Lathan-Edmonds Cemetery

Volunteers met on Nov 5th and toured the old Currahee community located just off Hwy 123 and Currahee mountain road. The group visited the Lathan-Edmonds cemetery that has 45 graves and several with markers. The cemetery is located off Pear Orchard road. The road was named for the many pear trees that Oren Ryals planted in the late 1800's; some of these trees still bear fruit today. Known burials in the cemetery include Mary Watkins, she was poisoned, wife of Rev. William Watkins and Joanna Smith Gibson, who was reportedly shot by Wilber Frady on Christmas Day 1917. She was the daughter of Kale Smith and sister to Cordelia Smith. Also buried in the cemetery is Bill Frady, bitten by rattlesnake while eating figs at the chimney of Cordelia Smith home, Jesse T. Clark (1852-1925) and Richard B. Clark(1900-1926). The land was settled by the families of Florence Landers, E.L and T.W Stowe, Ed, John Sr and Jr Lathan, Oren Ryals/Ryles, William Edmonds, Franis and Sarah Hulsey (acquired their land in 1887), A.L Acree, Taylor, Segars, Cordelia Smith, Bradys, Wilbur Frady, Joanna Smith Gibson, Cal or Kale Smith, Hayes, Seggs, and many others. The group also visited/toured the places of Mary Steele waterfalls, house site of Gibson, Lathan, Edmonds, Ryals, Watkins, Whiskey still sites which have been recorded in the area and those that are well preserved will be protected. They represent a technology which was important to this regional economy times, there's one in every hollow in the area. The old Quarry site of unknown orgin which is above Mary Steele waterfalls. If you look closely you can see the drilled blasting holes. About 200 feet above the quarry falls are the remnants of a rock dam which may have been used to collect water for irrigation or to stop the stream from flowing when blasting was occuring at the quarry. A post office was located near the foot of Currahee mountain and an old mill site. The old wagon wheel was located just above Currahee mountain road and was operated by John and Ilone (Jaymes) Lathan during the Army camp operation in the 1940's. The old wagon wheel was also the Lathans home for many years. The old whiskey still site that was operated by John Lathan Jr. was found and documented in the area below the old house site just off Pear Orchard road.