As you see in this week’s Millen News, we who love our home county celebrated one week ago at Magnolia Springs State Park.

Weeks of anticipation and rumors ended with the Wednesday morning press conference and unveiling of many artifacts found at the site of Camp Lawton. The media were there, national, area, and local. A live web cast allowed our students and others with an interest in the discoveries to enjoy the morning with those who were there. And the coverage reached far and wide, both on the screen and over radio. My daughter, who lives in Durham, NC, heard the NPR report on her drive home.

And while we have seen and heard inaccuracies in some of the reporting, by and large, the story was told. It’s too bad CNN.com had their story with an Atlanta byline rather than Millen, but then we who live in rural Georgia are not strangers to being overshadowed by our capital city.

Deborah Bennett’s article provides details on the discoveries and the civic and political leaders, local and state, who supported the work at Magnolia Springs and Camp Lawton. Georgia Southern University’s Dr. Sue Moore and her students spent Saturday after Saturday carefully seeking what archaeological methods could tell about Camp Lawton.

But my interest is to cheer loud and strong those volunteers who literally poured their sweat into this effort.

Throughout this very hot summer, volunteers put in hundreds of hours clearing, cleaning, and helping landscape the park. Over several months, the Fort Lawton site was cut and trimmed. Landscaping the entrance went on right up to a couple of days before last Wednesday. Trees felled by storms were cleared. Not only GSU students but volunteers as well were working Saturdays. Some even came weekdays and worked until dark.

Finally, the highest praise must go to the park staff. They are, each and every one, absolutely fantastic! No state park has better.

As we prepared for last Wednesday’s open house, we wondered how many would come.

The numbers were beyond our wildest expectations!

You who were there stood in a line that went from Shelter #2 to the main park road. The door hardly closed. You stood in the heat and fanned the gnats, inside and outside the shelter!!

What a treasure we have in Magnolia Springs and Camp Lawton!

What will YOU do to preserve and improve this treasure?