FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 10, 2012

Contact:  Robert Preston, Jr.,
              912.260.4276
              robert.preston@sgsc.edu

SGC to Host Regional Historian, Author Jane Walker on Sept. 18

South Georgia College is pleased to announce that McRae, Ga., author and historian Jane Walker will visit campus on Tuesday, Sept. 18, to discuss her books Widow of Sighing Pines; The Dodge Land Troubles, 1868-1923; and In the Lion’s Paw at the William S. Smith Library at 7 p.m.

A native of Macon, Walker moved to McRae after marrying her husband, Billy Walker, in 1960. After her husband’s death in 1994, she began to reminisce about the intriguing history of the three-rivers area, which her husband had recounted to her during their marriage of 34 years. He told her about the Dodge family’s coming to the area and claiming over 300,000 acres of the finest longleaf yellow pine timber in the world. Being an attorney, he also spoke about the local people and how they fought through the courts and outside of the courts to hold on to the land which they really believed was theirs. Billy Walker recalled the many murders during the ongoing 44-year land war, and especially the infamous murder of John C. Forsyth, chief agent of the Dodges. Forsyth was murdered in his home in 1890, allegedly by angry "squatters," the misnomer used by the Dodges to designate the local people who, they thought, illegally claimed their lands.

Jane Walker felt compelled, after her husband’s death, to write about this history of the three-rivers lands, the three rivers being the Ocmulgee, the Oconee, and the Altamaha rivers. She first wrote the historical novel, Widow of Sighing Pines, which was given the president’s book award in 2003 for Best Adult Fiction by the Florida Publishers Association. The history book entitled The Dodge Land Troubles, 1868-1923, which she co-wrote with Chris Trowell, a retired history professor from South Georgia College, was published in October of 2004. These books are companion books, in that they both deal with the Dodge Era and the devastation of the longleaf yellow pine during the late 1800s.

Widow of Sighing Pines is a love story which is set during the most tumultuous period of this era, the years 1891-1895 . The rafting of the giant timber to the coastal city of Darien is one of the highlights of the book. To prepare for the writing of this part of the novel, Jane Walker traveled the Ocmulgee, the Altamaha, and the Altamaha River Delta by canoe, kayak, and motorboat. She was even able to retrace the actual route of the rafthands, when they would ride their log rafts to the coast.

In the Lion’s Paw, another historical novel/love story by Walker, discusses the Cherokee Indians and their traumatic removal from the southeastern part of the United States during the latter part of the 1800s.

Walker’s discussion promises to be entertaining and informative, and will discuss important details and events from a pivotal period in the history of southeastern Georgia. The event is free and the public is cordially invited to attend. For further information about the SGC event, please call (912) 260-4276. To learn more about Walker and her books, visit www.widowofsighingpines.com.

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About South Georgia College

South Georgia College (www.sgc.edu) was founded in 1906 and is located in Douglas, Ga. The college's environment gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty. With over 20 majors and transfer opportunities, South Georgia College provides the finest education possible to the citizens of its service area.