*****Congratulations to AvivaGR & cnrice for their first FTF!*****
Cache is Nano+ with log only...BYOP and maybe tweezers! No need to leave paved area. All aboard!
This is the first in the Sidetracked series in Georgia (that we know). We were introduced to the worldwide Sidetracked series in Oregon by subwaymark and realized there were none in our area.
About SideTracked Caches
This cache belongs to the SideTracked series which currently has over 6,700 caches worldwide. It is not designed to take you to a magical place with a breath taking view. It's a distraction for the weary traveller, but anyone else can go and find it too. More Information can be found on the SideTracked Series website at The Sidetracked Series.
About Ways Station
In 1856, the Savannah, Albany & Gulf Railroad crossed the Ogeechee River into this area, then referred to as Crossroads. The depot built was called “Ways No 1 ½, ” or later “Ways Station” after Wiliam J. Way, first station master and Silk Hope rice plantation owner whose land the track crossed. The depot was the transfer point for rice, cotton and other products from the area plantations and quickly became the name of the community that grew nearby. Once Fort McAllister was built in 1861, it was also the main hub for troop and supply transfer. Ways Station remained the area and depot name through the Civil War, Reconstruction and into the next century.
By the 1920s, the area was struggling with poverty and serious health issues caused by malaria-infested mosquitos breeding in the long-neglected rice fields. Then in 1925, Henry and Clara Ford began purchasing property in the area, attempting to build a self-sufficient community that showcased the merger of industry and agricultural. They built 292 buildings including schools, churches, homes, a sawmill, and more. Several of these historic buildings can still be visited today. He thought the area might grow rubber to supplement his auto lines, but the lands proved best for pine and iceberg lettuce. The rail was one of the key methods for distributing the harvest. By 1941, residents wanted to honor the impact the Ford family had made on the town, so renamed this area Richmond Hill, after Ford’s local home.
To get more information about Ways Station’s role in the civil war, check out the Ways Station historical marker in J.L. Gregory Park at N 31° 56.729 W 081° 18.370.
The railcar at this site was historically registered to the Wisconsin Central railroad roster (WC 35612). The historical marker was placed in 2012 by Coastal Bryan Heritage Trail. The physical depot (background image) was behind what is now Plantation Lumber & Hardware on the current Riceboro Southern Line (shortline). The main CSX Nahunta line tracks (Savannah to Jacksonville) are the tracks nearest this cache.