1733   

Georgia founded by Gen. James E. Oglethorpe; 13th British colony  -- named for King George II.

1739

Gen. J. E. Oglethorpe traveled to West Georgia to meet Creek leaders (probably came through Troup County

1789   

George Michael Troup born, son of George Troup and Catherine McIntosh

1793

Militia from near Augusta, Georgia, retaliated against Creek raids by burning the village of Ocfuskeneana on banks of Chattahoochee River. Site now called "Burnt Village.

1807

Horace King, Bridge Builder, born a slave in South Carolina

1823

George M. Troup elected Governor of Georgia

1824

Grayson's Trail was a well-established Creek Indian path north of the area that becomes LaGrange.

1825

William McIntosh, President of the Creek Nation, and 49 other chiefs sold the land between the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers to the United States

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The Marquis de Lafayette visits Georgia and is welcomed to the state by Governor Troup. Lafayette remarked upon the similarity of West Georgia to his estate, the Chateau de LaGrange, in France.

1826

Troup County created by the Georgia General Assembly

1827

Troup County Academy established, first school in county

1828

"Town" of LaGrange named county seat of Troup County; the name "LaGrange" proposed by Colonel Julius Caesar Alford and named for the country estate of the Marquis de Lafayette

1829

West Point organized (originally named Franklin)

1830

Hill View Cemetery established on grounds of Troup County Academy with burial of Abner Turner

1831

LaGrange Female Academy (LaGrange College) chartered

1832

Mickleberry and Nancy Coleman Ferrell bought land and built a home with a formal garden on Vernon Road.

1834

Bird's Mill (later Young's Mill) built (other early mills established in Troup County included O'Neal, Smith, Norwood, Dennis, Dallis, Pool, Eichelberger)

1835

John and David Culberson establish sawmill

1837

Robert C. Brown established Brownwood Institute, a school for girls (later becomes Brownwood University for Males)

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Montgomery and West Point Railroad incorporated

1838

City of LaGrange took control of Troup County Academy and renamed it LaGrange High School

1841

Sarah C. and Blount C. Ferrell began developing "Ferrell Gardens" which they called "The Terraces"

1844

John Maier, noted artist, applied for American citizenship in Troup County

1845

Louis Merz immigrated to West Point from Bavaria; died a Confederate soldier at the Battle of Sharpsburg (1862). He kept a diary from January to July 1862.

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A mill was established on Flat Shoals Creek. Three years later the mill was converted to cotton manufacturing, the first in Troup County

1846

Horace King freed by his owner, John Godwin

1847

Railroad incorporated, to run from Atlanta to LaGrange

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Robert Robertson of Scotland built first textile factory in Troup County to manufacture thread from wool

1849

Atlanta and LaGrange Railroad charter included an extension to West Point.

1840s

Godfred Kener, of Germany, established furniture factory in LaGrange

1850s

Christian, Valentine, and James Zimmer open German restaurant in LaGrange

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Albert Lehmann, German watchmaker, becomes proprietor (owner) of jewelry store in LaGrange

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Other families emigrating from Europe in the 19th century included: Wolf, Berringer, Freisleben, Merz, Hagedorn, Herzberg, Stein, and Holle

1851

Montgomery and West Point Railroad completed to West Point

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Bank of LaGrange established by Samuel Curtright and ten other men

1852

Jewish merchant Heyman Heyman emigrated to LaGrange from Germany; later established Heyman-Merz Merchandise Company in West Point

1855

"Bellevue," home of Senator Benjamin Harvey Hill completed (only Troup County home designated as a National Historic Landmark)

1856

LaGrange re-incorporated as "City of LaGrange"

1857

Atlanta and LaGrange railroad became Atlanta and West Point railroad

1861

Nancy Harts organized to defend LaGrange when the LaGrange Light Guards, and most able-bodied men enlisted in the Confederate Army

1864

Southern Female and LaGrange Female Colleges share faculty and facilities

1865

Battle of Fort Tyler (West Point, GA)

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Warren Temple United Methodist Church established. Congregation moves into new building in 1930 constructed by John Moore

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First Baptist Church of Fannin Street established

1870

Hogansville incorporated; named for local land owner William Hogan, who began the town before 1860

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Fuller E. Callaway, Sr. born in LaGrange.

