'Sociables,' 'Stag Dances' and Fiddlers Conventions: A Look at Buford's Past Recreational Pursuits

Historic Buford at Leisure
It's  been cold and wet outside! So what better time to write about the warm weather activities enjoyed in Buford's past? Picnics, parades, and concerts in the park--these were the simple outdoor leisure activities enjoyed throughout much of the town's early days. *

In the 1870s, Buford's earliest recorded recreational pursuits involved "sociables": townspeople and farmers getting together for "stag" dances on the train depot platform, and night time group singalongs. At the turn of the century, box suppers, ice cream socials, and Sunday school picnics were traditional forms of entertainment in Buford. "Backwards" and "Spiderweb" theme parties, along with "nut" contests, were all the rage.**  Most events were sponsored and attended by organized clubs or church groups, but sometimes nearly the entire town would take part in the fun. Buford's hosting of the Great Eastern Circus and Menagerie in 1873 was an exciting and momentous occasion for all, and drew attendance from miles around.  In July of 1918 the Red Cross sponsored a huge three day patriotic fundraiser in Buford that included famous lecturers, concerts and "electrical entertainment." 

In the 1920s and '30s,  the American Legion played perhaps the largest role in Buford's recreational history, operating a swimming pool and picnic grounds as well as holding annual fiddlers conventions and other entertainment, even engaging musical and vaudeville troupes to perform locally. Fraternal orders such as the Odd Fellows and Kiwanis held day long outings and other events, and for decades the Bona Allen factory sponsored large annual picnics for their employees as well as for townspeople. 

Like many North Georgians of the early 1900s, Buford citizens enjoyed the convenience of the railroad for overnight excursions to picturesque Tallulah Falls. However, they didn't need to travel far from home to enjoy nature. Pass's Pond, off of Shadburn Ferry Road, was a favorite spot for moonlight picnics for many years, while undoubtedly the two most popular choices for Buford's recreational activities in a natural setting were Big Springs Park and Woodward's Mill.

Big Springs Park: 

Consisting of an area  between present day Church, Scott, Park and South Streets, Big Springs Park, also known as Spring Park, was  the center of Buford's leisure activities from the late  1800s through the mid-1930s. An article in an 1881 Cumming Clarion described the park as "...a large, fine, free stone spring ... in a beautiful grove, the very place for picnics and summer pleasures." Church picnics, school outings and Bona Allen employee parties were all held at the park over the years. The Odd Fellows 81st Anniversary Convention in 1900 was hosted in Big Springs Park, with nearly the entire town in attendance for an all day event consisting of music, speeches and barbecue. In 1901 a roller skating rink was built in the park, causing a fever of enthusiasm for the sport among Buford residents. The building was also used as a bowling alley and  for another of the town's favorite pastimes--basketball. It functioned as the official basketball court for both the high school and the town team until around 1930. Eventually the building was no longer usable  and was torn down in 1933. With the loss of the skating rink, the area of Big Springs Park soon gave way to housing construction, and was entirely sold off by the city in 1951.

Woodward's Mill:

Although located outside of central Buford, Woodward's Mill on Ivy Creek was nearly as popular as Spring Park for outdoor social gatherings. Originally built in the early 1830s, the grist mill had been a busy general store and trading post until the Civil War. After being rebuilt after a fire in 1866, it was known for decades as a picturesque place especially suited to swimming, fishing and picnicking.  A fire once again destroyed portions of the mill in the late 1970s and today only the ruins of the mill remain. The MOB has several artifacts and photos from the Mill's past.

A brief word about Lake Lanier :

This wouldn't be a post about Buford's warm weather leisure activities without mentioning something about Buford Dam and Lake Lanier. The story of the dam and the lake, and Buford's involvement in their creation, would take an entire blog post of it's own. Needless to say the citizens of Buford have enjoyed fishing, boating and picnicking at the lake since its completion in the late 1950s, making it quite possibly the premiere recreational destination for locals. Ironically, another of  early Buford's popular picnic sites, Burton's Mill, was covered by the waters of Lake Lanier when it was formed.The Museum of Buford has an interesting display of artifacts from the Lake's history, including old photos of the houses that were covered by it's waters. 

* There were many, many other forms of recreation in Buford during its  first years, not the least of which was the town's addiction to baseball. In the interests of space I have chosen to cover just some of the more popular warm weather activities in this post.

**I honestly have no idea what "backwards" & "spider web" parties involved, and can only find online references to what might be modern interpretations of them. Nut contests were probably competitions to see who could gather the most nuts.

Rebecca 

As usual, Historic Buford by Handsel Grady Morgan has been an invaluable source of material for this post, and can be purchased at the MOB for $35.