Hartwell will soon be the home of a state-sanctioned Veterans Memorial Highway thanks to a year-long effort by American Legion Post 109.
The Legion will host a special Veterans Day ceremony at 2 p.m. on Nov. 11 to rename the portion of Royston Highway that includes Nancy Hart Memorial Park and Hartwell Tabernacle Church with the new title, “Veterans Memorial Highway.”
A program that includes a speaking part from Georgia House Rep. Alan Powell and patriotic musical accompaniment by the Hart County Marching Band will give way to the official dedication.
American Legion’s James Fulghum said a sign will be posted in front of the Tabernacle Church to mark the newly-named road.
“This is something I’ve been working on for over a year and it’s kind of a done deal,” Fulghum said.
The sign is currently erected but hidden under black paper, which will be removed at the Veterans Day ceremony.
“How I got this idea — the Nancy Hart Cemetery has over 600 veterans buried there. Everywhere I go for our district meetings, I see some roads that say ‘Veterans Memorial Highway’ and I always ask myself, ‘Why can’t Hart County have one of them?’ It’s the ideal place with those 600 veterans that are buried there to have that road named “Veterans Memorial Highway,” Fulghum said.
The public is encouraged to attend, especially veterans.
“I’m very proud of this,” Fulghum said. “If I do nothing else, I’m very proud of this. This is something that will stay in Hart County for decades and lifetimes.”
The very next day, Nov. 12 at 2 p.m., American Legion will host a Legion-only event outside Mary’s Kitchen, where the intersection at Veterans Memorial Highway and Golf Course Road will be renamed, “American Legion Post 109 Intersection.”
State American Legion commander Mark Shreve will be in attendance, as will District 10 commander Larry Lanahan. A reception for Legion members will be held after the ceremony at the Hartwell Golf Club’s Legion Hall.