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Thomasville Times-Enterprise: Halloween returns to the Thomasville History Center’s historic neighborhood on Oct. 31

Thomasville Times-Enterprise, October 26, 2026

THOMASVILLE — The Thomasville History Center invites families to celebrate “Halloween in the Historic Neighborhood” on Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. This free, family-friendly event will feature trick-or-treating, spooky stories, and Halloween fun throughout the History Center’s historic campus at 725 N. Dawson Street.

This year, the History Center is expanding its annual Halloween celebration by welcoming a variety of community organizations as its “neighbors” for the evening. Families can stroll through the historic campus, collecting candy and treats while visiting participating organizations. The festivities will also extend to the Lapham-Patterson House at 626 N. Dawson Street, just across and down the street from the History Center’s main campus, where a History Center representative will welcome visitors.

“We’re excited to bring so many of our community partners together for this year’s Halloween celebration,” said Austin Bell, Executive Director of the Thomasville History Center. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for families to enjoy our historic campus while getting to know some of the organizations that make Thomasville such a special community.”

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About those AI and Aggregator Pages…

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By Ephraim Rotter

We’ve all seen them recently on social media: posts and pages featuring questionable historical information and images, sometimes created or altered using artificial intelligence (AI). An odd paragraph about the Lapham-Patterson House appears alongside a photograph of an entirely different building; a page you’ve never encountered offers a lesson about the Imperial Hotel with an image that looks nothing like it; a meme asks the bizarre question of which city is better, Warner Robins or Macon; or a wiki-inspired history of the Allen Normal School suggests that portions of its story have been deliberately hidden.

This AI-generated history of Neel’s Department Store includes names and dates that do not match the historical record. The narrative appears to combine elements of Neel’s history with information about Flower’s Baking Co. and other local businesses. The accompanying image also alters the appearance of the Mitchell House, adding windows along its Jackson Street side that were not present in the original photograph.

You also may notice the graphics and style of the pages are all similar. And they all are algorithmically tested to get the most interaction. The use of computer-generated images that do not match reality is a feature, not a glitch, triggering predictable responses. The “versus” formula elicits tribalism, the “secret” histories which are not only not secret, but are part of almost every available public history, with many mistaking obscurity with secrecy, again eliciting outraged responses. But no matter what the method is, the point is to get you to interact with the page in some way. We remain aware of the proliferation of these A.I. pages, their lackluster and sometimes hallucinated histories, and their purposely incorrect imaging. If it’s attention they want, that’s what we would like to deny them.

Related, but slightly different are the aggregator history pages – those that do not collect or preserve themselves, but rather comb the internet looking for existing material, and then re-packaging it as original. Increasingly, AI is used to generate accompanying narratives and enhance or colorize historic photographs. While these efforts can introduce local history to wider audiences, they can also create confusion about the authenticity of the images and the accuracy of the information presented. For example, AI-generated colorizations are sometimes described as photographic restorations, although the two processes are quite different. True restoration seeks to preserve or recover the original appearance of an image, while AI colorization introduces digitally generated details and interpretations that may not reflect historical reality.

Another concern is the accuracy of the historical information accompanying these images. AI-generated colorizations can introduce details that were never present in the original photographs, while AI-generated narratives sometimes combine unrelated facts or introduce entirely fictional information. Without proper review or clear labeling, these inaccuracies can easily be mistaken for historical fact. We’ve encountered examples involving local businesses, buildings, and institutions in which names, dates, and architectural details do not align with the historical record. These examples highlight the importance of consulting reliable sources and distinguishing historical documentation from AI-generated interpretations.

With all that said, we utilize AI as needed and when appropriate. Like any tool, it requires supervision and transparency. We use it for graphics, animation, and other applications, but never as a substitute for historical research. So, while we do not begrudge anyone enjoying a new perspective on old pictures, it’s good to remember what you’re looking at may be a simulation of history instead.

