Sticky Treats, Soap Operas and British Soldiers

STUCKEY’S PECAN LOG ROLL

“Hey, Dad… Can we stop for a pecan roll?” Sound familiar? It might if you’re a boomer.

When I was a kid, road trips often included a stop at Stuckey’s Restaurant restaurant. Back in the day, when cars moved slower and roads were narrower, you couldn’t miss their signature turquoise rooftop. They seemed to be everywhere - and they practically were. Once, there were over 350 of them all over the country but their popularity faded over time. In the 1970s, less than 75 remained in business. That was partly due to corporate decisions, like selling off to a major conglomerate. But the Stuckey family bought it back and now Stuckey’s is flourishing again.

Even so, you have to search for one of the 19 Stuckey’s along I-95. They don’t stick out like they did before. But, once you find them, you are still rewarded with the familiar taste of their sweet Pecan Log Roll. These days, the stores are usually tied to a service station. Look for a discreet yellow sign, instead of the gaudy pitched roof.

Darien, Georgia has two of them at Exit 49. Both are linked to gas stations (Mobil and Chevron) so if you stop for a snack, it’s a good time to gas up too. Don’t be content with just gas and food. There’s more to Darien than that.

Directions for a driving tour are available at the Darien Welcome Center at Exit 49. Don’t expect to see much in the way of Civil War artifacts, though – Darien was burned to the ground in 1863 during the War of Northern Aggression.

FORT KING GEORGE

Fort King George Historic Site is a couple of miles from the interstate. For a few dollars and about an hour of your time, you can tour Georgia’s oldest British military outpost. This land was highly prized in the 1700s. Britain, Spain and France all wanted a piece of the action. England had the upper hand and, in 1721, they built a fort along the Altamaha River to defend their claim. Only mosquitoes and very angry Indians inhabited the area then. For a remote fort, you’d be surprised at the extent of the compound.

On the way to Fort King George, you pass through a quiet old neighborhood. Huge Live Oak trees smothered in Spanish moss are powerful reminders that this is the Deep South.

A POTENTIAL FAIRYTALE GONE AWRY

Once upon a time, a poor but beautiful young actress from London married a filthy rich plantation owner from Philadelphia. One of his holdings, a rice plantation, is just a few miles south of Fort King George on Butler Island. There’s not much left of the original place but the story of actress Fanny Kemble would be front page tabloid news if it happened today.

HERE’S HOW IT ALL TIES TOGETHER

1. Fort King George was abandoned in 1727
2. The colony of Georgia is founded in 1732 by England’s James Oglethorpe
3. Oglethorpe proclaims there will be no slavery in Georgia
4. Despite petitions from Darien’s Scottish population, slavery is allowed in 1749
5. Fanny Kemble, an abolitionist, was married to Pierce Butler, one of the nation’s largest slaveholders. That was in 1834.
6. During a short stay on their rice plantation just south of Darien, Fanny wrote a diary containing much about the horrors of slavery. The diary was printed under the name Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation.
7. Divorce (in 1848) and financial ruin forced Pierce Butler to sell his human property in 1859. Called “the weeping time,” it was the nation’s largest slave auction.
8. Ironically, this was just two years before the start of the Civil War. Butler’s ruin was not caused by the war but by his own irresponsible squandering of his inherited fortune.
9. Fanny’s journal, popular reading in England, influenced the British Parliament. They refused to fund the Confederacy during the Civil War and that may in part be due to Fanny’s diary.