GRIFFIN + SPALDING TOURISM AND BUSINESS ASSOCIATION |
A mural honoring Griffin, Georgia native Janet Harmon Bragg, the first black woman to earn a commercial pilot’s license. |
Located just 40 miles south of Atlanta, Griffin and surrounding Spalding County are a diverse and welcoming area that honors its notable citizens year-round, with murals, museums, and parks.
Together, these dynamic monuments celebrate generations of history and stories of achievement, on the ground and in the air, and from Olympic stardom to aviation. Here are some ways to experience these role models on a visit to Griffin.
The Griffin-Spalding Athletic Hall of Fame features many of Griffin’s local sports heroes, including three-time Olympic gold medalist Wyomia Tyus. He was the first person to win consecutive gold medals in the 100-meter dash, first at the 1964 Tokyo Games and then in 1968 in Mexico City.
Growing up in Griffin, her father, a dairy farmer, encouraged her to participate in sports. Others honored in the Griffin-Spalding Athletic Hall of Fame include Pro Football Hall of Famer Rayfield Wright (Dallas Cowboys), Atlanta Falcons great Jessie Tuggle and Chicago Bears star and athlete Willie Gault . Open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Visit Griffin’s 164-acre Wyomia Tyus Olympic Park to explore walking trails and picnic pavilions overlooking a three-acre lake and fountain. Concession stands and more picnic and play areas are located at its soccer and basketball complexes and the world-class Spalding County Pickleball complex.
Visit the Griffin Regional Welcome Center for a combined art and history tour. Built in 1899 as a grocery distribution warehouse, the Center not only offers ideas for entertainment, dining, shopping and lodging, but is also home to the Griffin-Spalding Art Association’s art gallery of regional works and the American History Museum. Griffin, which contains an impressive array of archives, artifacts and memorabilia dating back to the mid-19th century.
A plaque in the Griffin History Museum features one of the early Griffin greats, Dox Thrash, an innovative and influential artist born in 1893. After heading north and serving in World War I, he became a fine printmaker . In 1937 he became the first black artist to work for Philadelphia’s Fine Print Workshop, part of the Works Progress Administration for Depression-era artists.
Thrash co-invented a printmaking technique that reversed the way the medium was manipulated and used it to create some of his greatest works. He created images of everyday African American life, including scenes from his hometown. Today, these prints are an important part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s collection.
Another local pioneer, Janet Harmon Bragg (1907-1993), overcame multiple obstacles to become the first African-American woman to hold a commercial pilot’s license. When she was a child growing up in Griffin, she enjoyed bird watching and was fascinated by aerodynamics, which later led her to determinedly pursue her dream of aviation.
During World War II, WASPs were denied entry because of their color. He later enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training Program at Alabama‘s Tuskegee Institute, but even then he had to break more barriers to obtain his commercial license. Details of his story are told in the Smithsonian Institution Archives.
In the end, Bragg remained an actively licensed pilot for 35 years, logging more than 2,000 flight hours.
A large mural honoring her can be seen in downtown Griffin, in front of the post office at West Solomon and South 8th Street.
The former Fairmont Vocational High School is renovated and a museum gallery in development for Our Legacy Museum, the Griffin Spalding Museum of African American History. The museum will present the inspiring historical and cultural experiences of the Griffin-Spalding African American community within a regional and national context. Their mission is to create a space where future generations of all backgrounds learn about their shared heritage and discover what they can achieve together.
In 1927, the community of Fairmont was created as the first neighborhood in Griffin where African American men and women could purchase land to build a home. Two years later, the Griffin-Spalding Board of Education purchased land in Fairmont, on which the Rosenwald Fund supported the creation of a school for black children.
To donate oral histories, memorabilia or financial contributions, visit www.ourlegacymuseum.com/support.
If you go
Once a railroad boomtown, Griffin has become a diverse community offering entertainment, history, notable architecture, recreation and great food. A big plus is the 900 free public parking spaces in the city center. Visit restaurants in the Arts and Entertainment District to purchase a cup of booze to-go (ages 21 and up) and stroll the streets from 4 to 12 pm daily.
Stay overnight to enjoy more of Griffin and Spalding Counties’ restaurants and unique antique, clothing and gift shops. Accommodation options include historic bed and breakfasts and trusted hotel brands. The area also has VRBO and Air B&B rentals.
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