By Brandon Hembree
Inside the cabinets of the Sugar Hill History Museum in City Hall, there is an old First Avenue sign. The sign is old, and the cold of winter and the heat of summer have faded its green color and the white color of the lettering. It is bent as if the wind has taken a heavy toll over the forty or more years it stood at the corner of West Broad Street and First Avenue. The sign, though dented and rusted, was rescued when that portion of First Avenue was recently abandoned in downtown Sugar Hill. It is now a historic relic on display, but few people understand its significance or where it even came from in our community. For students of our history, it tells a story about a division of our downtown but also teaches us an important lesson from our past.
Years ago before Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, things were a lot different. A driver or walker could turn at that sign off of West Broad Street onto First Avenue and take it to the railroad tracks, or continue going straight onto West Broad Street until they reached Mangum’s Crossing. The two parts of downtown Sugar Hill were connected, and now the parts are divided. While it is difficult to see this at ground level today, a modern-day aerial view map clearly shows how the two parts of Sugar Hill were once connected.
The first division occurred as a result of a tragedy. On November 8, 1970, five girls, ranging in age from 14 to 17, were killed while crossing the railroad tracks at Mangum’s Crossing. This was not the first accident that had happened at the crossing. Under pressure from Sugar Hill and Gwinnett County, the state of Georgia in 1975 agreed to build the four-lane bridge that helps span Georgia Highway 20 over the railroad tracks. The bridge made the crossing safer and avoided future tragedies, but the project divided Lanier Avenue from its connection with East Broad Street and began the division between West Broad Street and East Broad Street.
The second division happened out of growth and necessity. The extension and expansion of Peachtree Industrial Boulevard was a major transportation infrastructure project that happened because of increasing growth in population and traffic in this part of Gwinnett County. The roadway has been a game-changer for positive development along its corridor and positively impacted many communities in the western part of the county. However, this project completely separated what is now West Broad Street from East Broad Street, and divided First Avenue into two parts. Absent the bridge and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, on an aerial map you can clearly see where they would all connect.
Often, progress may change the physical landscape of a community. It may even isolate one part of the community from the growth and development experienced by other parts of the community. Progress can be good or bad. History teaches us; however, that the more powerful “sense of community” that binds us all together doesn’t have to be impacted by progress. This is the important lesson from the past and the example that has been set by Sugar Hill. Much of Sugar Hill’s history is not about division, but about connection.
Not long ago, an amazing historical mural was unveiled at Sugar Hill’s Old City Hall. One of the panels of that mural includes Carol and Walter Mangum. It is a timeless picture of two people holding a string of fish in front of their grocery store and is something you might think about in relation to the fictional town of Mayberry. The mural has an element of history incorporated into the artwork that adds to the fabric that ties our community together. It was designed this way by the artist, Chris Walker. The building that was once Mangum’s Grocery Store is still near the railroad tracks on East Broad Street. It is a great thing to see and you should go see it – it just might take a little extra effort and some navigation of several roads to get over there!
