The Erskine Caldwell Birthplace and Museum

Moreland, Georgia, USA

Updated 7/16/2010

Hours: Erskine Caldwell Birthplace Museum on the town square in Moreland is open every Thursday, Friday, & Saturday 10am-3pm. and by appointment.

Admission: adult $10, Senior (65+) $7, children 6-12 $5, under 6 free. A museum package is also available- Includes admission to both the Erskine Caldwell Birthplace and Museum and the Old Mill Museum- Adult, $15, Senior (65+) $12, Children 6-12 $7.50, under 6 free.

Events: The Caldwell museum has rooms that can be used for small dinners, teas, receptions and other meetings - call 404-890-8665 for more information.

Memberships: $15 individual, $25 family, $50 sustaining, $100 donor, $200 patron, $300 benefactor and $1,000 and up gold. Members receive an official card to present when visiting or attending functions at the museum. Membership includes free admission to the museum for one year during regular hours. For membership levels at the patron level and above, there may also be special invitations to programs sponsored by the museum group. Checks for membership should be sent to Caldwell Birthplace, P. O. Box 207, Moreland, GA 30259.

Erskine Caldwell was one of 14 authors recognized at first induction ceremony for the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame – Find this and other Related articles from The Times-Herald, Newnan, Georgia

RSA to welcome tourists in Moreland

Moreland's downtown will be more tourist-friendly starting today when representatives of Reel Southern Adventures begin welcoming visitors to the south Coweta town.

RSA is headed by Carol Chancey, who has been involved in various tourism activities in the local area for several years. RSA staff made their debut in Moreland on Saturday at the town's early celebration of Independence Day.

On Wednesday afternoon, Chancey said everything is set for the opening today. RSA staff members will be in the opening area of the Old Mill Museum, which faces the town square in Moreland, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. RSA will be on-site during those hours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Visitors to Moreland will be able to see the Old Mill Museum and the Erskine Caldwell Birthplace and Museum, which is located on the square. Admission is $10 to either museum, or a combination ticket is available for $15.

There will be a 10 percent discount for senior citizens or for groups of 10 or more. Tours also are available at other times. The temporary number for calls about tours or other information is 404-890-8665.

Chancey will be meeting soon with representatives of the Lewis Grizzard Memorial Museum, also located in Moreland. She is already working with Dedra Grizzard, widow of the humorist who grew up in Moreland, about plans for a Grizzard Tribute in his hometown on the weekend of Oct. 16.

Video and audio players of Grizzard tapes were put in place at the Old Mill Museum on Saturday and will remain. Chancey said Dedra Grizzard may loan some items to the Old Mill for a temporary exhibit on Lewis Grizzard, who wrote for the Atlanta newspapers, did standup comedy and appeared on "Designing Women."

Chancey talked about the response of people to the Grizzard media on July 3. "They were all smiles and stopped and listened," she said.

An exhibit about the life of Caldwell, who wrote such novels as "Tobacco Road" and "The Sure Hand of God," is located in his birthplace, which was moved to the town square about 20 years ago. Many items that belonged to Caldwell or members of his family are also displayed in the frame farmhouse.

Grizzard and Caldwell both have a following, and they offered "very different voices" in their portrayals of the South, Chancey said.

The Old Mill Museum, which is a project of the Moreland Community Historical Society, captures life in Moreland prior to World War II. A farm shop, a doctor's office and a farmhouse kitchen are among the exhibit areas in the massive brick building.

There also is memorabilia from local stores and from the era when the mill produced women's stockings and provided employment for many Coweta families. An antique church organ from First Baptist Church of Moreland is displayed as are farm implements made by the Camp family's factory in Moreland.

Josh Evans, mayor of the town and MCHS president, and Winston Skinner, chairman of the Caldwell Museum committee, have been meeting with state tourism officials and looking for options to boost Moreland's tourism for a couple of years. "We are very excited about the partnership with Reel Southern Adventures," said Skinner, who also is assistant news editor at The Times-Herald.

"Carol Chancey has proven herself to be a visionary with lots of ability," he added. "We look forward to seeing the worlds of Lewis Grizzard and Erskine Caldwell - and all of Moreland's rich history - made accessible to more visitors."

Erskine Caldwell links on the 'net

-- Drew Fletcher's Caldwell page - http://id.mind.net/~fletch/index.html

-- The Internet Movie Database list of Caldwell adaptations - http://uk.imdb.com/Name?Caldwell,+Erskine

-- A Caldwell page from Scandinavia - http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/caldwell.htm