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Ball Ground's Town Treasures

The word “treasure” can be used to describe something valuable, very special, or important, including a person who is greatly loved or cherished. Every city/town seems to have its treasured individuals, and anyone who wants to know more about his/her area’s history should make it a point to get to know them. Recently, Ball Ground lost three of its treasures, Dorothy (Dot) Byrd, Margaret Stancil, and Eddie Brackett.

Until the past couple of years, you probably met Dot Byrd whenever you visited Ball Ground. For 49 years, Byrd owned and operated Dot’s Restaurant in downtown Ball Ground. She could always be found either inside cooking or standing outside, sharing her stories of days gone by. She loved Ball Ground and Ball Ground loved her.

Before closing her restaurant due to declining health, Byrd went out with a bang by adding one more story to her collection. Dot’s was one of the locations where Tom Cruise spent a lot of time while filming the movie Made in America. Cruise and Byrd became buddies over their love of a Ford Maverick she owned. Tom “Maverick” Cruise tried several times to purchase the car from her, but she didn’t want to sell it.

Another lost treasure is Margaret Stancil. Like Byrd, Stancil also had stories of Tom Cruise and the time he spent in Ball Ground. She lived next door to one of the houses where his movie character, Barry Seal, lived.

Stancil was one of Ball Ground’s oldest residents, having lived in the city most of her adult life. She married Roy Stancil in 1956 and worked alongside him at Stancil Manufacturing. Many residents worked there, where cloth diapers and other items were made. When disposable diapers were invented, Stancil Manufacturing, which was once an employer of more than 70 women, closed in 1970.

In 2017, Margaret Stancil and her family were invited to attend a Ball Ground Historical Society meeting to tell the story of Stancil Manufacturing (a.k.a. “the Diaper Plant”). The family was met by several former employees, creating a lovely reunion with many fond memories shared.  

Eddie Brackett was also one of Ball Ground’s treasures. He was the grandson of Calvin Farmer who operated the power company for the Roberts family on Long Swamp Creek back in the 1920s. Brackett operated a sawmill for many years on Old Dawsonville Road. Along with his wife, Loretta, he raised five kids in his beloved Ball Ground.

When Byrd, Stancil, and Brackett died, they took a wealth of knowledge and stories of growing up in Ball Ground with them, so don’t let history pass you by. Be sure to spend time with your own treasures: grandparents, aunts, uncles, former schoolteachers, Sunday schoolteachers, etc. You may be surprised by the stories they tell, so never give up an opportunity to capture those special times on film/video to preserve local history.

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