It was a gorgeous day on November 6, 2022, when Planters Deborah W Hicks and
Julia P Hesler, joined and assisted in the program by their spouses, Edgar S Hicks
and Steve Hesler, made the trip to Junction City, Georgia, in Talbot County, to
present the National Society Sons and Daughters of Antebellum Planters 1607 –
1861 historic marker at Patsiliga Plantation to owners Michael Buckner and
Georgia Representative Debbie Buckner.
When we arrived, chairs were set up on the front lawn and a band way playing
music. There was a lot of activity on the property because it was Harvest Days, an
annual event where visitors to the property enjoy train rides on "Glover" the old
train engine, enjoy exploring the property, which has several structures in addition
to the mill and kiln, and shopping with vendors. The Cyrus Cogburn memorial
kiln had been fired up and visitors could purchase pottery from a number of
potters. We were also able to purchase grits, cornmeal, and flour freshly ground
the old fashioned way at Fielder's Mill. We also purchased coffee and sugar
stirrers. My favorite purchase was several bottles of steaming hot, freshly made and
bottled cane syrup and watching the syrup cook in a huge, old kettle. This brought
back memories with my beloved father as I remember from my childhood
watching cane syrup being made the old fashioned way – from the mule pulling the
sweep around the mill to render the juice from the sugar cane to the boiling of
same all day long in the humongous kettle.
Mrs. Buckner is an avid quilt collector and she had her beautiful quilts displayed on
clothes lines strung between the pines and other trees on the front lawn. Visitors
could also walk through their beautiful, eclectic home which was disassembled
piece by piece from the original site in Columbus, GA, and painstakingly
reassembled at Patsiliga Plantation using the peg nails and putting back together
the tongue and groove. Following the marker dedication program and walking
around the property talking and shopping with vendors and friends, we enjoyed
fresh smoked barbeque and other food delights procured on the property before
making the trip back home. It was a delightful Sunday afternoon. A good time
was had by all.
Jullia Hesler, Mike Buckner, Georgia Representative Debbie Bucker, Deborah
Hicks, and the Buckneer’s grandson, at the marking of Patsiliga Plantation, in
Junction City, GA on November 6, 2022.
Some history from the Buckner’s about the property and their family:
Wiley & Judith Buckner and six slaves waded crossed the Flint River sometime
between 1825-1830. They had paid taxes in Jones County, Georgia in 1825, as
they were listed in the Talbot County census in 1830. They settled at Buckner
crossroads, living in a one room log house. The remains of the original log house
are inside the structure of a larger house still in use today. The family cemetery is
within sight of the house and the oldest grave is Mike’s “several greats"
grandfather, Wiley, who was born in 1795.
The Buckner’s farmed cotton, corn and had a vegetable garden. In the spring of
1865, Wilson Raiders came through and while they did not burn any structures,
they took all the food, cleaned out the smokehouses, and took all the animals they
could find. The family had stashed chickens and pigs in a dry well, but even with
that they were left with little food. After the troops left they lived on fried squash
blossoms and whatever they could find.
Following the war, the family continued to farm, and had cattle until the 1970’s. In
the 1950’s they began converting some of the row crop land to planted pine trees
which they maintain along with managing cattle to the present day.
The mill c.1840, was originally known as the John Down’s Mill, which included a
sawmill and cotton gin. Some years later the mill burned. Mike’s great
grandfather, Lucious Pinkney Fielder and grandfather Edlow Hart Fielder, bought
the old mill site property and built the present mill in 1930. Using the same mill
stones from the original mill, the mill is water powered pulling water from a 25 acre
mill pond. The pond is the headwaters of Patsiliga Creek, which is a major
tributary to the Flint River. After Grand-daddy Fielder died, Mike took over the
milling operation at the age of 14. He had sixteen grocery stores on his mill route
and being underage, he had to hire a diver to deliver the meal. Every first
Saturday was known as public grinding day and farmers from all around the region
would bring their corn to be ground.
Up the hill from the mill is the house that was originally built as a two up and two
down, Federal plain style house in 1840. It was moved, rebuilt, and restored
between 1976-1986 as a larger Greek Revival House.
