LaGrange, GA...My Hometown!

Pine Mountain RVC Outdoor Destinations
Pine Mountain, GA
October 30, 2013

LaGrange's Lafayette Square

What's it like being a tourist in your own hometown? Well, for Joe and I it was a whole lot of fun! Lafayette Square is the heart of all the action where there is always something to do.  

We wanted to do a walking tour, but a hearty breakfast was in order first. Gus's Grill just off the square is the place for that! Fried eggs with crispy edges are my favorite. My Grandmother did them the best, and Gus's is a very close second!

 

LaGrange Art Museum

So, with our tummies full, we headed out. First building that came into view was the LaGrange Art Museum. The LaGrange Art Museum is more than 50 years old. It is housed in an 1892 Victorian building which originally served as the Troup County Jail.   
 
 

Today, it includes 4 galleries, office and classroom space, and a gift shop. Free and nominal-fee classes are offered to the public for adults and children. The only class I took there was calligraphy... 
 
 

There have been many changes made to Main Street through the years. Big department stores like Belk Gallant and Kress' Five and Dime have been replaced by boutiques and restaurants.  
 
 

 
 
One of the many things special about LaGrange is the small community feel. This year was no different.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Businesses added a touch of fall as they placed unique "scarecrows" around the square.
 
 

 In 1824, President James Monroe invited Lafayette to the United States as the "nation's guest" and during his trip he visited all 24 states in the union at the time. He did visit the area of LaGrange.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
LaGrange was named at the suggestion of Colonel Julius Ceasar Alford, known as the "War Horse of Troup" in Congress, who in 1825 overheard Lafayette remark on the similarity between west Georgia countryside and his wife's estate named LaGrange near Paris, France.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LaGrange was incorporated in 1825. The area was quickly settled by well-to-do planters who opened large cotton plantations. It soon became a center for commerce, transportation and education in west central Georgia.

 
 

 

 
 

 
 
 
 What we found on our walk was a nice blend of old and new.

 

 Just a few blocks from the square, is LaGrange College. It was founded in 1831 as a woman's academy. In 1851 it moved to its current location on "the Hill" which is the highest point in the city. In 1856, the Methodist Church  took ownership and in 1953, it was officially made a coeducational college.
 

The chapel at the college is  the only unchanged building. I graduated from there in 1974. The buildings were the same...just used differently. The library I used is now the admissions office and the classrooms I attended were no longer used for the education program anymore.

 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
It's a beautiful campus. And yes, the azaleas were in bloom.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 Our last stop for the day was Bellevue...the historic home of senator Benjamin Harvey Hill. The home was built from 1853-55 for his wife.

 The stately antebellum home is listed in the National Register of historic places and is designated a National Historic Landmark. . At the end of the Civil War, Mr. Hill was arrested in his home as a Confederate official by the Union. Bellevue was purchased by the Fuller E. Callaway Foundation in 1942 and given to the LaGrange Woman's Club.

 I didn't get a good picture of the magnificent magnolia trees on the front lawn...sorry! The furnishings for the home are not original, but it is furnished with pieces that are "time appropriate". There is even a love seat and two chairs...antique Victorian settee...donated by my mom in the upstairs hallway.
 
 The hydrangeas were in all stages...
 
 
 
 

 This was a nice find!








It was a very nice day. I have lived in LaGrange for over 50 years. Between work, children, and other responsibilities, its been a really long time since we just took the time to enjoy our own hometown!  We also had one more "touristy" day...saving that for later since this is already waaaaay to long!

Until next time...

 

stay safe and...

 

 

 enjoy your view!