LULU
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LULU |
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NAME: Lulu COUNTY: Columbia ROADS: 2WD GRID: 2 CLIMATE: Cold in Winter BEST TIME TO VISIT: Spring or Summer |
COMMENTS:
Small resident population of 295 people. Near Gainesville and Lake City. REMAINS: Many Abandoned Cracker Homes, General Stores, Lulu School, and the Gillen Family Cemetery. |
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Lulu began when the Georgia Southern Florida Railroad came through the area and Robert Gillen, an original 1869 settler, convinced them to put a station there. The town was first named Hagen but mail got confused with another ghost town in Alachua County called Hague. Walter Gillen was the possible Postmaster renamed the town Lulu after his girlfriend Lula. There was two cotton gins, railroad depot, a one room school, three churches, and seven different stores (from 1900 until 1918) and two barber shops. The citizens of Lulu had hoped that their community would become a thriving town but the boll weevil came and destroyed the cotton business. The depression did a lot of damage of course and reforestation ended the free roam of the range land for livestock. The town currently is just a community of proud residents who have now lost their only general store and post office. Submitted by: Mike Woodfin Also has a Slave Cemetary located approximately 1/4 mile east down hwy 100 on the north side of the road (east of the now demolished general store). This cemetary is for Slaves and decendents of Slaves. The last burial was approx 3 years ago. The funeral was quite an event as the community carried his casket from his house (approximately 4 miles south of LuLu on CR241) all through the streets of the community so Joe could see LuLu one last time. The upkeep of the cemetary was his labor of love. This cemetary is now maintained by the local community of LuLu. By the way, we own one of the LuLu houses shown. # 7th from the top. My mother-in-law grew up in it, one of 14 children. This house was built by her father, Thie Pierce, after the one built by her grand father burned down approx 1/8 mile further into the property. This is her family homestead. The barn located #5 from the top is owned by my husband's Uncle and is on land originally owned by my husband's late grandfather (Croft). I believe house #3 from the top belonged to my late-father-in-law's grandmother when he was growing up and until her death. The owner of house #4 hired my brother-in-law (Croft) to shore up this house and do minor preservation work about 6 years ago to prevent it from falling down. Kim Croft |
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