Kelleytown, Georgia
Encyclopedia
Kelleytown is an unincorporated community
in Henry County
, Georgia
, United States
. Kelleytown is within the postal limits of McDonough, GA
and as such, most residents list McDonough as their city. The community is located just eight miles (13 km) northeast of the historic downtown McDonough Square. The community has produced many prominent Henry Countians including Congressmen, a mayor, commissioners, judges, attorneys, politicians, educators, and many professional, highly respected businessmen and women.
Kelleytown Road takes you to a four-way stop that is the very heart of the community. In its day, three sisters and a brother each had a home on the corners of this crossroad. Large, plantation-style homes that sat back from the road with their expansive front lawns and breezy porches set the scene for wonderful community get-togethers. On one corner stands perhaps the most popular and defining landmark of a rural community, the country store. The cotton gin once stood on the other corner. Just down Airline Road is Kelley Presbyterian Church, where most of the whites in Kelleytown worshipped. Going east (in the other direction) is Kelley Chapel Baptist where most blacks who lived and worked in the community attended worship. About a mile before the crossroads is a spot on Kelleytown Road where Pleasant Grove School once stood. These sites provided the backdrop for life in Kelleytown.
Neighborly and quaint, the area is known today for its excellent public schools and the quality, family-friendly neighborhoods that dot its landscape.
Many people mistakenly spell "Kellytown" without the second "E"; however, it is spelled "Kelleytown."
----
Kelleytown (known in the early 20th century as Kelleystown) is an unincorporated center whose inhabitants made many worthwhile contributions to Henry County
history. The people of Kelleytown are known for their hospitable Southern charm. Southern history is, more than any other region, the history of its families. The names Chafin, Crumbley, Elliott, Owen, Hightower, Phillips, and Thompson figure prominently in the community. It is from the Kelley family, one of Henry County’s founding families, that Kelleytown Community and Kelley Presbyterian Church derived their names. The 1850 Henry County Census
notes ten people with the Kelley surname.
White House Community became established around the homestead of a first settler Silas Moseley, and Kelleytown Community around that of his brother Benjamin Moseley (1787–1851). Reuben Kelley (1800–1875), another first settler of Henry County, married Mary Moseley (1807–1895), a daughter of Benjamin, and settled nearby. According to land ownership records and census data, Reuben Kelley was originally from Greene County
. Today their old homeplace remains in a dilapidated state off of Kelleytown Road, and the original Kelley family graveyard is in the back of the property. There are ten graves, including three that are unmarked. All the monuments have fallen from their bases and are weatherworn.
Several of the Kelleys served in the Confederate States Army
during the American Civil War
. Thomas Hughey Kelley (1832–1865), son of Reuben and Mary, enlisted March 6, 1862 and served in Company I of the 44th Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry, Doles-Cook Brigade
, Army of Northern Virginia, of the Confederate States Army. At the time of the War he was in his mid-30s and had a wife and three young children at home. He was captured at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
on May 10, 1864, and held prisoner by the Yankees
at Fort Delaware
where he died of disease contracted in the prison. He is buried in Finns Point
National Cemetery in New Jersey
.
Captain Henry Holcombe Kelley (1834–1910) married Alice Cloud Elliott and they lived and reared their family at the crossroads at Kelleytown. The couple had four children: son, Thomas Cloud (1869–1963) and daughters Kate, Maude, and Elon. Kate married Edgar Owen, Maude married Henry Owen, and Elon married Manse Crumbley. All continued to live in Kelleytown. Henry was one of Henry County’s prominent and most widely-known citizens. A June 1885 issue of The Henry County Weekly proclaims that "H.H. Kelley has the best patch of cotton in his district." He was a confederate veteran, and during the Civil War commanded a company in the Nineteenth Georgia Regiment. Another article in The Henry County Weekly states, "Beneath the giant oaks that form the beautiful grove near Mr. Henry Kelley's home on the 8th day of August 1900, was held the reunion of Company B, 2nd Georgia Battalion, Georgia Reserves. This was the first time these comrades had met since they parted more than 30 years ago."