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Thomasville Times-Enterprise: Tickets now on sale for Thomasville History Center’s 34th annual Pilau Dinner

Thomasville Times-Enterprise, October 19, 2026

THOMASVILLE — Tickets are now on sale for the Thomasville History Center’s 34th Annual Pilau Dinner, returning on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 (Election Day). A beloved community tradition since 1993, the annual fundraiser brings friends, families, and neighbors together for a classic South Georgia meal while supporting the preservation of local history. 

Thomasville National Bank returns as the event’s exclusive sponsor, continuing its generous support of every Pilau Dinner since 2017. 

First introduced to the History Center community by Jasper Davis in 1993, the Pilau Dinner began as a fundraiser to support renovations to the historic Smith Log House and Kitchen. More than three decades later, the event has grown into an Election Night tradition that draws hundreds of guests to the History Center each year. As Thomasville celebrates its Bicentennial in 2026, the dinner offers another opportunity to celebrate the food and traditions that have brought the community together across generations. 

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Thomasville Insights: Season 6 Episode 6 – The Bicentennial Activity Book, 200 Years In 24 Pages

Thomasville Insights podcast, City of Thomasville, October 9, 2026

Welcome to Thomasville Insights with the City of Thomasville! Located in Thomasville, Georgia, the podcast will cover everything from Thomasville history and events to daily operations and City business, all while having some fun in the process. 

We sit down with Jennifer Vanderbeek and Meme Greitzer to share how a free bicentennial activity book helps kids explore 200 years of Thomasville history through hands-on learning. We dig into how the content gets chosen, how the illustrations are drawn, and how community support turns a big idea into something every student can hold. 

• overview of the Thomasville 200 Bicentennial Activity Book and what it covers across 200 years 
• distribution plan for Pre-K through fifth grade across city schools, county schools, Brookwood, and homeschool families 
• the two-year process of brainstorming, revising, and narrowing down to a 24-page activity book 
• using an interpretive plan to choose high-impact history moments without getting lost in side stories 
• keeping the story accurate while making it fun and age-appropriate for young learners 
• illustration and layout challenges, including creating a cover that blends old Broad Street with today 
• why funding and sponsorship make it possible to provide the book at no cost to students 
• a quick run of Thomasville history facts from 1910 to 1920 and how they still shape the community 
• upcoming reminders on voting dates and a family movie night at the Ritz 

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Hallowe’en in 1892

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As candy and costumes fly off the shelves of local stores ahead of Halloween, I wanted to take a look back in time to see how Thomasvillians of yore marked the occasion. We’re all familiar with the traditions of today: yard décor that begins popping up in September, pumpkins stacked high in cardboard crates, and neighborhoods girding themselves against the oncoming hoard of small children dressed as the trendiest cartoon characters of the year. But what did we do before animatronic skeletons, bulk candy bags, and polyester princess gowns? Let’s travel back to 1892 to see how one set of enterprising young women set up their Halloween festivities.

Clipping from the Daily Times-Enterprise, November 2, 1892.

This flashback comes to us from an article published in the Daily Times-Enterprise on November 2, 1892. It describes a party held on Halloween night by the Rainbow Club, a short-lived local, women’s social club from the 1890s. At this time, the club was comprised of Lula Harley, Cora Walker, Minnie Evans, Mamie Blackshear, and Annie Scott. The party was held at the home of Mrs. E. H. Smith on Jackson Street. The article describes the setting as follows:

“The rooms were beautifully lighted by wax candles, and fancy dishes of nuts, raisins, oranges, apples, and home-made candies were placed about on tables for everyone to help himself at any time.”

Mrs. E. H. Smith was born Elizabeth “Bessie” Fondren in 1849, and following the death of her husband, Eugene Hamilton Smith Sr., moved into a house on the 300 block of East Jackson Street, likely in the area that is now home to Smile Doctors. As many of her own children ended up on the invitation list, they were likely friends of the members of the Rainbow Club, making her house and watchful eye the perfect setting for a co-ed Halloween party.

