By Ed Grisamore
TELEGRAPH COLUMNIST
WARNER ROBINS - It takes a long time to go somewhere with Jim Miles.
He is always saying things like "Stop the car!" and "Look over there!" and "I wonder if there's a story."
Jim and I share the same unbridled curiosity of strange tales you sometimes find under rocks and chiseled on headstones.
We are kindred spirits in our quest for the quirky. We usually have our eyes open for the offbeat and oddball twists lurking around the next curve.
A few weeks ago, Jim was presented with a pocket watch. It was a retirement gift after 31 years of teaching history at Peach County High School. He can now use it to make sure he is on time for all the book signings he has around the state. His new book, "Weird Georgia," is selling faster than polyester at an Elvis convention.
A self-described "whimsical" fellow, his passion for the eccentric has carried him to all 159 Georgia counties. There are some you really can't get to from here and two no longer exist - Milton and Campbell. (He did his teaching in the state's youngest county. The Legislature plucked a couple of ribs from Houston and Macon counties and created a Peach in July 1924.)
Sure, Miles does much of his writing and research in the basement of his home, surrounded by books. But he's no armchair historian. He does his fact-finding in swamps, cemeteries, haunted lighthouses, country churches, abandoned forts and small-town libraries.
Miles is an appropriate last name. His odometer never stands still. He once interviewed an Atlanta man who built a replica of the White House. He has investigated UFO sightings in south Georgia and found out more about the "tomb of the unknown shopper" in a DeKalb County shopping center. In the book, he included a couple of my personal favorites - the legend of Hogzilla in Alapaha and the "tree that owns itself" in Athens.
(Jim will be at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Macon on July 7 from 5-9 p.m. and July 8 from 1-5 p.m. The bookstore is sponsoring a contest, asking readers for their "weirdest" Georgia stories.)
Warner Robins has been his home since 1965. When Brookley Air Force Base in Mobile, Ala., was closed, his father moved the family here.
As a young boy, Jim developed his love of history, particularly Civil War history, and he has authored eight books on the subject. They may all be critically acclaimed, but "Weird Georgia" has been his meal ticket.
His first "Weird Georgia" was published in 2000. His updated and revised edition contains about 95 percent new material.
He has traversed the state from the hills of Habersham to the murky swampwaters of the Okefenokee.
His wife, Earline, is his designated driver because Jim is usually thinking under the influence - of his travels. He has maps and notebooks scattered across the seats.
He has always loved the research. He has grown to love the writing. He treasures those serendipitous moments of discovery.
"I can be on my way to Savannah and stumble on several things before I get there," he said.
The History Channel and PBS have knocked on his door. The A&E network and Canadian TV have come calling. Now, he will have more time for all that.
There is definitely more weirdness to be found.
Reach Gris at 744-4275 or egrisamore@macontel.com. Visit his blog, "Daily Gris," at www.macon.com.
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/col ... 896507.htm
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