - may not go to seed before they are mowed and are eradicated within a few years. So we look for rural, gravel roads that are not mowed often if at all. State parks and clear-cut areas in national forests, wildlife management areas or national wildlife refuges are also great places for wildflowers and butterflies. So it’s a matter of driving roads to find areas to visit next year.

Our first trip was through part of Oconee and Greene counties. We started in Watkinsville, the county seat of Oconee County and drove south on Greensboro Hwy (GA-15). We stopped at the Elder Mill Covered Bridge before we continued down into Greene County to circle through a section of the Redlands Wildlife Management area and the Oconee National Forest before circling back via Fishing Creek. Elder Mill Covered Bridge (A) about four miles south of Watkinsville and is one of 15 covered bridges in Georgia.

The historic marker that gives a concise history of the bridge.

The approach to the bridge, both from east and west, is down a steep, gravel road. There are a few parking places on the west side of the bridge. The bridge is in excellent shape and it’s worth stopping for a closer look.

A view of the bridge from the southwest side. There are no ‘windows’ in this bridge.

The timbers are held with wooden dowels.

Mud wasps have built nests along the upper supports. This is a perfect spot out of the weather. It's interesting that there are at least three different colored clays in these nests.

This is not a prime area for wildflowers. However there are some and this Green Anole (Anolis carolinsis) was hunting insects in the brush.
Click on an image to view a larger image

Resources:
- Georgia Outdoors: Map, Redlands WMA

- Georgia’s Covered Bridges:

--- Interactive Map

--- List and directions