ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Historic Sites of Colquitt, Georgia
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Historic Sites of Colquitt, Georgia
Colquitt, Georgia
The historic Tarrer Inn is a popular destination for
dinner or overnight stays in Colquitt, Georgia. The
small town has become a model for other places.
Colquitt, Georgia
The folk play Swamp Gravy is
one of the most remarkable
productions in the country and
helps make Colquitt special.
Confederate Mass Grave
Stones ring a mass grave at
the cemetery in Colquitt. Local
tradition holds that the grave
contains the remains of men
who were badly wounded at
the Battle of Olustee, Florida.
Colquitt, Georgia - Historic Sites & Points of Interest
The Swamp Gravy Experience
Copyright 2012 by Dale Cox
All rights reserved.

Last Update: July 5, 2012
Custom Search
Great Small Towns of Georgia
The Colquitt Murals
A real split-rail fence blends
into a mural of rural life in
Colquitt. Numerous such
scenes can be seen there.
Shops on the Square
The central square is framed
by unique shops, places to
eat and more. Colquitt's
dedication to its heritage has
kept its downtown alive.
Colquitt is one of the South's great small
towns. Located in Southwest Georgia, it is
the county seat of Miller County and has
achieved note not just for its history, but for
what it does with it!

The home of Swamp Gravy, Georgia's official
Folk Life Play, and the state's first Mural City,
Colquitt has tapped into its heritage in
remarkable ways. The result is a booming
heritage tourism industry that brings the
world to a small Georgia town to learn about
life, love and community.

Incorporated on December 19, 1860, Colquitt
is named for 19th century U.S. Senator
Walter T. Colquitt of Georgia. His son, Brig.
Gen. Alfred H. Colquitt, became a Southern
hero during the War Between the States and
later served as Governor of Georgia.

The new town played an interesting support
role during the Civil War. Hospitals there
treated sick and wounded Confederate
soldiers brought in from North Georgia and
Florida.

Local tradition holds that a large number of
wounded from the Battle of Olustee were
brought here in early 1864. Stones ring a
spot in the local cemetery where it is said
that soldiers who could not be saved were
buried.

Among the other veterans buried in the
cemetery is Samuel M. Watson, who served
as a captain in the U.S. Air Force. A chemist
who graduated from the University of Georgia
in 1938, he was a member of "The Team"
that developed America's first atomic bomb
at Los Alamos, New Mexico, during World
War II.

All of the town's veterans are honored at the
Veterans Memorial Courtyard and Wall next
to Cotton Hall. The names of over 1,900
Miller County veterans have been inscribed
there. The list includes men and women who
have served from the American Revolution to
the modern era.

Among the most beautiful structures in town
is the historic Tarrer Inn. Facing the square,
the Inn was originally built as a residence in
1861. That structure caught fire in 1902 and
was rebuilt with brick. It first welcomed
guests in 1915.

Beautifully restored in 1992-1994 as a
community historic and revitalizationproject,
Tarrer features twelve guest rooms. All of
them are furnished with beautiful antiques
and offer such amenities as hand-painted
fireplace mantels.

The Tarrer Inn restaurant is one of the finest
in Southwest Georgia. It features Southern
foods done to perfection, among them fried
chicken, glazed pork roast, fried catfish and
exquisite deserts.

Please click here to learn more about the
historic Tarrer Inn.

Among Colquitt's other distinctions is that it
was declared Georgia's First Mural City by act
of the state legislature. The town has a very
nice array of murals that interpret local life,
history, culture and even a trio of favorite
Miller County ghost stories! Some blend so
well into the street scape that it is difficult to
tell where real ends and art begins.
Colquitt also is a stop on the Trail of the
Whispering Giants, a unique tribute to Native
Americans by Hungarian-born sculptor Peter
Wolf Toth. The trail now includes 74 giant
sculptures that dot the landscape from the
Atlantic to the Pacific. The one in Colquitt was
his fourth and the largest one he had done to
that point.

Located on U.S. 27 next to the Chamber of
Commerce, the statue is 18 feet tall and is
carved from a massive piece of Southern red
cedar. It was completed in February 1973.

The attraction that put Colquitt on the map,
however, was a performance called Swamp
Gravy.

In 1992 the Miller Arts Council sponsored the
performance of a play based on stories from
Colquitt and the surrounding area. It was a
smash hit and ignited the revitalization of the
tired little community into a national model.

Swamp Gravy is based on the premise that
"We've all got a story to tell." And it is all about
the stories. Performed in the round at Cotton
Hall to overflow crowds, the play grows each
year and additional productions based on
other themes now grace the Colquitt stage
as well.

Swamp Gravy has humor, as most good
Southern story telling sessions do, but it is
so much more. There are parts that bring
tears of bittersweet remembrance to the eye
followed by sections that cause the heart to
burst with joy. It is quite simply one of the
finest - if not the finest - community-based
artistic endeavors to be found anywhere.

The cast includes more than 100 volunteers,
among them exceptional actors, who work
under the guidance of theater professionals
including a playwright, choreographer,
director, lighting designer and musicians.

Please click here to learn more about
Swamp Gravy and this fascinating small
town in the fields and swamps of Georgia.