Road Trip Saturday - Stop 2 - McDonough, Georgia

As mentioned in my last post, last Saturday I took a beautiful drive through middle Georgia.  I haven't spent a lot of time in middle Georgia. Northern Georgia is so beautiful, but middle Georgia is equally perfect.

Stop #2 - Henry County.  The county seat is McDonough.  It's pronounced Mick - Don - Ah.

Henry County was named for Patrick Henry.  You know, the "Give me Liberty or Give me Death" Patrick Henry.  If you don't know much about him, you should read up on him.  He did so much to form our country.

The courthouse even has a great statue of him.  I like that they have a statue of him, instead of a confederate soldier, since the county is his namesake.

Across from the courthouse is the C.O. Polk Interactive Museum.  I wanted to visit it, but as mentioned before, most little museums are closed on the weekend (again, so weird).  But I later discovered that this museum shut down during the COVID pandemic in 2020 and unfortunately, has never reopened.  That's a shame because its an interactive museum that shows the history of Henry County.

There is an old theater on the town square too.  The Clay Plaza building on the McDonough Square is rumored to be one of the most haunted in Henry County.

Once a movie theater from the 1940's through the 1960's, this building was owned by Ernest Paris Clay who was a spirited fellow with a fascination for the paranormal. He even told his daughter that when he died, he would try to come back to visit her.

Since his death, there have been strange sounds at night, including footsteps going up and down the hallways. The noises are most prominent in the area that was once the projection room, where Mr. Clay spent a great deal of time.

Coincidentally, the last movie to play at the theater was "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" starring Don Knotts.

I couldn't find out if it is still in use today. When I was there, there seemed to be some activity going on. People were walking up the side stairs and going in there.

I love the old gas station in town that is now a welcome center.

As mentioned, unlike some other Georgia towns, there is not a confederate statue.  I did discover a place in the center of the town square surrounded by flags and later discovered that a confederate monument once stood here.  I think the could do more with it, like put a fountain there or something.

I did find a photo online from 2007, when some renovations were going on at the courthouse, that shows there was once a monument here. Apparently, it was erected in 1910, where it stood for 110 years and was removed in July 2020, after 14,000 people signed a petition to have it removed.  

(not my photo)

I wonder what they do with monuments like that when they remove them?  Are they broken up, are they stored somewhere? Like what do they do with them.  I'm just curious.

There is a very cool time capsule in the town square too.  It was placed there in 1971, but didn't indicate when the capsule should be opened.  Most time capsules I have seen indicate when it is supposed to be opened, typically some anniversary date of the town.  I wonder what's in it?

Near the town square are some beautiful homes and there are many throughout McDonough. Can you imagine living in such a glorious home? How beautiful!!

Now onto the main reason for the trip...the COURTHOUSE.  Built in 1897, and just like the Clayton County Courthouse, it is Romanesque Revival and also designed by James Wingfield (J.W.) Golucke, (1857-1907) who designed 14 Georgia County Courthouses (plus 5 additional ones with a partner), 3 Alabama County Courthouses, & 3 Georgia County jails.  Boy, he was a busy fella!! He died at the young age of 50...just imagine what other designs he could have made had he lived longer.