Home Sweet Haralson
Written by ROBIN STEWART | Photographed by JACKIE KENNEDY
Out for a morning walk with her dog, this Haralson local passes by remnants of the old Esco feed mill, in recent years a favorite filming spot for The Walking Dead.
Tucked away just south of Senoia is what can be called Coweta’s last rural corner: the City of Haralson.
Established in 1820, Haralson is Coweta’s oldest town and has a population of fewer than 200, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. The city has managed to escape the growth that most Coweta towns have experienced, and that is just fine with the residents of Haralson.
The city has managed to escape the growth that most Coweta towns have experienced, and that is just fine with the residents of Haralson.
Jamie Thompson owns and operates Walkin’ Dead Tours & Events in Haralson. Fans of the hit television show The Walking Dead (TWD) know that many episodes were filmed in Haralson as were numerous other movies.
Thompson owns the TWD film-site properties that Walking Dead fans get to tour. Beyond seeing the locations, fans can go onsite and explore in real life what they’ve seen on-screen.
Thompson also has a collection of replica weapons that match those used by various characters on the show. During tours, fans can select a replica and pose for photos. Among other sites, they visit the highly recognizable old silos with “Esco Feed Mill Purina Chows” faded but still readable.
The tour runner says the TWD fan base is “100% dedicated,” and she hopes tours continue long after the show’s end. She compares TWD fans to “Fried Green Tomatoes” fans who still visit the Whistle Stop Café in Juliette, more than 30 years after the heyday of that hit movie.
“We don’t know if we’ll see the same, but we’re seeing new watchers, a younger fan base,” Thompson observes.
Thanks to on-demand streaming, the show lives on, much like its zombies.
Thompson is a bit of an unofficial Haralson historian. She shares that the town originally was named Lickskillet, a Civil War-era name, and was later renamed Haralson for former Georgia Congressman Hugh A. Haralson. The town shares its name with Haralson County, also in Georgia.
The town’s unofficial historian has numerous records dating back to the 1820s, including letters, deeds, documents, and the last wagon wheel manufactured in Haralson.
In more recent decades, says Thompson, about 25 movies were filmed in this rural Coweta town. In 1975, James Mitchum (son of famed actor Robert Mitchum) came to Haralson to film “Moonrunners,” a precursor to what would become the TV series, “Dukes of Hazzard.”
Davis Camp, Haralson mayor for some 25 years, well recalls that then-Mayor Bill Estes was quite taken with the filmmakers: “He gave them the keys to the City,” says Camp, noting that Estes was more than simply star-struck; he had bigger plans for the town. “He made me promise that I’d stay on as mayor until Haralson got water.”
Camp did just that, calling connecting to county water, “the best thing that ever happened to us.” Some folks remain on well water, but many switched to county water.
A Newnan native and retiree from the United States Postal Service, Camp married a Haralson native, Janice Williams. Her family founded Williams Grocery in Haralson, one of its most popular spots with a reputation for producing exceptional sausage and fresh meat. Williams Grocery started business in 1942.
Janice Williams Camp recalls that when servicemen came home to Coweta from World War II, they made a beeline to Ford in search of work.
“They asked my dad, Hoke Williams, to make enough sausage for them to have a pound or two,” she recalls.
The rest is history as far as Williams Grocery: “It was all word of mouth,” says Janice. “We never advertised.”
When Jimmy Carter was president, she notes, his attorney general, Griffin Bell, flew from Washington D.C. to Atlanta, rented a car, drove to Williams Grocery, and purchased sausage that he brought back to the White House for the president.
Carolyn Sale, of Newnan, recalls: “I’ve been trading with them for over 35 years, making special trips from Newnan. Mrs. Williams was a sweet and gracious lady, and their meat man has been working there 25 to 30 years. He can tell you some tales!”
After Janice Camp’s parents passed away, her brother Bruce ran the store. Since Bruce’s death, his wife still mixes up the secret spices for the popular sausage.
Serving his third term as a Haralson City councilman, Scott Beaumont has lived in this small town since 2006.
“I really liked the ruralness of it,” he recalls, sharing how most Haralson residents feel about their city: “Everybody likes it the way it is. The overwhelming majority wish to keep it rural.”
When asked how Haralson has escaped Coweta’s growth, Beaumont has a simple answer.
“We don’t have the infrastructure,” he says. “The closest sewer is six miles north of us in Senoia.”
New single-family homes are being constructed in and around Haralson, but they’re on five-acre lots, making the density less than that of neighboring towns. They are also on septic, not sewer, according to Beaumont, who says he welcomes measured growth at a pace that suits residents.
Haralson features a city park with a walking trail, gazebo and playground. The train depot is now under private ownership but was once so popular that Sunday church services were moved to 11 a.m. so as not to conflict with the 11:30 train arrival.
The three churches in Haralson have always been important to the city: Mt. Pilgrim Lutheran Church was established in 1840 and has its own historical marker out front. The First Baptist Church of Haralson was founded in 1842, and the Haralson United Methodist Church was built in 1890.
Eric McDowell lives in Haralson and is the owner of Farmhouse Printing, one of the few businesses there. McDowell serves customers locally and beyond, as far away as Canada. He and his wife live in a century-old house built by J.W. “Dub” Hutchinson, one of the early mayors of Haralson.
“We love the small-town feel,” says McDowell, noting the town "remains a little bit frozen in time.” As a business owner, he welcomes growth, albeit measured growth.
Asked what she wants others to know most about her hometown, Janice Camp is overcome with emotion.
“It’s just a feeling,” she concludes, “a peaceful feeling.”
Those who know understand, and those who don’t wish they did. NCM
