Ellaville Schley County Georgia History

Ellaville Schley County Georgia History Schley County, GA is a page to present the history of Schley County and Ellaville, GA and honor those who have made a significant impact on our community.

THIS PAGE IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE OFFICIAL GOVERNMENT OF SCHLEY COUNTY OR ELLAVILLE, GA. Schley County was created in 1857 from parts of Marion and Sumter counties. Georgia's 122nd county was named for Georgia Governor William Schley. The name of the county is pronounced "sly." Built in 1899, the county courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places. The city of Ellaville was named f

or Ella Burton, the daughter of Capt. Robert Burton, who sold the land for the town site. This page has been established for people who are from or who reside in Ellaville/Schley County, Georgia. History of our community is both very rich and very important. Afterall, if you do not know where you came from, you will not know where you are going. From LaCrosse to Concord and from Wall's Crossing to Murray's Crossroads, Schley County is covered with historical buildings, churches and cemeteries. I'm proud to call Ellaville and Schley County not only my home, but my hometown as well. Every day, in the name of progress, historic structures are torn down or left to deteriorate through neglect. When was the last time you saw a barn with the phrase "See Rock City" painted on the side? We must have a vested interest in where and whom we came from. It is our life, and though some of our families may not originate from Schley County, we ended up here just the same. We should take pride in our community, because we are as much a part of it as it is a part of us. Of all the interesting people whom I have met, I've yet to find anyone who is as proud of their hometown as the people I know who are from Ellaville and Schley County. So, share your pictures of buildings, people, scenery and good times in Schley County on the wall and we can use this page as a general community forum. This page is maintained by the following:
Jerry Battle Sr., Administrator
Jesse Wilson, Editor
Ernie Jones, Editor

See also:
http://www.ellavillega.com
http://www.ellavilleschleycountyhistory.com

1945…
06/05/2026

1945…

05/26/2026

Undoubtedly the youngest principal in the history of Schley County schools was William Ralston MacDonald. In 1940 the 25 year old bachelor and Vidalia native was paying $14 monthly rental for a room in the Lucy Dyess home across the street from the old gym. The gym was familiar to him also because he doubled as the coach for the school’s athletes. He could take a 3 minute walk every morning and be in his office on College St. He met his bride to be in that school building, where he had been a teacher for two years prior to being assigned as its principal. The young English teacher and librarian, Jean Mauldin, from Cairo Ga, became Mrs. Macdonald in the summer of ‘42. The previous summer, with the winds of war howling 6 months before the Pearl Harbor attack, he left Ellaville for Army service. Less than 90 days before the end of the war with Japan in Sep of ‘45, the 30 year old hero and Captain gave his life on Okinawa. On this Memorial Day in May of 2026 you are remembered, William Ralston MacDonald. Captain MacDonald is buried in Andersonville National Cemetery, Section A Site 196.

— Ernie Jones

05/24/2026
Jan 1944...The house on College Street where our friend Neil Snyder has lived for almost 8 decades was built in the earl...
05/23/2026

Jan 1944...The house on College Street where our friend Neil Snyder has lived for almost 8 decades was built in the early 1900s by Ed Strange. Here's a little story about Ed and his wife. She died two years after this story and Ed died 4 years later. The Snyder family moved in soon after.

Dec 1943...
05/22/2026

Dec 1943...

1943…Stewart's Corner...on McMickle Rd between 240 and Bridges Store Rd.
05/22/2026

1943…Stewart's Corner...on McMickle Rd between 240 and Bridges Store Rd.

Only one guess to our trivia question regarding the location of those 38 jalopies in Elllaville on Sunday’s post about t...
05/18/2026

Only one guess to our trivia question regarding the location of those 38 jalopies in Elllaville on Sunday’s post about the WW II scrap iron drive, so I’ll take a stab at it. I believe it to be at the rear of what was the Ellaville Auto Company, otherwise known as C . C. “Charlie” McNeal’s garage by us locals back in the day. That area would have also been in the vicinity adjacent and to the rear of Alex Baugh’s service station. The front of McNeal’s Garage was on Church Street (now a vacant lot) and adjacent to the current day Kairos PeMo’s coffee shop. The area of Baugh’s Service Station occupied the space of current day The Peoples Bank. (Alex Baugh had died about 6 years prior to this article.)

My interest was piqued because of the building shown in the background of the 1943 news photo (circled in yellow). I believe that to be the metal warehouse building that occupied the bank space for decades.

I’ll attach a stitched photo of several in the comments section.

Ernie

1943…I have a hunch as to this location, but we’ll call it today’s trivia question. Take your guesses… ~ Ernie Jones
05/17/2026

1943…I have a hunch as to this location, but we’ll call it today’s trivia question. Take your guesses… ~ Ernie Jones

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Ellaville, GA
31806

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