Skip to main content

The First Mayor of Warner Robins, Georgia

By
Charles "Boss" Watson
1875 - 1958
Magnolia Park Cemetery
Warner Robins, Houston County, Georgia

The WATSON family has been a fixture in the town of Warner Robins (formerly known as Wellston), Georgia since its inception. Charles "Boss" Watson was the son of one of the town's first residents. When the town was incorporated as Warner Robins in 1943, C. B. Watson was named the first mayor. And he did so much more --

The following is from "The Faces of Houston County" --
Building Houston County: A Watson Family Tradition, Part 1
by Sherri Martin for the Local Builder, Summer 2007.

As the plans for the town took a dramatic turn, the Watson's family involvement in the growth of the city also grew... Charles Bostick "Boss" Watson was a local farmer and businessman, co-owning a mercantile business. And if that were not enough, he was also a county commissioner and served as a member of the school board. "Boss" donated the land to build the Sacred Heart Church, and donated the land for the C. B. Watson Elementary School. Clearly, Boss Watson's plans for the town were bigger than just a grocery store.

Boss Watson is also considered to be a main reason the Army built the Wellston Air Depot in Houston County in 1941. It is now known as Robins Air Force Base.

For more information and pictures of Charles "Boss" Watson and other Watson family members, please see Sherri Martin's wonderful article.

[Update 4 September 2016: I originally had Ms. Martin's article linked above, but unfortunately the website where I found it no longer exists.]


(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Labels:

Comments

Dorene from Ohio said…
Very interesting post! I used to always see the exit for Warner Robins, GA when my husband and I used to go the Ocilla, Georgia to visit his extended family in Irwin and Douglas Counties, Georgia.
January 16, 2009 at 7:12 PM
Anonymous said…
Nice and thanks!
June 21, 2011 at 6:55 AM
Leigha said…
Hello Stephanie, my name is Tiffany Watson and I'm researching my family tree, which led me to this post. The link to Ms. Martin's post is no longer active. I know this is an older post, but do you know if she has taken it down, or if it may still be active somewhere? Thanks a bunch!
September 4, 2016 at 12:49 PM
S. Lincecum said…
Glad you stopped by, Leigha. I'm sorry I do not know if the article is active anywhere else. The entire Local Builder site seems to be gone. I'll remove the link shortly.
September 4, 2016 at 1:34 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rocks, Rocks, and More Rocks

By
Why do people put rocks on grave stones? Some time ago, I learned that the rocks signified a visitor. That is true enough, but I decided to learn a little more about the custom and share my findings with you. Putting rocks on tombstones is most often described as a Jewish custom. There are many "Ask a Rabbi" columns out there, but I did not find one that knew for sure where the custom originated. They all agreed, however, that a rock symbolized a visitor and when put on a tombstone said, "I remember you." I also read that some people pick up a rock wherever they are when they think of a person that has passed. Then, the next time they visit the grave, they place the rock to say, "I wish you were here." Rabbi Shraga Simmons offers a deeper meaning: "We are taught that it is an act of ultimate kindness and respect to bury someone and place a marker at the site. After a person is buried, of course, we can no longer participate in burying them. H
13 comments
Read more

Southern Cross of Honor

By
I'm late to this discussion, but it's one I'd like to join. :-) Terry Thornton at The Graveyard Rabbit of the Hill Country started with Grave Marker Symbols: The Southern Cross of Honor and UCV (link no longer available). Judith Shubert at The Graveyard Rabbit of the Covered Bridges continued with Hood County Texas: C.S.A. Veterans & Southern Cross of Honor Symbol . [UPDATE, 1 June 2009: Judith has moved this post to the blog, Cemeteries with Texas Ties . The link has been corrected to reflect this move. You may also link to her article via her nice comment on this post.] Wikipedia states: The Southern Cross of Honor was a military decoration meant to honor the officers, noncommissioned officers, and privates for their valor in the armed forces of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. It was formally approved by the Congress of the Confederate States on October 13, 1862, and was originally intended to be on par with the Union Arm
25 comments
Read more

Thursday Link Love: EyeWitness To History

By
Yesterday, a link was added to the Genealogy Research Resources Group at Diigo. The link was to the website titled EyeWitness to History.com: History through the eyes of those who lived it . It's a great site, and I encourage all to visit it. Here are several items I found while snooping around. - Inside a Nazi Death Camp, 1944 : "Hitler established the first concentration camp soon after he came to power in 1933. The system grew to include about 100 camps divided into two types: concentration camps for slave labor in nearby factories and death camps for the systematic extermination of "undesirables" including Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally retarded and others." - Crash of the Hindenburg, 1937 : "Radio reporter Herbert Morrison, sent to cover the airship's arrival, watched in horror. His eye witness description of the disaster was the first coast-to-coast radio broadcast and has become a classic piece of audio history." [You ca
1 comment
Read more




SouthernGraves.blogspot.com

The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?"

So I answered, "O Lord God, You know."

Again He said to me, "Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!' Thus says the Lord God to these bones: 'Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live...'" (Ezekiel 37:1-5, NKJV)