Clipping from the Daily Times-Enterprise, November 2, 1892.

Speaking of guests, the invite list is made up of many eligible bachelors and bachelorettes of 1890s Thomasville. Familiar last names like Titus, Smith, Ball, Brandon, Pringle, Blackshear, Wright, and even Snodgrass show up on the list of fellows while the ladies’ list includes the names Mitchell, Young, Pittman, Blackshear, Smith, Chisolm, Stuart, and Winn. And Mrs. Smith was not the only chaperone to watch over the festivities. She was joined by Mrs. B. F. Walker (Anna E. Nutting, 1848-1934), the mother of two of the party guests who lived nearby on Jackson Street.

The article continues with just what the young guests did for entertainment. Several games were played, many of them featuring some amount of flirting by fortune telling. For example, the young ladies were encouraged to take some of the nuts mentioned above and put them on the grate in front of the fireplace as symbols of themselves and the man (or men) they fancied. Nuts that exploded from the heat or fell off the great signified bad boyfriends – men who would leave or “prove unfaithful” – while those that caught fire were “faithful, loving, and true.”  

Clipping from the Daily Times-Enterprise, November 2, 1892.

The gentlemen guests were not left out of the romantic fortune telling games. In their case, each young man was blindfolded in turn and led to three bowls of water. If he dipped his hand in a bowl of clear water, he would marry a maid (perhaps one of the young ladies present), if he landed in the bowl of black-tinted water, he would marry a widow (perhaps Mrs. Smith was available). And if his hand slipped into a dry bowl with no water at all, he would spend his life as a confirmed bachelor. Sadly, the article did not report the results of these scientific tests.

But fortune telling wasn’t the only fun being had at the party. One of the games included an old-fashioned (or at the time, not-so-old-fashioned) apple-bobbing contest. Here called “ducking for apples,” the rules were the same then as today (pre-Covid at least), with contestants attempting to catch apples floating in a tub of water using only their teeth. Another variation involved tying the apple stem to a string and hanging it from trees while participants again tried to eat the apple without the assistance of their hands.

If the guests weren’t sick of apples by the end of the night, there was one more game they could indulge themselves in. Fortune-seekers were sent into a dark room to sit in front of a mirror and eat an apple. As guests ate their individual apple and stared into the mirror, they were supposed to see the face of their future spouse staring back at them. The article goes on to mention that this game and many like it were tried during the party.

The party drew to a close around mid-night, “the witching time,” where guests were supposed to see strange sights on their way home. Perhaps they did see strange and spooky things – or maybe it was all an illusion caused by eating too many apples.

C2P 2026 Save the Date (1)

Thomasville Times-Enterprise: Thomasville History Center presents 7th annual Crate to Plate

Thomasville Times-Enterprise, September 21, 2026

THOMASVILLE — The Thomasville History Center will host its seventh annual Crate to Plate on Thursday, October 1, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. This year’s theme, “Red, White, and Blueberry,” celebrates both Thomasville’s Bicentennial and America’s 250th anniversary with local flavor, live music, and fellowship on the History Center grounds.

Crate to Plate is the Thomasville History Center’s most important annual fundraising event, with proceeds directly supporting its programs, collections, historic buildings, and ongoing work to preserve and share the history of Thomasville, Thomas County, and the Red Hills region.

Each crate serves two and comes packed in a substantial insulated nylon cooler bag in red or blue, designed to be taken home and reused long after the event. This year’s menu is built around local flavor and includes a charcuterie appetizer; spring mix salad with strawberries, blueberries, feta, and Burton Bramble’s dressing; scalloped potatoes; baked beans with beef; a full rack of Climmie’s BBQ ribs; and blueberry cobbler for dessert. Guests may choose red or white wine, or lemonade in place of wine, and each crate also includes a selection of small specialty items.

