Distant Voices: The Story of the Nacoochee Valley Indian Mound

by Emory Jones, Jay Hatfield (Illustrator), Jean Rice (Editor)

Distant The Story of the Nacoochee Valley Indian Mound is a readable, fascinating history of Northeast Georgia filled with beautiful photos and illustrations, entitled, Distant The Story of the Nacoochee Valley Indian Mound. The 96-page, full-color book is dedicated to three Northeast Georgians Dr. Tom Lumsden, Dr. Max White and Dr. Philip Greear who provided the author with historical information and perspective. Known for his humor and easy-to-read writing style, Jones has taken a wide range of subjects and woven them together in a unique way. Another plus is the book s clean design. The book is not only a joy to read, but offers a factual account of the history of this area, beginning with Native Americans. The book tells how these mounds were formed in the first place. It then moves quickly from the mound builders to De Soto and the Spanish; to the Cherokee Indians to the latest new people, as Jones describes them. These were the first white settlers who traveled in two wagon trains in 1822 to what is now White County. Major Williams led one of these wagon trains. George Williams of Charleston, a direct descendant, provided Jones with further insight into this time period. The book also recounts the fascinating story of Capt. James Nichols, who built the big house across from the mound and placed the gazebo on top in 1876. It also devotes a chapter to Georgia Gov. Lamartine Hardman, for which the Hardman House is today named. The book also tells the amazing story of the Heye Foundation mound excavation in 1915. There s even a chapter about the little gazebo with the red roof, which survived the excavation and a variety of different roofs. The gazebo is said to be the reason the mound still stands today, rather than being plowed over. The book also includes four poems, two by Ernest Neal, the former poet laureate of Georgia whose Nacoochee and The Land of the Cherokee still resonate today, although written more than 70 years ago. Another poem was penned by artist Nona Stephens. The book ends with a poem, Confluences, written specifically for Distant Voices by Mildred Greear of Helen. If that s not enough, full-page paintings and illustrations by local artists are interwoven throughout. These artists, each interviewed by Jones, recount in their own way why they were drawn to paint the Indian mound. Among these artists is John Kollock, whose famous Four Seasons of Nacoochee series depicts the mound during four time Cherokee days, early settlers, the train era of the 1920s and modern times.

96 pages, Hardcover

First published November 20, 2009

About the author

Emory Jones grew up in Northeast Georgia's White County. After a stint in the Air Force, he joined Gold Kist as publications manager. He was the Southeastern editor for Farm Journal Magazine and executive vice president at Freebarin & Company, an Atlanta-based advertising agency.

During his career, Emory interviewed and photographed farmers in all 50 states and had articles and photographs published in virtually every U.S. farm publication. He has written four other books, including Distant Voices:The Story of the Nacoochee Valley Indian Mound; a humorous history book called Zipping Through Georgia on a Goat Powered Time Machine; White County 101 and Heart of a Co-op—The Habersham EMC Story.

Emory is known for his humor, love of history and all things Southern. He and his wife, Judy, live on Yonah Mountain near Cleveland, Georgia.