Shellman, GA

In 2020, Shellman had 861 residents, built around the railroad crossroads that gave it a name and a downtown. It was incorporated in 1883 as Ward, honoring John P. Ward, whose efforts helped bring the South-Western Railroad and a depot to the site. Two years later, the town was renamed for Major R. F. Shellman, the Central of Georgia’s general traffic manager and an early promoter of the young place. The railroad set the town’s original pattern, with commercial buildings, homes, churches, and civic uses gathered around the line.

ATTRRivers Langley; SaveRivers / CC BY-SA 3.0

Much of that pattern remains inside the 200-acre Shellman Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1985. The district includes 163 contributing buildings and sites, among them residential blocks, stores, churches, the railroad depot, and the city cemetery. Shellman also has a lively local roll call: Gertrude Baines was born here, and the city is associated with songwriter Boudleaux Bryant and athletes Thomas Davis, Donnell Harvey, and Kobi Thornton. With Randolph County schools, Park Avenue, and the old depot tying the pieces together, Shellman feels like a place where the railroad map is still visible in the streets.