Following in the footsteps of his father, Thomas Cloud Kelley (known as “T.C.”) was a successful entrepreneur
and owned over 1000 acres (4 km²) of land that featured a working farm, cotton plantation, cotton gin
, sawmill
, and dairy
in Kelleytown. As such, he was respected as a progressive businessman in Henry County. He took an active interest in the welfare and further building of the County in all areas for most of his life. He was a public-spirited man, having formerly served as commissioner from 1917-1920. He was a Freemason, and a charter member of the old White House Masonic Lodge.
John Thompson (1803–1881) and wife Jane Elliott (1807–1879) lived at Benjamin Moseley’s old home.
W.F. Chafin (1840–1908) a member of a large Henry County family lived nearby, and members of his family became allies with the Kelleys. L.P. Owen (1848–1921) and wife Elizabeth Crumbley lived there and were the parents of the Kelleytown Owens.
(at the time, many in the community thought the notion of building a hospital in Henry County as unnecessary and too expensive). Bud Kelley is credited with improving race relations in Henry County and, in 1972, appointed the first African American to serve on the County Planning and Zoning Board. Alex Crumbley, a successful McDonough attorney, was a Superior Court Judge in the Flint Circuit from 1978–83, and Georgia State Senator from 1986-1988.
Today this continues with James Troy Chafin III, a lawyer and retired United States Air Force pilot, who won the Democratic Primary and ran against Republican Mac Collins for United States Congress in 1996. He is now a Judge of the State Court of Henry County. Rudy Kelley is the longtime Mayor of the City of Stockbridge, Georgia. Wade Crumbley, younger brother of Alex, was the county attorney for Henry County and served as special master in the State Bar of Georgia disciplinary proceedings from 1995-1999. He was appointed Superior Court Judge of the Flint Circuit by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue in 2005. Alex and Wade Crumbley are the only brothers to have served as Superior Court judges in recent Georgia history and perhaps ever. Many of the Kelley, Crumbley, Moseley, Chafin, Thompson, Elliott and other early families still live and work in Henry County.
Kelleytown is also currently the home to Johnny B Basler who was elected in 2006 to District 5 of the Henry County Board of Commissioners. Commissioner Basler and his wife own Biscuits and Brunch restaurant in Stockbridge. Commissioner Basler has been credited with the purchase of over 100 acres of county park land for passive use in the Kelleytown area. Additionally, Commissioner Basler secured SPLOST funding for a Fairview Police Precinct, Library, and recreation center.
When the original schoolhouse near Kelleytown Road burned, the Pleasant Grove School was built on the same site. Even in the new building there were no indoor bathrooms, drinking water was drawn from a well, and the building was heated by a potbellied stove.
It was a private school, but the residents of Kelleytown would help pay for anyone that wanted to attend and couldn't afford tuition. Grades 1-3 were in one room, and grades 4-6 were in another. The school only went through ninth grade, and then the students transferred to another school in McDonough. The school closed in 1951.
The Kelley Presbyterian Church came into being as a result of a small Sunday school
group which had been meeting since 1896. Its meeting place was the one-room Kelleytown Schoolhouse located across the street from where the church was later built. In November 1899 Reverend W.P. Hemphill, Evangelist of Atlanta Presbytery, assisted by Reverend J.B. Mack, conducted a series of services there. Three of the people who attended those services united with the church universal as an immediate result. They were Henry Holcombe Kelley, Mrs. T.C. Kelley, and Henry Franklin Green.
On the first Sunday in January 1900, the Kelley Presbyterian Church was officially organized. Ten charter members were enrolled on that day: Henry Holcombe Kelley, Mrs. T.C. Kelley, Henry Franklin Green, Samuel Patterson Green, Henry Clay Stephens (a carpenter who built many of the houses in Kelleytown and Stockbridge), Miss Evie Stephens, Mrs. Glance Farrar, Dr. Maston Evans Berry, Mr. and Mrs. Jack McDaniel.
Before the end of 1900, a church was built on land donated by Henry Holcombe Kelley, and 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) adjoining had been purchased for use as a cemetery
. The church is located at 3637 Airline Road. The original clapboard meeting house was renovated with brick veneer and enlarged in 1941, with further additions added in 1962. Elizabeth Mathis Cheatham generously donated an outdoor pavilion to the church in 1992. The pavilion has been home to many homecomings and get-togethers at the church. Bud Kelley furnished water to the church for 13 years when the church's well was dry.
