A history of Monroe,
then and now
Postcards, papers and photographs of Monroe from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Monroe was founded in 1818 as seat of the newly formed Walton County. It was incorporated as a town in 1821 and as a city in 1896. It is named after James Monroe.
Monroe was a major cotton producer in the state during the 1900s. The two main cotton mills in Monroe used to be the driving economic force in the region. Now the mills no longer produce for the cotton industry, but rather serve as economic engines for the region by housing antique markets, event space, and other unique retail.
In July 1946, the area was the site of the last mass lynching in the United States. A White mob attacked and killed two Black married couples who were driving through the area. The four people were pulled from their car and shot several times.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Monroe’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewHistoric American Buildings Surve…, 1936: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Monroe
See all 17 →
Monroe, decade by decade
1970s
1990s
18 historic places in Monroe
Monroe has 18 listings on the National Register, and they protect 455 historic buildings, because Monroe and Walton Mills Historic District alone counts 236.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Historic American Buildings Survey L. D. Andrew, Photographer Aug. 12, 1936 FRONT DOORWAY - Birscoe-Selman House (1936) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (9) and the National Register (3). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.