In 1939 Disney paid Harris heirs $10,000 for the rights to all Remus characters. Company returns on the deal have been estimated at $300 million.

Eatonton has bred two important literary figures and they could not be from more opposite sides of the country fence. Alice Walker and Joel Chandler Harris both lived and were influenced by the southern atmosphere of the town. While a bus tour points out some key locations from Walker’s early life, Harris’ mark definitely dominates.

Joel Chandler Harris penned the character of Joseph Sidney Turner, the boy in his Uncle Remus stories. Turner’s childhood home has now become Turner Park and is the location of the Uncle Remus Museum. Opened in 1963, it is constructed from two original slave cabins. Town folk are ambiguous about whether or not Turner actually lived in the cabins.

Inside the Uncle Remus museum one can find mementos, woodcarvings of Harris’ creatures and other personal effects from the author. The focal point is a large portrait of Uncle Remus presented by Walt Disney – less we forget what Song of the South was hacked from.

An equally big draw to Eatonton over the past decades has been a painted cast-iron statue of Brer Rabbit. It was erected in 1955 by the Woman's Club. For years, it occupied a space on the lawn of the county courthouse, and became the most photographed attraction in Georgia. Back on Tack found it banished to Turner Park next to the slave cabins.

While Brer Rabbit may no longer have a role in local law, his name definitely carries some weight. The public golf course, library, a real estate firm and an antique shop have all acquired it. Inside Eatonton's one and only McDonalds, the Harris theme continues with critter caricatures hare, there and everywhere.

What is this button?