Hogansville, Georgia

Hogansville, Georgia
City
The East Main Street-Johnson Street Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 14, 2000.
Location in Troup County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Troup
Area
• Total	6.6 sq mi (17.3 km2)
• Land	6.6 sq mi (17.2 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	712 ft (217 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	2,774
• Density	420.3/sq mi (160.3/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	30230
Area code(s)	706
FIPS code	13-39244
GNIS feature ID	0315520

Hogansville is a city in Troup County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,060 at the 2010 census. Since 1998, Hogansville has held an annual Hummingbird Festival in October.

History

Before the Civil War

The town of Hogansville has a unique beginning in that it arose from the pre-Civil War plantation of one man, William Hogan. Hogansville began because there was a crossroads on Hogan's land of two important routes, the north-south railroad between Atlanta and West Point, and the east-west road to Augusta, now Highway 100. In his grant of right-of-way, Hogan gave an additional 150 feet (46 m) at the crossroad with the stipulation that a depot be built there. His foresight in this grant was the beginning of the town, long before it was incorporated in 1870. This depot was along the rebuilt, and has since been restored.

When Hogan settled the land after the State Land Grant of 1826, he built a log home somewhere near the location of the Mill on South 29. In 1851, he built a 2½ story brick colonial house. The home burned in 1899 and was rebuilt nearby in 1901. Currently Fair Oaks, a private residence at 703 East Main Street, occupies the site. William Hogan died at 57 after having 6 children by his first wife Mary and 15 by his second wife Suzanna. Because of this, his descendants are numerous with many still living in the area. William Hogan is buried in the small family cemetery in front of 705 East Main Street.

After the Civil War

Hogan sold very little of his land prior to the Civil War. The survivors of the War returned to a very grave economic situation. Reconstruction days began and John Pullin, Hogan's son-in-law, had the town laid out in business lots which were sold at an Administrators sale in 1866. Main Street was laid off in the sale sixty feet wide extending east and west on both sides of the railroad. The town of Hogansville was incorporated on October 12, 1870 and immediately was known as a center of commerce and the largest cotton market in the area.

By 1890, the Zachry Building was constructed at the corner of Main and College. The Zachry Brothers store occupied the first floor and sold general merchandise including liquor by the bottle and by the drink. Some years later, the Opera House opened on the second floor. Around 1900, the Grand Hotel was built by a stock company on the southeast corner of Main and Oak Streets. In those days old Bill Dukes and his Ox cart met every train to bring up baggage to the Hotel. He also rang the dinner bell as he walked the length of the two porches, upstairs and downstairs shouting, "Dinner is served!" The porches extended all across the front and sides of the building on two floors. This hotel is still standing and has been restored.

19th century

For much of its existence Hogansville was a mill town. In 1897, businessmen from Atlanta and Hogansville chartered the Hogansville Manufacturing Company. The mill was built near Yellow Jacket Creek. Adjacent to the mill, a "mill village" was constructed to house the workers. This village is bounded by Green, Dickinson, Askew and Johnson Streets. In 1905 the mill was bought by Consolidated Duck of Delaware, who sold it to Lockwood-Green of Boston in 1913. They built the new mill in 1922-24. Callaway of LaGrange bought the mill in 1928, and finally the US Rubber Company which later became Uniroyal bought the mill and operated it until recently. Currently the mill operates under Contitech (Continental Tire) for industrial conveying and componets.

Great Depression

With the Great Depression and the dramatic fall of cotton prices, Hogansville fell on hard economic times during the 1920s and 1930s. The town did benefit from many of the programs of the Roosevelt Administration. The WPA helped to build the gymnasium at the school on Main Street and the CCC built the Hogansville Amphitheater using stone from a nearby rock quarry. Since a recent restoration, the amphitheater is the sight of many local events including a series of concerts given during the Hummingbird Festival.

