| Athens is the home of the University of Georgia | | | | buttons to the uniforms with a single loop of |
| Bulldogs, situated in the Southeast quadrant of the | | | | thread. After the war and their rescue from the |
| city. It is the first state-chartered university in the | | | | concentration camps, there were stockpiles of |
| country, founded in 1785. The campus is beautiful. | | | | these new uniforms still in the camp. The soldiers |
| Sanford Stadium is the fifth largest in the nation, | | | | exchanged their rags for these new clothes. After |
| where over 85,000 screaming fans cheered | | | | a short time, the shirts and slacks, to which they |
| Hershel Walker and other notable athletes | | | | had attached the buttons, started to pop their |
| Athens is also home to the US Navy Supply | | | | buttons. Imagine the Japanese soldiers, while in |
| Corps training base and their museum housed in | | | | battle, having to deal with their pants falling down |
| the Carnegie Library building. The museum gives a | | | | and shirts loosing their buttons. Talk about true |
| history of the corps and has artifacts from the | | | | sabotage! |
| mid eighteenth century, along with pieces from | | | | Downtown Athens is very scenic, complete with |
| the USS Maine, which was blown up in Havana | | | | tree lined streets and many small boutiques. In |
| Cuba Harbor: the impetus for the | | | | front of the city hall is an oddity left over from |
| Spanish-American War. | | | | the Civil War: a double-barreled cannon. The |
| One interesting story told in the museum about | | | | thought behind it was to place a cannon ball in |
| the Corps during World War II concerns the | | | | each of the barrels attached to a chain. When |
| POWs from the Bataan Death March. After | | | | fired both barrels would eject their balls with |
| incarceration, some of the men were forced to | | | | connecting chain into the troops and kill more |
| sew buttonholes and buttons on new uniforms for | | | | soldiers. It was a great idea, but the cannon failed |
| the Japanese soldiers. Being very inept at sewing, | | | | to work properly. |
| or claiming to be, the Japanese had the prisoners | | | | Athens is also the beginning of the Antebellum |
| sew only the buttons on the clothing. The | | | | Trail. The trail generally follows Rte 441 South to |
| Japanese were finicky about how many times the | | | | Macon. In all of the towns along this historic |
| thread had to pass through the four holed | | | | highway are homes built before 1860. Most are in |
| buttons. To achieve quota the prisoners sewed | | | | the Federal or Greek Revival style. Some are B & |
| the thread through the buttons in the prescribed | | | | Bs today. Many are still private residences, well |
| manner and then attached the perfect looking | | | | restored to their former opulence. |
