Right Here, Right Now: The Power of Place

Melissa Swindell

I’ve been thinking about this phrase a lot recently. It was the theme for the annual conference of the American Alliance for State and Local History, which I was invited to attend at the beginning of September. What does the “power of place,” mean for the Lake Country? What are we doing “right here, right now” to embrace our place?

I’ll answer these questions with another question. Did you know that nine out of seventy writers in the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame lived or wrote within 30 miles of Eatonton? These writers include recipients of Pulitzer Prizes, Georgia Author and Writer of the Year awards, Townsend Awards, and more. At Georgia Writers Museum, we joke that there must be something in the soil, but maybe there really is. Maybe it’s the power of place?

The power of place resounds as you walk the halls of the Eatonton School, better known today as the Plaza Arts Center. Only a place with great power (and great people helping the cause) could be reconstructed from a dilapidated building with a tree growing through its center, to a sprawling arts campus. Located at the Plaza, the Old School History Museum exhibits the famous men and women of Putnam County. Of course, you’ll find Georgia writers Joel Chandler Harris, who recorded the Brer Rabbit folktales, and Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple. But did you know that Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A was born in Putnam? Or that two-time Olympic gold medalist Vincent Hancock is from Putnam? What about artist David Driskell, recipient of the Presidential Medal for the National Humanities, art educator and art advisor to Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, and the White House?

There must be something in the soil. At least our early ancestors, the Woodland Period Native Americans, thought so when they built Rock Eagle and Rock Hawk. These two stone effigy mounds were built approximately 2,000 years ago, sometime between 100 – 300 CE. Currently, Rock Eagle is the only mound listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the only other mound east of the Mississippi River is located at Rock Hawk. Both are in Putnam County.

During the past two decades in Putnam County, a lot of hard work and dedication has made the phrase, “right here, right now,” extremely relevant. During this time, each of these organizations – Georgia Writers Museum, the Plaza Arts Center, and Rock Hawk – have grown into staples of the community, and with good reason: The Power of Place. More is on the horizon; a statue of Hiram Little has been commissioned by The Artisans Village to share and celebrate the story of one of Eatonton’s own Tuskegee Airmen. Georgia College will launch a summer residency supported by the National Endowment of the Humanities to host visiting researchers studying Flannery O’Connor. And new sports fields are ready for play at Putnam County High School – maybe the next Olympic athlete is practicing now?

With our stewardship, “right here, right now,” the power of place can last another 2,000 years. I am proud to call this place, with all its power, my home away from home.

For more information about Arts happenings in Lake Country visit the Lake Country Arts Alliance website:  www.lakecountryarts.org.