Buford History
Buford History
Before we were here
• Creek and Cherokee land.
• The earliest means of travel was on Old Federal
Road (Hog Mountain in Flowery Branch).
• In 1860 Silas King lived on a farm that is now
“downtown Buford”. He was the first “nonIndian” to live here. He died before the town of
Buford was created.
How it all began. – video
• Buford began as a railroad settlement shortly
after the Civil War when a railroad from
Atlanta to Charlotte, NC (Piedmont Airlines
Railroad) was built.
Growth, growth and more growth
• Thomas Garner and Larkin Smith divided the
downtown Buford area into lots. Some were
for churches, schools, streets, and parks.
• By 1871 the town was boasting a hotel, a store
and an active depot.
We need to be a city!
• In 1872 on August 24th, the state legislature
granted the city of Buford
its charter. Happy birthday Buford!
• It was chartered as a
mayor-council form of government with
W.B. Haygood its first mayor.
Original town of Buford
C
A. Current day Main Street,
B – Dollar General,
A
C – Merchant Hotel
Changes, they are a comin’
• In the 1930’s our town changed our city
government from a mayor-council to a
council-manager system. A three person
commission was elected and had the
responsibility for determining general policy
and direction with a city manger who had the
duty of overseeing daily activities.
Pictures of Area Churches
Church of God – old building
First Baptist Buford
First Baptist Buford
First Baptist Buford
Buford Methodist
Buford Methodist next to the
Merchant Hotel
Buford Methodist
Buford First Methodist Today
Presbyterian – 1st
Presbyterian Church – 2nd
Presbyterian Church– Present day
The Allen Brothers pg. 22
• Two years after the railroad was complete
(1873), Bona Allen began a tannery in Buford.
• R.H. Allen (Bona’s brother) had already started
one here about 6 years earlier.
• Bona’s dad taught
him the art of leather
tanning..
Bona Allen
• Washington Allen (Bona’s father) opened his
tannery in Dacula.
• He paid farmers one hide of finished leather
for two raw hides delivered to them.
• Other farmers brought him bark of
the black oak in exchange for
leather.
How tanning leather works
• 1. You soak and lime the hides in pits.
• You must unhair them by hand.
• They then soak for a year or longer in vats
containing water and brown bark.
• The grease necessary in tanning leather came
from cows.
• Blacking for harnesses and other black
leathers came from iron rust.
Pictures from the Tannery
In the huge, ground-floor "tanning yard" racks of hides are
left soaking in bark liquor for a period of 40 days
Pictures from the Tannery
Tanning Vats – where they tanned
leather
Capus Nuckles – soaking hides in lime
Lime Pits – soak the hides to remove
the hair
Harness Department at Allen Industries. (Mrs. Coffey’s great
grandfather is third from the top left).
Buford Tanners in 1932 (Mrs. Coffey’s grandfather
is second from top left).
Drying Buildings
Tannery - 1960
Bona Nuckles unloading hides.
Now what?
• The leather was sold to cobblers (shoes),
harness makers, and other people who used
leather.
Washington Allen – Bona and RH’s
father. My name is Jeff.
R.H. Allen – Bona’s Brother (aka the
“other Allen”
R.H. Allen
• R.H. was the elder brother and was paralyzed.
He worked very hard and was beloved by
many in Buford. Though he and his brother
worked together early in their career this
quickly changed. He is sometimes referred to
as “the other Allen.”
Bona Allen
Allen Family and Homes
Bona Allen and Wife, Wadleigh, Victor, Kate, John, Bona Jr., and Clarence
Bona Allen Jr.
John Allen
Victor Allen
Bona Jr., Victor and John Q Allen
Bona Allen home today
Bona Allen Mansion
John Espy home
Kate Allen Shadburn’s (Bona’s
daughter) home - Stonehedge
Wadleigh’s home – torn down
Bona Allen home – where present
mansion stands today
This home was moved from this location to its present location by using horses and
logs.
Bona and Buford
• Seven years after he was married (1873) he
opened up a tannery in Buford. His wife worked
along side of him and was thought to be the
“brains” in the family.
• By 1930 the Allen industries were one of the
largest employers in the state and Buford was the
largest city in Gwinnett County!
• During the Depression the Allen Industries grew
and Buford became known as the “Depression
Proof” Town!
What is a Depression?
• During the depression Allen Industries grew to
over 2,000 people.
• In 1933, 2,200 people worked and the shoe
factory was growing!
• In 1942, the government leased the shoe
factory as a repair plant for military shoes.
• The Allen family ran the company for most of
the 107 years it existed.
The End is near.
• In 1969, the tannery was sold to Tandy
Corporation out of Fort Worth, Texas and
remained its owner until the tannery burned
in December, 1981.
• Mobile Oil company purchased most of the
Allen property and have sold it to
neighborhoods, churches and other industries
that now support our economy.
