Museum - Monroe Museum in Monroe, Georgia

HAPPY NEW YEAR from the Monroe Museum. Three of the businesses named in today's by-gone ads are still in business. Can you name them?

Consider a year-end gift to support the work of Monroe Museum. Your donation will help tell the story of Monroe and preserve important artifacts of our history. Monroe Museum P. O. Box 506 Monroe, GA 30655

MONDAY MORPH: WALTON TRADING COMPANY ENCORE Here is another look at one of our most popular MONDAY MORPHS posted two years ago. The Walton Trading Company was doing business as early as 1906 and as late as 1915, with John Jackson Nunnally as president. They sold buggies, wagons, and organs. The sign under the awning in the old photo says "Studebaker Wagons." Some of us may remember Harold Baccus's Studebaker dealership on West Spring Street, but he did not sell wagons. Walton... Trading was apparently 2 businesses. The Nunnally family had a heavy presence on this end of town. John J.'s son, W. H. owned the Nunnally Company across the street where Monroe Mechantile is today and the office building north of that was the Nunnally Building, followed by the Eulalia building named for W. H. Nunnally's wife. The opening to the south of the Walton Trading Company was called Arnold's Alley. Our thanks to @Reba Breedlove for sharing today's old picture with us. She found it in a pump organ that her grandmother had purchased at Walton Trading Company, many years ago. Steve Brown, Monroe Museum Historian

Wishing you a Merry Christmas from Monroe Museum!

Billy Underwood passed away this week and our community lost a valuable and highly respected Law Enforcement Officer. Billy devoted over 50 years to law enforcement in our town and county. The Monroe Police Department stated: "City of Monroe Police Department would like to honor former Chief Billy Underwood, who started with the department in 1967 to begin his law enforcement career. Between his service at Monroe Police Department, Walton County DA's Office and Walton County Sheriff's Office, Underwood served the citizens of Walton County for more than 50 years. We honor him, his family and his dedicated service." Billy's father, Johnny Underwood also served our community for many years as a police officer and police chief.

MONROE GOLF HISTORY The Monroe Golf & County Club was dedicated on December 3, 1958. However, in earlier times, 1920's and 30's, Monroe had some of the best golfers in the state. Bob Nowell and Marshall Pollock could, and did play competitive golf with the likes of Bob Jones and others. So, where did they practice. Well before the Monroe Golf & Country Club, we had... Breedlove's Pasture. ... In 1989, John Day Nunnally writing "The Day-Nunnally Family History' writes the following: "It was in the late 1920's when two of my cousins who lived in Monroe, Louie and Hughes Wall, introduced me to the game of golf. The place was called Breedlove's Pasture and it had sand greens, the sand was mixed with oil to make a smooth surface. Golf has been my lifelong pleasure." -Steve Brown

1973 Veterans' Day Parade

BUGGY ON BROAD STREET This happy couple cuddles in their buggy as Mr. C. M. Carnes takes their picture outside his home and studio at the corner of Broad and Washington. You can see the sign advertising his business and if you look closely on the ground to the left of the buggy, you can see the shadow of the staircase leading upstairs to the photography studio. The picture was probably made around 1910 to 1915 but we have no exact date. The Carnes home has been restored and maintained as Lee Phillips Malcom & Andy Malcom's Real Estate Office.

MONDAY MORPH: LOOKING TO THE FUTURE. Over half a century before we ever heard the word COVID, Monroe Police Department officers use powerful anti-bacterial solutions to sanitize our storm drain system. Steve Brown, Monroe Museum Historian

In 1952, 28 World War II veterans graduated from high school in Monroe, on the GI Bill. The photo includes dignitaries along with the grads. Steve Brown, Monroe Museum

THIS DAY IN HISTORY: 11 OCT 1977, MICHAEL ETCHISON KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY. On this day in 1977, Lt. Michael Etchison, one of Monroe's first black police officers was killed. Lt. Etchison was the first Monroe Police Officer to be killed in the line of duty. Here is a slide show highlighting Lt. Etchison's life. This is part of the Monroe Museum's Michael Etchison exhibit. THE LINK AT THE END OF THE VIDEO IS NO LONGER VALID. If you would like to watch the Michael Etchison story in its entirety, you can click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNzOpwrW5U4

MONDAY MORPH: ARNOLD-ADAMS HOME, ANOTHER LOOK Here is a closer look at a house we have morphed previously. TURN ON YOUR SPEAKERS.

