"Cowards die many times before their death."
The failed trip to Concord, Sumter County, Georgia
I thought there was only one Concord, Georgia., but there it was - a dot on the map in Sumter County Georgia - due north of Plains, Georgia. The Laws of Completionism state that every Concord must be visited. So after a satisfying visit to Concord, in Pike County, I jumped back in the car and drove a further 90 minutes south. It was starting to get dark, as I came to the crossroad.
I came to the crossroads and there was a church - The Concord United Methodist Church. As luck would have it there were a half dozen cars parked outside, so there must have been a meeting going on. No one seemed to be going in or out, so listened at the closed door. There was no singing or indication that there was a service going on. I decided to check out the area. The was a whole lot of nothing. I drove two miles in all directions. There were fields and a sole, rather creepy, barn.
I had a dilemma. Just because there is a church named "Concord" it doesn't mean that this place is a true "Concord." Maybe in the past there was a community here, but all that remained was one building. The point of this project is to talk to people and hear their stories.
I returned to the church, but the meeting was still in full swing. I had three option: I could barge into their meeting:"Howdy, I'm from Concord Massachusetts..." Who knows if they planning a funeral or deciding whether to remove the preacher or discussing how The North had screwed over The South. There were so many reasons swimming in my head why not to knock on the door. Option Two was just be patient and wait. The problem was, it was getting dark. So I went with Option Three, whip down to Plains Georgia, see Jimmy Carter's birthplace and come back catch everyone as they were leaving the meeting.
I've always had a fond spot in my heart for ex-President Carter, so I hopped in, zoomed the 10 miles down to Plains, stumbled around in the twilight at the Carter Birthplace and Homestead, then floored it back up to Concord.
By the time I arrived back, the cars were gone, and the lights were off, and the church was locked.
Lessons learned: 1) Don't be a coward. 2) Don't get distracted.
I returned to the church, but the meeting was still in full swing. I had three option: I could barge into their meeting:"Howdy, I'm from Concord Massachusetts..." Who knows if they planning a funeral or deciding whether to remove the preacher or discussing how The North had screwed over The South. There were so many reasons swimming in my head why not to knock on the door. Option Two was just be patient and wait. The problem was, it was getting dark. So I went with Option Three, whip down to Plains Georgia, see Jimmy Carter's birthplace and come back catch everyone as they were leaving the meeting.
I've always had a fond spot in my heart for ex-President Carter, so I hopped in, zoomed the 10 miles down to Plains, stumbled around in the twilight at the Carter Birthplace and Homestead, then floored it back up to Concord.
By the time I arrived back, the cars were gone, and the lights were off, and the church was locked.
Lessons learned: 1) Don't be a coward. 2) Don't get distracted.