In 1997 Kelley was named "Small Church of the Year" for the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta and in Georgia by the Synod
of South Atlantic. One of the reasons for this distinction includes the "Dogwood Tree Project" of the Kelley Presbyterian Men. Since 1996 over 500 pink dogwoods have been given to new residents moving into the community. The Presbyterian Women have distinguished themselves in the past few years by sewing eight inspiring banners for worship and creating nearly 100 exquisite Christian ornaments. Both of these projects will remain as treasures to the congregation for generations to come.
The church marked its 100th anniversary on April 12, 2000. Throughout the century, Kelley has been noted for its strong lay leadership among its women and men. Brothers Vic and Manse Crumbley were known for their Sunday school teaching and superintendent skills. Many aspiring student preachers from Columbia Seminary have preached at Kelley Church, and lore of the church holds that famous theologian Peter Marshall preached at Kelley Church while a student, and that he traveled to Kelleytown to observe these brothers in action. The first women elders were Margaret Crumbley and Betty Latimer.
Two women of note who provided more than four decades of leadership in music were Annie Ruth Owen and Ruth Foster. Foster was also a dedicated teacher of the catechism. She was instrumental in establishing the Ruth Foster Educational Trust fund, which has provided more than twenty $1,000 college scholarships.
Kelley also distinguishes itself by including children and young people in its entire corporate life. A nursery is provided for the youngest infants, but children and babies are welcomed and included in worship and social gatherings.
Since Kelley's first year, the congregation has been the hub and center of Kelleytown. All the activities of the area revolved around its modest facilities, and its members are known for their hospitality and concern for individuals in need. In 1950, an article in the Atlanta Constitution described Kelley as "one of the landmarks in the state, for no strictly rural church in Georgia is credited with a more complete program for community service."
Church began as a brush arbor in the late 19th century on Henry Kelley's plantation. It was a place for the African American population of Kelleytown to gather and worship. Two ministers, one Baptist and one Methodist, led the small congregation.
Henry Kelley eventually decided to donate the land to the group, and Kelley Chapel Baptist Church was formally organized in 1884. The black people of Kelleytown were much like extended family to their white neighbors, and were very much respected. Some blacks became tenant farmers and partnered in work with whites. For example, Thomas Jackson was like a brother to James Troy Chafin, Sr., and he was the only person that Chafin wanted by his side on his deathbed. Other notable African Americans who lived in Kelleytown included Cora Albert, Clerie Usher Walker, Eddie Bryant(Boy Trip), Jeanette and Zeke Reed, Eddie Jackson, Love Jackson, and Henry Walker and his wife, Lizziebeth.
There was a closeness between Kelley Chapel and Kelley Presbyterian. The churches would often share literature and other materials. In Kelleytown, whenever someone had something that others didn't, it was shared without a second thought.
Kelley Chapel Baptist Church is located at 3351 Airline Road in McDonough.
The original Kelleytown general store is still standing, and is located at the corner of Airline and Kelleytown Roads. The store was built in 1908 by Edgar Owen and was later operated by Manse Crumbley. When the foundation was dug for the store, the red clay removed was then used to make the blocks to build the store. Manse Crumbley was a quite a dynamic man; he also served as postmaster, doctor, dentist, vet, and accountant to the Kelleytown community. Mail was delivered to the store and was sorted for residents. The store remained in operation until 1966. Bud and Jean Kelley opened a modern gas station and grocery store across the street from the original store around 1963.
One of the most interesting parts of the original store was the white makeshift "movie screen" that was painted on the side of the building. P.E. Ausband, a Kelleytown resident who worked for Monogram Pictures
in Atlanta, would bring movie reels home and project them onto the outdoor screen (he borrowed electricity from a nearby house). The movies were shown at no charge, and people would pull their mules and wagons up the driveway and wait for the sun to go down. This began Henry County's first drive-in theater
. James Chafin, Bud Kelley, Owen Chafin, and Sarah Hightower fondly recall lying on their stomachs in the grass watching exciting Western movies.
