Local Seniors visit Old Rock Jail Museum

HIAWASSEE, Ga. – Towns County Senior Center took a tour of the county’s Old Rock Jail Museum on the afternoon of Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2018.

Historian Jerry Taylor led the group through the recently renovated site, sharing stories from days gone by.

Once the group had viewed the downstairs portion, which once served as the former sheriffs’ living quarters, many ventured to the upper-level to take a peek at what life was like behind bars.

Historical Society member David Sokol told the tale of a friend, Dires Farmer, who visited her incarcerated boyfriend at the jail in 1959, stealing kisses through the iron bars. This, in turn, encouraged reenactments from the lively seniors.

Louise Card, 94, was among the ladies to receive a peck. “I moved here from Florida 40 years ago,” Card told FYN, “I would have been here 40 years earlier if I’d known these mountains were here. I’ve been married five times, had seven different last names, and I have six great-great grandchildren with another on the way, due in February…And yesterday, I was jitterbugging at the senior center.”

Towns County Senior Center Program-Wellness Coordinator Gail Bradley-Parker chauffeured and chaperoned the cheerful crowd.