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WALB: What’s keeping Thomasville’s Big Oak alive after more than 300 years?

WALB, August 27, 2026

THOMASVILLE, Ga. (WALB) — Thomasville’s Big Oak has stood through droughts, storms, changing streets and generations of visitors. City officials say the tree’s survival after more than three centuries is not by chance.

The live oak dates to around 1680. That’s roughly 146 years before Thomasville was founded. Keeping the landmark healthy requires regular maintenance, inspections by certified arborists and specialized systems designed to protect its aging branches.

“It’s old. We try to just keep her comfortable,” Brian Allensworth, assistant superintendent for public works for the city of Thomasville, said.

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Thomasville Times-Enterprise: Bicentennial Lunch & Learn Series returns this fall with three new programs

Thomasville Times-Enterprise, September 2, 2026

THOMASVILLE, Ga. —

Following a successful spring season, the 2026 Bicentennial Lunch & Learn Speaker Series returns this September with three free public lectures exploring innovation, local history, and conservation in Thomasville and Thomas County. Presented in partnership by the Thomasville History Center, Jack Hadley Black History Museum, and Pebble Hill Plantation, the series continues to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the City of Thomasville through engaging lunchtime programs.

The fall series begins on Tuesday, September 8, at 12:00 p.m. with Dr. John Cable, professor of history at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, presenting Homesteads and Hope: Georgia’s Midcentury Experiments in Communal Farming. Drawing from his forthcoming book, Cable will examine the planned farming communities established across Georgia during the Great Depression and World War II, exploring the people, policies, and ideals that shaped these unique agricultural experiments.

The series continues on October 6 with Eleanor Whitte, a Thomas County native, pioneering African American engineer, inventor, and motivational speaker. Sponsored by the Jack Hadley Black History Museum, Whitte will reflect on her groundbreaking 35-year career with Xerox Corporation, where she rose to become a Project Lead System Engineer and was named as an inventor on a United States patent. Her presentation will highlight a legacy of perseverance, innovation, and leadership.

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Georgia Magazine: Spotlight on Thomasville

Georgia Magazine, September 2026

“Our cover star from Marietta is a familiar sight to me. I grew up in nearby Smyrna, and my family often drove by or stopped to eat at The Big Chicken, always hoping to see its beak and eyes move as if to say a friendly “Hello!”

Back during Senior Week in high school, my friends and I detoured by the bird before a picnic for a quick photo to commemorate the time and our favorite local landmark.

The beloved bird has its own fan base and appears as a beanbag toy and on T-shirts, hats, pottery pieces, birdhouses and even a set of locally produced mahjong tiles. When giving directions, locals might tell you to turn left or right at The Big Chicken.

To learn more about this iconic attraction, turn to “Something to cluck about” on page 26. 

Another place, Thomasville, is in the spotlight for its landmark Big Oak alongside all the charm and Southern hospitality the town offers. Read more about the local shops, restaurants, festivals and more that you’ll find here in Around Georgia, starting on page 21, then plan your visit.

For fans of Georgia’s aquaculture, learn about the state’s oyster industry (and oyster-shell recycling partner-ships) on page 19, then see how the Bramlett family of Suches supplies live rainbow trout to restock streams and also provides fresh trout for restaurants to serve. Read more on page 29 and try this month’s featured trout recipes.

We have some heartwarming stories this month, too. The nonprofit Global Blessing helps senior citizens in need (see page 16). And turn to page 34 to meet Rose Diggs, who has fostered more than 400 children and teens over the past 15 years. Enjoy these stories and more in this month’s issue.”

Jennifer J. Hewett, Editor

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Recipes from the Vault: Blueberry Yum Yum

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Every so often, the museum receives a donation that includes a cookbook or recipe card. Sometimes the recipes are familiar comfort foods still served on many Thomas County tables. Others… well, let’s just say some recipes are best left in the past. This series highlights some of those recipes: from the classics to the experimental. If you try any of these recipes, successfully or not, let us know what you think!

