Monroe Museum

10/15/2026

This amazing lady is one of our own. While not born in Monroe, Mary Creswell was educated here, graduating from Monroe’s Johnson Institute in 1900 before becoming UGA’s first female graduate and dean.

10/15/2026

Tonight! Join us for a free history talk.

Thursday, October 15, 7 PM
Council Chambers, Monroe City Hall

Jason Hasty, Athletics History Specialist from the University of Georgia, will share the history of Sanford Stadium. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome.

See you tonight!

10/14/2026

Introducing Around Town Gallery!

Downtown Monroe is full of stories! In our new video series, board member Cole explores historic buildings marked with Monroe Museum QR code plaques and brings their history to life.

First stop: 227 South Broad Street! Watch to discover its story.

Next time you’re downtown, scan a plaque and step back in time. New episodes drop twice a month, so stay tuned!

📍 227 South Broad Street, Monroe, GA

10/13/2026

10/13/2026

Apartments on Edward Street

10/12/2026

Two governors. A Speaker of the U.S. House. A Secretary of the Treasury. A mayor of Atlanta. And they all have ties to one old house in Walton County.

Nobody knows exactly when this house was built, but it may go back to the 1820s or earlier. Steve Brown shares the story of three families who lived here early on: the Colquitts, the Hillyers, and the Cobbs.

If you’ve read Gone with the Wind, you might remember that Ashley Wilkes fought in Cobb’s Legion. Ashley was made up. His commander, T.R.R. Cobb, was real, and he lived right here.

As Steve says, these folks walked among us. 🏛️

Did you know about this house? Tell us in the comments.

10/12/2026

This house on Pine Crest was built about 1950 by Lamar and Bert Hearn. Lamar along with his brother Gen. George Hearn, who lived next door, owned and operated Hearn's Hardware on North Broad.

10/10/2026

I’m ordering one of these from Amazon today.

What is this? It's a grave house! from 2014. There are various theories regarding the origins and purpose of grave houses in the South. These shelters were most likely for protection of the burial ground. Some grave houses have doors and windows, like a children’s playhouse, but they are not mausoleums. The two graves dating to the 1890s inside this grave house were locked in with wooden pickets, one of several common grave house designs in the South.

10/10/2026

Coach Butts had a rule that players could not be married. When Sinkwich reported for practice his senior year and announced he had gotten married over the summer, Butts commented “time to change the rule.”

📜 Today in Georgia History – October 10, 1920

A chance stop in Youngstown, Ohio, helped bring one of college football’s greatest stars to Athens.

Frank Sinkwich was born on October 10, 1920. Sources differ on whether his birthplace was Croatia or Pennsylvania, but he grew up in Youngstown, where he became a standout at Chaney High School. Georgia assistant coach Bill Hartman discovered Sinkwich while recruiting in Ohio, and before long the young football star was headed south to play for Coach Wally Butts at the University of Georgia.

By 1941, Sinkwich had become one of the most exciting players in the country. That season he suffered a broken jaw, but instead of sitting out, he returned to the field wearing a specially designed protective face guard. He went on to earn All-America honors and led Georgia past TCU, 40–26, in the Orange Bowl, accounting for an astonishing 382 yards of total offense.

The following season was even better. Sinkwich set a national total-offense record with 2,187 yards and helped lead Georgia to one of the greatest seasons in school history. He became Georgia’s first Heisman Trophy winner in 1942 — and the first player from the Southeastern Conference to receive the award. Georgia then defeated UCLA 9–0 in the Rose Bowl, with Sinkwich scoring the game’s only touchdown.

The Detroit Lions selected him first overall in the 1943 NFL Draft, and in 1944 he was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. His professional career was eventually shortened by injuries, but his place in football history was secure. Sinkwich was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1954.

From an Ohio high-school standout to the first Heisman winner in Georgia football history, Frank Sinkwich helped put the Bulldogs on the national football map.

Photo Caption: Frank Sinkwich in 1942


Georgia on My Mind curated by Lisa Land Cooper – Author and Historian

© 2026 Lisa Land Cooper – Author and Historian

10/08/2026

GO DOGS!!!
Mark your calendar. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 7PM in the council chambers of the Monroe City Hall. Jason Hasty, Athletics History Specialist from the University of Georgia, will speak on the HISTORY OF SANFORD STADIUM. ADMISSION IS FREE. See you there.