USA > Georgia > Troup County > History of Troup county > Part 15
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In 1920, the city limits were enlarged to a two-mile radius, and the Southwest LaGrange School and the Dunson School added to the city sys- tem, and a colored school in the Valley Waste village.
In 1922, the Dawson Street School was built to replace the East LaGrange School, which was abandoned and razed; and the East Depot School for
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colored students was erected in the same year; the High School was enlarged and a gymnasium added in 1921; the Domestic Science building was added to the High School group on Greenwood Street. In 1931, the Junior High School was erected on Hill Street. The present system includes the follow- ing schools:
High School on Greenwood Street. Junior High School on Hill Street. Harwell Avenue Grammar School. Dawson Street Grammar School.
Southwest LaGrange School on Washington Street.
Dunson School on the Atlanta Highway.
Unity School on Wilkes Street. Union Street colored school. East Depot Street colored school.
The story of the LaGrange Public Schools would be incomplete without paying tribute to the excellent work of James E. Ricketson as principal of the High School until he became president of the Southern Female College, and his able successor, Thomas G. Polhill, afterwards the superintendent of the Troup County schools, and their associates, for the establishment of a standard of scholarship beyond reproach, and to these at a later date was added the work of Robert L. Cowart as principal. The painstaking work in the early years of the schools of Miss Lulu Ward and her sister, Miss Fleming Ward, in preparing the way for fuller upper grades, which were pitifully small in the beginning. The Southwest LaGrange School under the superintendency of Chilton W. Coleman before the merger constituted a powerful factor in the later expansion of the schools by the excellent preparatory work accomplished. Since 1916 the LaGrange schools have been under the care of Superintendent F. F. Rowe, under whom they have made great progress in development of scholarship, and have added an en- viable record of athletic activities.
SUPERINTENDENTS:
Clifford L. Smith
1903-16
F. F. Rowe. 1916 --
WEST POINT PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The West Point Public Schools were operated as part of the county system until 1876, when a local board of education was authorized. In 1879 on August 9, the board was composed of nine members, the terms of three members expiring every year. On August 20, 1906, the pro rata of the school fund of West Point was author- ized to be paid direct.
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The utilization of the West Point Academy as a nucleus for the system and with some additions was found to be adequate for the demands of the schools. A large per cent. of West Point citizens in the business sense are political citizens of Alabama, and the colored population of the Georgia side is small in proportion to the white. The population of the textile plants are all in Alabama. Yet the normal growth of the thriving city on the banks of the Chattahoochee increased the demands of the school on the hill, and in 1932 a handsome, commodious, and well arranged high school was built, which would be a credit to a veritable metropolis.
The number of superintendents testifies to the merits of these well known educators by their long service: A. P. Mooty was the first, serving under the chairmanship of John R. Scott; J. W. McKemie; Norman C. Miller; J. E. Purks; Walter P. Thomas, and the present incumbent, W. Terrell Harrison.
HOGANSVILLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. The public schools of Hogansville were established in 1893 in conformity to an act passed by the General Assembly of Georgia during that year. The school was located in the northern part of the town in a small wooden building. In 1896 the old small building was replaced by a larger wooden structure, which at the time seemed to be ample for the accommodation of pupils for some time to come. The con- struction of the Hogansville Manufacturing Company in 1899 caused an influx of students which soon filled the school to overflowing and neces- sitated the use of temporary quarters for some of the classes. The new brick schoolhouse and auditorium was erected in 1919, and again there seemed to be plenty of room. The construction of the Stark Mills in 1922-23 complicated the situation once more, and resulted in the construction of the new High School in 1932.
Among the early teachers of the Hogansville schools are noted the names of Mrs. Sarah Covin and her husband, John H. Covin, and A. F. Trimble. The superintendents include the following: Marvin Williams, Duval Jack- son, J. B. Sammons, E. B. Strozier, J. T. McGehee, McLarty, and the present incumbent, O. C. Lam.
CHAPTER XVIII. LITERATURE AND ARTS
AGRANGE DAILY NEWS. In any record of the literature of a community, the editors of the newspapers hold a prominent place, inasmuch as a great part of the progress of a community is mirrored in, and influenced by the attitude of the papers of the community. Troup County has been fortunate in having so many able editors.
The present LaGrange News has had several names during its long and honorable career. It was launched as the LaGrange Herald in 1843, and later was called The Chattahoochee. In the early sixties it bore the name of The LaGrange Reporter, which name was retained up to the time of the merger of the LaGrange Reporter, the LaGrange Graphic and the Shuttle in the year 1928. Since that time it has borne the name of LaGrange Daily News.
