Fire's Impact on Bainbridge Remembered

Mr. Goodwin,

Thank you so much! I have read your book several times and am very excited to give it as a Christmas gift this year.

Eight of the people killed in the fire were from my high school’s (Bainbridge High School) Y-Club - seven students and one teacher - who were in the town for the annual Tri-Y Youth Conference, the same conference I attended every year in junior high and high school. My Y-Club chapter was named after the teacher, Mary Davis. Bainbridge, Georgia is a very small town, and everyone in one way or another has a connection to one of the eight. In high school, I found your most fascinating book on my parents' bookshelf and have read it many times over the years.

My future father-in-law is an architect who works here in downtown Atlanta and loves Atlanta history. When I mentioned the fire recently, he didn't know many details about it, so your book is going to be a wonderful, enjoyable gift for him.

Thanks again for the quick response, I truly appreciate it. Happy Holidays!

Maggie Rentz
Atlanta, Georgia


Maggie,
Thanks so much for your e-mail. The Winecoff fire's impact on Bainbridge is legendary and worthy of further study. Look for more Bainbridge related stories on winecoff.org in the months ahead.
Be safe,
Allen

A Blue Ridge Reverend Writes

St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Blue Ridge, Georgia

Dear Mr. Goodwin,

I recently ordered your book from Amazon and must tell you that I couldn't put it down. The signed copy arrived in the post on Saturday and by five o'clock the book was read. What prompted me to order it was being in Atlanta at a theological conference the week before and standing looking up at the Winecoff (Ellis) at night.

I first learned the story of the Winecoff fire in the '90s when an elderly woman in McCaysville (not far from Ducktown, the home of one of the victims) gave me a copy of the Atlanta Constitution featuring the now-famous picture of the woman falling.

I am writing to say you and your co-author did a masterful job in telling a story that needed to be told.

The Rev.) Victor H. Morgan
Rector
St. Luke's Church, Blue Ridge, Georgia


Dear Reverend Morgan,

Thanks so much for your kind words about our book! When you keep your ear to the ground it doesn't take long to find living links to the Winecoff fire. Remember, we are always on the lookout for photos of the fire's victims and survivors to further humanize the story.

Thanks for writing,
Allen