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Today’s recipe comes from Mrs. Pauline McKenzie in the book Our Favorite Recipes, a cookbook compiled as a fundraiser for the Thomasville Firemen’s Fund in 1969. The Fund set aside money for emergencies the firemen might face such as hospital bills incurred in the line of duty.

The cookbook includes a brief history of fire fighting in Thomasville starting with the first department organized in 1866.

Thomasville History Center Collections: Neptune Fire Company in Front of Thomas County Courthouse, 1868.

“The first Fire Protection Company of any type was organized in 1866 by the Mayor of Thomasville at that time, Col. Peter McGloshon [sic]. They were called the ‘Neptunes.’ For the next 30 years there were a number of men elected Chief of the organization although none of them were paid.  Neither was there a Fire Station. After a particularly disastrous fire on Broad St. in 1873, there was quite a bit of dissension and misunderstanding in the organization. For the next few years four or five different men headed the Organization. Then in 1896 the ‘Neptunes’ asked the city to take over their equipment and disbanded the organization. In 1897 the first Engine House was constructed.”

Thomasville History Center Collections: Close up of Peter Alexander Selkirk McGlashan from Neptune Fire Company Photograph, 1870.

That engine house was located on the corner of East Jackson Street and Crawford Street, just a few feet away from the current location. The two story, brick building was divided into three sections: one room for storage, one room for the fire engine, and one room for the supply wagon. A small wooden structure on the side held the extra hoses.

Speaking of the engine, the cookbook goes on to describe the department’s vehicles over the years.

“In February 1913, the Department got its first motor driven fire apparatus. A Type 10 American LaFrance Pumper. In 1916 – a Type 12 Pumper. In December 1916, the Department suffered its first casualty. Chief Dawkins was killed in a wreck enroute to a fire. The accident occurred under the ‘Big Oak’ of Thomasville. He collided with an auto driven by Mrs. Frank Woodward. Oscar Davis, Sr. who was later made Chief, was injured in the same wreck. Chief Porter was elected Chief to succeed Dawkins. This was in 1918. During the next 30 years there were many improvements. An alarm system was installed, two new pumpers purchased, additional men were hired, until at present we have five pumpers and one 65 foot aerial truck. In 1954 another Fire Station was completed on Bartow St. The Department now operates with the Chief I. D. Golden, an assistant Chief, and 28 men. These men work 24 hours on duty and then are off 24 hours.”

The second vehicle mentioned above, the Type 12 American LeFrance Pumper, was donated to the Thomasville History Center in 1972. In 2016, a century after it first arrived in Thomasville, the engine was restored to its original appearance and remains on display at the History Center in the Flowers Garage.

Thomasville History Center Collections: Thomasville Fire Department Engines, 1936.

If you’re interested in learning more about Thomasville’s fire department history, drop by the museum to check out our exhibit on the department and see the LeFrance in all her shining glory. For now, let’s get back to the cookbook portion of our story – a little recipe for something called “Blueberry Yum Yum”!

Blueberry Yum Yum

3 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 8-oz. package of cream cheese

½ pint whipping cream (if desired)

1 cup sugar

1 stick margarine or butter

2 No.2 cans blueberry pie filling (a 21-oz. can in 2026)

2 packages of Dream Whip

Mix cracker crumbs with butter. Butter bottom of dish well. Pat half cracker crumbs into bottom dish. Mix Dream Whip and whipping cream (if desired), according to directions on package. Set aside. Mix cream cheese with sugar and add this to Dream Whip and mix well. Put half of this on crumbs in dish. Top with blueberry pie filling. Add other half of whip and cheese. Put rest of cracker crumbs on top. Chill and serve.

Mrs. Pauline McKenzie

Our Favorite Recipes: Presented by the Thomasville Firemen’s Fund of Thomasville, Georgia 1969

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