Sapps Still, Georgia facts for kids

Sapps Still is a small, quiet place in Coffee County, Georgia, in the United States. It's called an "unincorporated community," which means it's a group of homes and buildings that isn't officially a town or city with its own local government.

History

A Busy Start: Turpentine and Lumber

Sapps Still began over 100 years ago, in the early 1900s. It was built around a special factory called a turpentine still. This factory made products like turpentine from pine trees. These products were very important back then and were sometimes called "naval stores" because they were used for ships.

Many workers and their families lived near the still. They needed homes and supplies, so a small community grew up around the factory.

One day, there was a fire, and the turpentine still exploded! After that, a lumber mill was built in its place. A lumber mill is a factory that cuts down trees and turns them into wooden boards.

Even today, you can still see parts of the old factory buildings. There's even a large oven, called a kiln, that was used to dry the wood. After the lumber mill closed in the 1950s, this kiln was used as a barn to store hay.

The Railroad Connection

For a long time, a special train track, called a rail spur, ran through Sapps Still. This track connected the community to the Ocmulgee River at a place called Relee, about five miles north. From Relee, boats could carry goods.

The rail spur also connected Sapps Still to Douglas, which is the main town in Coffee County. From Douglas, the lumber and turpentine could be sent to other places using bigger train lines.

The train line from Relee to Sapps Still stopped running in 1950. The line from Sapps Still to Douglas closed a few years later, in 1958.

Geography

Where is Sapps Still?

Sapps Still is located in Coffee County, Georgia. It sits where Sapps Still Road meets US Highway 441. The highest point in Sapps Still is about 322 feet above sea level.

If you were driving, Sapps Still is about 131 miles northwest of Jacksonville, Florida. It's also about 180 miles southeast of Atlanta, Georgia, and 98 miles southeast of Macon, Georgia.

Just south of Sapps Still, on the east side of US Highway 441, there's an old tower. It used to send telephone signals over long distances using microwaves. People often use this tall, abandoned tower as a landmark to know they are close to Sapps Still.