FITZGERALD, GA
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DOWNTOWN FITZGERALD HISTORY

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Downtown Fitzgerald History

Atlanta was not the only city to rise from the ashes in the latter nineteenth century. Fitzgerald’s central business district evolved from its Shack Town roots of 1895 into several bustling blocks by the Autumn of 1896. Timber was plentiful and sawmills sprang up all over the colony. Showcase wood framed buildings like the GAR Hall were completed and the Lee-Grant Hotel was begun. But in December of 1896, nearly all of it disappeared in what became known as the Great Conflagration. Nearly all of Downtown went up in smoke. Out of that experience came a new downtown fire district requiring new buildings to be of masonry construction, resulting in the beautiful buildings we still enjoy in our National Register Downtown Historic District. A handful of original wooden buildings survived into the late twentieth century, but today the only remaining example of the early wood frame public spaces is the WRC Hall on South Main Street.

MORE TO LEARN

ARCHITECTURAL TREASURES TOUR
ATTEND CITY MEETINGS
BLUE & GRAY MUSEUM
CITY OF FITZGERALD HISTORY
DOWNTOWN FITZGERALD HISTORY
EVERGREEN CEMETERY TOUR
FITZGERALD-BEN HILL COUNTY LIBRARY
GRANITOID STRUCTURES TOUR
JEFFERSON DAVIS MEMORIAL SITE
MARKERS & MONUMENTS TOUR
POINTS OF INTEREST TOUR
THE DEPOT

CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM, ARTS & CULTURE

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Department of Tourism, Arts & Culture at The Depot
116 N Johnston Street
Fitzgerald, Ga  31750

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(229) 426-5033 (office)
(800) 386-4642

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Brandy Elrod
Director of Tourism, Arts & Culture

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Monday-Friday
8am-5pm
(excluding holidays)

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Follow Live, Play, Stay Fitzgerald, GA for upcoming events & happenings

CITY OF FITZGERALD CITY HALL  |  302 E CENTRAL AVE  |​  FITZGERALD, GA 31750  |  (229) 426-5060

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E-Verify #100652  Date of Authority 2/15/2008
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