Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/122656
A small treasure from Bacon's home is this 2-inchby-3-inch book-shaped bottle of French faience that was filled with hot water and used by Victorian ladies as a hand warmer. It is colorfully handdecorated with a rustic figure on one side and a rooster and a French phrase on the opposite side: "When this cock crows my love for you will end." Bacon's ebony walking stick with a solid goldfiligreed handle is displayed in a shadow box in Dottie's possession. became one of the prime recreation spots of the city. Baconsfield Park was a place of great beauty with innumerable camellias, azaleas, dogwoods, magnolias and more exotic plants surrounding its ponds, paths, play spots and a handsome clubhouse. A product of his times, the senator had stipulated in his will that the park was restricted for the use of "white women and children" and, after the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the required integration violated the terms of his will. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the property had to be returned to the senator's heirs. And so Macon surrendered one of its prime assets. Many of the senator's descendants have remained in Macon and, over many years, have made substantial contributions to the community. While deBlanc is devoted to her home in Saint Thomas, even a casual chat with her shows her strong attachment to her friends and family in Macon. She remains a careful custodian of family treasures and an ardent advocate for the legacy of Sen. Augustus Octavius Bacon. M 72 l Macon Magazine april/MAy 2013