Ocee
Another odd community name is the neighboring Ocee. Originally the community was called New York, but the Post Office refused to deliver mail to New York, Georgia. Something about there already being a New York, but whether that is New York, New York, or another New York, Georgia remains to be answered. Therefore, the community decided to call itself Mazeppa. Later, the community changed the name to Ocee after they had forgotten why they had chosen Mazeppa.
Because of the oddity of the name Mazeppa, many have speculated that it appears in the Bible; however, you will never find the name Mazeppa anywhere in the Bible, even reading the apocryphal works. By chance, I discovered the name in a book of poetry. Ivan Stepanovich Mazeppa (1632?-1709) was a Russian/Polish peasant who became a page for King John Casimir of Poland. According to legend, he somehow offended a nobleman and was punished by being tied, naked, to a wild horse and sent into the wilderness. A Cossack tribe in the Ukraine adopted him, and later he became their chief. Years later, he returned to terrorize Warsaw. He fought for the independence of the Ukraine against Charles XII of Sweden and against Peter the Great of Russia. He was not successful against these powerful nations, but was a constant terror for Warsaw. He became a hero admired by the romantic poets and composers. Lord Byron wrote a poem called Mazeppa in 1819 (which is where I discovered the name) and Tchaikovsky wrote an opera Mazeppa in 1883. Several lesser operas and plays were very popular to traveling shows in the United States.
I recall a story about some citizen attending a play in Atlanta about Mazeppa. Because Ivan Stepanovich Mazeppa had sacked Warsaw, Poland, the citizens of the community next to Warsaw, Georgia, chose his name for their new community. After that, the constant “Indian” and “Biblical” explanations were created, until the name itself was forgotten. Then, the community became Ocee. Again, Indian origin is often speculated when compared to true Indian names like “Ocoee” and “Oconee”. Some even notice the high elevation and the fact that in the nineteenth century the entire landscape was filled with cotton fields say the name came from the vantage point.
For many years, Ocee contained three stores, a justice of the peace office, a blacksmith, and several churches. Two of the stores contained gas pumps. Mr. O.C. Shirley founded one of the bigger stores, hence, I believe, the name for the community. Being bounded by Big Creek, Johns Creek, and the Chattahoochee River, most of the community roads were named for the people that built the ferries and bridges over these waterways. John Kimball was an early settler of the area, for example, even before the Cherokee were removed.
At the turn of the century, Ocee was a very large community. Henry Brooks operated a blacksmith shop. O.C. Shirley, the Turner family, and the Barnett family all operated stores around the Congregational Church located where the Circle K is located at the intersection of Kimball Bridge and Jones Bridge Roads. They even had a small Justice of the Peace office where county work was done. Saturdays were often spent around Mr. Brooks front porch after the Saturday shopping in the various stores was completed.
Sundays were spent in religious pursuits. There were four churches in the community: Bethlehem Methodist Episcopal Church, South; Ocee Congregational Church; Clear Springs Baptist Church, and Big Creek Primitive Baptist Church. Bethlehem MEC, South was served by a preacher from the North Georgia Conference who preached in a circuit of churches, including Alpharetta First Methodist, Warsaw Methodist, Shiloh Methodist, and Ebenezer Methodist. Every week, the preacher would preach at Alpharetta and then one of the other, country churches. Bethlehem MEC, South was located in the midst of the Windward Development, and the other churches are located at their present location. Bethlehem Church had access to a minister only once a month, although Jesse Brooks often preached for the Wednesday night prayer services, and none of the other churches could afford a minister for more than one Sunday a month. Therefore, the entire community would travel between the four churches every month, attending the service at the church that had a preacher that week. Competition for souls was great for when the people of the community felt the spirit; they were declared members of the church in which they felt the spirit. After years passed, Ocee Congregational joined the Methodist Conference, Bethlehem MEC, South merged with the new Methodist Church, and people began to only go to one of the remaining churches.
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Copyright 2007-2009 by Tim Spruell