In Avery's History of Journalism in Georgia, he tells us that the La- Grange Herald, then a weekly, was founded by Dr. Bronson. William J. Scott was an early editor. Judge Alexander M. Speer, for many years promi- nent in the political history of South Carolina and Georgia, was one of the senior editors. Thomas J. Bacon, one of the most brilliant members of the ante bellum bar of LaGrange, was the editor until 1861 at the beginning of the war. He was mayor of LaGrange at the time and was one of the first to volunteer and was a Captain in the 27th Georgia Volunteer Infantry. He was killed at Seven Pines on May 31, 1862, and was the first LaGrange man killed on the battlefield.
C. H. C. Willingham was the editor during the war and the reconstruc- tion days. He was an able and fearless writer and his intense loyalty to the South, and his denunciations of Federal injustice came near causing his arrest several times.
Another editor was John T. Waterman, who was a man of brilliant intel- lect and courtly manners. He conducted the Reporter for eight years, making a great success of his management.
Rev. S. Pope Callaway, son of James Callaway, one of the Troup pioneers, is remembered most happily as editor of the Reporter for many years by the old citizens now living in the county. He was noted for his cultured English, his grasp of thought, and his force of expression. After his death in 1896, his wife, Mrs. Ellen Patillo Callaway assumed the management and called to her assistance W. W. Randall, an experienced editor and newspaper man. Some time later she gave the management to her son, James Pope Callaway, during whose administration the daily was instituted.
In 1902, George E. Billinghurst became manager and editor, and with him was associated W. W. Randall. In 1904, J. O. Bell purchased the plant
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and became manager and editor. The property again changed hands and J. A. Perry became manager and editor for some time.
The next editor was John H. Jones, who became the state senator from our 37th district in 1921-22. He was also the author of "Americanism," a book of observations and records of the World War. Many of the suc- ceeding managers and editors were never very closely identified with local interests, and did not leave much impression upon the memory of the read- ers. Some of these were Williams, Mahaffey, Henry Emory, Howard, Paul Porter. The present manager and editor is Roy C. Swank, who is able and efficient.
THE LAGRANGE GRAPHIC. This paper commenced publication on Jan- uary 7, 1888, under the management of C. R. Hawkes and W. W. Randall. After some time Hawkes was replaced by Roe C. Ward, and this continued until Randall was employed as editor of the Reporter, when Orville Gus- tavus Cox became editor of the Graphic. Associated with him was G. A. B. Tomlinson, and from this gifted pair came many sparkling gems of prose and poetry. After his death in 1903, he was succeeded by the follow- ing editors and managers: James B. Ridley, Marvin M. Dickinson, Samuel G. Woodall, Roy McGinty, James B. Daniel, W. A. Richardson. After these the paper was merged with the Reporter under the name of LaGrange Daily News.
THE WEST POINT NEWS. This newspaper is the medium of news of West Point and the Chattahoochee valley industrial plants, and was estab- lished by Joseph Hames. He was succeeded by W. Trox Bankston, whose facile pen enriched the pages for many years. Bankston was a member of the legislature for our county in 1917-18. Upon his change of residence to the city of Covington, the editorship and management fell upon the shoulders of John Coffee and his son, who are the present operators of the paper.
THE HOGANSVILLE HEADLIGHT. This newspaper was established in 1897 by J. R. Kendall and George E. Billinghurst. After Billinghurst removed to LaGrange, Rev. George W. Morgan became the editor. He was followed by R. H. Jackson, who was editor up to the time that it ceased publication.
THE SHUTTLE. This paper was established as a paper ministering to the news of the southern textile plants in 1919 under the management of Mrs. Ethel Thomas, who added to the interest of the pages with a weekly letter under the pen-name of "Aunt Becky." She was succeeded by Mrs. C. J. Lewis for a short time, and she was followed by Miss Eleanor Orr, who was manager until it was merged with the Reporter in 1928 under the name of the LaGrange Daily News.
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OUR PAPERS. The end and aim of these papers of Troup County has ever been to bring the news to its readers in an entertaining manner, to uphold the lofty principles of our government, to promote civic and urban growth, and to disseminate culture and enlightenment among the readers. The modern editors have striven and succeeded in carrying forward the high moral policies established years ago by the pioneer editors.
