Our third stop in Rose Hill Cemetery was at the grave of Little Martha. This was a little girl who died in 1836 at the age of 12 years and ll months of age. People leave her 12 or 13 cents most of the time, but when we got there, someone didnt have correct change and left let a nickel and a dime. Marthas poignant statue so moved Duane Allman that he wrote the instrumental for only three musicians -- himself, Betts, and Oakley. Its on the Eat a Peach album, although that was released after Duanes death. By the way, rumor has it that even though he called the song Little Martha he wrote it for his (at that time) girlfriend, Dixie Lee Meadows. Last stop in Rose Hill was fascinating! It was the Bond Monument. Maps all showed that the monument was in the back of the cemetery, next to the railroad tracks. The Bond family had a tall statue erected, but we couldnt find the monument unless that statue was supposed to be it. HOWEVER, there was NOTHING that resembled the picture from the back cover of the eponymously debut album. We stood beneath this 18 tall statue and looked down at the railroad tracks almost immediately below, with the Ocmulgee River about 20-30 feet beyond that. No monument. Suddenly, Better Half realized that there was a stone slab almost beneath our feet next to the antique wrought-iron fence that was supposed to keep us from falling over the cliff. I bet its down there! he yelled as he pointed to the ground 20 feet below us. Sho nuff, we found stairs, ran down them (as fast as my knees would run! ARGH!) and there is was (with the Johnstons tomb right next to it). The album cover! Minus the Allman Brothers, but covered in covered-up graffiti. After snapping shots and trying to avoid the cliff, we heard a train coming! Ran back up the stairs to stand next to the antique fence and video a train (never watched one from above!) until we BOTH ran out of video memory and battery! hehe! But Im truly convinced that THAT location MUST be the place that the cameraman was killed (the one working on an Allman Brothers movie/video). I bet he was on the railroad track or on a stopped train (they do stop there) and fell off as it jerked to start up again, while he was trying to get good shots of the front of the Bond Monument. Sad place, but inspiring. The albums covers are included below, even the house where the cover picture was taken. The tiny, narrow roads through the cemetery are extremely hard to maneuver and I fail to understand how any vehicle larger than our Prius could drive around there. But the funniest thing we saw there was a 4-way stop sign at an intersection. In. The. Cemetery. Since no one is dying to get out of there, how can there be rush hour in there?
Posted on: Sun, 14 Dec 2014 03:16:03 +0000
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