Category Archives: Cairo GA

Graco Barber Shop, 1921, Cairo

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The Sanitary Barber Shop was established by Ben Lundy in the Cairoga Club Building in 1921. At some point, it became The Graco Barber Shop, which took its name from Grady County. It may be the finest surviving example of an historic barber shop in Georgia; it’s certainly the nicest one I’ve ever seen.

According to the Grady County History Museum: In 1936 the barber shop was purchased by Frank Massey and maintained by him until his death in 1965. One of his barbers, Winfred Robinson, bought the business and ran it until his retirement in 2010. 

Long a popular Saturday stop for generations of Grady Countians it became much more than a just a place to get a haircut or a shave. Much like Floyd’s barber shop in Mayberry, it became the local information hub where people could catch up on the latest news and gossip. While they waited, pairs of combatants would play checkers while a group of kibitzers would gather around them and tell them what they were doing wrong.

Cairo Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot, 1905, Cairo

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The old Atlantic Coast Line depot in the middle of downtown Cairo was a busy location in its early years, carrying produce, and the syrup that made the town famous, to buyers all over the country. As dependence on depots waned, the venerable building was repurposed in the 1970s as the Cairo Police Department. Recently, a demolition of the non-historic interior was completed and a master plan to restore it to its original condition was initiated by Lew Oliver, Inc., a renowned architectural firm responsible for numerous successful projects throughout the region. I’m a big fan of Mr. Oliver’s work and know that Cairo will be pleased with what he will do with this depot.

Cairo Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Zebulon Theatre, 1936, Cairo

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Mrs. Ethel Blanton opened the Zebulon on 15 April 1936 . She named it Zebulon in honor of her husband, Zebulon Blanton. It was sold to the Dunn Family Theatres  in 1950 and again to Larry Bearden in 1973. Mr. Bearden operated it until 2000, at which time it was purchased by the Community Foundation of South West Georgia. It’s still open and shows recent movies.

It’s the oldest single-screen theatre in operation in Georgia.

Cairo Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Cairoga Club Building, 1920, Cairo

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Built for the Cairoga Club in 1920, this commercial block originally housed three businesses downstairs [Britt’s Gent Shop; the Sanitary Barber Shop, later Graco; and Tony Mike’s California Fruit Company], while the club was located upstairs. The club featured a basketball court, bleachers, a dressing room and showers, a kitchen, and a banquet room. There were also billiard tables.

From 1932-1970, the offices of the W. R. Roddenberry Company, known nationwide for its food products, from syrups to pickles, was located on the second floor. W. R. Roddenbery improved upon his father’s cane syrup recipe and in 1890 began commercial production. Roddenbery’s was sold to Dean Foods in 1993, the local factory was sold ten years later, and no Roddenbery pickles or peanut butter are to be found today. Cane Patch Syrup is still around, though,  and the Cairo football team is still known as the Syrupmakers.

Today, it’s home to the Grady County History Museum. It’s free to the public and its director, Don Nickerson, is very enthusiastic about sharing his community’s history.

Cairo Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

 

Grady County Courthouse, 1985, Cairo

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In an era of agricultural boosterism, Grady County declared itself the “Original Diversified Farming County of the Southeast” in 1906. The courthouse was designed by Alexander Blair and built by the J. B. Carr Company. Designed by Jinright, Ryan & Lynn Architects and completed in 1985, to replace the previous courthouse, which burned in 1980.

Cairo Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places