Freddy Henderson shares his childhood memories and rich history of the Henderson House; an iconic landmark of Dallas, Georgia.

What Is War?
There is more to war than just bullets.
There is more to war than just soldiers.
War is starvation, and War is children.
The Henderson House and the impacts of the Civil War
There is a local tradition around the town of Dallas, that tells of the time during the Civil War when my grandfather's (Henry Henderson's ) house was occupied by the Union Army, and when a Union "general" addressed the troops from the upper story porch, as those soldiers were assembled in front.
It was suggested by a friend of mine today that I should write this story down, so that the "tradition" will not be lost by time and suggestion, and I decided to try to write down what I know about this event.
Traditions
My father and grandfather grew up in the same house located on the Old Acworth Road. The house still exists, now at the corner of the Old Acworth Road, and East Memorial Drive. (East Memorial Drive was not constructed until the 1930's and the 1940's.) The children of my family, and of my generation, grew up there hearing the family stories about the "starving time" when the Civil War came to Dallas, and how the soldiers stayed in that house.
I, often, asked my father and grandfather "how it used to be." My father obliged me with telling me what someone told him who was, actually, here at this place during that time. Her name was Mrs. Head.
The story is as follows: My father was born in 1916. At that time there were still many people alive who remembered the war, including my Great-Grandfather (John Henry Henderson), who lived there with my father and grandfather. Their neighbor, Mrs. Head, had lived there on the Old Acworth Road, next to the "Henderson House," all of her life, and was a young girl when the "war" came to Dallas.
My father told me what she told him: Indeed, the Union Army occupied my grandfather's house. The occupants of that house, were, at that time either gone, or invited to leave. A "General" stayed there, and addressed his assembled troops from the upper porch level on the front of the house. The Old Acworth Road, led from Dallas toward New Hope, where the next battle was to take place in the next few days. Mrs. Head (at that time just a little girl) observed all of this standing to the side of the road. The able-bodied men of the community were away as soldiers. Those civilians that remained in town were either children, women, or old. the Union soldiers came to that little girl's home and took away all of their provisions, including all of the store foods, flour, bags of cornmeal, livestock, chickens and cows. the soldiers took away what they needed or wanted. What they did not need or want, they spread out in the middle of the Old Acworth Road, in front of my grandfather's house, and had the marching army and their horses walk all over it in order to make those provisions unusable for those civilians who were left there to "starve." The little girl watched as the soldiers cut open the bags of cornmeal and poured the contents in the road for ruination. This was to have been their food.
As you see from the attached photo, my cousin, Steve Jones, and I played there at that very spot, about 85 years later. As children, we never contemplated what the little girl experienced, at that, at that same spot all those years before we were there. But there we were, as happy children of the 1950's, far detached from that starving child.

However, now, as an adult, I contemplate what was going through the mind of the little girl who stood there watching her "world" come to an end, and in facing "starvation" and war, in that desperate time.
Respectfully submitted,
Frederick Henderson
October 1, 2021.
What more can we learn?
Do you have information about the Henderson House to Share with us?
[ Who exactly was Mrs. Head spoken of above? A possible candidate is Amey Marilla Baxter, daughter of John Baxter and Harriet N. Adair. She married 1st. Dock Thomas Craton, and 2nd. James Elias Head. Born June 13, 1858, she would have been of an age to recall the events from during the War. She died Aug. 11, 1951, and is buried at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church Cemetery. ]
Death 11 Aug 1951 (aged 93) Burial Mount Olivet Baptist Church
Would there be anyone that could confirm this? ]

Get Inspired!
At the Paulding County Genealogical Society, we are always searching for other stories about the local history of our families and locations. Contact the PCGS to learn more about how you can share and preserve your traditions. Our talented volunteers are ready to assist.
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