A One Horse Open Sleigh, Georgia on My Mind, and Old Car City USA
Plus, Boondock Farms, fall hay bales, and winter vistas
This week, discover the origins of Jingle Bells and find out why it started a feud between two towns. Paid subscribers, you’ll receive the full story in your inbox right behind this email. Everyone else can read an excerpt below.
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Below, we keep the music theme rolling by showcasing a 1930 classic later made famous by Ray Charles, share a treasure trove of “junk” in Georgia, suggest a farm-fresh holiday event, and display a peaceful Tennessee landscape from our Fall 2025 Portfolio collection.
Jingle Bells: The Song That Started a Feud
By
It’s annually voted the most popular Christmas song. Perhaps it’s also the most controversial. When Savannah resident James L. Pierpont composed the song, he sowed the seeds for a dispute. Pierpont wrote his Christmas classic in the autumn of 1857. You know the song as Jingle Bells, but One Horse Open Sleigh was its original title. Pierpont wrote it as a Thanksgiving song.
We can thank the late Charlie Smith of Wrightsville, Georgia, for this Christmas story. Charlie emailed me a link to a story and the following note: “Tom, this is a story from ten or so years ago and M.H. Rahn has since passed away. M.H. was married to my first cousin on the Smith side of the family. Not only was he interested in history, mainly Savannah’s, but he also was a self-made millionaire. Started with a fruit stand on the old Bay Street Road.”
Rahn did more than that. He riled up the folks in Medford, Massachusetts. Once upon a time Jingle Bells belonged exclusively to their city. Until 1969 Medford, just outside Boston, could claim the carol without challenge. And then M.H. Rahn linked the song’s composer to Savannah. His discovery set Medford and Savannah to feuding.
Georgia On My Mind Hits No. 1
November 14, 1960
While we’re on the subject music and Georgia, our Fall 2025 Nostalgia section celebrates a song that became a No. 1 hit for Ray Charles on November 14, 1960: Georgia On My Mind, written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell in 1930. Charles, who was born in Albany, Georgia, recorded the soulful track after his driver suggested it. The song earned two Grammys, was ranked No. 43 on Rolling Stone’s Greatest Songs list, and became Georgia’s state song in 1979. Willie Nelson’s 1978 cover of it hit No. 1 on the country chart, and he performed it at Charles’ funeral in 2004.
Old Car City USA
A Northwest Georgia treasure founded in 1931 awaits backroad explorers who appreciate antique cars. Old Car City USA, featured in our Fall 2025 Secrets section, is the world’s largest classic car junkyard, spanning 32 acres with 4,000-plus vintage vehicles. Nestled in a forested landscape, the junkyard offers 6 miles of trails, creating a unique blend of automotive history and natural beauty ideal for photo shoots, music videos, and serene walks. Check it out Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Hometown Christmas Festival @ Boondock Farms
December 13, 2025
Boondock Farms, Jackson, South Carolina
This event, featured in our December Backroad Bulletin, is just a couple hours northwest of Savannah. Tucked away in the rural Lowcountry fields of Aiken County, this farmstead festival brings the warmth of Southern hospitality to the holidays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Visit a bustling farmers market and artisan vendor fair while you enjoy live music and farm-fresh bites from food trucks.
This photograph by North Carolina photographer Bruce DeBoer is from our Fall 2025 Portfolio collection. As we say good-bye to autumn hues and views, winter is rolling across the Southeast in full force this weekend. We’d love to see any wintry vista photos you capture. Email them to backroadportfolio@gmail.com.
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Take the long way home.
Thanks for additional facts re, Georgia On My Mind. Looking forward to reading more about Jingle Bells. Backroads Portfolio very informative.