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History · Shellman

Shellman dates to 1883, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 163 buildings. Below: maps from 1972 on and the census since 1890.

1883founded
1on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Shellman began

When was Shellman founded?

1883

Shellman dates its founding to 1883 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 462 in 18902020 census: 861143 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1851.The full story ↓

What stands out about Shellman’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Shellman Historic District takes in 163 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Shellman are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Shellman.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,254 in 1980; 861 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

1 listing protects 163 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
163
each building in a district counts
first listed
1985
Shellman Historic District
Shellman Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Victorian Eclectic1
Neoclassical1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Saddlebag Plan1
Late Victorian Commercial1
Vernacular Cottage1
Shellman Historic DistrictVictorian Eclectic

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Help out

Start Shellman’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Shellman’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and places now gone

Shellman’s post office has been open since 1885. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Nochway
1851–1881
Ward Station
1881–1885
Shellman
1885–today
Nochway
1897–1901
18501940today
Gone or out of use
Sammons Airportairport

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Shellman came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Shellman.

Read it all →

Shellman was incorporated in 1883. It was originally named Ward, in honor of John P. Ward, whose vision helped to bring the South-Western Rail Road to the area and to place a depot in the spot that would become the center of the town.

Only two years later, the name of the town was changed to Shellman, in honor of Major R. F. Shellman, general traffic manager of the Central of Georgia Railroad. Major Shellman was a promoter of the young town and a donor to the construction of its new school, the Shellman Institute.

The Shellman Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The history of Shellman is extensively recorded in two documents published by the Randolph County Georgia Historical Society [1]:

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Shellman, 1851 to 1983

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1851Post officeThe Nochway post office opens
  3. 1881Post officeThe Nochway post office closes
  4. 1881Post officeThe Ward Station post office opens
  5. 1883
    FoundingShellman is established
  6. 1885Post officeThe Ward Station post office closes
  7. 1885Post officeThe Shellman post office opens
  8. 20th century
  9. 1947Born hereLeroy Gilbert is born here
  10. 1972On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1980Born hereDonnell Harvey is born here
  12. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 1,254
  13. 1983Born hereThomas Davis is born here
By decade

Shellman, decade by decade

Today18 recent
Shellman limit, US82 EB2014Shellman limit, US82 EBShellman limit, GA41 SB2014Shellman limit, GA41 SBShellman limit, Dean St SB2014Shellman limit, Dean St SBShellman Vol Fire Dept2014Shellman Vol Fire DeptShellman Railroad Depot, SouthWest corner2014Shellman Railroad Depot, SouthWest cornerShellman Railroad Depot, NorthEast face2014Shellman Railroad Depot, NorthEast faceShellman Post Office2014Shellman Post OfficeShellman Methodist Church2014Shellman Methodist ChurchShellman City Hall, Randolph County Sheriff's Office2014Shellman City Hall, Randolph County Sheriff's OfficePearl St RR Crossing2014Pearl St RR CrossingFirst State Bank2014First State BankCitgo2014CitgoShellman, GA2012Shellman, GAShellman, GA Volunteer Fire Dept2012Shellman, GA Volunteer Fire DeptShellman, GA Post Office (39886)2012Shellman, GA Post Office (39886)Shellman, GA Historic District (NRHP)2012Shellman, GA Historic District (NRHP)Shellman, GA City Hall2012Shellman, GA City HallGAMap-doton-Shellman2005GAMap-doton-Shellman
On the map

Shellman on the map, 1972 to 1981

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Shellman. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Shellman on the 1972 USGS mapShellman on the 1981 USGS map1972Shellman sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Shellman.

People over time

Shellman, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,254

Peaked at 1,254 in 1980; 861 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Shellman’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Shellman

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
D
Donnell HarveyAmerican basketball player · b. 1980
Thomas DavisAmerican football player · b. 1983
Leroy GilbertUnited States Coast Guard chaplain · b. 1947

Questions about Shellman’s history

What year was Shellman founded?

In 1883, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Shellman’s post office opened in 1851, and the census of 1890 counted 462 people here.

What is on the National Register in Shellman?

One place: the Shellman Historic District (listed 1985).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (18), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.