Go Wolves – Buford City Schools
• Buford’s first school was small, log building
that met only three months each summer. 25
students attended.
• In 1884 the “Old Academy” was built.
Buford Academy
Old Academy Classes
• First Class – Orthography (spelling), Reading and
Penmanship – cost $8.00
• Second Class – English Grammar, Geography,
Composition, Arithmetic (math), Exercises in Original
Composition and Declamation – $10.00
• Third Class – Rhetoric, Logic, Moral Philosophy, Natural
Philosophy, Algebra, Plain and Solid Geometry, Plain
Trigonometry, Surveying, Latin and Greek - $15.00
• Fourth Class – Analytical Geometry, Calculus, Spherical
Trigonometry, Astronomy, Mechanics, Mental Philosophy,
Political Economy, Chemistry, and Evidences of
Christianity - $20.00
Go Wolves!
• African American children could attend school
in the basement of the Academy until a
permanent structure was built on Gwinnett
street.
• The first graduating class was in 1903!
Go Wolves
• In 1906 the 4th Buford School was
built near the center of town
(across the tracks).
Buford Public Schools
Buford Public School and Auditorium
1922 Basketball Team
1951 BHS Football Team
Go Wolves – to a new school!
• In 1950, the Bona Allen school was built, and
it became BHS (by city gym).
• The African American school moved to Bona
Road (still there).
Bona Allen School
School Integration
• Began in 1969
• Buford City Schools and Grenard Watson
school became one!
• Buford Elementary, Grenard Watson – Middle
School, Bona Allen school – High School
• New school colors – Green from Buford High
and Gold from Grenard Watson.
• Pg. 196
Alma Mater - music
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On the city’s northern border
Reared against the sky,
Proudly stands our dear old high schol
As the days go by.
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Forward ever be our watchword
Conquer and Prevail,
Hail to thee, oh, Buford High School
Dear old Buford, Hail!
Buford Fight Song
• We are the Wolves from the woods,
– We are the team that has all the goods.
• Glory, honor to her name
– Proudly your courage we’ll proclaim.
• We may lose, but we’ll never quit.
– We’ve go the spirit; we’ve go the grit.
• Glory, honor to her name
– We are the Buford Wolves.
• Rah, rah, rah!
Interesting People or Events
Shoemakers
• Formed in the 1930s as a semi pro team from
Buford
• The Allen’s had a contract with Spalding to
make baseballs and mitts and thought it
would be good publicity to have a team.
• In 1933 they won 56-61 games.
• For publicity they would drive the “World’s
largest shoe” around the town to begin the
game.
Shoemakers
• If a teammate hit a homerun they won a pair
of shoes.
• If another team could beat them that team all
won shoes.
• They won the 1938 semi-pro World Series.
• The Allen’s kept the trophy and the players
kept the money.
• 1st night game on June 8, 1937 – 2,500 people
there.
Shoemakers
Shoemakers
Boots Poffenburger
Gerald McQuaig
Where have you seen his name in Buford?
Giant Shoe
Giant Shoe
Myrtle (Myrt) Powers
• She won $23,000 on a game show by
answering correctly a question about baseball.
• October 12 was celebrated as “Myrt Powers”
day!
• Appeared on other tv shows and won up to
57,000.
• Travelled all over the world.
• Pg. 177
Bonnie Rowe
• He was a daredevil who did acrobatics on
airplanes.
• He lived in Buford and would often parachute
into his yard.
• He was killed in 1932 when he lost his grip and
fell off the plane.
• Pg. 148
Buford Dam
Nestled in the foothills of the Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains lies Lake Lanier, one of
America’s favorite lakes.
Over 7.5 million people a year choose to visit Lanier. With over 692 miles of shoreline, the
lake is well known for its aqua-blue colored water, spectacular scenery and variety of
recreational activities.
Constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950’s, Lake Lanier is a multipurpose lake that provides for flood protection, power production, water supply,
navigation, recreation and fish and wildlife management.
Lake Lanier is one of 464 lakes in 43 states constructed and operated by the U. S. Army
Corps of Engineers. It has won the best operated lake of the year award in 1990, 1997 and
2002.
The building of Buford Dam began
on Wednesday, March 1, 1950.
The Building of Buford Dam
More photos
Sidney Lanier
(whom Lake Lanier
is named after)
Buford Dam Images
Taken by Chelsea Cook
The dam gates, lifted at 2:55 p.m.,
below the Buford Powerhouse release
nearly 388 million gallons of water
every day to maintain a minimum flow
for the Chattahoochee River and Lake
Lanier.
The Buford Dam is home to
about 12 goats, which were
purchased to maintain the
vegetation on the rocky
landscape surrounding the
powerhouse in a cost-efficient
way.
Buford Dam Links
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Buford Dam Video
Newspaper Article
History of Lake Lanier Article
Article on Lake Lanier’s history
Article on Buford Dam’s history