This is the Mobley Cemetery, burial place of Captain B. Mobley and his family. Because the gravesite has always been marked with a Confederate flag (see next post), I always assumed that Captain Mobley had been involved in the Civil War. But upon further study, and a hypothesis about his birthdate, I realized this could not be the case. I began to suspect that since this area along the Ocmulgee River, at the Ben Hill County Public Boat Landing, was known as Mobley Bluff, that perhaps Captain was in reference to his work on steamboats. After consulting Carlton E. Morrison’s invaluable history, Running the River: Poleboats, Steamboats & Timber Rafts On the Altamaha, Ocmulgee, Oconee & Ohoopee, I learned that Captain Mobley had indeed piloted a passenger steamboat known as The Cumberland for W. A. Willcox. The Cumberland made regular runs between Hawkinsville and Darien in the 1880s and 1890s. I would welcome any further history on the subject…
For those interested in the history of river life in South Georgia during the latter half of the 19th century, Carlton Morrison’s Running the River is a treasure trove. Though it’s presently out of print, Salt Marsh Press is planning on reprinting it in an expanded edition. Contact them if you’d like to know more.
