EAST DUBLIN

To Be or Not to Be

For more than two centuries there were and still are people who look down on the people of East Dublin.  Even before there was a Laurens County, there were people who call what we call East Dublin living east of the Oconee River.  

Known first as “Sandbar,” the area was sparsely populated by a small group of families, where the  Macon to Savannah trail and another ancient trail crossed the Oconee.  By the time the railroads were in full operation, some even called it “North Dublin.”  One developer along the river banks wanted to call her subdivision, “Limmerick” to go along with the Irish theme.

From the 1930s through the 1950s, East Dublin was littered  with juke joints, dance halls, and a host of vice-filled buildings.  There were even those who were afraid to cross into East Dublin because just across the bridge was the “red-light” district fondly known as “Booger Bottom.” 

As World War II was winding down, more and more residents wanted create a new town out of an old community, free from corruption, crime, and miscreants.  In those days,  county sheriffs did little to stop the evil or the fun, depending on how someone looked at it.  After all, the county’s largest employer J.P. Stevens, which was established in 1947, brought new legitimacy to the area. 

At the 1951 session of the Georgia General Assembly, a local bill was introduced, having for its purpose the incorporation of the Town of East Dublin. The bill was introduced on February 7, 1951, and after passage by the General Assembly was approved by the Governor on February 21, 1951. Pursuant to the provisions of this act creating the Town of East Dublin, there was an election, in which a majority of the voters in the area affected voted to incorporate, and a second election, in which a mayor and members of council were chosen for the Town of East Dublin.

N. G. Bracewell and others, alleging themselves to be citizens of, owners of real and personal property, and doing business within, the territorial limits of the Town of East Dublin, brought their equitable petition against the individuals constituting the mayor and council, wherein they alleged that the act creating the Town of East Dublin was unconstitutional and void, in that said act was not introduced in conformity with the mandatory provisions of Georgia Law.  On the other hand, Ed Harpe, C.L.Mixon, John H. Drew, Larry Henry and Alexander Stagliano, and Lamar Thornton withdrew their names from the lawsuit.

The defendants were elected to their respective offices on May 24, 1951, and the petition challenging the purported act was filed on June 2, 1951.

Judge Rufus Stevens ruled “the act purporting to incorporate the Town of East Dublin,  not having been passed according to the requirements of the Constitution, is invalid. Iit was error for the trial judge to refuse the petitioners' prayer for an interlocutory injunction to restrain the defendants from carrying out the provisions of the charter.”

The City of East Dublin was legally re-chartered by the General Assembly of the State of Georgia on February 1, 1952. The bill incorporating the city named as its governing body the same persons who had been elected to vote under its previous charter in 1951. They were E.B. Warnock, Mayor; W.L. Lake, H.D. Keen, J.T. Braddy, J.E. Sammons and O.D. Cullens. At its first meeting the Mayor and Council elected Harold E. Ward to serve as Attorney and C.H. McDaniel as Clerk of Council. Albert Hattaway was hired as the first chief of police.  Later in the year Councilman Cullens resigned and a special election was called at which time Hubert Martin was chosen to serve out Cullens’ unexpired term.

The following is a list of persons that have served as Mayor of the City of East Dublin:  Elvin Burney Warnock 1952-1953. Willie Lewis Lake, Sr., 1954-1959, Allison Harlow Manning, 1960-1961, Herbert Renfroe, 1962-1967, William Hugh Wood, 1968-1975, Elmer Allen Page, 1976-1977, Oliver Don Bradshaw, 1978-1979, George H. Gornto, one of the longest serving mayors in the history of Georgia,  (1980 to the present.)

The original charter petitioners were right.  More and more businesses opened.  New churches opened their doors.  One such church, sponsored by the Dublin Christian Church, was held at the East Dublin Drive-In on Sunday mornings.

Police Chief Edison Harbin, Jr.  announced his war against crime.  That stance ran afoul of the not so good people of Dublin, who got caught doing bad things.  

Once again, disgruntled East Dubliners took their case to court in the spring of 1955.  The basic objection dealt with the police powers of East Dublin and the joint agreements of the sister cities. Of course, money was at the root of the controversy.  

The petitioners alleged that the East Dublin police “maintain a constant spy system which constitutes an atmosphere of fear and dread, along with unpopularity for East Dublin. The petitioners asserted that East Dublin had degenerted into a speed trap.  A third claim sought to declare the practice of the city attorney acting as the Judge of the city court was unethical and illegal.  Judge Rufus Stephens overall ruled in favor of East Dublin, but did ban the practice of the the same person serving as city attorney and judge at the same time.   

The lawsuits were not over. In 1958, Harlow Manning narrowly defeated J.F. Nobles 177 to 166.  Nobles sued, based on yet another technical defect in the the election laws.  Nobles lost his bid for a restraining order and a new election.  Just a year later, some citizens threw around the idea to rename the town to give it is own identity.

After the tumultuous decade of the 1950s, things began to settle down a little.  More industry and stores moved in.  Modern subdivisions were added on the margins of the town.  East Dublin reached its peak population in 1980 before a slight dip until 2020 when the population began to rise.  New and improved schools have been added.  In deference to the old saying, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”  You can’t really say that about East Dublin.