Small town Police Chief's Badge

[GaRebel1861]

This morning I got an invite to hunt an old house site here in Southwest Georgia. The home is vacant, long ago abandoned and about to fall down. Looking at the building materials and style I would say that it appears to have been built in the mid 1800's. There wasn't a lot of area to hunt due to 6 foot weeds and downed trees but, the land owner had recently made a fire break around the structure so that where I headed first. I was there about ten or fifteen minutes and got a shallow good sounding target. Turns out it is the the police chief's badge from Parrott Georgia. Parrott hasn't had a police department in a very long time. I would have never thought that this would be here but it was. I'm guessing this badge dates in the 1940s-50? However, I'm not really sure of an age though and would like some opinions. For those who have never visited Parrott, it is a very small town (Population 156) in Terrell County Georgia.

 

[goldhungry]

Very cool find. Congrats.

 

[sprailroad]

I wonder. Town or county records for police dept. for that general time period. Perhaps as far as Police Chief's? Just a thought.

 

[pepperj]

Very cool recovery, it'll look great in the display case.

 

[Mzjavert]

Cool find. I spent some time trying to figure out when the town had a police department. Struck out. About the best resource I found was the local antique shop.

Parrott, Georgia: Maridean's Antiques

 

[Shorty Buckshot]

That to me would be my best ever find...I am retired law enforcement and collect badges....Congratulations on your find....just awesome!!

 

[highnam]

Awesome find...and it's a "Chief"!
I can't imagine too many of those in the ground!

 

[trdking]

maybe the town would like to buy it back for history------


OR_________________ go out and get some THUGS , wanna buy my cuffs

A town that small probably does not have the money to buy back history. If you ask them they will want you to donate it is my guess. More than likely the case.
Years ago I was helping a girl clean out her grandmothers house. Some relative twice removed was the Second Patrolman assigned for a new division called beach patrol in the 1930 40's of Long Beach CA His badge number had just a 2 on it. The Unit still exists today so this was nearly the first of the start of the unit. I received the badge in lieu of it going to the trash. I sold it on eBay for over 1600.
What really sold it is I had the provenance I knew the name of the officer that owned it. That added a lot. SO maybe you can research history and pin point who owned it?

 

[Kurios1]

Top Shelf treasure find there mate. I imagine the T-net sleuths can pinpoint the owner of this badge. It would be very interesting to learn of it's original owner and the story it has to tell. So rewarding to find such artifacts and research them back to their source.

 

[sjvalleyhunter]

Good job in cleaning it up. What method did you use to do so?

 

[romeo-1]

That is a very cool find!

 

[sutphin]

WARNING SHES A LOOKER..

 

[GaRebel1861]

Good job in cleaning it up. What method did you use to do so?

I used a soft tooth brush with toothpaste and then dipped it in household grade ammonia for about a minute then rinsed it off.

 

[sandchip]

That's one great find, Jim. That would be a banner find all day to me.

 

[GaRebel1861]

That's one great find, Jim. That would be a banner find all day to me.

It wasn't what I was expecting to find at that old home site for sure but, it's a keeper.

 

[trdking]

It looks like the town had two significant dips in economy The great depression which I think this badge is not that old and the 60's when cotton took a dumpster which I think this is late 50's 60's. I would guess that the PD went out on the second round as that one seriously diminished the towns population.