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History of Commerce
Commerce is located in Jackson County in the foothills of beautiful Northeast Georgia. Founded as "Harmony Grove," this historic town changed its name to "Commerce" is 1904.
One of the earliest white settlements in this area was established at Groaning Rock in 1784. Situated between the present day communities of Commerce and Center, Groaning Rock was the site of an early frontier fort. It was named for an unusual rock formation found there that was held sacred by the Cherokees who lived in the area. Another early white settlement in Jackson County was Yamtrahoochee, "Tumbling Waters," (Hurricane Shoals) that was also settled around 1785. The community at Hurricane Shoals consisted of a fort, houses, a school, a church, a grist mill, a trading post and an iron furnace. Iron for the furnace was mined near the present site of Commerce. This furnace remained in operation between the War Between the States.
Harmony Grove was settled in 1808. Eli Shankle and his wife Rebecca Hargrove, camped near the Shankle Spring living for some months under a brush arbor until he built a hewn pine log house. This house was one of the first buildings in town.
Harmony Grove was the crossroads from the mountain counties of North Georgia and North Carolina to the markets of Athens, Washington and Augusta. Farmers bringing stock and produce to market would stop and camp at Harmony Grove which had ample springs and a pleasant climate. Between 1810 and 1900 these people began trading in Harmony Grove for items such as plow goods, stoves, and household utensils as well as clothing, shoes and other necessities not available in the mountain regions.
The agricultural economy of Harmony Grove included corn, wheat, potatoes, peas, sorghum and cotton. Apples, peaches, grapes, scupernongs, figs and other fruit were also grown here. Milk cows, pigs, cattle and sheep were raised.
Agricultural products were the chief resource of Harmony Grove and Commerce through the early 1900's. From 1880 through 1910, Harmony Grove flourished as a cotton market receiving cotton from Jackson, Banks, Madison and Franklin counties. Around 1919, a commercial peach industry began in Commerce.
Harmony Grove officially incorporated on December 4, 1884, with W.A. Quillian as the first mayor.
The railroad came to Harmony Grove in 1876. This line, called the Northeastern, ran through Harmony Grove connecting the Athens line (Georgia Railroad) to the Gainesville line (Airline). The railroad routed through Harmony Grove, rather than Jefferson, largely due to the efforts of C.W. Hood and W.B.J. Hardman who gauranteed $50,000 worth of stock for Harmony Grove. The depot was located on a tract of land (including Spencer Park) donated by C.W. Hood. In 1895, Southern Railway purchased the Northeastern line. Harmony Grove was one of the leading distributing communities of Northeast Georgia with freight receipts exceeding those of similar sized towns on the Southern Railway.
Business began to spring up around the changing face of Harmony Grove. The railroad laid out the city and merchants took advantage of the frontage and exposure it provided. The railroad brought business and as the town grew, so did its need for services.
The "Northeast Georgia Progress," Harmony Grove's first newspaper was published from 1875 until 1881. "The Harmony Grove Age" began publication in 1888. After its sale to Dr. W.D. Hardman in 1891, it was renamed "The Harmony Grove Echo." In 1903, J.F. Shannon, its new owner, renamed the paper "The Commerce News." It remains in publication today.
In 1892, The Northeastern Banking Company was organized as Harmony Grove's first locally owned bank. C.J. Hood was the cashier and L.G. Hardman was president. In 1902, the First National Bank was organized. Dr. W.B. Hardman served as president and W.L. Williamson was cashier.
The Harmony Grove Mills, organized in 1893, was a major employer in Commerce and was the first and largest industry during the Harmony Grove period.
Fred E. Durst of Winder started the Commerce Overall Company in 1917, manufacturer of "Gander Brand" overalls. In 1925 he was joined by A.D. Harris and the National Overall Company. The National Overall Company was the largest overall plant under one roof in the world.
Commerce gained national recognition in 1927 with the election of Dr. Lamartine Griffin Hardman to two terms as Governor of Georgia from 1927 to 1931. Hardman also served as a member of the State House of Representatives from 1902 to 1907 and the State Senate from 1908 to 1910.
Dr. Hardman, Commerce native, was a prominent physician and businessman. Lamartine was the son of Dr. W.B.J. Hardman, the first physician in Harmony Grove who began practicing in 1848. In 1899 Dr. L.G. Hardman built and subsequently operated the Hardman Sanatorium. The Sanatorium was one of the first small town hospitals built in Georgia.
The City once again received national recognition in the 1980's as the setting for the widely acclaimed novel Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns. This historical novel tells the story of a young boy growing up in a small Georgia town at the turn of the century.
In 1985, Commerce was named a Georgia Main Street City. The Main Street Program is dedicated to economic development through historic preservation.
Please use the following links to access
Historic Commerce: A Self Guided Tour
Historic Walking Tour Map
Historic Walking Tour 1
Historic Walking Tour 2
City of Commerce, Georgia
PO Box 348 - 27 Sycamore Street
Commerce, Georgia 30529
706-335-3164
Updated 09/27/2007
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