At the time Brantley Co. was created in 1920 it’s people, east And west of "fire tower ridge," were fed-up with having to “ford the Satilla River” to reach court houses in Blackshear and Jesup. The old dirt road to Folkston did not make commuting much easier for folks residing around Hickox. At a time when transportation was limited, the entire population in the area now identified as Brantley might have been identified as "step-children who lived in the back-woods south of the Satilla.” Any geographical area east of Ware Co. and south of the Satilla river swamp area from Blackshear and Jesup was “back-woods.”
On one occasion, Martha Mizell Puckett identified “Nahunta” as back-woods to their family farm near the Satilla River Basin area, north of Lulaton. For some families this meant traveling to respective court houses by horse /mule drawn conveyances; as much as 20 miles in some cases. After 1902 the Jesup-Folkston Short Line railroad made travel easier to Jesup and Folkston. Blackshear (Pierce Co.) was still an all day ride across an occasionally flooded Satilla. An over-night stay meant camping under the trees.
Because of these conditions, participation in county government was somewhat limited. There was no satisfaction in being “back-wood’s step-children”. East county families had been political orphans since 1873 when the Wayne Co. court house was moved from Waynesville to Jesup; a portion of east Ware County was realigned in 1857 to form Pierce Co. Another "aching pain" which sent flashes of temperament down the spine of the pre-Brantley Co. folks was a growing dissatisfaction with "road conditions and the apparent absence of permanent bridges". A perception of better roads in and around Blackshear, Jesup, and Folkston seem to exist among all. There was not a “single paved road” in Brantley Co. at the time it was created, aside from the “old brick road” near Waynesville. An acknowledgment of greater need in those towns, because of greater population and heavier traffic, could not be heard. "Perception has always spoken louder than rational logic". Hubert F. Rawls, an Attorney in Nahunta, and a student of history during the early-mid 1900's told this story numerous times; each time, with a boyish, smirk grin on his face, improving the dramatics the story was told . "One way or another, residents of the area now identified as Brantley Co. were building up steam for a fight prior to the creation of the county! Initially, prognosticators thought all the bitterness and anger brought about by poor roads, remote government, and all-day travel to the county sites would be directed against county seats of Charlton, Pierce, and Wayne Counties. Before this frustration could be unleashed into an aggressive battle, the Georgia General Assembly created the County of Brantley. Ultimately, all that anger was redirected internally to the county site court battles; family against family. Squirrel-gun combat was averted by legislative actions that returned local government to the people." We will never know whether or not the "Ole Colonel's" analogy was an accurate perception. We an affirm that Colonel Hubert F. Rawls was a well educated, honest and reputable person, who was a credit to Brantley County. We can also affirm that Colonel Rawls was a little mischievous, and was known to josh his fellowman. We knew him personally, as well as his sons, Hubert and Pete. He also had an older daughter, the prettiest girl in the freshman class of 1932 (Dorothy). Discounting a vivid, spicy imagination, and his “squirrel-gun analogy”, we believe Colonel Rawl's story to be a mere portrayal of discontentment among the people.