Scull Shoals, Georgia facts for kids

Scull Shoals is a special place in Greene County, Georgia, located on the Oconee River. It used to be a fast-flowing part of the river called "rapids" and a busy community. Today, both the rapids and the old town are mostly hidden under a lot of dirt and sand. This happened because of old farming methods that weren't good for the land. Even though much is buried, you can still see parts of old buildings. There are also ancient earth mounds and a research forest nearby, all named Scull Shoals and found within the Oconee National Forest.

The Buried River Rapids

Scull Shoals was once a lively part of the Oconee River with fast-moving water over rocks. People call these "shoals" when rocks in a river make it hard for boats to pass. Back in 1775, the water here dropped about four feet over a short distance. The river was clear and stable then.

But things changed quickly when European settlers arrived. They started farming a lot of cotton. This type of farming caused the soil from the fields to wash into the river. This washing away of soil is called erosion.

By 1860, the rapids were completely covered by this soil, or "silt," from the farms. More silt kept piling up until the 1920s, when cotton farming slowed down. Today, the river is stable again. But the original rapids are still buried deep, under about fourteen feet of silt!

Ancient Mounds at Scull Shoals

The name "Scull Shoals" might have come from ancient earth mounds located upstream. When European settlers first came, some of these old burial sites were uncovered by erosion. These earthworks are also known by other names, like Watson Springs Mound Site.

Archaeologists, who study ancient cultures, believe most of these mounds were built around the year 1250. People continued to build them during the later Mississippian period. These important historical sites are now protected as part of the Oconee National Forest.

The Scull Shoals Community

Early European settlers built a community here because the fast-moving river provided power. They used this water power to run mills. The first mills were set up before 1809.

Over time, the community had different types of mills. There was a mill to grind grain, a paper mill, a cotton gin, and a textile mill. The paper mill was very important because it was the first one in the state of Georgia, starting around 1810.

The town grew and did well for a while, mostly because of the cotton farms nearby. However, the same cotton farming that helped the town also caused problems. Floods and silt from the farms upstream became worse and worse. By the mid-1880s, it was too hard to use the water power. After that, the community slowly faded away.

A historian named Bruce K. Ferguson explained what happened. He said that the failure of Scull Shoals shows how land use affects everything. The mill was part of the cotton economy. But it was destroyed by the very system that gave it life, because that system harmed the land.

A post office was opened in Scull Shoals in 1825. It stayed open until 1861.

The United States Forest Service took over the site in 1936. They now manage it as a historic recreation area. Even though much of the old town is buried under silt, you can still see parts of a mill and a tall brick warehouse. Managing the site is still a challenge because of the ongoing floods and silt.

Scull Shoals Research Forest

A part of the Oconee National Forest is used for special research on trees and forests. This is called the Scull Shoals Experimental Forest. Scientists here study things like tree diseases. For example, they researched "littleleaf disease," which affects shortleaf pine trees.