GOAT has taken on dramatically different meaning in recent times. Acronyms have a way of doing that. Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) is used to describe above-all-else athletes. On the other hand, goat(s) that first entered my life were domestic goats (Capra hircus)—in my hometown, “Goat Town,” GA.—well one could hardly call Goat Town a town. There was our extended family—a few dozen in all, and a couple of families who were not our relatives. Population 189—including adult goats .
Family lore had it that the name came decades ago from the boss at the sawmill nearby. The sawmill ran on steam power. The boiler that produced the steam had to be fired early in the mornings so the mill could start. The guy who got up early to light the fire lived in the neighborhood. One day he overslept and didn’t light the fire until after daylight—-making mill operation quite late for the day. When asked why he overslept the offending fireman said, “Goats were bumbing around under my house all night, and I didn’t get much sleep.” From that day forward, the name “Goat Town” stuck.
My grandfather, ever the entrepreneur, curated the moniker into an attention getter for his general store, the center of the community. After WW II, when he built his new store, emblazoned across the full front of his store he put–T JEFF VEAL AND SONS, GOAT TOWN, GA. The Macon Telegraph sent a photographer down to take a picture. A writer, who accompanied him, wrote up the story for all of middle Georgia to see—-it embarrassed my grandmother. “Pshaw!” she cursed. “Now everybody knows!” The name Goat Town also embarrassed granddaddy’s youngest daughter, but he would not be moved. He had struck on a name that was to become a trademark, if not an Icon.
I recall the name of another small town—no, small village—that people scorned. One report of Jesus calling his disciples is found in the Gospel of John. When a prospective disciple learned that Jesus was from the village of Nazareth, he scoffed; “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” You simply have to show convincing proof to some people! Turns out this future disciple, Nathaniel, was not as closed minded as it first appeared; he became known as “Honest Nathaniel.”
Nathaniel found Jesus to be quite adept at lifting up the downtrodden, shining respect on the disrespected, and infusing the weak with new strength. His was not “The Power of Positive Thinking,” his was the Holy Spirit empowering the weak or enervated—like a spiritual watering can pouring cool water on a wilted tomato plant.
©Copyright Willis H. Moore 2023
And now I know the rest of the story! I don’t think I knew how Goat Town got it’s name, but I’ve known about it for about as long as I’ve lived in Wilkinson County.
A good one, Willis. Reminded me the infamous (?) ‘Goatman’. He came through Nahunta via 301 S the back through 301 N to our amusement as Nahunta High School in the Spring & Fall.
Interestingly, when Darin was in med school at Mercer, during his geriatric rotation, he did visits to a nursing home. Mr. McCarthy a.k.a. ‘The Goatman’’ was a patient there. Darin said he was quite the conversationist. He entertained everyone with his adventures!
Is that really how Goat Town got its name?