1900 to 1925

The twentieth century brought a new optimism and enthusiasm to the one hundred-year-old city. The City Beautiful Movement, inspired by the Chicago Exposition at the turn of the century, influenced the construction of many grand buildings in Macon. In 1903 Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church was completed, followed by the former U.S. Post Office (now the Federal Building) in 1908. One year after the Dempsey Hotel was built in 1913, Lanier High School was completed. Terminal Station, Washington Memorial Library, and one of America’s classical architectural masterpieces, Edgerton Swartout’s Macon City Auditorium, were completed in 1916, 1920, and 1924, respectively. The Bibb County Courthouse was replaced in 1926, and Luther Williams Field, home to the Macon Peaches, became a state-of-the-art sports facility in 1929.

The turn of the century also brought beautiful new homes in old residential areas and the new neighborhoods of Shirley Hills, North Highlands, and Cherokee Heights. The reputation of native Maconite J. Neel Reid (1885-1926), a nationally renowned architect, began with his residential and commercial designs here in Macon. The city’s buildings and homes remain a virtual library of our history and culture.

Macon was known for her Southern hospitality and conventions. As described in The History of Macon, “More people were brought to Macon by conventions in 1919 than to any other city in this part of the country. The registration books show 88,000 for Macon as compared to 63,000 for Atlanta and still fewer for New Orleans.”¹¹

During the First World War, city leaders and the Chamber of Commerce championed Macon as the site for a new mobilization center in 1917 and 1918. With hundreds of frame buildings constructed, Camp Wheeler would soon accommodate thousands of soldiers from all over the country. The Macon Volunteers, Hussars, and Floyd Rifles, rich in Macon’s military heritage, once again headed for war. A large contingent of African Americans volunteered and, while not allowed on the front lines, assisted ably in the war effort.

With the conclusion of the First World War, Macon was positioned for more growth. The “Roaring Twenties” was an appropriate description of Macon’s progress. Women led the temperance movement prohibiting consumption of alcohol with the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919. One year later the suffrage movement secured women’s right to vote with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. Viola Ross Napier from Macon became the first woman to serve in Georgia’s legislature.

The municipal election of 1921 led to the appointment of Luther Williams as Mayor and the first woman alderman, Mrs. C.C. Harrold. The History of Macon states that during the election, “Not an incident of disorder was reported during the day; no arrests were made, there was no evidence of drinking around the poles, and not even any bitter arguments—a precedent in the history of local elections.”¹²

The organization of civic clubs symbolized a renewed pride in Macon. Rotary members met for the first time at the Dempsey Hotel in 1914; the Kiwanis Club began in 1920; the Lions Club and its younger brother, the Civitan Club, were instituted in 1921; and the Exchange Club was established in 1923. As part of this movement, Macon’s businesswomen founded the first Pilot Club in 1922, which would soon expand to other cities and states.

Club projects included providing scholarships to Mercer and Wesleyan; tending orphanages at Christmas time; developing a plan for the drainage of the swamps and the elimination of the mosquito menace; creating an open-air school for crippled children; sending tubercular children to the mountains; opening Washington Library; preventing the curtailment of train service to Macon; and supporting various bond campaigns for the municipal stadium, paving, and school improvements.

One of the biggest events in Macon’s history was her centennial celebration, which was held May 9 through May 11 in 1923. The main attraction was Macon’s historical pageant held during each of the three afternoons. With directors from New York, a cast of five thousand entertained on an open-air stage in Central City Park before crowds ranging from fifteen thousand to thirty thousand attendees.¹³