Griffin and Spalding County has its share of
colorful tales, personalities, unique places and unforgettable events. All
of this allows Griffin and Spalding County to present a great historical
perspective of a great and growing Southern community.
Prior to the founding of Spalding County, General Lewis Lawrence Griffin
proved a man of vision when he chose an ideal location for a town along his
Monroe Railroad’s north-south route. Although the major emphasis eventually
shifted instead to the town of Terminus (later called Marthasville and
finally renamed Atlanta) to the north, the original plan’s design was sound.
Spalding County has the distinction of being Thomas Spalding’s namesake.
Known as Georgia’s Benjamin Franklin, Spalding was a prominent figure in
agriculture, politics, and banking. His contributions to the state in these
fields were immeasurable. Therefore, upon his death in 1851 his name was
immortalized by awarding it to our newly created county, a fitting
remembrance.
One of Spalding County’s most famous residents, John Henry “Doc” Holliday,
was born August 14, 1851, and baptized March 21, 1852, in the Presbyterian
Church in Griffin. After receiving a degree from Pennsylvania College of
Dental Surgery, he moved back to Georgia and had a successful practice in
downtown Griffin before ill health forced his move out West. He died
November 8, 1887, in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.
Information is available from both the Griffin-Spalding Chamber of Commerce
and the Griffin Downtown Council/Main Street Office regarding a thoughtfully
planned walking tour of Historic Griffin. The tour involves up to 37 sites,
which pan the years from 1850 to the early 1900s. The original Spalding
County Courthouse, built in 1859 by Demerest, is still standing on the
southwest Corner of Broad and 5th Streets. Though it is no longer used as
the county seat of government, the building is one of Georgia’s few
remaining antebellum courthouses and houses the University of Georgia
Extension Service offices.
More recent places and events are now in the history of Griffin and Spalding
County. Just prior to the 1996 Olympic Games, 12 local community heroes
carried the Olympic torch along the route traversing Griffin and Spalding
County. As an integral part of the 1996 celebration, local citizen Wyomia
Tyus, an Olympic Gold Medal winner in both 1964 and 1968 Games, was honored
by having the county’s newest park named for her.
The passing of the last great century reminds us that our future is shaped
by our past. Tomorrow’s history is being written today and is building on
its successful story.
