Note: The following is one of a series of columns looking at places and events of interest in Bulloch County history.

To most people, Bulloch County is not known as the site of one of Georgia's greatest culinary competitions. But in 1937, Statesboro's much-anticipated "Mull Down Battle," while at first a friendly challenge, soon assumed a larger-than-life importance to its two participants, Judge P.H. Preston Sr. and Leon S. Tomlinson.

Both men got so carried away in their expressions of pre-battle bravado that they even employed the region's newspapers to demean their opponent's skills' while they extolled their own. Their bombastic broadsides in the press soon drew the attention of the Associated Press news agency to this two-man country-cooking challenge.

To those not familiar with authentic Southern down-home cooking, "Mull Down" is the original name for what is referred to correctly in the culinary world as "Layered Catfish Stew" or "Irish Catfish Stew." Some even refer to the dish as "Savannah River Catfish Stew."

"Mull Down Stew" has two requirements that sets it apart from all other catfish concoctions. First of all, it requires you use only large Ogeechee River Blue Catfish.  Secondly, the preparation requires that the entire fish, bones and all, be reduced in iron kettles over open fires by the river so fresh river water may be used in its preparation.

Unbeknownst to Tomlinson, Judge Preston decided to serve free samples of his own version of Mull Down to the customers at Altman's Store in Statesboro. In what many took to being a tongue-in-cheek complaint, Tomlinson publicly compared Judge Preston's act to tampering with a jury.

Tomlinson published a lengthy manifesto in the Bulloch Herald on July 30, 1937. 

He declared "all taxes must be abolished; everyone must be put on a pension; and 'red breast', 'corn dodgers', and 'mull down' must be served three times a day on every street corner and in every Justice of the Peace’s courthouse in the county."

As this was now a very serious business, each man announced the selection of their seconds, who were charged with seeing to it that their candidate's honor was not besmirched. 

Preston announced in the Herald his were City Court Judge Hugh Kimbrough, Solicitor General Perry Dukes of the Atlanta Circuit, citizen C.S. Cromley of Brooklet, Reidsville's Clerk of Superior Court Mark McCall and Solicitor General W.G. Nevils of the Ogeechee Circuit.

Tomlinson's seconds were announced in the Herald as Judge J. Saxon Daniel of the Atlanta Circuit, Judge Julius C. Sipple of the Savannah City Court, citizen J.M. Hagan of Pooler, and citizen Aubrey Olliff of Claxton. 

Roger Allen is a local lover of history. Allen provides a brief look each week at the area's past. E-mail Roger at rwasr1953@gmail.com.