Georgia Backroads: “The Scoggins Family and Subligna Go Way Back”

My latest publication, titled “The Scoggins Family and Subligna Go Way Back,” appears in the current Winter 2012 edition of Georgia Backroads. Georgia Backroads is a wonderful journal that features interesting writing and photos about Georgia’s history, nature, and travel. The first time I saw Georgia Backroads, I immediately knew I wanted to be part of it. I am very proud of my first story to appear in its pages.

The article explores the history of the Scoggins family in Subligna, including the store started by my great-grandfather, Lawrence Chapman Scoggins, and the gin operated by Lawrence’s father, James Harvey Scoggins. I’m including here a couple of photos from the store that were not able to be included in the printed article.

The first shot is of the store in 1968. If you look very closely, you can see the store was called Scoggins Grocery during this time.

The next shot is from 1984 and shows Tim McWilliams–the owner of the store after my grandfather, Harold Scoggins, sold it in 1979–walking by the front of the store with his daughter Christa. Christa practically grew up in the store. She was very enthusiastic about helping me write the article and filling in details (including sharing this photo) about the years her parents owned the store.

You don’t have to be from Subligna or the Scoggins family to enjoy the article. The Scoggins store is but one out of countless little country stores in communities across the country. These local places may seem uninteresting to the casual observer, but they are packed with history and are an important part of local and regional history everywhere.

I encourage you to buy a copy of the magazine or–better yet–subscribe. You should see more of my work there in the future, and if you enjoy what I do here at Jordan’s Journey, you will certainly enjoy the magazine as a whole. A Georgia Backroads subscription also makes a great gift for friends and family. It’s another way to take a trip into the past… so enjoy!