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Polk County Historical Society

Museum & Genealogical Research Library, est. 1974

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Category: People

Shirley Hamrick, Nurse at the Hall-Chaudron Hospital

March 1, 2023
| No Comments
| People, Women's History

The following is an excerpt from Attics and Fifth Wheels, an autobiography by Dr. Percy Octave Chaudron, and the perfect description of his beloved colleague and friend, Ms. Shirley Hamrick.“MISS SHIRLEY” Miss Shirley N. Hamrick, R.N., is one about whom I find it difficult to enumerate her admirable qualifications. She is a graduate of The […]

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Posted in <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/people/" rel="category tag">People</a>, <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/womens-history/" rel="category tag">Women's History</a>

Anne Brumby, Superintendent of Polk County Schools

March 8, 2022
| No Comments
| People, Schools, Women's History

Miss Anne Brumby, Superintendent of Polk County schools, was educated in the public schools of Cedartown, the Samuel Benedict Memorial School, the Georgia State College for Women, Emory University of Georgia. Miss Brumby taught in the Benedict school for a number of years and in the Cedartown schools for four years before being elected superintendent […]

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Posted in <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/people/" rel="category tag">People</a>, <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/schools/" rel="category tag">Schools</a>, <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/womens-history/" rel="category tag">Women's History</a>

Robert Anderson Bryant, Cedartown Educator

February 23, 2022
| No Comments
| People, Schools

The Cedartown Standard, October 21, 1976 One of Cedartown’s most valued and respected citizens is Robert Anderson Bryant, principal of Cedar Hill High School from 1940 until his recent retirement. Few can match his dedicated service and his contribution to our total community. R. A. Bryant’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science Degree from […]

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Posted in <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/people/" rel="category tag">People</a>, <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/schools/" rel="category tag">Schools</a> Tagged <a href="https://polkhist.com/tag/black-history-month/" rel="tag">Black History Month</a>

Memories of an ex-slave Nanny Whatley

February 3, 2022
| No Comments
| People

Some years ago, two young fellows from Cedartown traveled the few miles to nearby Collard Valley to pay one of their customary visits to “Aunt Nanny,” as they called her. Wayne Gammon and Mark Cornelius were both descendants of W.O.B. Whatley, their great-grandfather. Mr. Whatley, an early settler in the area had once owned the […]

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Posted in <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/people/" rel="category tag">People</a> Tagged <a href="https://polkhist.com/tag/black-history-month/" rel="tag">Black History Month</a>

Escue & Alice Rodgers

February 3, 2022
| No Comments
| People, Schools, Sports

Content provided by Alice W. Rodgers, The Heritage of Polk County Georgia, 2000 Escue Rodgers, born in Piedmont, Alabama, came to Cedartown in 1945 to teach math and to coach football and basketball. He was athletic director at Cedar Hill High School from 1945 through 1969. During his 24-year tenure at that school, Coach Rodgers […]

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Posted in <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/people/" rel="category tag">People</a>, <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/schools/" rel="category tag">Schools</a>, <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/sports/" rel="category tag">Sports</a> Tagged <a href="https://polkhist.com/tag/black-history-month/" rel="tag">Black History Month</a>

Remembering Cedar Hill

February 1, 2022
| No Comments
| People, Schools

Article by Janice Dobbins Laster The Georgia Legislature granted a charter for a public school system in Cedartown during the 1886-1887 session. Subsequently, the first school for blacks opened January 25, 1888. The three-room school house was located on Gordon Street, now North Main Street, and was comprised of grades 1-8. The first principal of […]

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Posted in <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/people/" rel="category tag">People</a>, <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/schools/" rel="category tag">Schools</a> Tagged <a href="https://polkhist.com/tag/black-history-month/" rel="tag">Black History Month</a>

Miss Sara Hightower – Library Pioneer

March 18, 2021
| No Comments
| 1900s, People

Sara Hightower, the helpful and smiling “little lady,” pioneered library science in Floyd and Polk counties. She is acknowledged to have ushered in a new era when she devised the concept of the bookmobile in the late 1940s. From that effort, which saw trucks carting books to gas stations, rural stores, and farmers’ homes, grew […]

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Posted in <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/1900s/" rel="category tag">1900s</a>, <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/people/" rel="category tag">People</a>

Asa Prior

March 17, 2021
| No Comments
| 1800s, People

After the Georgia land lottery of 1832 large numbers of white settlers had begun to move in and take over the lands of the Cherokee Indians. Some of the richest farm land – Paulding County’s Cedar Valley – was drawing the adventurous and ambitious to the area. By the time that the U.S. Army had […]

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Posted in <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/1800s/" rel="category tag">1800s</a>, <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/people/" rel="category tag">People</a>

James K. Polk

March 17, 2021
| No Comments
| 1800s, People

Very little attention is given it seems to James Knox Polk, 11th President of the United States, and the man for whom Polk County, Georgia is named. Maybe it was because of the manner in which he graciously performed his duties. One historian said of him: “He was the least conspicuous man who had ever […]

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Posted in <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/1800s/" rel="category tag">1800s</a>, <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/people/" rel="category tag">People</a>

Music History: Ida Cox

February 6, 2020
| No Comments
| 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, People

  Ida Cox, nee Prather, was a Cedartown-raised vaudeville performer who, along with Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith, founded the female blues genre. Born in 1888, Ida left home at an early age to pursue her singing career. “Wild women Don’t Have the Blues” is her most popular and covered tune, yet in the 1920’s […]

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Posted in <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/1890s/" rel="category tag">1890s</a>, <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/1900s/" rel="category tag">1900s</a>, <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/1910s/" rel="category tag">1910s</a>, <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/1920s/" rel="category tag">1920s</a>, <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/1930s/" rel="category tag">1930s</a>, <a href="https://polkhist.com/category/people/" rel="category tag">People</a>

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