Pig Monument

In the middle of rural Georgia, near the tiny town of Oconee, a group of neighbors banded together amid the trials of the Great Depression to help a farmer rescue his pig from a collapsed dry well.

This moment is enshrined for future generations with a 6-foot stone monument in front of the old dry well in question, located off of Georgia State Route 272 in Oconee. Getting there involves trudging roughly 20 feet off the highway, through the forest and underbrush, guided by a worn pathway and a simple roadway sign signaling “Pig Monument.”

The humble stone monument is an odd yet charming glimpse into Americana and the enduring community spirit amid one of the most trying national hardships. Created and maintained by the descendants of local families going back generations, as well as several professors from Georgia College in Milledgeville, Georgia, this curio offers silent reflection of what we can all do to help our fellow humans. Pig emergencies notwithstanding.