Tag Archives: Ty Cobb

July 30, 2019 · 11:31 am

Lawton Place, Circa 1884, Mount Airy

Alexander Robert Lawton built this as a summer home (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 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

 

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July 24, 2019 · 3:03 pm

Ty Cobb Statue, 1977, Royston

Tyrus Raymond Cobb was born on 18 December 1886 at a place known as 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 Marine Corps (Iwo Jima) Memorial. 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?

 

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July 24, 2019 · 1:04 pm

Ty Cobb Monument, 1986, Royston

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.

 

 

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July 24, 2019 · 9:50 am

Joe T. Cunningham Furniture Company, Royston

Cunningham Furniture was originally located just down the street, in the Dorough Building (Carter’s Hardware) but moved here before 1930. Joe Cunningham was a friend of Ty Cobbs 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

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July 23, 2019 · 1:21 pm

Brown Medical Clinic, Circa 1955, Royston

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.

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June 16, 2014 · 11:02 pm

Ty Cobb Mausoleum, Royston

Tyrus Raymond Ty Cobb Greatest Baseball Player of All Time Mausoleum Grave Final Resting Place Rose Hill Cemetery Royston GA Franklin County Photograph Copyright Brian Brown Vanishing North Georgia USA 2014

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.

Tyrus Raymond Ty Cobb Greatest Baseball Player of All Time Mausoleum Interior Grave Final Resting Place Rose Hill Cemetery Royston GA Franklin County Photograph Copyright Brian Brown Vanishing North Georgia USA 2014

Here’s an early image of Cobb, on a tobacco card:

Ty Cobb Public Domain Image Tobacco Card via Wikipedia

Image Source: Wikipedia

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

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