Historic Grantville:
Poised for Renaissance
Written by MARTY M. HOHMANN | Photographed by JACKIE KENNEDY
When Al Grieshaber surveys the landscape in the city of Grantville, with its aging infrastructure and historic buildings in various states of disrepair and renovation, he is genuinely optimistic.
Grieshaber, city manager since 2015, has experienced a lot that may have made others lose hope for the future. But he’s confident that what’s in his tool box will give Grantville the renaissance it has long deserved.
Among those tools are a growing community with young and energetic families, a thriving and active senior center, and a community-minded police department that considers the people of Grantville as part of their larger family.
“I have good people,” says Grieshaber. “I think that’s the secret. I’m fortunate to be the coach of a team of well-rounded individuals who meet every challenge.”
In the southwest corner of Coweta County, Grantville was founded in 1840 as a small settlement called Calico Corner. It exploded with growth when the first train came through with the Atlanta and LaGrange Railroad. The town was renamed in 1852 in honor of the chief engineer of the railroad, Lemuel P. Grant.
Names like Banks, Colley, Zellers, Brasch and Glanton have been woven into the city’s history over the last 180 years. Their family stories live on through local architecture, books and written records.
In the early days of Grantville, as with many small Southern towns, cotton was king and the railroad was the catalyst. The historic downtown was largely built in the late 1800s. More than a century later, it’s a moviemaker’s dream. The downtown area was an integral setting for many episodes of AMC’s “The Walking Dead.”
Longtime residents view Grantville as a hidden jewel, with its past offering up great hope for the future. With 3,619 residents in late 2021, the city’s population steadily grows with existing subdivisions being built out and more housing starts on the way, says Grieshaber.
And why not? Grantville offers the air of a quaint, Southern town, where neighbors get to know one another and can participate in the vision for the future, according to Grieshaber. He adds that living in the city comes with “reasonable cost, reasonable utilities, and tremendous transportation because of I-85.”
Grantville is home to a number of family-friendly activities. The Grantville Public Library, part of the Coweta Public Library System, is in Post Street Park, where the city oversees baseball fields, a splash park and a playground. There’s a skate park at the Griffin Street Willie L. Clements and John A. Malcolm Jr. Recreation Complex, and Grantville’s Glanton Elementary School is the education hub for students in Pre-K through grade 5.
Grieshaber’s focus as city manager is to tackle the tough jobs, such as infrastructure, water treatment, city codes and the ongoing efforts to bring high-speed internet capacity to town. He enlisted the help of grant writer Dennis Hanthorn, and together they have managed to secure a number of grants.
The historic downtown, surrounded by numerous homes of historic significance, remains in the crosshairs of their vision for making Grantville a vibrant, walkable community once again.
“My vision is always to increase the footsteps in the city of Grantville,” says Grieshaber, who notes that there are more than 200 historic buildings in the city.
The town’s railroad freight depot was renovated many years ago and final touches are being put on the renovation of the passenger depot.
“That’s going to be our history and welcome center,” says Grieshaber, who has a plethora of Grantville’s artifacts and photos currently being housed in the city hall.
Additionally, the city has secured a Livable Centers Initiative grant from the Atlanta Regional Commission to help make Grantville’s downtown more accessible and desirable.
“That’s our challenge – getting people downtown,” says Grieshaber. “We are in the throes of finding a consultant for a master plan for downtown, and we are talking about commuter bus service to Atlanta.”
A steering committee of local residents, businesses and other stakeholders has formed to assist in finding the best use for the grant funds, which total $125,000. That will be coupled with a $20,000 Historic Resources Survey Grant, a federal historic preservation grant facilitated through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. The grant will be used in part to identify the numerous historic resources of the community.
The transformation already has begun with recent purchases of several buildings downtown by individuals with a vision. Some of the locations are already open for business while others are well underway in restoration.
A special events facility/destination music venue, a pottery studio and a coffee shop are all materializing quickly. Plus, there’s a barber shop, barber school, and Ms. B’s Restaurant – all on LaGrange Street.
Another draw to downtown is historic Bonnie Castle, a circa 1896 Romanesque Victorian mansion built by the Colley family and listed on the National Register of Historic Homes.
The historic city is on the verge of reclaiming some of its former glory, and Grieshaber is excited about what the future holds.
“We want to make this a walkable place that people want to experience firsthand and come back,” says Grieshaber. “We’re moving forward with a renewed sense of energy and enthusiasm.” NCM