Troup County Archives & Legacy Museum on Main

05/29/2026

We love hosting groups at the museum!

This week, First United Methodist Church stopped by with their summer day camp to explore our latest exhibit and take part in a fun rainstick activity.

Programs like these are one of our favorite parts of what we do. We are always excited to welcome groups of all ages to the museum for interactive learning experiences, guided tours, crafts, and more.

Interested in planning a visit for your school, camp, church group, homeschool group, senior group, or organization? Contact us! We are also happy to travel to your location when possible to bring history directly to you.

Thank you again to First United Methodist Church for spending part of your week with us!

05/28/2026

In the early days of the county, ferries operated on the Chattahoochee River. These stretched all along the river, from Philpot’s Ferry on the northern border of the county, to West Point Ferry in the southwestern corner. In total, at least a dozen ferries operated in the county from 1826 to the 1850s. The river was not only used to transport people, but also goods and livestock. As areas like Troup began to shift their primary focus to textile production, the use of the river for transportation of materials and goods became a cornerstone of the economy.

To learn more about early transpsortion in Troup County, check out our latest exhibit, Settling In: Troup County, 1826.

Picture Caption: View of Mayson-Turner Ferry on the Chattahoochee River in Cobb County with Calhoun “Uncle Coat” Turner as ferryman, 1903. Atlanta History Photograph Collection, VIS 170, Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center.

05/27/2026

After the establishment of Troup County, a lottery was held in 1827 to distribute land. Residents registered into the lottery by providing their name and county, which was then placed in a drum to be drawn. To participate in the lottery, a person was also required to already have been a Georgia resident for at least 3 years. A second drum contained the district and lot numbers for the county. A name was drawn from the first drum, then either one or two lot numbers from the second drum. If participants pulled a lot number, they had to pay $18 to secure their land. Each lot was 202 ½ acres.

Now you can experience the process for yourself! Stop by the museum to see our latest exhibit, Settling In: Troup County, 1826, to take part in our interactive land lottery activity. Try your luck and spin our lottery drum and place a star on the land lot you would have received!

05/22/2026

05/21/2026

The banjo became a popular instrument in the South, and its African-derived rhythms were incorporated into early American popular music. Most musicologists agree that the banjo evolved from West and Central African stringed instruments, such as the akonting and ngoni, brought to the area by enslaved people. Early banjos were often handmade using gourds, animal skins, and wooden necks. Instruments like the fiddle, voice, early banjo forms, and portable piano or reed organ were common. Want to learn more? Check out the music section of our latest exhibit, Settling In: Troup County, 1826.

05/20/2026

Eleven treaties were signed between Native Americans and European settlers to create the state of Georgia that we now know. On February 12, 1825, the Treaty of Indian Springs ceded to the United States all lands lying within the boundaries of the State of Georgia, as defined by the compact of April 24, 1802. In return the Creeks received an equal amount of land west of the Mississippi along the Arkansas River.

05/19/2026

There is always something new to discover! Thank you Downtown LaGrange for highlighting our latest exhibit. As always, admission is FREE and we are excited for the community to take an immersive look at local history.

05/18/2026

While our first Kids Night at the Museum is fully booked, please be on the lookout for sign-ups for our next event on July 17th. In the meantime, we invite you to join us for our other free summer programs: Baby History takes place every Tuesday at 11 a.m., and Hands-On History will begin once school is out for the year, with our first event scheduled for Thursday, May 28, at 11 a.m. We hope to see you there!

05/18/2026

Sacred Harp music has deep roots in Georgia, where it became one of the most important musical traditions of the 19th century. Built on a system called shape-note singing, Sacred Harp music allowed ordinary people to read music and sing in harmony without formal training. Different note shapes represented musical syllables, making group singing accessible across rural Georgia.

Georgia played a central role in the development of this tradition. The most famous Sacred Harp songbook, The Sacred Harp, was first published in 1844 by Benjamin Franklin White, a Georgia resident, along with Elisha James King. Long before that, earlier songbooks such as Wyeth’s Repository of Sacred Music, printed in 1834, circulated widely throughout the South and were used in singing schools and
church meetings. These books traveled with settlers and became treasured household items.

In Troup County, Sacred Harp music fit naturally into everyday life. Early settlers lived far apart, and gatherings for worship, funerals, and seasonal events offered rare chances for social connection. Singing brought neighbors together and helped strengthen community ties. A local newspaper later reported the discovery of an old Sacred Harp–style songbook owned by a Troup County family near Ware’s Cross Roads, showing how long these books remained in use and how closely music was woven into family life.

Sacred Harp singing was not about performance. Singers sat facing one another in a square and sang loudly and confidently for the joy of participating. Songs often focused on faith, death, and the passage of time, themes that reflected the realities of 19th-century life. Men, women, and children took part,
learning by singing together rather than through formal lessons.

The tradition also crossed cultural boundaries. Both white and Black Georgians engaged with shape-note music, and its rhythms and harmonies influenced later sacred music traditions. In communities like Troup County, Sacred Harp singing became a shared language of faith, memory, and belonging. Today, Sacred Harp music continues to be sung in Georgia and around the world. Its survival reflects the same spirit that sustained early Troup County settlers, people coming together to build community through shared voices and shared history.
This group of singers gathered for a shape note convention in Henagar, AL at Liberty Church.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CC2f4BWhIw