Remembering Jesse A. Crews, Sr. – By Paul Kulwik

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For Jesse A. Crews Jr., the legacy of his father, Jesse Andrew Crews Sr., is not simply found in an old photograph, a railroad depot or a memorial park bearing his name. It lives on in the lessons he taught his three sons; the people he helped throughout Charlton County and the example he set as a public servant. This year marks 50 years since Jesse A. Crews Sr. died in a work-related railroad accident in Brantley County on August 24, 1976. He was only 44 years old. Born in 1932 in Winokur, Crews Sr. spent more than 20 years working for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and its successor, Seaboard Coast Line. Contrary to what some may remember, he never worked for CSX. CSX was formed after his death. Most of his railroad career was spent in Charlton County, with the exception of approximately one year when he was transferred to Fitzgerald in 1962-63. He eventually returned to Folkston, where he remained for the rest of his career. Crews Sr. worked as a signal and communications maintainer, an important position responsible for keeping the communication lines used by the railroad operating. His work helped ensure that trains and railroad personnel could communicate with one another and keep the railroad moving. His son remembers his father taking great pride in his work. “He’d always say, when a train would go through Charlton County, ‘That’s how I make my money. I’m trying to keep them rolling,’” Jesse Jr. recalled. While Crews Sr. spent much of his professional life working around the railroad, his commitment to Charlton County extended well beyond his job. He served on the Folkston City Council from 1966-67, returned to the council for another term in 1969-70, and was also instrumental in the early development of the city’s sewer system. “He and his council people started the Folkston City Sewer System in 1966,” Jesse Jr. said. In 1971, Crews Sr. began serving as a Charlton County Commissioner. At that time, commissioners were elected countywide rather than by individual districts. He served in that position until his death in August 1976. Jesse Jr. remembers his father as someone who understood that public office meant representing everyone. “I am a county commissioner,” his father would say. “I represent all of the county.” That philosophy stayed with Jesse Jr., who would eventually follow his father into public service. “I’ve learned that from him too,” Jesse Jr. said. “My dad was just a good leader. Everybody knew him. If he could do something for you, he’d do it. If he couldn’t, he’d tell you, ‘I can’t do that.’” One of the most lasting parts of Crews Sr.’s legacy can be found around Folkston’s historic railroad depot. The depot that now serves as a museum was originally located across the road from its current location. It was moved in the mid-1970s, around the time Jesse Jr. was in college. Because of his railroad connections and his position as a county commissioner, Crews Sr. played an important role in helping secure the depot for Charlton County. “My dad, being a commissioner and working with ACL, SCL, my dad had that building deeded over to the county,” Jesse Jr. explained. “My dad accepted it for the county as a commissioner.” Years later, Jesse Jr. and his brother, Wallace Winslow Crews, wanted to find a way to honor their father’s connection to the railroad and the depot. Wallace initially wanted to name the depot building after their father. Jesse Jr., however, had another idea. “I said, ‘No, no. If that building burns, you ain’t got a Jesse Crews Senior Memorial Building anymore. Let’s name the park after him. The park ain’t going away.’” The idea eventually became reality. Wallace approached the city about naming the park in honor of their father. Jesse Jr., who was involved in politics at the time, contacted people who had been important in his father’s life, including state representatives, railroad officials and others who had worked with the city and knew Crews Sr. Those individuals came to support Wallace’s request, and the city ultimately agreed to name the park Jesse A. Crews Sr. Memorial Park. For the family, it was a fitting tribute to a man whose life was so closely connected to the railroad and to the community. Some of Jesse Jr.’s fondest memories of his father come from the railroad days. He remembers the railroad crews that would travel from one location to another in railroad camp cars. His father called them a “chain gang,” although Jesse Jr. explained that they were actually railroad work crews. His father would sometimes leave Sunday afternoons or evenings, carrying a flashlight, and flag down a train that would take him to wherever his work crew was located. He would return at the end of the week and be picked up again by the train to come home. The railroad was also part of the boys’ childhood. When the depot was still located across the road from its current location, Jesse Jr. and his brothers would accompany their father there on Saturday mornings. Their father would visit with station master and friend Johnny Schumann, who handled the telegraph operations. While the adults talked railroad business, Jesse Jr. and his brothers had their own adventures. “We would go in the back where all the freight was, the packages, and we’d play,” Jesse Jr. recalled. “We’d make forts back there. We had a good time.” Those memories have remained with him for five decades. Perhaps the greatest part of Jesse Sr.’s legacy is not a public building or a park, but the lessons he passed on to his children. Jesse Sr. had three sons: Jesse Jr., James Michael and Wallace Winslow. When Jesse Jr. was 12 or 13 years old, his father would take him along to funerals, weddings and family reunions. At the time, Jesse Jr. didn’t understand why. “I’d say, ‘What are you doing this for? Why am I going with you?’” he remembered. His father’s answer stayed with him. “He said, ‘One day I’m not going to be here anymore. And somebody’s got to represent my side of the family.” Years later, Jesse Jr. realized exactly what his father had been teaching him. “He was preparing me,” he said. “I represent that part of my family now. And that came from my dad. I learned that from him.” His father’s influence also helped shape Jesse Jr.’s own career in public service. He followed in his father’s footsteps and became involved in county government, eventually serving decades as a county commissioner. Jesse Sr. never had the opportunity to see how much Folkston and Charlton County would change. He died at 44, long before many of the people who knew him had grown older and before his sons had fully realized the impact he had made. Jesse Jr. believes his father could have gone much further in public service had he lived. “He knew a lot of people in Atlanta back in those days,” Jesse Jr. said. “He had a lot of friends in the state Senate, a lot of friends in the state House. And him being with the railroad people, he had connections everywhere.” But for those who knew him, his greatest accomplishments may have been much closer to home. He was a railroad man who helped keep the trains moving. He was a city councilman who helped establish Folkston’s sewer system. He was a county commissioner who believed he represented the entire county. He was a husband, a father and a neighbor who was willing to help when he could. And he was a man who believed in showing up for his family and his community. Today, the Jesse A. Crews Sr. Memorial Park stands near the railroad tracks and depot as a lasting reminder of his connection to Folkston and the railroad. For Jesse Jr., seeing the trains still pass through Charlton County brings back memories of his father. His father might not have understood why people would stand beside the tracks today simply to watch trains and take photographs. “He’d tell you today, ‘How stupid can you be to stand out, watch a train go by and take pictures of it?’” Jesse Jr. said with a laugh. But for Jesse Jr., those trains mean something different. They bring back memories of a father who spent his career making sure those trains kept moving, a public servant who believed he represented everyone in the county, and a man who taught his son lessons that have lasted far beyond his 44 years of life. “That’s why I’ve talked to y’all about him,” Jesse Jr. said. “I just wanted to honor him that way.” Fifty years after his death, Jesse A. Crews Sr.’s name remains part of the community he served—and, through the stories of his family, his legacy continues to live on.