LITERATURE. A tea for authors given by the trustees of the LaGrange Memorial Library in September of 1933, as a feature of the observance of the Georgia Bicentennial program, brought out the fact that Troup County has produced a number of writers of note. The display included the work of the following Troup County authors:
Mrs. Oreon Mann Smith, a novel, The Novice. She was the wife of Rufus W. Smith, president of LaGrange Female College, and was a teacher of distinction in Georgia schools for more than fifty years.
Mrs. Addie Bull Tomlinson, a poem, Missionary. She was the wife of J. M. Tomlinson, a portrait painter, and the mother of Mrs. Mary Tuggle and gifted son, G. A. B. Tomlinson.
Gustavus Adolphus Bull Tomlinson, a volume of poems, The Old Brigade and other poems. He was the son of the above. This talented family added greatly to the culture of Troup County.
Orville Gustavus Cox, a volume of poems, Elms and Roses. He was editor of the LaGrange Graphic, and was mayor of LaGrange in 1903-04.
Frank Harwell, a volume of poems, In a Garden. He was judge of the City Court of Troup County, 1905-16; judge of the Court of Appeals. His friend, William Cole Jones says of his poems, "He will stand revealed as one whose crowning gift is a fine responsiveness to the beauty of nature and the worth of man." He lives in Decatur at present, but Troup County still calls him her son by virtue of his long residence there.
Mrs. Jewel Faver Glass and her talented daughter, Katherine Faver Glass, have had many poems published in the newspapers, and they each have several poems on trees in "Poems of Trees," a Sidney Lanier Memorial.
Carrie Fall Benson, plays and poems. She has written five plays, two of which, "Fiddlin Fellow" and "Timbers," were sold to the Carolina Play- ers, and produced in many cities of the country. The other three, "Deco- rous Days," "Porcelain Heartbreak," and "Mickleberry Manor," have been produced at LaGrange College and before many organizations of women. She has written many charming poems, which have been published in poetry magazines and in anthologies.
Charles Stakeley, a volume of poems. He was a minister of note, and was pastor for many years at Augusta, Georgia, and at Washington, D. C. He died at Montgomery, Alabama, in 1932.
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HISTORY OF TROUP COUNTY
Mrs. Lottie Anne Spikes, a volume, Memories. She was the wife of L. E. Spikes. She was a contributor to the columns of the Banner Herald.
John Franklin Edwards, a volume, The Red Book. He was a member of the 35th Georgia Volunteer Infantry, C. S. A., the father of Mrs. R. L. Hammett. The book is an autobiography of Confederate service.
John H. Jones, a volume, Americanism. He was an editor of the La- Grange Reporter, and our Georgia state senator in 1921-22.
Ulrich Bonnell Phillips, a history, Life and Labor in the Old South. He is the most celebrated writer of LaGrange origin, son of J. R. Phillips and nephew of Robert M. Young. His history of the ante bellum South is fear- less in style, clear cut, and enlightening, yet giving to facts an interesting and picturesque touch. He was awarded a prize offered by Little, Brown and Company for the best unpublished history manuscript, the publication of which won for him the Kahn Fellowship Foundation, which is awarded for unusual attainment and gives a year of leisure for travel and rest from work. He is now professor of American History at the University of Michigan.
Mrs. Arabella Dawson Hill, a volume, Mrs. Hill's Cook Book. She was the wife of Judge E. Y. Hill, and daughter of John E. Dawson, founder of Southern Female College at LaGrange. Her book was for a long time the supreme authority on all forms of cookery, and many of her recipes are still in use.
' Clifford Lewis Smith, a booklet, Birds and Trees of Troup County. He is the author of this volume.
Belle Boddie, contributions, Early Recollections of Troup County. She has recorded the recollections of her mother, Mrs. Aley Womack Smith Boddie, the wife of Thomas A. Boddie, with great charm and dignity. They were published in the LaGrange Graphic. In addition to these contribu- tions, she has had many other articles accepted by papers and magazines.
Edward Thomas Moon, a history, Class of 1893 of University of Georgia. A history of the achievements of the class of 1893, written in a clear and entertaining manner by one of its members.
Mrs. Annie Bass Hill, poems. She is the wife of B. H. Hill of West Point. She has written many poems of merit and distinction, which have been published in the Atlanta Constitution, the New York Times, and in several magazines. She is a member of the Atlanta Writers Club.
Anderson M. Scruggs, poems. His boyhood was spent in West Point. His most widely known poem, "Glory to Them," is a glorification of the toilers of the earth. This poem has been published in thirty magazines, anthologies, and newspapers, and appeared in an English anthology of the best poems of 1930. He is professor of histology and embryology at the
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LITERATURE AND ARTS
Southern Dental College, and is a member of the Poetry Society of America, and of the Atlanta Writers Club.
