Plains in Sumter County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Next-door Neighbors
Photographed By Sandra Hughes, June 19, 2012
1. Next-door Neighbors Marker
Inscription.
Next-door Neighbors. . The nearest house to ours, between the barn and the main road, was the home of a special family. Jack Clark was in charge of the barn, the mules and horses, the equipment and harness, and rarely worked in the fields... For me and the other boys... he seemed to be in charge of everything.
His wife Rachel was also special... There was something about her character and demeanor that set her apart... Her skill as a field worker, hoeing, picking cotton, or shaking peanuts was legend... Rachel was the one who took me fishing... and taught me... the names of trees and wildflowers, the habits of animals, how to avoid getting lost in the woods and swamps...
Whenever both my mother and father were away from home, I stayed with Jack and Rachel. Perhaps because of this, I felt at ease in the homes of other black families in the neighborhood. My childhood world was really theirs. , Jimmy Carter, 1999
The Clark home originally sat in the curve of the highway to your right. road work in the 1960s moved the house here. Just up the road was the whistle-stop community of Archery, consisting mostly of African-American families.
Some of the people who lived there were employed by Earl Carter to work on his farm.
The nearest house to ours, between the barn and the main road, was the home of a special family.
Jack Clark was in charge of the barn, the mules and horses, the equipment and harness, and rarely worked in the fields... For me and the other boys... he seemed to be in charge of everything.
His wife Rachel was also special... There was something about her character and demeanor that set her apart... Her skill as a field worker, hoeing, picking cotton, or shaking peanuts was legend...
Rachel was the one who took me fishing... and taught me... the names of trees and wildflowers, the habits of animals, how to avoid getting lost in the woods and swamps...
Whenever both my mother and father were away from home, I stayed with Jack and Rachel.
Perhaps because of this, I felt at ease in the homes of other black families in the neighborhood.
My childhood world was really theirs.
Jimmy Carter, 1999
The Clark home originally sat in the curve of the highway to your right. road work in the 1960s moved the house here. Just up the road was the whistle-stop community of Archery, consisting mostly of African-American families.
Some of the people who lived there were employed by Earl Carter to work on his farm.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: African Americans
Location. 32° 1.528′ N, 84° 25.892′ W. Marker is in Plains, Georgia, in Sumter County. Marker is on Old Plains Highway. Marker is located in Plains, Georgia on Carter Boyhood Farm
Jimmy Carter National Historic Site
United States Department of Interior. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Plains GA 31780, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on June 25, 2012, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 451 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on June 25, 2012, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
