Virginia Linch of Butterflies and Blooms at the Briarpatch, welcomed guests to one of Stepback’s numerous log cabins. IAN TOCHER/Staff
Despite being out of practice, Putnam County’s Lewis Salmon, a veteran blacksmith, was busy creating a three-legged stand at Stepback. IAN TOCHER/Staff
Lyn Romine (left) of Eatonton’s Historical Preservation Commission, served as Stepback’s school marm, instructing some young visitors who were also dressed in period-correct clothes. IAN TOCHER/Staff
Grinding out cornmeal at the Stepback gristmill was Alan Oakley, who said he’d designed a similar mill when he was just 14 years old. IAN TOCHER/Staff
Stepback founder and creator Roger Pierce said opening his oldfashioned village to the public represented his way of helping fund Christmas joy for local families through donations. IAN TOCHER/Staff
Each fall, visitors to Roger Pierce’s annual Stepback event, just a few miles south of Eatonton, get to witness daily life in rural Georgia much as it was more than 80 years ago. Stepback offers a look at farm life circa 1940 through a collection of log buildings, antique tools, and live demonstrations — all constructed, curated, or orchestrated by Pierce himself.Now 84, ...
