Jimmy Rane
March 2015
“Understanding history is an essential part of our existence, and I can’t recommend it enough for future generations.” – Jimmy Rane, A HISTORICAL PRESERVATIONIST
The Henry County Historical Group and our communities as a whole owe a tremendous debt of gratitude
to the life and legacy of T. Larry Smith. While we grieve his passing in December, you can rest
assured that the HCHG will honor his contributions to the preservation of Henry County history by continuing the important work he began. We are dedicated to providing the Orator with the same attention to quality that Larry gave each issue, and to that end, I want to thank David Hunter for stepping in while we finalize plans.
Much has been happening as we closed out 2024. Our county officials recently buried a time capsule
on the lawn of the Henry County Courthouse to be opened on Henry County’s 300ᵗʰ birthday, December
12, 2119. Our plan had been to bury it following the celebration of our county’s 200ᵗʰ anniversary
in 2019, yet the disruption of the COVID pandemic got that schedule off track.
We appreciate Gayle Thomas’s initial suggestion for this time capsule and thank Henry County
Probate Judge David Money for seeing the project through to completion. Speaking of completion, we
also want to wish Judge Money a happy retirement and thank him for his many years of service to
Abbeville and Henry County.
The Abbeville Municipal Airport has recently been expanded, and in December we were proud to unveil
the new name for Shelby Field, honoring retired Sen. Richard Shelby, who was key to securing the
funding. Our airport has evolved since its early days when the Ward Espy family played such a
pivotal role in it becoming a reality. After many years of discussion and planning, the Abbeville
Municipal Airport was dedicated on September 11, 1960.
Though so much good has been happening, we were very saddened by the news of the fire that
destroyed the beautiful sanctuary of First Baptist Church during the night of December 3rd. Our
community always comes together in times of tragedy to lend support and assistance, and this
situation has been no different. It is encouraging when neighbors step in to help their neighbors,
and that is what we have come to expect from the people who make up our communities.
Thank you to each of you for all you do for Henry County.
