"Echoes Of The Past - Odum, Georgia"
(NOTE: The following appeared in the 1985 Odum Homecoming program and was written by Hazel Dean
Overstreet. It is being reproduced here for the Odum, Georgia website....KH)
I am indebted to Mrs. Susie Dent Daniel, Mrs. Jo Knight Odum, Mr. Melton Boyd, Miss Juanita
Bennett and Mrs. Frankie Bennett Watkins, Mr. Joe Wilson, and many of the Godfrey Odum descendants
for information pertaining to the History of the town of Odum, Georgia, and Mrs. Maude Poppell
Smith (Mrs. Bert Smith), for they are some of the oldest residents living in Odum in 1995, when I
tried to compile these notes for a history of Odum.
About the year 1877 (twelve years after the Civil War or the War Between the States, whichever
you prefer to call it), the town of Odum as it is known today was not in existence. Most of the
land in the vicinity of the present town of Odum was owned by Mr. Jim Poppell, grandfather of
Mrs. Maude Poppell Smith, Mr. Leslie Poppell, and Mr. Brantley Poppell, all residents of Odum
at this writing (year 1955).
Mr. Poppell owned a large store at that time which sold everything from whiskey to trace-chains.
He was a very generous old fellow and folks recall hearing how he used to 'set' all his customers
up to a 'drink' from the cider barrel which he kept filled at all times. It is also told that
Mr. Poppell, seeing an honest conscientious young fellow trying to get ahead, would, out of the
generosity of his heart, give that young man a farm or strip of woodland just
to see the young fellow settled in the neighborhood.
There were many changes occurring around this vicinity during the 1860's
and 1870's (called the Civil War Days and Reconstruction Period), and by
the turn of the century (1900).
Using the Civil War as the revolving point to work from in compiling
historical data on Odum, we find that the first year after the War, the railroad
bed was laid through this little town (the rail tracks were laid later). At that
time the place was called Haslam in honor of a Mr. Haslam who owned a
sawmill at the present site of Mr. Melton Boyd's house (formerly Allen
Clary's place).
The first nail drove in Odum was at this old sawmill.
By this time there was a post office, about the year 1867 (two years after
the Civil War) and it was named Haslam. When Mr. Haslam moved away, the
name of the little place and post office was changed to Satilla because of the
fact that it was located in such close proximity with little Satilla Creek.
GODFREY ODUM COMES TO SECTION - ODUM NAMED FOR THIS MAN
About 1880 (fifteen years after the Civil War), Mr. Godfrey Odum came to this place and
settled. Born in Bulloch County in 1832, he farmed there in that vicinity, but at the age of
29 (about the year 1861), he left that section and came to Appling County which, after redivision
of boundary lines at a later date, portions became Wayne County. All old deeds of the section
called Odum read "formerly Appling, now Wayne." Mr. Odum bought out
Mr. Poppell. Old church records show Mr. Odum deeded .27 acres of land in
Odum for the Methodist Church in the year 1881.
CLICK HERE to proceed to the next part of this story.