Hogansville also had ties to Roosevelt on a more personal level. Mr. Hugh Darden owned the Ford dealership in town. Chief salesman Joe Broome sold to FDR the hand controller car he drove while in Warm Springs, Georgia. The car is now on display at the Little White House.

Post war and contemporary

The period after World War II and through the Korean War brought great prosperity to the town of Hogansville. It was the commercial center for northern Troup County, Heard, and Meriwether Counties and southern Coweta County. Main Street was abuzz with activity and the sidewalks were choked with shoppers every Saturday. In 1937, the Royal Theater was built by Mr. O.C. Lam. His brother, Mr. C.O. Lam was superintendent of schools at the time. This theater, an excellent example of Art Deco style was the center of social life in Hogansville for decades.

With the coming of the mass use of automobiles in the 1950s, dark clouds were gathering for Hogansville. The car allowed people to travel farther and farther to larger stores and the local merchants suffered. The 1960s brought social upheaval to Hogansville along with the rest of the country. When faced with the choice of integrating or closing their schools, those in favor of maintaining schools prevailed and the schools were integrated almost without incident. Hogansville maintained its own school system until 1996, after which it became a part of the Troup County School system. Current times see Hogansville looking to the future and re-establishing itself as a cultural and artistic center as well as becoming a bedroom community for the region.

Attractions and events

• Hogansville Hummingbird Festival, outdoor arts-and-crafts festival held the third weekend of October
• Christmas Parade, "Santa Claus and dozens of floats, both home-made and professional, our parade is small town life at its best"
• Trunk or Treat, "A great Hogansville Halloween idea. Fun for kids of all ages. Proves the adage that it's better to give than receive."
• Van Byars Antique Auction, a Hogansville tradition, every third Saturday throughout the year

Geography

Hogansville is located at (33.170022, -84.909146). Hogansville is located along Interstate 85, which runs northeast to southwest through the city, leading northeast 50 mi (80 km) to Atlanta and southwest 98 mi (158 km) to Montgomery, Alabama. Other highways which run through the city include U.S. Route 29, Georgia State Route 54, and Georgia State Route 100.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.7 square miles (17 km²), of which 6.6 square miles (17 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) (0.45%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	400		—
1890	518		29.5%
1900	893		72.4%
1910	1,230		37.7%
1920	1,591		29.3%
1930	2,355		48.0%
1940	3,886		65.0%
1950	3,769		−3.0%
1960	3,658		−2.9%
1970	3,075		−15.9%
1980	3,362		9.3%
1990	2,976		−11.5%
2000	2,774		−6.8%
2010	3,060		10.3%
Est. 2014	3,090		1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,774 people, 1,099 households, and 727 families residing in the city. The population density was 418.1 people per square mile (161.3/km²). There were 1,249 housing units at an average density of 188.2 per square mile (72.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 55.16% White, 43.22% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.58% of the population.

There were 1,099 households out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 22.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 25.3% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 82.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,976, and the median income for a family was $32,979. Males had a median income of $27,028 versus $18,889 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,592. About 10.2% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.

Gallery

• 

  The Royal Theater was built in 1937 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 21, 2001. The building currently serves as the Hogansville City Hall.

• 

  Stark Mill (pictured) and the Mill Village Historic District were added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 5, 2000.

• 

  Built on East Main Street in the 1890s, The Grand Hotel continues to serve as a bed and breakfast. It is part of the East Main Street-Johnson Street Historic District.

• 

  Callaway High School is a public high school located in Hogansville.

Notable people

• J. M. Gates, preacher and gospel singer.
• Gar Heard, basketball player.
• Alfred Jenkins, football player.
• Derek Smith, basketball player.
• John Whelchel, football player.
• Amanda Jo Williams, musician, artist and writer.
• Cowboy Jimmy Moore, billiard champion.

External links

• Official City of Hogansville Site
• Hogansville Hummingbird Festival
• Hogansville GA Welcome Center, operated by the Merchant's Association