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General Griffin
General Lewis Lawrence Griffin was the first President of
the Monroe Railroad and Banking Company and Founder of the City of Griffin.
The date and place of his birth are unknown, but he was a
native Georgian. When a young man, he located in Twiggs County and
began life very poor. This was about 1810.
Mr. Griffin volunteered in the State Militia and saw active
service under General Daniel Newman in the Indian War, known as the Florida
Campaign; and, afterwards, under General John Floyd and General Thomas
Glascock in the wars against the Creeks. He subsequently became a
General in the Georgia militia, which was then a position of considerable
responsibility. He also served in the Legislature in 1829 and 1830.
In about 1831, he moved to Monroe County and later to the City of Macon.
In the meantime, he had acquired a considerable fortune and, in addition to
his political and military honor, was regarded as one of the wealthiest men
in Middle Georgia.
General Griffin purchased eight hundred acres of land from
Bartholomew Still and laid out, not a village, nor a town, but a city.
Besides regular and generous streets and alleys, General Griffin laid out
and dedicated twenty-two acres of land for public use.
The lots in the City of Griffin were sold on June 8, 1840.
Shortly thereafter, a financial depression affected the entire county and
the Monroe Railroad and Banking Company failed. To sustain the failing
fortunes of the company, General Griffin pledged his entire estate and
became bankrupt with the enterprise of which he was head.
General Griffin was certainly down. More than fifty
years of age, his wife and children dead, his pet enterprise a failure, his
fortune gone, the esteem and confidence of his friends destroyed, it took a
man of rare confidence to start life over again. But, instead of
giving up and quitting, General Griffin moved to Aberdeen, Mississippi,
remarried, accumulated another fortune, raised a family and died highly
honored and respected.
General Griffin lived nearly twenty-five years after leaving
Georgia, and died in Aberdeen, Mississippi in July 1867. He was
survived by a widow and two children; also by a nephew, who had accompanied
him from Georgia as an adopted son. The handsome two-story antebellum
home of General Griffin in Aberdeen is still standing on Commerce street,
directly in front of the City Hall and is owned and occupied by his
grandchildren.
His features, revealed by his portrait, were cultured and
refined. His letters and speeches were vigorous, concise and well
expressed. All in all, he was a man whose name the City of Griffin is
proud to bear.
Today's General Griffin
Selection of a symbolic General Griffin became a part of
"The Great Griffin Mayfling", which began in 1983. The
Griffin/Spalding Chamber of Commerce began the community-wide celebration
held each spring. The first "Great Griffin Mayfling" was held in May
1983. Criteria and expectations for the selection of the symbolic
General are as follows:
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The individual selected to serve as General Griffin
shall best represent the "Spirit of Community" and have demonstrated
their dedication to the community by their involvement, contributions
and support of this community.
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The person who serves as General Griffin will be
expected to represent the Mayfling Committee and the Chamber of Commerce
at various events.
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Nominations must be made in writing.
The following individuals have served as the symbolic
General Griffin:
1983 Quimby Melton, Jr.
1984 Jack Flynt
1985 Felton Rainwater*
1986 Dr. Guy Woodroof*
1987 Layman Hattaway*
1988 Elmer George
1989 Raymond Head
1990 Bill Ramsey*
1991 Allan Imes
1992 Fred Watkins
1993 Bill Knight
1994 Billy Reeves
1995 Howard Wallce
1996 J. Henry Walker, III
1997 Jerry Riordan
1998 Frank Thomas*
1999 Warren Scoville
2000 Dr. Bruce Morgan
2001 Dick Brooks
2002 Wayne Brown
2003 Tom Grayson
2004 Ron Franklin
2005 Eddie Whitlock
2006 Jim King
2007 Bart Searcy
2008 Ray Barron
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