In the late 1990s, Sarah Hightower and John Gilbert, a filmmaker with the Henry County Arts Alliance, revived the tradition for a couple of weekends. They showed the black-and-white classics "Abbott and Costello
Meet Frankenstein" and "The Marx Brothers
' Coconuts." More than 350 people came with chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets to watch the films.
In 1918, Dr. J.G. Smith developed plans for a hydroelectric generating power plant on Cotton Indian Creek at Kelleytown. The cost of the project was a staggering $100,000. The water that powered the plant was diverted from the course of Cotton Indian Creek by Smith's Dam just east of Crumbley Road. From this point the water traveled one mile (1.6 km) through a race to the Power House at Airline Road. Thanks to Dr. Smith, homes in Kelleytown had power before McDonough!
Dr. Smith lived on Macon Street in downtown McDonough, and is recognized as having contributed more to the development of McDonough than any other individual in its history. He established McDonough's first water system. In addition to a successful medical practice (he was County physician), he owned the first Chevrolet
dealership in Henry County and the local ice company. Most importantly, he installed a steam engine
and electric generator near the McDonough Depot that provided the people of McDonough with their first electric street lights.
The concrete turbine
shafts from the power plant are still visible today from the modern bridge on Airline Road (near the present-day Crown River and Cotton Creek subdivisions).
, cotton gin
, and gristmill
on his Camp Creek property at the Henry and Rockdale county line. In the process, Kelleytown's most famous landmark, a huge over-shot waterwheel was created. This was the largest waterwheel in Henry County, at over 30 feet (9.1 m) in diameter, and many claimed it was the largest in the world. The wheel was a favorite gathering spot for picnics, barbecues, and frolics. The cool, shady shoals around the mill were a favorite swimming and sunbathing spot.
Unfortunately, only a year later, Edgar Owen's overall suspenders became entangled with the equipment at the waterwheel, causing his untimely death.
The waterwheel was eventually dismantled in 1966 and moved to Stone Mountain Park.
A large portrait of the waterwheel currently hangs in Henry Medical Center.
and as such, most residents list McDonough as their city.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Henry County
Henry County, Georgia
Henry County is a growing suburban county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 119,341. As of 2010, the county's population swelled to 203,922, up 70.9% from the previous census and becoming Georgia's 8th most populous county and the 10th fastest growing...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Kelleytown is within the postal limits of McDonough, GA
McDonough, Georgia
McDonough is a city in Henry County, Georgia, United States. The population was 22084 at the 2010 census. Inclusion of the unincorporated neighborhoods surrounding McDonough, which are not part of a town/city, raises the population to approximately 30,000 from an estimate in 2008. The city is the...
and as such, most residents list McDonough as their city. The community is located just eight miles (13 km) northeast of the historic downtown McDonough Square. The community has produced many prominent Henry Countians including Congressmen, a mayor, commissioners, judges, attorneys, politicians, educators, and many professional, highly respected businessmen and women.
Kelleytown Road takes you to a four-way stop that is the very heart of the community. In its day, three sisters and a brother each had a home on the corners of this crossroad. Large, plantation-style homes that sat back from the road with their expansive front lawns and breezy porches set the scene for wonderful community get-togethers. On one corner stands perhaps the most popular and defining landmark of a rural community, the country store. The cotton gin once stood on the other corner. Just down Airline Road is Kelley Presbyterian Church, where most of the whites in Kelleytown worshipped. Going east (in the other direction) is Kelley Chapel Baptist where most blacks who lived and worked in the community attended worship. About a mile before the crossroads is a spot on Kelleytown Road where Pleasant Grove School once stood. These sites provided the backdrop for life in Kelleytown.
Neighborly and quaint, the area is known today for its excellent public schools and the quality, family-friendly neighborhoods that dot its landscape.
Many people mistakenly spell "Kellytown" without the second "E"; however, it is spelled "Kelleytown."
