Based on an article in the Old Berrien newsletter. [1]
It is summer time—time for picnics and fun in the water. In 1914, and for more than a decade after that, Mayhaw Lake was the place to go in Berrien County, Georgia.
The Hayhaw Lake park was built by Elias Knight in 1914. It featured a sulphur-fed pool, a roller skating rink, box ball allers (a variant of bowling), a baseball diamond, dancing, food, and drinks.
The Georgia & Florida Railroad stopped nearby and offered special rates for picnic parties from all points on their line. A ride by horse and buggy, or by mule and wagon, took visitors the final distance to the park a couple miles south of Ray City.
After World War I, and with more families owning automobiles and able to travel farther, other destinations outside of the county became more popular.
The roller skating rink was closed before 1926, and the pool continued in operation until the early 1930s. Elias lost the property as the United States entered the Great Depression.
Ray’s Mill was incorporated as Ray City in 1909, so it is interesting that it is referred to as Rays Mill in the 1914 advertisement.
Elias Moore Knight (1888-1949) is 3rd great-uncle of MKS in the Knight branch.
References:
[1] Old Berrien, Newsletter of the Berrien Historical Foundation, Vol. 2, Number 2, Winter Quarter 2008.
[2] KMS Family Genealogy Digital Archive, Jacqueline Anne Knight Spratlin Collection (advertisement). Item is annotated The Nashville Herald, 1914 in the front, bottom margin.