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Thu., August 19, 2010 4:24pm (EDT)

Civil War Find Could Bring Jobs
By Noel Brown
Updated: 2 years ago

AUGUSTA, Ga.  —  
Archeologists work on excavating civil war artifacts from the site of a confederate prison camp in Millen. Jenkins County officials are hoping the find will give a much needed boost to the local economy by bringing in tourism dollars.(Image courtesy Georgia Southern)
Archeologists work on excavating civil war artifacts from the site of a confederate prison camp in Millen. Jenkins County officials are hoping the find will give a much needed boost to the local economy by bringing in tourism dollars.(Image courtesy Georgia Southern)
Georgia Southern archeologists announced this week they have unearthed a treasure trove of Civil War artifacts at the site of Camp Lawton. That includes things like bullets, buttons and personal items left behind by Union soldiers nearly 150 years ago.

Jenkins County officials say they hope the attention will translate to dollars and jobs for the area where unemployment is closing in on 20 percent.

King Rocker is mayor of the county seat of Millen. He says the discovery and a planned museum could make Jenkins County a tourist destination for history buffs.

"I’ve heard the rumor that once everything’s in place…the museum….and the artifacts have their permanent home…a million people could come through in a year’s time," said Rocker. "That’s a lot of people."

A lot of people, Rocker says, who will need places to stay and eat and who will spend money in the local economy.