Nellie Sue Bailey, poems. She is a student at LaGrange College, and has had several poems published in the local papers, and one included in the volume of Trees-the Sidney Lanier Memorial.
Benjamin Harvey Hill, addresses and orations. He was one of the dis- tinguished orators of America, prominent in state and national affairs. Many of his addresses have a wide circulation. His official positions are noted in the roster of Officials and Old Citizens.
PAINTING. Our county has been fortunate in having many exponents of art in color and in form in the communities, and emanating from the colleges. Some of these have bestowed their artistic creations on friends and loved ones, and enriched the walls of many homes. Some of these artists and teachers follow: Mamie Stakeley, an early instructor; Lucy Carpenter, whose specialty was wax flowers; J. M. Tomlinson, portrait painter; Mamie Holifield, an artistic artist; Mrs. Ada Wooten Shaw, Mrs. Pearl Long Smith, Roberta Black, Viola Burks, and many others. All of the above have received awards of merit for pictures exhibited at state and local fairs and exhibitions. Vance Cotter also won recognition with his etchings and pen and ink work. William Lamar Dodd, son of Rev. F. J. Dodd, has exhibited some beautiful water colors in Philadelphia at the Feragil, and in the International Exhibit at New York. He received a scholarship in the Art League of New York for excellence of his work.
MUSIC. From the early days to the present, the citizens of LaGrange and of the entire county have enjoyed unusual opportunities in culture and entertainment and instruction on account of the presence of masters of art, music, and literature in the colleges, and from the celebrities who came to our communities under the auspices of our educational institutions. Among these passing celebrities are noted: Walter Emerson, premier cornet- ist of the world; Thomas Nelson Page, author and ambassador to England; Governor Bob Taylor, the inimitable entertainer; Rumenji, the master violin- ist; Blumenstein, the matchless cello player of the Boston Quintet Club; these and many more through the colleges; William J. Bryan, the orator and statesman; and John Burroughs, the naturalist; the last two through the public schools. Among the musicians that have contributed to the technique and appreciation of music, and became identified with our county as citizens are noted many names: Alwyn Means Smith, a talented singer and master of music, and his wife, Mrs. Laura Crane Smith, a finished singer and musi- cian; Herman Schirmacher, musician and orchestral expert; John Norman, pianist and organist; Louis Alberti, singer and choral expert; Mrs. Pauline
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Witherspoon Hutchinson, the golden-voiced soprano; Mrs. Jennie Evans Bradfield, the matchless contralto; Eula Render, Mrs. Ethel Dallis Hill, and Mrs. Gene Covin Farmer and her talented daughters, all violinists of the highest order; Mrs. Mary Will Cleaveland Thompson, Mrs. Annie Lizzie Strong Park, Sallie Cox, and Viola Burks, artistic pianists and organists; a host of others, of which those above were only types.
CHAPTER XIX. PUBLIC BUILDINGS
T HE COURTHOUSE. In 1827 the first session of Troup County Superior Court was at a private home west of the town of LaGrange, since the county seat had not been selected by the Inferior Court, and in fact the selection was made in the spring of 1828. The old brick court- house was erected in 1830, and the accompanying jail was located on the site of the present city hall. The original jail was replaced by a brick struc- ture in 1845, which was built by Benjamin H. Cameron. In 1892 the jail site was changed to the present one under the administration of M. L. Flem- ing as chairman of the Troup County Commissioners, and the present struc- ture was built in that year. The other commissioners were J. M. Callaway, J. P. Baker, J. E. Smith, and W. J. Hammett, and the builder was William L. Landrum.
The old courthouse was supplemented at a later date by two small offices separated by a vault. These were for the accommodation of the County Clerk and the Ordinary, and were located on the eastern edge of the court- house plat, which was inclosed by an octagonal iron fence. This fence was afterwards used to inclose the Confederate Cemetery. The old brick court- house and the offices were dismantled in 1904, and while the work of demoli- tion was in progress, O. G. Cox, talented poet and editor of the LaGrange Graphic, penned the following lines:
"The march of time had ordered that the old courthouse should go. It was shoddy and old-fashioned and out of time, I know, But I'm thinking of the vanished scenes in the long ago. Alford is grandly thundering,
Dougherty is pleading, and Edward Hill is there! Bull is weighing justice with scales balanced fair. Haralson in argument is pealing strong and clear, Ben Hill sees on furrowed cheek the tribute of a tear. Gordon's youthful visage, bright eyes aflame! Ferrell, clear and brilliant, and a host whom I could name."
