Fitzgerald, Georgia

I might be the only one who finds this interesting. My dad was born in Fitzgerald, GA. I have been through some reconciler training through Peacemaker Ministries. I got my e-newsletter from Peacemakers today, and it included this article:

FITZGERALD, GEORGIA: RECONCILERVILLE?

For a fascinating story of reconciliation, consider pages 331-335 from Tony Horwitz's Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War. The excerpt tells the story of Fitzgerald, Georgia, a town founded to bring together Civil War veterans from both North and South. Streets east of Main were named for Union generals, while streets west were named for Confederate generals. Over time, there was even a merger between the church of the Southern Methodists and the so-called "Yankee Methodists." The emblem of Fitzgerald shows a Union and a Confederate soldier shaking hands, along with the words, "Blood that mingled in bitter conflict was here united in brotherhood." A local modern playwright, fascinated by the early history of the town, wrote a play entitled Our Friends, the Enemy. "When it was staged locally during the Civil War centennial," writes Horwitz, "the director couldn't find anyone left with a ! Northern accent. 'I had to tell him we'd made Southerners of all of them,' [the playwright] said."

Confederates in the Attic is a neat book, too. Yeah, I know. You aren't surprised that I own that one, are you? I can never move because I can't afford to pay someone to move my books....

Cool article, though.

---Katie