Shades of
Old Corinth!
You just don't ox poet to find tlio ruins
of n <»rooi;in tomplo in tlio Bluo Bid^o
Hoiinf.iin (‘oiinlrv.
By JOSFF ADAMS
Imagine that you arc exploring some
of the back roads of the North Carolina
mountains, and suddenly you find
yourself gazing in astonishment at
what appears to be the standing re¬
mains of an old Grecian temple. It is as
though you have been flown by a magic
carpet to ( >ld Corinth, or the Acropolis
in Athens. Greece.
You would probably feel as con¬
fused and surprised as did the two
flyers of a light plane in l%l. when
they spotted these gigantic Corinthian
columns from the air. They took an
aerial photograph to prove that they
were not guilty of drunk Hying.
There on a mountainside meadow is
this perfect replica of the ruins of a
Grecian temple. Standing majestically
alone, about the height of a two story
building, they seem to defy time.
weather, and reality. Their span is
about that of a three lane highway.
The Owner
Hrecting these magnificent columns
upon this spacious location on a
mountainside — obviously a herculean
task — was the brain-child of the late
Brevard S. Williams. Williams was a
native of North Carolina, an artistic
designer with a shop in Highlands,
dedicated to the responsibility of being
a real craftsman. He was a Rhodes
Scholar and had studied and loved
Greek architecture, possessing many
books on the subject.
The property which the columns
grace is now the estate of Mr.
Williams. His home, recently de¬
stroyed by fire, caused by lightning,
overlooked the beautiful Blue Ridge
Two ovioloit, stortlcd to jpot the Grecion columns
in their rurol setting, took this photo to pro»e their
sobriety, (below) The columns ore loeoted on pritote
property, but moy be viewed from the rood, (photo
courtesy "The Franklin Press")
mountains. His studio, still standing,
overlooks his Grecian columns.
Just as columns which mark the
ruins of the temples of Diana. Zeus and
others, these huge columns are spaced
apart exactly two and one-quarter
times their diameter at the base. The
four columns and the two lintels across
the top of three, weigh about 100 tons.
Each of the columns is in three sec¬
tions. They are joined together without
any cement, and they arc so perfectly
balanced that they can not only
withstand the elements, but probably
an earthquake.
Made in Chicago
The intriguing history of this beau¬
tiful work of art began in 1902 in
Chicago, where they were molded
using the same method the Romans
used in 200 B.C. Around 1908. they arc
thought to have been brought by rail¬
road from Chicago to Gainesville. Ga.
by Col. C. G. Sanders, a colonel in the
Confederate army, serving under Gen¬
eral Robert E. Lee with the Virginia
troops. They were a gift intended to
beautify the entrance of the First Bap¬
tist Church of Gainesville, being built
at that time and dedicated in 1909. The
church was completely destroyed by
fire in February I960, but the columns
withstood the disaster. Only one of the
lintels fell and was damaged.
Art Sund. a genius in operating
heavy equipment, was employed to
clean up the debris of the fire, and the
columns were given to him. since the
THE STATE, October ie»2
