The Paul Place and Margaret

The Paul Place is located in the Bluff District of Twiggs County near Marion Georgia. Robert and his brother John settled there in the 18th century. Robert and John were very prosperous maintaining a farm with cattle, livestock and orchard. The Paul’s were know for their hospitality. They both had fine homes and were also hunters. They had some of the best hunting dogs in the area. Their farms produced much sought after commodities such as fruits, vegetables, sugar cane syrup and hickory smoked hams.  
 
Robert and his wife adopted twin girls. Margaret and Mindy Mimbs. They were raised along with their other children. Margaret became one of Robert’s favorites, she was eager to lean how to farm and hunt. She was strong willed and didn’t fear things a typical young girl would.  
 
In November of 1863 during the battle of Walnut Creek. Union General Judson Kiilpatrick and his Federal cavalry retreated to Griswoldville. During this time fragments of Yankee soldiers raided the near by homesteads. Twiggs country was no exception. The Robert’s home and farm was completely destroyed. The main house and barns were burned, all livestock was killed. However Robert and his family was not harmed.  
 
During the raid Robert with his wife and children stood together outside between the main house and cattle barn. As they watch the home burn in disbelief frightened Margaret was clinging to her sister Mindy. Margaret thought of her best friend Sallie Virginia Faulk that lived at Sunnyside, which was about three miles away. She keep thinking how to find away to warn her.  Margaret told her father that must warn others especially Sallie. Robert told her to stay close. Margaret broke free and eluded the Yankee soldiers and ran towards Sunnyside. Margaret was only eight years of age but was very familiar how to travel to Sallie’s, as she had done many times before.
 
As the sun started to rise devastated Robert had noticed Margaret had not returned. He and his wife immediately started towards Sunnyside on foot. They did not find any sign of Margaret but did find her shoe on the bridge at Patterson’s Ford. They pressed on towards Sunnyside. G.W Faulk, Sallie’s father informed them that Margaret had not made it and they had not seen her.  The Paul’s and community diligently searched for Margaret for three days. With the threat of Union troops still in the area searching was difficult at times. Finally Robert called of the search with a devastated heart.  
 
No one knows what happened to Margaret, it’s still a mystery today. Some said she fell of the bridge at Patterson’s Ford and was carried away by current of Savage Creek. Others said she must had fell in an abandoned well. Most people believed she was kidnapped by the Union soldiers.  
 
Over the years the spirit of Margaret has been seen by farm workers, hunters and loggers near and around the Paul Place and Sunnyside. One account was when a group of coon hunters seen her in the swamps of Savage Creek near Patterson’s Ford. Another sighting was by a logger which actually made a report to the local authorities that he had seen a small girl in the woods and she just disappeared. In more recent events Margaret had appeared on trail cameras. A camera located on the Paul Place captured an image of her spirit. Another camera located at Sunnyside which over looks the family cemetery captured her image where Sallie Virginia Faulk is buried.  
 
This story was told to me by my Cousin Alton White. Alton owns and resides at the Paul Place. His cabin is very near where Robert’s home was. He also said the sighting happened throughout the year, however they increase in the winter months especially in mid November.