Cherokee Lake Park Press

Rev. Earl Williams began his service to the City of Thomasville in January of 1982 when he was sworn in as a member of the City Council, sharing his vast experience as a U.S. Marine, a professional baseball player, a pastor, and a middle school principal. During his service on the Council, he worked tirelessly in support of the City of Thomasville’s initiative to provide cable and internet services to the community and the renovation of Cherokee Lake Park, one of the most beloved...

Today concludes our weeklong tribute to one of Thomasville’s “Unsung Heroes,” Mr. Jack Hadley. In 1995, Mr. Hadley and his family made the decision to incorporate his collection as a non-profit organization to enable the organization to receive public support for the continued growth of his collection. In January of 2006, he began renovating 5617 square feet of space at the Frederick Douglass Complex to house his then 2000 piece Black Memorabilia collection. Thomasville’s first Black...

Today is our second post on Mr. Jack Hadley, one of Thomasville’s “Unsung Heroes” being celebrated in honor of Black History Month. It was during a tour of military duty in Spain in 1968 that Mr. Hadley began his collection of Black History Memorabilia by saving newspaper articles from the European Stars and Stripes Newspaper on the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. While his family was stationed in Germany, Mr. Hadley’s son, Jim Hadley, attended Wiesbaden Military...

James “Jack” Hadley, a native of Thomasville, was born at Pebble Hill Plantation in Thomas County in 1936 to the late Dennis and Rosetta James Hadley. He was one of 15 children. He graduated from Douglass High School in June 1956 and enlisted in the United States Air Force where he served his country for twenty‑eight years. After retiring from the Air Force in 1984, Mr. Hadley was employed with the United States Postal Service as a City Letter Carrier for twelve years and retired on...

The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has announced that Thomasville is among 13 Georgia communities to receive statewide distinction in a program recognizing excellence in community planning. In addition to Thomasville, this year’s cities to earn the PlanFirst designation include the cities of Adel, Byron, Forsyth, Griffin, Jesup, Perry, Tifton, and Crawford County. The 2018 PlanFirst communities were recognized at a ceremony at the Capitol on February 6, 2018. The...

Today is our final post honoring this week’s unsung hero, Dr. Gertrude Horne. Dr. Horne was very progressive in her thinking and was, in many ways, very much ahead of her time. Her niece, Andre’ Marria recalls that she was loved by the whole community, both the African American community and the white community. Before integration, it was rare for an African American woman to receive a loan from the bank, but because she was so well respected, she did just that and was able to build her...

A resolution was passed at the January 29th meeting of the Thomasville City Council authorizing staff to move forward with submittal of a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application for Phase 2 of the Fletcherville community. The CDBG grant application will include rehabilitation of water and sewer mains in the area as well as street, sidewalk, and drainage improvements. As part of the application process, a pre-application public hearing will be conducted at the regular City...

Today is our second post about one of our community’s unsung heroes, Dr. Gertrude Horne. In addition to owning the first beauty school in Thomasville and holding a Masters and PhD in Cosmetology, Dr. Horne was also a published poet, author and playwright. One of her popular books was entitled “They Gave Me My Flowers – Poems, Essays and Prayers.” Dr. Horne was also a popular columnist for the Thomasville News. Dr. Horne was the founder of First Unity Missionary Baptist Church,...

The City of Thomasville has announced a series of roadway resurfacing projects set to begin Monday, February 19th and continue through Friday, February 23rd. Crews anticipate being able to pave up to three streets per day. “Resurfacing our City streets is important to our community,” said Assistant City Engineer Wayne Newsome. “Resurfacing the streets not only makes the roadway last longer, but it also offers the community a better driving experience.” During the...

As part of the City of Thomasville’s celebration of Black History Month, we’d like to announce our next unsung community hero…Dr. Gertrude Horne. Dr. Horne was a trained cosmetologist and the owner/operator of LaCharme Beauty School located on Railroad Avenue. LaCharme was the first beauty school to be established in Thomasville. Dr. Horne received her Bachelor of Science degree from State Rite Beauty School in Tallahassee, FL and her Master’s degree and Ph.D. in Cosmetology from the...

The City of Thomasville has announced an improvement project for West Jackson Street. Beginning Tuesday, February 20th, West Jackson Street from the railroad crossing at Remington Ave. to South Pinetree Boulevard will be re-striped. This will include all lane lines, turn arrows, stop bars and crosswalks. “Our goal for restriping this area of West Jackson Street is to help improve driver safety along this corridor by enhancing visibility of the roadway lane markings, turn arrows,...

During Monday’s Thomasville City Council Meeting, 74 City of Thomasville employees were honored for their years of service to the community. The service awards honored employees who have achieved milestones of five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service. "We congratulate our employees on reaching these milestones and want to thank them for the service they have invested in our community and its citizens," said Kha McDonald, Interim City Manager/Utilities Superintendent....