In 1904, the present courthouse was built under the administration of Charles H. Griffin as chairman, and ably assisted in the work by the other members of the Board of Commissioners, J. M. Callaway, W. J. Hardy, J. F. Market, and Frank Word, and Frank Harwell as clerk of the board. It was built by C. C. Totherow and Company as the contractors.
THE LAGRANGE POST OFFICE. The time of waiting in the lobby of the old post offices was formerly spent in political discussion, and the transmis- sion of social news, otherwise known as gossip. The gathering time was the arrival of the mail train, and the waiting time during the distribution in
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HISTORY OF TROUP COUNTY
the various boxes until "General Delivery" was open. The records of the early days are not kept in the local office and the memory of old citizens, some of which have blank intervals, furnish the source of all available in- formation. The earliest location of the office in the memory of the author was a wooden building about where the Howard Garage is situated on Church Street, and Captain W. S. Evans was the postmaster. This was during the first Cleveland administration in 1884. It was next moved to the west side of Ridley Avenue near the Misses Young store, and Moses R. Kirby was the postmaster. The next move was to the east side of Main Street, and the postmaster was William Laird, who was not previously a citizen of LaGrange. In 1905 the office was moved to the corner now occupied by the A. & P. store, as the National Bank had leased the old quarters on Main Street, and on this site Mrs. N. F. Awtry presided as postmistress.
In 1911 the present Federal building was erected as a post office, and con- tinues to be the office until the present date. This is a modern building with all the conveniences necessary for the reception and forwarding of mail. The addition of the convenience of the parcel post was established about 1917, some time later than the erection of this building. The present courte- ous and obliging postmaster is Walter L. Turner, who succeeded Mrs. Awtry.
THE WEST POINT POST OFFICE. The thriving city of West Point and the adjoining part of the city that lies in Alabama also have a Federal build- ing as a post office, the erection of which was completed in 1932. It is on the west side of the river on the south side of 8th Street, almost on the Alabama state line.
CITY HALL OF LAGRANGE. The city hall of LaGrange was erected in 1926, during the administration of Grover C. Hunter as mayor, with the approval of the following members of the city council: F. J. Pike, R. L. Render, Roy Dallis, E. D. Phillips, J. E. Borders, and A. C. Dunson. The building was designed by Lockwood and Poundstone, and constructed by the LaGrange Lumber and Supply Company. The cornerstone was laid by W. D. Richardson, Grandmaster of Georgia Freemasons.
The building is located on the northeast intersection of Haralson and Ridley Avenue on the site of the old county jail. It provides commodious city offices for the clerk and the city engineer, a comfortable room for a council chamber, and in the basement the city police office and the city prison. The city clerk is J. H. Moss, and the city engineer, G. H. Sargent.
WEST POINT AUDITORIUM. This modern structure is a credit to the city of West Point, and houses the welfare activities of the community, and the headquarters of this district of scouts under the leadership of Grady Brad-
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shaw. The city offices are located on the corner of First Avenue and Ninth Street. Further details and dates were not obtainable.
HOGANSVILLE CITY HALL. The city hall of Hogansville was erected in 1924, during the administration of Mayor Daniel. It is located on the south side of Main Street a short distance from the railroad station, which is the center of the corporate limits of the city. Upon the cornerstone appears the following information: "Hogansville City Hall, 1924; G. G. Daniel, Mayor; C. C. Nall; R. E. Daniel; B. F. Rosser; W. P. Wilkes; B. R. Williams, Sr .; R. H. Utting, clerk." The building is a credit to the enterprise of this energetic city.
THE DUNSON HOSPITAL. This hospital was originally the LaGrange Sana- torium, which was chartered November 24, 1902, by H. R. Slack, F. M. Ridley, H. W. Terrell, T. S. Bradfield, F. E. Callaway, J. E. Dunson, C. V. Truitt, W. A. Reeves, and A. T. Dallis. The Sanatorium was sponsored by Dr. H. R. Slack, who was a large contributor in the subscription to the enterprise, and it was operated by him until 1916, when it was purchased by the city of LaGrange in response to a bequest by Joseph E. Dunson, who died in that year. The bequest was stipulated as a fund of $10,000.00 for the erection of a municipal hospital, and in addition a maintenance fund of $500.00 annually for five years for the operation of the hospital. The city purchased the Sanatorium for $20,000.00 by adding $10,000.00 from the city treasury. The Sanatorium was valued at a larger sum, but Dr. and Mrs. Slack donated the excess value to the hospital.
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