[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 185 (Tuesday, October 27, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E991]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CELEBRATING CAIRO GEORGIA'S 150TH ANNIVERSARY

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                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 27, 2020

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the City 
of Cairo, Georgia, located in Grady County, in my Congressional 
district, as they celebrate and commemorate their 150th Anniversary. 
The city was founded in 1835 and incorporated as a town in 1870 and a 
city in 1905. In 1906, it was designated as the county seat for the 
newly formed Grady County. It is an honor and a privilege to have 
represented the City of Cairo since my election to Congress in 1992.
  There was a commemoration event held on Monday, October 26, 2020, at 
6 PM during the Cairo City Council Meeting. The city has served as the 
catalyst to improve the quality of life for thousands of citizens.
  The City of Cairo is a city that is steeped in a rich history and 
accomplishments that reflect the absolute best that our nation has to 
offer. Cairo, Georgia, was first settled in the early 1800s by William 
Hawthorne, a Baptist Preacher. Hawthorne cut a forty-mile trail through 
the area. Another early settler was Henry Miller, who moved to what was 
then Thomas County. He had a stagecoach stop. By 1860, The Atlantic and 
Gulf Railroad had bought land from residents Nancy and Malachi Collins, 
as well as from Phoebe and Washington Baggett. In 1866, H.H. Tooke and 
James H. Hayes sold land so that the town could be founded.
  In 1862, Seaborn Anderson Roddenberry bought land from Mr. Miller and 
began his medical practice in a horse-drawn buggy by selling his open-
kettle sugar cane syrup. By 1867, Roddenberry had a medical office and 
opened a general store and people from near and far bought syrup from 
large barrels and filled their own jars with his molasses. The nickname 
of the local Cairo High School is the Syrupmakers and Syrupmaids 
because of the importance of this industry in the formation and 
vitalization of this community. The Cairo plant of the Roddenberry 
Company was closed in 1993, and now serves as a regional community 
center.
  The town council began meeting in 1871, and its first mayor was Wiley 
Pearce. Many dedicated men and women have served in elective office 
since the beginning of this historic town. The city is now led by Mayor 
Howard Thrower, III, and a five-member city council.
  The city has not strayed from the foundation that was set by its 
early leaders with an attentiveness to the needs of the people above 
all else. Dr. George Washington Carver once said that ``How far you go 
in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with 
the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and 
strong because someday in your life, you will have been all of these.''
  The City of Cairo, Georgia, has overcome storms and difficult 
situations, but has stood the test of time. Through dedicated community 
servants, they have sought to meet the needs of their community and to 
move it forward for the betterment of all of its citizens. This city 
holds dear to the values that make this community and our country 
great--God, country, and family.
  Madam Speaker, I am proud to represent this community in Congress and 
I look forward to seeing their growth and progression in the years to 
come. I urge my colleagues to join me in commending and congratulating 
the City of Cairo for 150 years of dedicated service to God, the 
citizens of Cairo, and humankind.

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