In March, 1957 Doster's Gulf Station celebrated it's grand opening. If you have been following this page very long, you may remember an earlier morph showing the W. O. Dean house which occupied this property before Doster's Gulf. It was a large 2 story columned home built around 1910 which by the 1950's had become home to Williams & Smith Funeral Home. But lets go back a little earlier to before 1885, possibly way before, when a more modest home was built on this corner lot.... That house was home to some of Monroe's more prominent families over the years, Nunnallys, Felkers, Sheats, and Deans. When the Dean family decided to build a more palatial home, they did not destroy the older structure, but moved it east and turned it to face Highland. If you are a native and eligible for the senior citizen discount, you may have visited Dr. Phil Stewart, or Dr. Harry Nunnally there, as it became their office in 1949. Harry Nunnally bought the house from Roger Webster, whose wife, Florence DEAN Webster had been born in the house. Others born there include Lena Felker, who with her husband George Lewis, built a beautiful home where our post office is located today. Also, Frances Nunnally, who became the wife of George Napier, Attorney General of Georgia. Their home was one lot north of the corner, today occupied by the Episcopal Church. I owe a debt of gratitude to Arthur Mobley Jr. whose column "The Hatrack" appearing in the August 9, 1949 WALTON NEWS contained a good deal of the information I have presented here. Steve Brown, Monroe Museum

Do you remember "Whitie", who once each year turned into "Pinkie"? Thanks to Mike Oakes for the obit. Steve.

Monroe Girls Corps at the Georgia Mountain Fair in Hiawassee in 1976.

Come out for the fun and support our fantastic downtown!

Here is a post from a while back that gives us a look at all the communities that once dotted Walton County. How many still exist? With how many are you familiar? Where have you or your ancestors lived?

ALMANDS FUNERAL HOME GARAGE Almands Funeral home started business in 1898 in Social Circle. E. L. Almand Sr. was the founder of the company. Their location in Monroe changed over time finally occupying the John T. Robertson home, at the SW corner of Broad and Walton Streets in 1953. Today, this is the location of the employees parking lot for city hall. When the hearse garage was located as pictured in today's morph, the funeral home was in the Cotton Cafe, but that is another morph. Pictured in today's morph is Edward Almand Jr. who became president of Almands in 1959 and remained in that position until the company was sold in 1973. He stands beside a 1936 Cadillac LaSalle Hearse. Today's cover picture is one of Almand's first hearsts about 1900. Steve Brown, Monroe Museum

This picture of the WGTV tower being constructed on top of Turkey (or Jack's Creek) Mountain appeared in a 1959 Tribune. At the time the tower was about 50% complete. When it was finished in 1960, it stood 1037 feet high. If it still stood today, according to Wikipedia, it would be the 19th tallest structure in the world.

Please email information on veterans to: [email protected] by Friday, November 6th to have it included in our tribute on Veterans' Day, November 11th. Anyone you know who served is welcome. You can send more than one photo and as much information as you like.

I had a great visit today with the Matthew Talbot Chapter of the DAR. They asked me to present a program on the 5th District A&M School (sometimes referred to as Monroe A&M), once located at Walker Park. There were about 23 in attendance. I am looking forward to presenting a program next year on their namesake, Matthew Talbot. If your group would be interested in a program on any subject related to Monroe History, you can contact me at: [email protected] Steve Brown, Monroe Museum Historian