History
- "Kelleytown was a place where happiness was a state of mind - the boys there were handsome and athletic and walked the world with confidence. Rather than being country, the girls were like princesses. They were the most popular and talented, and they were all you ever wanted to be. And relations between the blacks and the whites who lived there were that of community." - Mary Jane Owen, 2004
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Henry County, Georgia
Henry County is a growing suburban county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the population was 119,341. As of 2010, the county's population swelled to 203,922, up 70.9% from the previous census and becoming Georgia's 8th most populous county and the 10th fastest growing...
history. The people of Kelleytown are known for their hospitable Southern charm. Southern history is, more than any other region, the history of its families. The names Chafin, Crumbley, Elliott, Owen, Hightower, Phillips, and Thompson figure prominently in the community. It is from the Kelley family, one of Henry County’s founding families, that Kelleytown Community and Kelley Presbyterian Church derived their names. The 1850 Henry County Census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
notes ten people with the Kelley surname.
White House Community became established around the homestead of a first settler Silas Moseley, and Kelleytown Community around that of his brother Benjamin Moseley (1787–1851). Reuben Kelley (1800–1875), another first settler of Henry County, married Mary Moseley (1807–1895), a daughter of Benjamin, and settled nearby. According to land ownership records and census data, Reuben Kelley was originally from Greene County
Greene County, Georgia
Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on February 3, 1786. As of 2000, the population is 14,406. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 15,662. The county seat is Greensboro...
. Today their old homeplace remains in a dilapidated state off of Kelleytown Road, and the original Kelley family graveyard is in the back of the property. There are ten graves, including three that are unmarked. All the monuments have fallen from their bases and are weatherworn.
Several of the Kelleys served in the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Thomas Hughey Kelley (1832–1865), son of Reuben and Mary, enlisted March 6, 1862 and served in Company I of the 44th Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry, Doles-Cook Brigade
George P. Doles
George Pierce Doles was a Georgia businessman and Confederate general during the American Civil War. His men played a key role on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg in driving back the Union XI Corps.-Early life:...
, Army of Northern Virginia, of the Confederate States Army. At the time of the War he was in his mid-30s and had a wife and three young children at home. He was captured at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
on May 10, 1864, and held prisoner by the Yankees
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
at Fort Delaware
Fort Delaware
Fort Delaware is a harbor defense facility, designed by Chief Engineer Joseph Gilbert Totten, and located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River. During the American Civil War, the Union used Fort Delaware as a prison for Confederate prisoners of war, political prisoners, federal convicts, and...
where he died of disease contracted in the prison. He is buried in Finns Point
Finns Point
Finns Point is a small strategic promontory at the southwest corner of the New Jersey peninsula, on the east bank of the Delaware River near its mouth on Delaware Bay. Due to a geographic curiosity, part of the promontory is actually enclosed within the state of Delaware's borders, due to tidal...
National Cemetery in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Captain Henry Holcombe Kelley (1834–1910) married Alice Cloud Elliott and they lived and reared their family at the crossroads at Kelleytown. The couple had four children: son, Thomas Cloud (1869–1963) and daughters Kate, Maude, and Elon. Kate married Edgar Owen, Maude married Henry Owen, and Elon married Manse Crumbley. All continued to live in Kelleytown. Henry was one of Henry County’s prominent and most widely-known citizens. A June 1885 issue of The Henry County Weekly proclaims that "H.H. Kelley has the best patch of cotton in his district." He was a confederate veteran, and during the Civil War commanded a company in the Nineteenth Georgia Regiment. Another article in The Henry County Weekly states, "Beneath the giant oaks that form the beautiful grove near Mr. Henry Kelley's home on the 8th day of August 1900, was held the reunion of Company B, 2nd Georgia Battalion, Georgia Reserves. This was the first time these comrades had met since they parted more than 30 years ago."
Following in the footsteps of his father, Thomas Cloud Kelley (known as “T.C.”) was a successful entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and owned over 1000 acres (4 km²) of land that featured a working farm, cotton plantation, cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
, sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
, and dairy
Dairy
A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
in Kelleytown. As such, he was respected as a progressive businessman in Henry County. He took an active interest in the welfare and further building of the County in all areas for most of his life. He was a public-spirited man, having formerly served as commissioner from 1917-1920. He was a Freemason, and a charter member of the old White House Masonic Lodge.