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William O. Tuggle begins collection of local Indian lore in Oklahoma (1870s)

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William Jarboe, first Catholic mayor of LaGrange, elected

1871

Southern Female College, destroyed by fire in 1864, relocated to Church Street

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John E. Toole became first public school superintendent (called commissioner) in Troup County

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Troup County Board of Education established

c.1872

Horace King and sons establish construction company in LaGrange

1876

West Point Board of Education established

1877

Ulrich Bonnell Philips, nationally noted historian, born in LaGrange; He writes Life and Labor in the Old South, which is published in 1929

1886    

Jefferson Davis made speech in LaGrange, his only one while en route to Atlanta for unveiling of statue honoring Benjamin H. Hill

1888

Callaway Department Store established

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King Street named in honor of Horace King and his son Marshall

1889

First modern textile plant opened in LaGrange located on Morgan Street

1890

Mountville Military Institute established (1890s)

1892

County Jail on Hines Street built (now Chattahoochee Valley Art Museum)

1893

LaGrange Telephone Exchange opened with 28 subscribers

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Hogansville Board of Education established

1895

Dixie Mill opened, the oldest surviving factory in Troup County

1896

Robert E. & Walter G. Park established Park High School in LaGrange

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Glass Bridge constructed over Chattahoochee River by John and George King, sons of Horace King

1897

Mountville, "oldest settlement in Troup County," incorporated as a town

1899

February 13, temperatures reach -10 degrees below zero, the coldest day ever on record in Troup County

1900

Trimble Brick Company established in northeastern Troup County

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Fuller E. Callaway and others establish Unity Mill (plant now called Kex)

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Families emigrating to the U.S. during the early 20th century included: Jabaley, Solomon, Gay, Joseph, Katter, Mansour, Struletz, Frosolono, and Edelson

1902

Confederate monument dedicated on square; (now located on New Franklin Road)

1903

LaGrange Board of Education established

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LaGrange High School opened on Harwell Avenue

1905

Elm City Cotton Mill established

1906

Court Square (now Lafayette Square) and Main Street, paved

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Atlanta, Birmingham and Coastline Railroad includes a stop at the northern Troup County community of Abbottsford which was originally settled by Scots

1908

LaGrange Fire Department organized for the first time with paid firemen

1909

An orchestra was organized in LaGrange by Joe Frosolono, a violin player who was born in Italy

1910

Joseph Eugene Dunson and others established Dunson Mill

1911

In an address at the depot, former presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan paid a glowing tribute to LaGrange saying "it was a garden for the purposes of cultivating great men."

1912

Post Office on Main Street, LaGrange, completed

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Chinese Laundry on Main Street operated by Hong Ying

1915     

Jewish immigrant and merchant, Hyman Kaplan, moves to LaGrange; born in Jerusalem

1916

Charlie Joseph emigrated to LaGrange from Lebanon

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Dunson Hospital, first public hospital, opened

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Italian villa of Fuller and Ida Callaway, "Hills and Dales," on Vernon Road, completed. Designed by Neel Reid

1917

Mansour's Racket Shop, forerunner of Mansour's Department Store, opened

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Local chapter of American Red Cross established

1919

Severe flood in West Point. Other bad floods hit the town in 1929 & 1961.

1920

Charlie Joseph's, home of "World's Best Hot Dogs & Hamburgers," opened

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Goldstein Brothers, dry goods (clothing products) located on East Court Square advertises "Store of Quality"

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March, cyclone (tornado) hits Troup County, over 200 dead and injured

1921

Sisters Anna, Lois, & Ethel Young open the Colonial Hotel on Ridley Avenue

1925

Severe drought in Troup County, remembered as "the year you could walk across the Chattahoochee River"

1926

LaGrange City Hall constructed

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"Sunny Gables," designed by P. Thornton Marye, constructed for Mary B. Nix

1928

LaGrange Reporter and two other weeklies merged to become LaGrange Daily News

1929

Callaway Memorial Tower dedication

1930

Robert Elliott Burns escaped from prison in Troup County and goes on to write I am a Fugitive from the Georgia Chain Gang, which has been made into two movies and won an Academy Award for Paul Muni

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Nick Xinor operates Greek Restaurant in LaGrange

 --

LaGrange Theater on Main Street opens

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Callaway Cubs, semi-professional baseball team, wore a patch of a cotton bale on right arm and a patch of elm leaves and roses representing LaGrange's slogan as the "City of Elms and Roses" on left sleeve

1931

A major fire on Main Street destroyed many buildings

1932

LaGrange Daily News declares Simon Struletz "City's Unluckiest Man" when home burns, dynamite explodes and car burns all in a short period of time.

1933

History of Troup County written by Clifford Smith

1935

Clark-Holder Clinic founded

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City Swimming Pool built on Church Street, LaGrange

1936

Callaway Airport constructed by Works Progress Administration. Field was in use by pilots before this date

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Courthouse burns on November 5th

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City-County Hospital built

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LaGrange College experimented with co-education but drops after one year

1937

Lamar Dodd, nationally renowned artist raised in LaGrange, began teaching career at University of Georgia

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Royal Theater in Hogansville constructed by Lam Amusement Company; later operated by Jabaley family

1939

New Court House opens on Ridley Avenue

1930s

4-H Clubs introduced into local schools

1930s-1945

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt periodically seen driving roads of Troup County, always had a friendly wave

1941

WLAG goes on the air as first local radio station

1941-45

Hundreds of Troup County men and women leave their families and friends to help support U. S. war efforts, including Alfred Flowers and many others

1942

Callaway Auditorium completed

1943

Callaway Community Foundation established. Later becomes Callaway Foundation, Inc.

