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In 2016, I assembled a small advisory board, friends who believed that Cedar Grove should be salvaged from the ruins of history: Jan McCall Rogers, whose father had been Sunday School superintendent for years; Neill Herring, a lobbyist and notable artisan woodworker; and Brian Brown, photographer and creator of the website Vanishing South Georgia. We applied for tax exempt status and began raising money. I sent fundraising letters to friends, ran an Indiegogo campaign online, and organized a folk concert with Micahlan Boney and The Night Travelers at Gordonia-Alatamaha State Park. Within three months we had amassed $12,000. Over 200 people contributed amounts as small as $5 to as large as $500. One couple from Watkinsville, Cecil and Sandy Hudson, who believe completely in the project, donated $1,000. Our first goal was to replace the roof, which by then had two gaping holes in it – one to the north and one to the west – due to assault by prevailing winds. As a result, rain poured into the old meetinghouse. Then we would replace doors and windows and steps. We would organize work parties and clean up, repaint, repair. We planned to use as much volunteer labor, donated materials, and locally-sourced lumber as much as possible. Once complete, we hoped that Cedar Grove could be used as a gathering place and that it would stand for another century and more as a shining example of the 80 Toombs County Magazine


20204RD
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