John Thompson (1803–1881) and wife Jane Elliott (1807–1879) lived at Benjamin Moseley’s old home.
W.F. Chafin (1840–1908) a member of a large Henry County family lived nearby, and members of his family became allies with the Kelleys. L.P. Owen (1848–1921) and wife Elizabeth Crumbley lived there and were the parents of the Kelleytown Owens.
Politics
Descendents of the original Kelleytown families have long been involved in shaping Henry County. E. Quillian Owen, son of LP and Elizabeth Owen, was elected Sheriff of Henry County in 1944. He served in that capacity until his death in 1959. For many of those years, Sheriff Owen was the ONLY county law enforcement officer. In the county election of 1956, the voters of Loves District, as it was then called, gave Quillian 100% of the votes cast. Bud Kelley served as a Henry County Commissioner from 1969 to 1976. Under his capacity as a commissioner, Bud helped influence the idea of building Henry Medical CenterHenry Medical Center
Henry Medical Center is a 215-bed not-for-profit, community-based hospital located in Stockbridge, Georgia. In August 2011, the community hospital's executive Board agreed to affiliate with Piedmont Healthcare.-Certification:...
(at the time, many in the community thought the notion of building a hospital in Henry County as unnecessary and too expensive). Bud Kelley is credited with improving race relations in Henry County and, in 1972, appointed the first African American to serve on the County Planning and Zoning Board. Alex Crumbley, a successful McDonough attorney, was a Superior Court Judge in the Flint Circuit from 1978–83, and Georgia State Senator from 1986-1988.
Today this continues with James Troy Chafin III, a lawyer and retired United States Air Force pilot, who won the Democratic Primary and ran against Republican Mac Collins for United States Congress in 1996. He is now a Judge of the State Court of Henry County. Rudy Kelley is the longtime Mayor of the City of Stockbridge, Georgia. Wade Crumbley, younger brother of Alex, was the county attorney for Henry County and served as special master in the State Bar of Georgia disciplinary proceedings from 1995-1999. He was appointed Superior Court Judge of the Flint Circuit by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue in 2005. Alex and Wade Crumbley are the only brothers to have served as Superior Court judges in recent Georgia history and perhaps ever. Many of the Kelley, Crumbley, Moseley, Chafin, Thompson, Elliott and other early families still live and work in Henry County.
Kelleytown is also currently the home to Johnny B Basler who was elected in 2006 to District 5 of the Henry County Board of Commissioners. Commissioner Basler and his wife own Biscuits and Brunch restaurant in Stockbridge. Commissioner Basler has been credited with the purchase of over 100 acres of county park land for passive use in the Kelleytown area. Additionally, Commissioner Basler secured SPLOST funding for a Fairview Police Precinct, Library, and recreation center.
Pleasant Grove School
It was a private school, but the residents of Kelleytown would help pay for anyone that wanted to attend and couldn't afford tuition. Grades 1-3 were in one room, and grades 4-6 were in another. The school only went through ninth grade, and then the students transferred to another school in McDonough. The school closed in 1951.
Kelley Presbyterian Church
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
group which had been meeting since 1896. Its meeting place was the one-room Kelleytown Schoolhouse located across the street from where the church was later built. In November 1899 Reverend W.P. Hemphill, Evangelist of Atlanta Presbytery, assisted by Reverend J.B. Mack, conducted a series of services there. Three of the people who attended those services united with the church universal as an immediate result. They were Henry Holcombe Kelley, Mrs. T.C. Kelley, and Henry Franklin Green.
On the first Sunday in January 1900, the Kelley Presbyterian Church was officially organized. Ten charter members were enrolled on that day: Henry Holcombe Kelley, Mrs. T.C. Kelley, Henry Franklin Green, Samuel Patterson Green, Henry Clay Stephens (a carpenter who built many of the houses in Kelleytown and Stockbridge), Miss Evie Stephens, Mrs. Glance Farrar, Dr. Maston Evans Berry, Mr. and Mrs. Jack McDaniel.