1944

Congregation Beth-El moves into old Episcopal Church building on Church Street

1946    

LaGrange Troupers play professional baseball. The team serves as farm team for New York Yankees from 1949 to 1951

1948

Hubert T. Quillian, President of LaGrange College, dies

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LaGrange City Cats named Alabama-Georgia Baseball League champions. Glenn Robertson, first Black elected to LaGrange City Council, played on team.

1949

Behr's Women's Specialty Shop opens on Main Street; owner is Harry Behr

1953

LaGrange College becomes permanently co-ed

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Lucy Morgan and Benjamin Harvey Hill Homes opened

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WTRP goes on the air

1956

Troup and Ethel Kight High Schools opened

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Edelson Brothers open Army Store on Hines Street. Their father Harry emigrated to the U. S. in 1914 from Minsk, Russia

1957

Seven Atlanta college students arrested while skinny-dipping on Square, a fraternity initiation prank

1960

Democratic Candidate for President John F. Kennedy visits LaGrange, school children line route as he drives by

1961    

Gypsy Queen in City-County Hospital, December 1961 to January 1962, created problems with her people camped all around hospital

1963

Chattahoochee Valley Art Association (now Museum) organized

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"Affair on the Square" begins

1968

Callaway Mills sold to Deering-Milliken

1970

January 9, Myrtice Carpenter ice skated on the Fountain with permission from Mayor Gardner Newman

1975   

West Point Lake completed. Has 525 miles of shoreline and is 25,900 acres.

1976

Statue of Marquis de LaFayette placed in center of square in downtown LaGrange

1977

Interstate 85 opens

1978

Richard English is first African-American elected to Troup County Board of Commissioners

1979

Interstate I-185 open

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Aso, Japan and LaGrange become "Sister Cities"

1980

NOK holds opening ceremonies at LaGrange plant with Japanese and American leaders present (later becomes Freudenberg-NOK)

1983

Troup County Archives opened

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La Fiesta, LaGrange's original Mexican restaurant opened, later becomes El Reyes, managed by Alfonso, Rodolfo and Carl Reyes

1984

Dr. Santiago Garcia named as head of Department of Education at LaGrange College

1985

January 21 is coldest day in Troup County in twentieth century. Temperatures reached a low of -4 degrees below zero

1986

West Point and Troup County schools merge

1988

TV 33 goes on the air

1989

Poti, Republic of Georgia (formerly Soviet Union) and LaGrange become "Sister Cities"

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Kay Durand becomes the first female elected to the LaGrange City Council

1992

Carl Von Epps elected to Georgia General Assembly, first African-American to represent Troup County area

1993

LaGrange City Schools merge into the Troup County School System

1994

Jeff Brown becomes first Republican elected to the Georgia House of Representatives from Troup County since the 1860s

1995

October, Hurricane Opal damages power lines, knocks down trees, and generally disrupts life in Troup County for about a week

1996

Olympics held in Atlanta. Over 500 athletes practice and train in Troup County

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LaGrange and Craigavon, Northern Ireland, become "Sister Cities"

1997

Dezayee family, Kurdish refugees, flee Saddam Hussein and Iraq and settle in Troup County

1998

Mama Flora's Family, a CBS Hallmark movie, filmed at Troup County Courthouse

1999

December 31: Year 2000 welcomed in by LaGrange "Downtown Countdown" on the Square

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Primera Iglesia Hispana de LaGrange, the first local Spanish language church opens in the former Unity Methodist Church, built by John King in 1903

2000 

   Statue of LaFayette 'refuses' to be moved off Square. Instead statue is "refurbished" while standing in place. Statue is rededicated in ceremony with American and French residents in attendance, led by LaGrange Rotarians

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    LaGrange is named as "Intelligent City of the World", partly because of free Internet services to all cable subscribers

2001 

    SPLOST vote approved, new Troup County Courthouse along with other recreation department projects to be built

2003 

    Georgia, Florida, and Alabama are in talks concerning the use of water from the Chattahoochee River. Chattahoochee is a Creek Indian word meaning colored or painted rocks. The river passes through Atlanta, Franklin, LaGrange,          West Point and Columbus before entering Alabama. At the Florida border, it joins the Flint River to become the Appalachicola and empties into the Gulf of Mexico.

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    LaGrange D.A.S.H. and Habitat for Humanity sponsor a large housing building project. 22 houses will be built during the first week of June.