Hogansville, Georgia

Before the Civil War

When William Hogan settled this land after receiving a State Land Grant in 1826, he built a log home as a base for developing a cotton plantation on his property. It was based on the work of enslaved African Americans. In 1851, he built a 2½ story brick colonial house. The home burned in 1899 and was rebuilt nearby in 1901. Fair Oaks, a private residence at 703 East Main Street, occupies the site.

Hogan's land was crossed by two important transportation routes, the east-west road to Augusta, now Highway 100, and a newly constructed north-south railroad between Atlanta and West Point, Georgia. In his grant of the railway right-of-way, Hogan gave an additional 150 feet (46 m) at the crossroad, with the stipulation that a railroad depot be built there. The depot was catalyst for development of the town, long before it was incorporated in 1870. It became an important cotton market. This historic depot has been restored since the late 20th century.

William Hogan died at 57, after having 6 children by his first wife Mary and 15 by his second wife Suzanna. He is buried in the small family cemetery in front of 705 East Main Street. Many of his numerous descendants still live in the area.

After the Civil War

Hogan sold very little of his land prior to the Civil War. The survivors of the War returned to a grave economic situation. Reconstruction days began and John Pullin, Hogan's son-in-law, had the town laid out in business lots. These were sold at an Administrator's sale in 1866 after the railroad announced plans to construct through the town. Main Street was platted sixty feet wide, extending east and west on both sides of the railroad. The town of Hogansville was incorporated on October 12, 1870. It became known as a center of commerce and held 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 sstreets. In those days old Bill Dukes met every train with his ox cart to carry baggage to the Hotel. He rang the dinner bell while walking the length of the hotel's porches on each floor, shouting, "Dinner is served!" The porches or verandas extended across the front and sides of the building on two floors. This hotel is still standing and was restored in the late 20th century.

Hogansville was developed as a cotton mill town, as textile manufacturing grew rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1897, businessmen from Atlanta and Hogansville chartered the Hogansville Manufacturing Company. The mill was built near Yellow Jacket Creek. Adjacent to the mill, the company constructed a "mill village" to house the workers. This village area ais bounded by Green, Dickinson, Askew and Johnson streets. In 1905 the mill was bought by Consolidated Duck of Delaware, which 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. The US Rubber Company, which later became Uniroyal, bought the mill and operated it until recently. Textile manufacturing moved offshore in the late 20th century. The mill operates under Contitech (Continental Tire) for industrial conveying and components.

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 benefited from many of the programs of the President Roosevelt administration. The WPA helped to build the gymnasium at the school on Main Street.

The CCC built the Hogansville Amphitheater, using stone from a nearby rock quarry. Since a restoration in the 21st century, the amphitheater has been the site of many local events. These include a series of concerts given during the Hummingbird Festival.

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

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

Geography

Hogansville is located at 33°10′12″N 84°54′33″W (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

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.

Notable people