Note: The following is one of a series of articles looking at events in the history of Bulloch County.

Part III

In 1902, a through-passenger railway service was established between Statesboro to Savannah. The community of Davis was established north of Denmark alongside the Shearwood Railway line.

The town of Deal (or Deals) sat on the Dover & Statesboro Railroad line between the village of Clito and the town of Statesboro. Once the Central, bought the Dover & Statesboro Railroad, the Deals stop disappeared.

DeLoach was located south of Portal on the Metter Highway. Its postmasters were Alexander and Arnold DeLoach. Denmark, or Denmark Station, is between the Nevils-Denmark & Brooklet-Denmark junctions.

In 1912, John Shearouse decided to build his railroad through here. Although Jake Nevils tried to get the depot named Lorene after his daughter, the locals insisted it became known as Denmark Station.

The village of DeWitt’s only info comes from Richard Small’s book, “The Post Offices of Georgia.” Small stated the Postmaster here was L. Wood. The town of Dink was located half-way between Adabelle and Register.

Dock, a village with a population of 64 in 1900, was located seven miles west of Portal. The postmaster was William Woods. The town of Donegal was located north of Statesboro along the Dover & Statesboro Railroad line.

Originally called Outland, the town of Dover was both a major depot on the Central of Georgia Railroad main line. It was also one of the terminuses of the Dover & Statesboro Railroad.

The first business in the area was the McDougald-Outland Company’s general store, a turpentine distillery, and a cotton gin, hence the early name of Outland.

McDougald-Outland owned some 1,185 acres of farmland just outside of Dover. The town was always crowded with cotton pickers, log cutters, railroad gang workers and area farmers.

The village of Dover was also the home to two famous men. The first was Wilson Cooper, the educator who established Cooper College. The second was George Cooper, the inventor of the "Cooper plow."

Eatton's Gardens (or Eaton's Garden or Eden Gardens) was one of the first populated places in Bulloch County, and was located near Burkhalter's Ferry across from Halcyondale.

During the Revolutionary War, Eatton’s Gardens was overrun by guerrilla bands of Patriots and Tories. It was the favorite staging grounds of raiders driven off by militia led by the “Fighting Parson,” Rev. William Cone.

Alfred Keiffer requested the name of 'Echo' for his town’s Post Office. He did so, because, he said, you could hear an echo when you yelled in the direction of Rocky Ford, which lay just across the Ogeechee River.

Echo was cut into the new Jenkins County. Edna, a railroad stop on the Shearwood Railroad line, was located between Highway 80 and Highway 119.

The town of Emit, founded by Emit Lane, had a post office located in his house. Emit was postmaster. Emit was seriously considered for the site of Bulloch County seat.

Wealthy citizens managed to get Statesboro chosen instead. Lee Hagan's store was the center of the Emit community. The town of Enal, and its post office, got its name from John Lane.

After they rejected the name of Lane, he resubmitted the name Lane spelled backwards: Enal. They accepted it. Enal had of 56 people in 1900. Enal lay about 12 miles south of Statesboro.

The second postmaster was Brooks Simmons. The village of Endicott was located at the northernmost tip of Bulloch County. Endicott lay northwest of Echo and northeast of Bliss.

Equip, a village in Bulloch County, is only mentioned in Marion Hemperley's book “Cities, Towns, and Communities.” Esla was located between Daisy and Ivanhoe.

Esla had a population of 41 in 1900. William and Elias Hughes were Esla’s two postmasters. The town of Essielee is only listed in Small’s book The Post Offices of Georgia.

The postmaster here was Annie Beasley. Euphaupee (or Uphaupee) was located along the Seaboard Air Line Railway. When the Fido Post Office closed in 1889, the Euphaupee Post Office opened.

It was replaced by the Belknap Post Office. In no time at all, numerous General Stores popped up throughout the area. Mail service at first served Excelsior three times a week.

Soon, it was increased to five days a weekly on the Statesboro to Kellar (or Keller) route. In 1886, the New York Times published a curious article entitled “Big Families in Bulloch County, GA.”

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