Tag Archives: Georgia Athletes

Sugar Ray Robinson Childhood Home, Circa 1910s, Ailey

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During the 1920s, this board-and-batten single-pen cottage was the childhood home of one of America’s most famous athletes. Born on 3 May 1921 to Walker Smith, Sr., a Dublin, Georgia, native, and Leila Hurst, from Johnson County, Walker Smith, Jr., came to be known as Sugar Ray Robinson and went on to worldwide fame and fortune. According to his autobiography, his father, who worked as a farm laborer, eventually moved the family to Detroit in search of better opportunity. The Smiths had two daughters, as well. The couple separated in the early 1930s, but may not have divorced. Walker Smith, Sr., was buried in Detroit and Leila Smith in Westchester County, New York. In Sugar Ray, Robinson’s posthumous autobiography published in 1994, he notes that the family moved to New York City around this time. [There is some conflict with dates and facts in the autobiography and Robinson’s official website, though they are trivial.]

Original Jan 30 1947 Sugar Ray Robinson Welterweight Champion Boxing Wire Photo, Acme Newsphotos. Public domain.

Smith dropped out of high school in ninth grade and though he initially wanted to be a doctor became fascinated by boxing. When he was turned away from entering his first match at age 14 because he was too young to be a member of the Amateur Athletic Union, he used the identification card of a friend at the gym, Ray Robinson, and that name stuck. He told Time magazine in a 1951 cover story (“Businessman Boxer”, 25 June 1951) that a woman attending a fight in Watertown, New York, said he was “sweet as sugar”, and the name Sugar Ray Robinson was born. He turned pro in 1940 and compiled a record of 129-1-2 with 85 knockouts. He held numerous titles and is widely regarded as the greatest boxer of all time, pound-for-pound.

His first marriage, to Marjorie Joseph in 1938, was short-lived and was annulled the same year. They had a son, Ronnie Smith. Robinson married Edna Mae Holly (1915-2002), who was a dancer at Harlem’s famous Cotton Club, in 1943 or 1944. They had one child, Ray Robinson, Jr. but the couple divorced in 1962. He later married Mildred “Millie” Wiggins Bruce, in 1965, and the couple moved to Los Angeles. He faced many health issues in his final years, suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and diabetes, and died on 12 April 1989.

A personal note: I’ve been trying to “find this house” for as long I’ve known of its existence, but wasn’t able to pinpoint the location for various reasons. After seeing it positively identified by friends at Ethos Preservation in Savannah, I realized I already had photographs and just didn’t know it was “the” house. I understand there are no plans for preservation at this time, and while the house is in relatively good condition, it should at least have an historic marker denoting its significance. I believe it would be of interest to tourists and boxing fans and perhaps in a perfect world would be a small museum honoring the career of this native son.

Paul Anderson Memorial Park, 2008, Toccoa

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One of the highlights of downtown Toccoa is Paul Anderson Park, a welcoming greenspace nestled at the intersection of Georgia Highway 17 and Tugalo Street, heading south out of town. It’s a moving tribute to Toccoa’s most famous resident, Paul Anderson (1932-1994). Anyone who’s ever flipped through a copy of the Guinness Book of World Records knows that he made the “Greatest Lift. The Greatest Weight Ever Raised by a Human Being…6,270lbs in a back lift.” This led to Anderson being known as the strongest man in the world. He was a national and world heavyweight champion and won a gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, but was proudest of his youth home in Vidalia. The home, founded by Paul and his wife, Glenda, “works with juveniles who would otherwise be incarcerated. The young men are first and foremost taught about the saving grace and enduring love of Jesus Christ. The Paul Anderson Youth Home, located on a 50- acre campus, offers to its students the opportunity of completing their education at the Home’s accredited high school which more than adequately prepares the young men for college, vocational school, or a career in the military. Paul believed that if a troubled boy learned to love himself rather than striking out at others that he would instead reach out to help others. And Paul Anderson also strove to instill in each boy a strong work ethic.”

The park was originally the idea of Mrs. Cynthia Sanders’s fourth grade gifted class, in 1999. Students presented the idea of a park to the city commission, which adopted the suggestion the same year. It was dedicated in 2008. Jim A. Pollock was the landscape architect and the excellent statue is the work of renowned sculptor Jerry McKenna.