Before the end of 1900, a church was built on land donated by Henry Holcombe Kelley, and 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) adjoining had been purchased for use as a cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
. The church is located at 3637 Airline Road. The original clapboard meeting house was renovated with brick veneer and enlarged in 1941, with further additions added in 1962. Elizabeth Mathis Cheatham generously donated an outdoor pavilion to the church in 1992. The pavilion has been home to many homecomings and get-togethers at the church. Bud Kelley furnished water to the church for 13 years when the church's well was dry.
In 1997 Kelley was named "Small Church of the Year" for the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta and in Georgia by the Synod
Synod
A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...
of South Atlantic. One of the reasons for this distinction includes the "Dogwood Tree Project" of the Kelley Presbyterian Men. Since 1996 over 500 pink dogwoods have been given to new residents moving into the community. The Presbyterian Women have distinguished themselves in the past few years by sewing eight inspiring banners for worship and creating nearly 100 exquisite Christian ornaments. Both of these projects will remain as treasures to the congregation for generations to come.
The church marked its 100th anniversary on April 12, 2000. Throughout the century, Kelley has been noted for its strong lay leadership among its women and men. Brothers Vic and Manse Crumbley were known for their Sunday school teaching and superintendent skills. Many aspiring student preachers from Columbia Seminary have preached at Kelley Church, and lore of the church holds that famous theologian Peter Marshall preached at Kelley Church while a student, and that he traveled to Kelleytown to observe these brothers in action. The first women elders were Margaret Crumbley and Betty Latimer.
Two women of note who provided more than four decades of leadership in music were Annie Ruth Owen and Ruth Foster. Foster was also a dedicated teacher of the catechism. She was instrumental in establishing the Ruth Foster Educational Trust fund, which has provided more than twenty $1,000 college scholarships.
Kelley also distinguishes itself by including children and young people in its entire corporate life. A nursery is provided for the youngest infants, but children and babies are welcomed and included in worship and social gatherings.
Since Kelley's first year, the congregation has been the hub and center of Kelleytown. All the activities of the area revolved around its modest facilities, and its members are known for their hospitality and concern for individuals in need. In 1950, an article in the Atlanta Constitution described Kelley as "one of the landmarks in the state, for no strictly rural church in Georgia is credited with a more complete program for community service."
Kelley Chapel Baptist Church
The Kelley Chapel BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church began as a brush arbor in the late 19th century on Henry Kelley's plantation. It was a place for the African American population of Kelleytown to gather and worship. Two ministers, one Baptist and one Methodist, led the small congregation.
Henry Kelley eventually decided to donate the land to the group, and Kelley Chapel Baptist Church was formally organized in 1884. The black people of Kelleytown were much like extended family to their white neighbors, and were very much respected. Some blacks became tenant farmers and partnered in work with whites. For example, Thomas Jackson was like a brother to James Troy Chafin, Sr., and he was the only person that Chafin wanted by his side on his deathbed. Other notable African Americans who lived in Kelleytown included Cora Albert, Clerie Usher Walker, Eddie Bryant(Boy Trip), Jeanette and Zeke Reed, Eddie Jackson, Love Jackson, and Henry Walker and his wife, Lizziebeth.
There was a closeness between Kelley Chapel and Kelley Presbyterian. The churches would often share literature and other materials. In Kelleytown, whenever someone had something that others didn't, it was shared without a second thought.
Kelley Chapel Baptist Church is located at 3351 Airline Road in McDonough.
The Kelleytown General Store and Henry County's first drive-in theater
One of the most interesting parts of the original store was the white makeshift "movie screen" that was painted on the side of the building. P.E. Ausband, a Kelleytown resident who worked for Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures
Monogram Pictures Corporation is a Hollywood studio that produced and released films, most on low budgets, between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram is considered a leader among the smaller studios sometimes referred to...
in Atlanta, would bring movie reels home and project them onto the outdoor screen (he borrowed electricity from a nearby house). The movies were shown at no charge, and people would pull their mules and wagons up the driveway and wait for the sun to go down. This began Henry County's first drive-in theater
Drive-in theater
A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...
. James Chafin, Bud Kelley, Owen Chafin, and Sarah Hightower fondly recall lying on their stomachs in the grass watching exciting Western movies.
