The Original Georgia Traveler
In the 1970s I had the best job in television. I traveled Georgia and the southeast for WSB-TV in Atlanta meeting people and sharing their amazing stories and talents. I was the original Georgia Traveler. Over that time we did over 1200 stories and sadly most of them have been lost. In 2018 I discovered boxes of ancient video tapes with over 100 stories. The stories are exactly as they were aired on Action News in the 1970s. You will be amazed by the unique story each person has to share.
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The Real Story Behind Teeny Tiny Mule Plows
If you want to know the real story behind teeny tiny mule plows ask Allen Wilmore. Allen made his first mule plow in 1928 because he needed to plow his fields in Pleasant Shade, Tennessee. In 1973 he’d made over 50 – so far. In the winter he kept making them except they were miniature ones. His tiny ones weren’t toys. They were just like the big ones. All you needed was a teeny tiny mule. I asked him why he whittled them and he told me, “Well I can’t dance and it’s too wet to plow.” That’s a very old expression that means you have to do something because you can’t do what you want to do. Allen Wilmore wanted to hitch his mule and plow his garden but it was too cold. Until then he’d be patient and whittle teeny tiny mule plows. This is just another example of our vanishing history.
Who Says You Can't Plow With A Zebra?
Who says you can't plow with a zebra? Experts say you can't domesticate them. Red Sharp proved them wrong. Oakley "Red" Sharp is a mule man. He raised them, loved them and sold them. I guess that gave him a stubborn streak. He didn't believe that zebras are wild animals that can't be trained. So, he bought one and before long the zebra was plowing his fields in Jackson County, Alabama. I asked him how he did it. He told me he was patient and just tried to think like a zebra. Who says you can plow with a zebra? Red Sharp and his amazing animals will show you.
Mississippi Mule Lover Has 300 Plows
This Mississippi mule lover has 300 plows. Jewel Thomas is loves mules and plows. Along the fence at his home in Carrollton, MS is a quarter-mile of them. There are walking plows, turning plows, sulky plows, Georgia stock plows, cultivator plows and more with names like moldboard, hillside, root cutter, and middlebreaker. Jewelis an amazing collector. He didn't plan on being a collector, he just took home any plow he found. When we visited, he had over 300 plows and was still adding more. Jewel Thomas hates tractors. He thinks they are a Northern conspiracy.
Andy Johnston