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Juliette, located in Monroe County, Georgia, is today known as the home to The Whistle Stop Cafe of "Fried Green Tomatoes" fame, the 1991 movie based on a book by Fannie Flagg. Yes, before its taste of stardom, Juliette was a quaint community with many stories of its own. The town was originally called ICEBERG or BROWNSVILLE. It was later named for Juliette McCracken, whose father was the engineer who supervised the grading and laying of the tracks through the town in 1882. The community declined with the closing of the Juliette Milling Company in 1957, but due to the popularity of the film, the town was resurrected and is now a popular tourist attraction. My grandfather worked as a telegraph operator for the Southern Railway in Juliette twice. Once in the early 1920's and again in the 1940's. The depot where he worked is now home to a gift shop in "downtown" Juliette. I have been going to Juliette regularly ever since I was born and it never ceases to amaze me that nowadays you actually have to look both ways before you cross the street! It was always like a ghost town to me and it was rare that we went to Juliette and didn't stop off for a dip in County Line Creek, our favorite picnic spot. I have always loved to hear my daddy and his siblings reminisce about the fun times they had growing up there. Dad has talked of how he learned to swim in the Ocmulgee River; how he used to shoot marbles in front of the post office next to Dr. Smith's office. He showed us where he etched his nickname in the freshly cemented curb across from where the depot now stands--the name "NOB" is still there. I love to hear my Uncle Reavis talk about his days working in the mill and about how incredibly hot it would get (it didn't help that he worked in the boiler room), especially during the summer months. There are also the stories about the tragedies: the little 4-year old boy who was playing by the railroad and was killed by an oncoming train; the boy who drowned in the power generator turbines at the mill; the man who had to be rescued from the silo (by the mill) after he became stranded trying to rescue his dog who fell in. There is also "Juliette's Worst Kept Secret", but I won't mention it here. No use stirring up trouble after all these years;-) My dad's family attended Juliette Methodist Church and my grandparents, and many other family members are buried in the cemetery there. Many a Chancellor wedding and funeral has been held in that church. Probably one of the most difficult of all was the burial of my Aunt Nealie (Ella Cornelia Chancellor). She died of spinal meningitis at 14 years of age in 1941. (Her funeral service was held in Macon at Hart's Mortuary). My dad said that his father was never the same after her death. He spent many hours erecting a fence around her gravesite in the church yard. Nealie was a very intelligent young lady who kept wonderful diaries. After reading them I feel as though I know her; I am only sorry I did not get the privilege of knowing her personally. Below are various photographs of Juliette pre-FGT(Fried Green Tomatoes). It is a lovely town to visit and the food at the Cafe is excellent!
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