In the late 1990s, Sarah Hightower and John Gilbert, a filmmaker with the Henry County Arts Alliance, revived the tradition for a couple of weekends. They showed the black-and-white classics "Abbott and Costello
Abbott and Costello
William "Bud" Abbott and Lou Costello performed together as Abbott and Costello, an American comedy duo whose work on stage, radio, film and television made them the most popular comedy team during the 1940s and 1950s...
Meet Frankenstein" and "The Marx Brothers
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act, originally from New York City, that enjoyed success in Vaudeville, Broadway, and motion pictures from the early 1900s to around 1950...
' Coconuts." More than 350 people came with chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets to watch the films.
Dr. J.G. Smith and Kelleytown's power plant
Dr. Smith lived on Macon Street in downtown McDonough, and is recognized as having contributed more to the development of McDonough than any other individual in its history. He established McDonough's first water system. In addition to a successful medical practice (he was County physician), he owned the first Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
dealership in Henry County and the local ice company. Most importantly, he installed a steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
and electric generator near the McDonough Depot that provided the people of McDonough with their first electric street lights.
The concrete turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
shafts from the power plant are still visible today from the modern bridge on Airline Road (near the present-day Crown River and Cotton Creek subdivisions).
Edgar Owen's waterwheel
In 1916, Edgar Owen built a damDam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
, cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
, and gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
on his Camp Creek property at the Henry and Rockdale county line. In the process, Kelleytown's most famous landmark, a huge over-shot waterwheel was created. This was the largest waterwheel in Henry County, at over 30 feet (9.1 m) in diameter, and many claimed it was the largest in the world. The wheel was a favorite gathering spot for picnics, barbecues, and frolics. The cool, shady shoals around the mill were a favorite swimming and sunbathing spot.
Unfortunately, only a year later, Edgar Owen's overall suspenders became entangled with the equipment at the waterwheel, causing his untimely death.
The waterwheel was eventually dismantled in 1966 and moved to Stone Mountain Park.
A large portrait of the waterwheel currently hangs in Henry Medical Center.
Geography
Kelleytown is located at 33°32′15"N 84°05′20"W (33.53761, -84.08905).Major highways
Georgia State Route 20Georgia State Route 20State Route 20 is an abnormally-oriented route in roughly the shape of a capital J rotated ninety degrees to the left. Its counterclockwise terminus is at the Alabama state line in Floyd County, and its clockwise terminus occurs in the middle of an overpass over US 19/US 41 and SR 3 in Hampton in...
Georgia State Route 155Georgia State Route 155State Route 155 begins at U.S. 19/U.S. 41/S.R. 3, just south of Griffin, Georgia, and ends at Buford Highway in DeKalb County as Clairmont Road.-Spalding County:-Henry County:-DeKalb County:...
Georgia State Route 138Georgia State Route 138State Route 138 is a highway in the U.S. state of Georgia. The highway is an east–west route that begins at the junction of S.R. 92 just north of Fairburn and ends at U.S. 78/S.R. 10 near Monroe. It totals approximately in length...
Demographics
Kelleytown is within the postal limits of McDonough, GeorgiaMcDonough, Georgia
McDonough is a city in Henry County, Georgia, United States. The population was 22084 at the 2010 census. Inclusion of the unincorporated neighborhoods surrounding McDonough, which are not part of a town/city, raises the population to approximately 30,000 from an estimate in 2008. The city is the...
and as such, most residents list McDonough as their city.
Sources
- De l'Etoile, Martha Ann Moore (1992). The Kelleys of Kelleytown. Griffin.
- Ide, S. Diane. "Remembering Kelleytown." Henry Magazine Apr.-May 2004: 15-22.
- Moore, Joseph Henry Hightower (1993). First Families of Henry County, Georgia. Fernandina Beach: Wolfe Publishing. ISBN 09628557-3-1
- Morris, Gene, Jr. (2000). True Southerners: A Pictorial History of Henry County, Georgia. McDonough: The Henry County Record Publishers.
- Rainer, Vessie Thrasher (1971). Henry County, Georgia: The Mother of Counties. McDonough.
- Kelley Presbyterian Church Records
- Henry County Obituaries (1908–1929)
- Confederate Soldier Obituaries (1879–1943)