Old Clinton War Days will take place May 4 and 5, where re-enactors will engage in battle in the re-enactment of the Battle of Sunshine Church and the Battle of Griswoldville, allowing guests to step into the past.
Clinton is located just off U.S. Highway 129, 1.5 miles southwest of Gray. Turn west at the Randolph Street traffic light for parking. Earlene Hamilton, president of Old Clinton Historical Society, said she is excited for the event.
“This is our 44th year having Old Clinton War Days, and we co-host it with 16th Georgia Jackson Rifles,” she said. “The proceeds we gain from the event go towards the preservation of Clinton. This is the 160th anniversary of the two battles that happened here, so this is a commemorative year.”
She said Old Clinton War Days is important for Jones County, because it supports the Old Clinton Historic District, which is the oldest settlement in Jones County. She said it is one of the best-preserved county seats in Georgia.
“People should come out to the event to get to know Clinton and learn some history. We have a lot of new residents in Jones County, and they should come learn about the history of our county and about Georgia. People seem to like to come see something different, so they should check it out,” Hamilton said.
The president said there will be lots of vendors with souvenirs and camps will be open to talk to soldiers.
She said authentic demonstrators will show how certain tasks were done and food will be available for purchase. There will be guided tours people can sign up for, as well as the reenactment.
Hamilton said tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for children 6 years old and up. Children 5 years old and younger are allowed in the event for free. She said War Days starts at 9 a.m., and the reenactments will take place around 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
J.C. Nobles, commander of the re-enactment group, said the Battle of Sunshine Church will take place Saturday, while the Battle of Griswoldville will take place on Sunday.
He said the re-enactors and people involved with Old Clinton War Days are historians and they are there to show what happened. The memorial service at Old Clinton Cemetery at the Clinton Church will be at 8:05 p.m. on Saturday.
“It’s important to have these reenactments, because they happened here in Jones County,” he said. “Clinton was the fourth largest city in the state of Georgia at one time. It was destroyed.
In November of 1864 after the Federal Army marched away, there were only about 40 structures left standing in Clinton.”
Karissa Thomason, living historian at Old Clinton War Days, said she’s been coming to Clinton about five years, and moved to Baldwin County due to attending Old Clinton War Days.
She said she will be interpreting at the McCarthy- Pope House at the event this year.
She said people will get to see what life was like beyond the battlefield, and how people were impacted at home during Old Clinton War Days.
People will see how food was cooked and served, and other domestic everyday events that happened during the Civil War in the South.
“It’s always important to know where we come from and know what we went through. It’s important to see history. This is the closest to time travel we are ever going to experience,” Thomason said.
“When you understand not only the sights, but the sounds, the smells, you get to see the emotion in people’s faces, and understand what this period and these experiences really meant. It gives you a chance to step into their shoes and understand history through empathy and through the eyes of the people who lived it.”
