Cecil Young and I take on a muddy backroad and a mile-plus hike deep into the woods of Stewart County, Georgia, in search of a lost cemetery. This burial ground holds the grave of Lou Tatum, whose name is said to have inspired the town of Louvale.
Louvale, like many small communities in the region, never prospered. For some towns, the decline came with the boll weevil, poor farming conditions, or simply the absence of a railroad connection. Louvale was once just a post office called Hannahatchee (established in 1843), but Dr. William H. Tatum saw its potential. A respected merchant, planter, and local leader, Tatum helped develop the community, renaming it Louvale after his wife, Lucy (Lou for short), when he moved the post office closer to his home.
Tatum worked to secure Louvale’s future by raising funds for a station and turntable for the Americus, Preston, and Lumpkin Railroad, which opened in 1887. However, this proved to be only a temporary success. When the APL Railroad was renamed the Savannah, Americus, and Montgomery Railroad in the 1890s, the line was rerouted, leaving Louvale isolated from major transportation routes. The railroad’s struggles continued, with discussions of its sale in 1895 before the company eventually went bankrupt that same year.
It was during this uncertain time that Church Row was established. Tatum, who owned much of the land around Louvale, sold an acre in 1899 to Marvin Methodist Church, a congregation originally from Green Hill dating back to the 1830s. Today, Church Row remains a historical landmark of Louvale’s past.
In this video, we push through the mud to explore the forgotten cemetery where Dr. William H. Tatum and other early Louvale residents rest. Among the graves are:
Susie Bird Tatum Brown (1875–1913)
Mathew Bussey (1835–1879)
John Cook (unknown–1839) – Revolutionary War soldier
Parchiana Cook (unknown–1849)
Susannah Bussey Holt Cain (unknown)
Benjamin Franklin Porter (1835–1865)
Joel F. Porter (1825–1862)
Lucy Cook Porter (unknown)
William Porter (1786–1862)
Isham B. Shierling (unknown)
Sarah A. F. Burks Shierling (1820–1878)
Mrs. Lucy Ann “Lou” Bussey Tatum (1837–1914)
Dr. William Henry Tatum (1837–1905)
This cemetery, hidden deep in the Georgia woods, provides a glimpse into the early history of Louvale and the people who shaped it. Join us as we uncover another lost piece of the past!