MOBLEY-PRESTON HOUSE, WASHINGTON STREET Albert Mobley built the two-story frame house in today's morph in the first decade of the 20th century. The Mobley family lived there only a short time, and in 1916, they sold the house to the Preston family. The house faced south on Washington street just behind the businesses on Broad Street. The house was razed in 1974, as seen in our cover photo, and today the property is a parking lot. Albert Mobley, the original owner, was a man v...ery involved in the life of Monroe. Mr. Mobley was secretary of the Monroe Cotton Mill. He served on the city council and was later elected mayor. He, along with associates, chartered one of Monroe's first telephone exchanges. In 1916, J. Troy Preston Sr. purchased the house and moved in with his family. Mr. Preston was a Georgia state representative and senator. During World War II, he served on the draft board for Walton County. Mr. Preston and his wife, Leila Breedlove Preston, had three children, Troy Jr., Bill, and Lucy. Troy Jr. was with the Monroe Post Office for over thirty years, serving as Assistant Post Master. Bill Preston joined Morris Kelly's law firm on Court Street in 1948 to form a partnership that continues today as Preston & Malcom, Attorneys at Law, Walton County's oldest law firm. Steve Brown, Monroe Museum Historian

Broad Street was the first street paved in Monroe. That took place in 1920. In the early days, if you wanted your street paved, you paid for it. The documents here, given to the Monroe Museum by Logan Propes, city administrator show an example of that system. In 1930 bonds were issued for the paving of Walton Street. The bonds had a face value of $512.75 and paid 6 percent interest. As I understand it, (and I am not totally clear on this) the residents of Walton Street paid into a fund that paid the bond holders. How much they paid may have been determined by the size of their lots or street frontage. Again, I am not sure. If you can add to our information and understanding please do so. The paving was from Broad Street to the end of the sidewalk. Walton Circle was still about 8 years away from existence. Steve Brown, Monroe Museum

Monroe Golf & Country Club Lady Champs, 1985.

MONDAY MORPH: THELMA CARNES ON BROAD STREET Something new, TURN ON YOUR VOLUME! Tell me what you think. I can take it.... Steve Brown, Museum Historian

Our friend, Jack Williams turns 93 today. Back in 2019, Jack shared some life stories with us. Here is the first clip from that interview.

Our friend Hoyt Studdard has many stories to tell, and he enjoys telling them almost as much as I enjoy hearing them. Here is a very short one (30 secs.) from 2015, about an invincible goldfish and a cold winter night. Steve Brown

Here is a Conner Family reunion photo from the late 50s given to us by Nancy Still Burgess. Using the numbers, can you help us identify the people present that day? Steve Brown, Monroe Museum.

MONDAY MORPH: COKER HOUSE. The Henry A. Coker family was almost certainly not the first residents at 126 Pearl Street, later to become Washington Street. We know that the Cokers moved there from South Broad sometime after 1930. Henry and his wife, Mary, had a son whose name is unknown to us and two daughters, Hazel and Gaynelle. Hazel worked at Gallant-Belks in Monroe, and Gaynelle was an operator for General Telephone. We think that Hazel and Gaynelle sold the house to the N...ational Bank in the early 1970s. They later lived on Highland Avenue and North Broad. Hazel passed away in 1981 and Gaynelle in 1992. The Nation Bank razed the house in 1974 and built a new bank, which today is Synovus. The National Bank of Walton County, originally the Bank of Monroe, had called the northeast corner of Broad and Spring home for over 60 years after initially opening on Spring Street in 1891. The Cooperative Extension Service occupies the corner building today. Our thanks to the Walton County Chamber of Commerce for donating the photos used in today's morph as they prepare to move their headquarters. Steve Brown, Monroe Museum Historian See more

The police station on the corner of Spring and Broad started out as a wooden building which we know was there by 1951. By the mid-50s, the wooden building was gone. There was no building for a period and then by 1960, the brick building was there. The latest that we are certain it was there is 1966 but it could have been quite a bit longer. I don't know the date of the voting photo but it was probably in the early 60s. Paul and Perry Nell Darby were Mr. & Mrs. Claus there and other places for about 3 decades. Steve Brown, Monroe Museum Historian.

Originally Monroe Police did not have an office or "Police Department". There was just a call box at the corner of Broad and Spring. Officers would stay nearby in a patrol car. The small building on the corner which was originally wooden, was a step up from the call box. The next step was an office for the chief at city hall where Monroe Museum is located now and eventually the Police Department was housed there. In this photo citizens are lined up to vote.