Johnny Mize House, Circa 1890, Demorest

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This house, originally a saddlebag and later expanded, was built by John Henry Loudermilk, the maternal grandfather of Johnny Mize. It is a private residence and the house nor the grounds are open to the public. The historic marker placed at the edge of the property by Piedmont College in 2000 notes: National Baseball Hall of Fame member John Robert Mize was born in this house in 1913. While only 15 years old and still in high school, Mize launched his distinguished baseball career playing for Piedmont College. He began his major league career with the St. Louis Cardinals (1936-41) and played for the New York Giants (1942-43 and 1946-49) with a three year interruption for service in the Navy during World War II. In 1949, he joined the New York Yankees, helping the team win five straight World Series titles. Mize was the 1952 Series MVP after hitting homers in three straight games. Johnny Mize was called “The Big Cat” for his sure-handed glove work at first base and his smooth swing. A 10-time All-Star player, he led the National League three years in total bases and four times in slugging percentage. In 1947, he hit 50 home runs while striking out only 42 times, a record that stands today (2000). His ML battling average was .312 with 359 home runs, 1,337 RBIs and 2,011 hits in 1,884 games. Mize was inducted into the Georgia Hall of Fame in 1973 and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1981. Mize returned to live in his family home in 1974 and died in 1993. He is buried in nearby Yonah Cemetery.

Lawton Place, Circa 1884, Mount Airy

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Alexander Robert Lawton built this as a summer home [christened ‘Seventh Heaven’] between 1884-1885 and his boosterism helped make Mt. Airy a popular resort area. Lawton was a Confederate general and attorney who later served as president of the Augusta & Savannah Railroad. Upon General Lawton’s death in 1898, the family’s holdings in Mt. Airy were sold and the house came into the possession of Caroline Thompson, who owned it until 1911.

Mrs. Gene Keen-Knight of Vicksburg, Mississippi, apparently didn’t live in the house but maintained it as a rental property. It was during her ownership that baseball legend Ty Cobb lived here. He was having a house built on a large piece of property nearby and called the Lawton place home for a few years, in the 1950s. After Mrs. Keen-Knight’s death the house was sold yet again and several owners have followed. Most recently, it served as an event space known as Lawton Place Manor.

National Register of Historic Places

Ty Cobb Statue, 1977, Royston

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Tyrus Raymond Cobb was born on 18 December 1886 at a place known as (The) Narrows in nearby Banks County. He is one of the immortal legends of the sport and spent most of his career (1905-1928) with the Detroit Tigers, finishing with the Philadelphia Athletics. He was the first man inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. Ty Cobb, like his peers of the era, didn’t make a fortune in baseball but he invested his earnings into Coca-Cola and other stocks and made millions. His donations helped build the first comprehensive hospital in Franklin County, in memory of his parents. In 1953 he created the Cobb Educational Fund to assist students in need. The hospital has grown exponentially and the scholarships are still being awarded.  Cobb died in Atlanta on 17 July 1961.

The statue was commissioned by C & S Bank president Mills Lane and created by the great sculptor, Felix de Weldon, who is best known for the iconic Marine Corps (Iwo Jima) Memorial in Washington, D.C. It was first placed at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in 1977 and made the move to Turner Field in 1997. When the Braves left Turner Field for SunTrust Park in 2017, they decided to leave the Cobb statue behind, citing it wasn’t theirs to move. The Atlanta Recreation Authority and Georgia State University both made claims for the statue but ultimately relinquished it to the City of Royston. It’s become the biggest tourist attraction in town, and really, where else would it need to be?

Ty Cobb Monument, 1986, Royston

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Like the larger statue of Ty Cobb directly in front of it, this monument has been moved to a place of prominence in front of the library. The reverse side lists some of Cobb’s myriad records, many of which will likely never be broken.

Joe T. Cunningham Furniture Company, Royston

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Cunningham Furniture was originally located just down the street, in the Dorough Building but moved here before 1930. Joe Cunningham was a friend of Ty Cobb and was not only a furniture retailer but also a craftsman. He made bats for Ty Cobb.

Royston Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Brown Medical Clinic, Circa 1955, Royston

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Doctor’s offices of this style were quite common from the 1950s to the early 1970s. I’m not sure why it was such a popular choice, but they seemed to get the job done. This was named in memory of Dr. Stewart Dixon Brown, Sr. (1881-1952), and operated by his son, also a physician. The senior Dr. Brown was a beloved physician in Royston. A historical marker in front of the clinic notes that Dr. Brown served the people for 40 years, performing 35,000 operations. Since Royston had no hospital, he traveled from house to house in his early practice. He then opened a small hospital. It was the only such facility in the area until Dr. Brown’s childhood friend, Ty Cobb, gave money for the construction of Cobb Memorial in 1950. Dr. Brown was the first superintendent of Cobb Memorial.

Ty Cobb Mausoleum, Royston

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Arguably the best player in the history of the baseball, Tyrus Raymond Cobb was born in nearby Banks County in 1886. After a legendary career on the field and a controversial life after retirement, Cobb returned to Northeast Georgia in the last years of his life. Upon his death, he chose to be interred in the Cobb family plot at Rose Hill Cemetery in Royston. He rests eternally with his mother, father and sister in this mausoleum.

Be sure to visit the cemetery when in Royston, and stop by the Ty Cobb Museum.