A woman who played a leading role in the early history of Gordon will be spotlighted during the Lantern Tour event Nov. 3 at Greenwood Cemetery. Funds generated by the tour will go to build a south entrance to the historic graveyard and other improvement projects. Augusta Beauregard Riviere Lambdin was born here just as the Civil War was heating up in 1861. In 1870, leading businessmen decided to create a centralized school and on Sept. 1, 1872 Charles E. Lambdin and his son, Azmon A. Murphy, opened Gordon Institute in Granite Hall, a former opera house on Market Street. Augusta Lambdin was in the first class of 150 students. She was 11 years old. In 1885, she began a 35-year career in the grammar school department at Gordon, eventually marrying Alexandrian M Lambdin, the brother of Gordon’s founder. Gordon has been a fixture and economic force in Barnesville since that time. Monica Walters will portray Augusta Lambdin during the Lantern tours which are set for 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Advance tickets are $25 and available at the chamber of commerce office. On the day of the tours, tickets will be $30. Participants will meet at the depot for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres before being transported via golf cart to the cemetery. Descendant Glenn Collier will portray Jena Cuthbert (J.C.) Collier, a wealthy planter. Susan Walter will portray her grandmother, Evelyn Collier Cason. Capt. Dan Rainey will play Col. J.J. Rogers and Judge Byron Smith will portray George L. Summers. Al Medcalf of the SCV will hold forth in the Confederate portion of the cemetery and honor Dr. J.H. Connally. Stafford King Gudenrath of Macon, a direct descendant, will portray Sarah Ann Blalock Stafford, wife of J.W. Stafford. For more information, contact the chamber office at 770-358-5884.
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