Planes, Trains & Heroes: A Story of Warner Robins and the Robins Region

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CHAPTER FIVE C OMMERCE The April 1953 tornado. Virtually wiped off the map by a catastrophic April 1953 tornado, which “left in its wake 18 dead, 350 injured, 1,000 homeless, and $10 million in damage,” Robins has grown from its original 4,000 to 6,935 acres (A Pictorial History of Robins Air Force Base, 62). Today, its runways accommodate “the largest aircraft in the world including the C-5B, C-17 [and on March 28, 1997] the NASA Space Shuttle piggybacked on a Boeing 747” (“Robins AFB and 78 ABW Heritage Pamphlet”). Robins AFB, Georgia “remains one of the nation’s greatest defense assets” (“Robins AFB and 78 ABW Heritage Pamphlet”). In 1929, the Great Depression hit the United States. Unemployed men took to the highways as hobos. Two of these men walked into the store at U.S. Highway 41, the North-South corridor of the nation, and Dunbar Road. The men told Lester David Holleman (b. 1875), the store owner, “We are going to rob this store. If you stay behind the counter, you will be fine. If you follow us, we will kill you.” When they started out, Holleman pulled his shotgun from beneath the counter and followed them into the yard. They killed him there. There is still a store in the same spot today. Holleman is buried in historic Shiloh Cemetery behind today’s Eagle Springs Elementary School. Today, commerce has moved from small country stores to nationwide chains and military logistics. Over 21,000 civilian and military personnel work at Robins Air Force Base. According to the Georgia Public Library Service projections for 2018, more people work at Robins Air Force Base than live in sixty-six of Georgia's 159 counties.. The Guide to Robins Region Georgia says that “Today, Robins Air Force Base consists of almost 7,000 acres and is the largest industrial complex in Georgia” (68). The base impacts the economies of twenty-five Middle Georgia counties and is roughly bounded by the Ocmulgee River, Highway 96, Highway 247, and Echeconee Creek. Across 247, Norfolk Southern Railway runs north and south. “Currently, more than 120 aerospace companies maintain facilities in the Robins Region to provide aircraft repair, avionics, electronics, engineering, procurement, and 36 ✦ PLANES, TRAINS & HEROES
Left: Damage caused by the 1953 tornado. Below: Pleasant Hill Primitive Baptist Church. logistics support” for the base (Guide to the Robins Region Georgia 69). Immediately west of the railroad tracks lies the city of Warner FROM THE PEOPLE “The streets named off Pleasant Hill Road are named for my family members. The Stalnaker family owned about half of this town. We have been here since it was called Wellston. My father had a business called Rolovalve. It was where Home Depot is now.” - Chuck Hulon Chapter Five ✦ 37
Page 2 and 3: Thank you for your interest in this
Page 4 and 5: Houston County Hospital. First Edit
Page 6 and 7: FOREWORD “Every Day in the U.S.A.
Page 8 and 9: Top: Warner Robins City Hall. Middl
Page 10 and 11: CHAPTER ONE B EFORE W ARNER R OBINS
Page 12 and 13: Archeology on Big Indian Creek, 201
Page 14 and 15: Above: Most of the railroad tracks
Page 16 and 17: CHAPTER TWO C OMMUNITY C ONNECTIONS
Page 18 and 19: Above: Much of the property origina
Page 20 and 21: Top: First School in Wellston Middl
Page 22 and 23: Park. A major form of entertainment
Page 24 and 25: Watson Boulevard. Mississippi & Ohi
Page 26 and 27: WELCOME NEIGHBOR TO THE “ CITY OF
Page 28 and 29: FROM THE PEOPLE “Our family moved
Page 30 and 31: construction. Late in his life, nei
Page 32 and 33: CHAPTER THREE C OMPETITION Teams fr
Page 34 and 35: CHAPTER FOUR C HURCHES Sacred Heart
Page 36 and 37: Opposite: Presidents Lyndon B. John
Page 40 and 41: Above: Bloodworths Grocery, 1958. R
Page 42 and 43: Houston Mall. FROM THE PEOPLE “I
Page 44 and 45: Above: The old railroad station is
Page 46 and 47: CHAPTER SIX S CHOOLS Warner Robins
Page 48 and 49: 2014-2015; and national champions,
Page 50 and 51: FROM THE PEOPLE “My journey to Wa
Page 52 and 53: CHAPTER SEVEN Q UALITY OF L IFE The
Page 54 and 55: CHAPTER EIGHT G ROWTH Norfolk South
Page 56 and 57: CHAPTER NINE T HE F UTURE A F16A Fi
Page 58 and 59: Above: A Fairchild Republic A-10 Th
Page 60 and 61: WARNER ROBINS HEROES BENJAMIN HAWKI
Page 62 and 63: FROM THE PEOPLE “I got to spend s
Page 64 and 65: Above: Some of the many employees h
Page 66 and 67: The historical marker for the Pearl
Page 68 and 69: Dr. Dan Fussell. Their daughter Eli
Page 70 and 71: Robins is the best possible place t
Page 72 and 73: 70 ✦ PLANES, TRAINS & HEROES WARN
Page 74 and 75: AFTERWORD The past should teach us
Page 76 and 77: WORKS CITED 21st Century Partnershi
Page 78 and 79: SHARING THE HERITAGE Historic profi
Page 80 and 81: FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF WA
Page 82 and 83: MERCER UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ENGINEE
Page 84 and 85: HEART OF GEORGIA HOSPICE Top: Camp
Page 86 and 87: SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH AND SC
Page 88 and 89:
SOUTHERN LIGHTING In 1986, contract
Page 90 and 91:
WELLSTON DECORATING “Home is wher
Page 92 and 93:
AMERICAN LEGION POST 172 American L
Page 94 and 95:
FAMILY DENTAL ASSOCIATES The origin
Page 96 and 97:
GEORGIA MILITARY COLLEGE Georgia Mi
Page 98 and 99:
CENTRAL GEORGIA PERIODONTICS AND DE
Page 100 and 101:
JIMMY SPINKS, STATE FARM AGENT For
Page 102 and 103:
CLEAN CONTROL CORPORATION Above: St
Page 104 and 105:
GOLDEN KEY REALTY Above: Gwen Giles
Page 106 and 107:
FLINT ENERGIES ✧ Above: The first
Page 108 and 109:
BUZZELL PLUMBING, HEATING AND AIR C
Page 110 and 111:
MIDDLE GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY Top
Page 112 and 113:
21ST CENTURY PARTNERSHIP Top: Eddie
Page 114 and 115:
NORTHROP GRUMMAN At Northrop Grumma
Page 116 and 117:
PHYSICIANS FOR WOMEN, PC The doctor
Page 118 and 119:
GRIGGERS WEALTH MANAGEMENT This is
Page 120 and 121:
CUSTOM CABLE ASSEMBLIES Although it
Page 122 and 123:
PERRY- HOUSTON COUNTY AIRPORT AUTHO
Page 124 and 125:
PEACHSTATE HOSPITALITY Top: The Fai
Page 126 and 127:
YELVERTON JEWELERS Above: Darrell Y
Page 128 and 129:
SPONSORS 21st Century Partnership .
Page 130 and 131:
Marsha Priest Buzzell, Warner Robin
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Planes, Trains & Heroes: A Story of Warner Robins and the Robins Region

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