One of the most popular annual events in the Two Egg area took place today. The Annual Homecoming at Oak Grove Church celebrates the history and families of the Jackson County "ghost town" of Parramore.
Located a few miles east of Two Egg at the intersection of Oak Grove and Parramore Roads, the community of Parramore was once a thriving commercial center with five stores, several churches, a cotton gin, blacksmith shop, sawmill, gristmill and more. The town, which was never actually incorporated, owed its existence to the vast forests of longleaf pine that once grew in the region. Large turpentine operations collected the sap from these trees and cooked the rosin, which was then poured into barrels and carried by truck to riverboat landings near Parramore on the Chattahoochee River. Paddlewheel riverboats then carried the barrels either upriver to Columbus, Georgia, or downriver to Apalachicola, Florida.
Parramore thrived from the late 19th into the early 20th centuries. By 1919, the primary riverboat landing was one of the few in Jackson County listed as a "warehouse landing," with storage facilities for products awaiting transport.
The arrival of modern highways and railroads, however, spelled an end for the riverboats and Parramore as well. The community gradually faded away as the businesses closed and people moved elsewhere. As Parramore faded, nearby Two Egg grew.
For more than 45 years, however, former residents and their families have returned to Parramore on the first Sunday in October for their annual homecoming. They gather at Oak Grove Church to share old stories and make new memories. This year's event featured a sermon by Rev. Cap Pooser, special music from the Bryan Brothers and, as always, dinner on the grounds.
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