Historic, well-to-do, eccentric

It’s easy to see how Newnan and Coweta County shaped Lewis Grizzard and Erskine Caldwell, two significant regional writers who saw many sides to the South.

Today, downtown Newnan still feels like the perfect setting for Southern Gothic fiction.

The Victorian-style storefronts clustered around the striking neoclassical courthouse —- Georgia architect J.W. Golucke’s most ambitious municipal project —- probably look much the same now as they did when the square served as a makeshift hospital treating more than 10,000 wounded soldiers, from both sides of the Civil War, after the battle of Brown’s Mill in July 1864.

“Little lean-tos were set up around the courthouse square,” says Elizabeth Beers, a fourth-generation Newnanite and former director of the Newnan Coweta Historical Society who leads tours of the area. “Seven hundred beds eventually were housed in seven hospitals set up in schools, churches and homes.”

Because of its important role as the “Hospital City,” and its proximity to two major railroad lines, Newnan survived Union torches in the conflict some locals still stumble to name before resting on “The War Between the States.” Newnan became a place rhapsodized in song by native Alan Jackson as an ideal for small-town American values.

The town had its seamier side, too, as immortalized in author Margaret Anne Barnes’ 1976 true-crime thriller “Murder in Coweta County,” about the first white man in the South to receive the death penalty based on black testimony.

And for a hint of how quirky Newnan can be, look to the 1904 Carnegie Library, Georgia’s first, whose second floor was used for target practice when it became a shooting gallery in the 1960s.

The 40-mile distance from Atlanta allowed an aristocracy unshaped by the big city to flourish. Cotton, steel and Coca-Cola fortunes helped build the mansions that fill downtown’s six neighboring historic districts. And though it may still be a town with enough Southern eccentricities to keep it interesting, Newnan was, and to some extent still is, a very well-heeled city. Evidence of this is obvious now in its dynamic mix of high-end boutiques, wine bars, old-school general stores and events held routinely in what is still a bustling and very functional historic downtown square.

Retail therapy

Newnan’s shops are a fun mix of throwbacks like The Arnall Grocery Co., 32 E. Washington St., established in 1869, where you’ll find bags of feed next to candy, flowers and cleaning supplies, and Scott’s Bookstore, 28 S. Court Square, where Newnanites have been relying on owner Earlene Scott for 32 years to choose, charge, gift wrap and deliver to the curb books and gifts, mainly for children. The store has held numerous book signings and hosted Lewis Grizzard, Denise Jackson and Zell Miller among others.

But several shops lend the square sophistication with fine antiques, art and nonmainstream clothing.

The stock at The Other Side of the Moon, 9 Greenville St., rivals the nearest Anthropologie store (nearly 50 miles away at Lenox Square) with its line of Free People tops, sweaters, jackets and dresses and its selection of premium denim including Joe’s Jeans, Stitch’s and AG.

Other items include vintage suitcases, antique jewelry, rhinestone picture frames, JP and Mattie crocheted handbags, Blabla sock monkey-style dolls for children, Nutty Girl gourmet nut mix and Jan Michaels jewelry.

Prices range from a $4 beaded ring to a $3,400 Italianate love seat, and everything in the store is currently 20 percent off.

Delightfully bizarre finds abound, too, at Greenville Street Antiques and Art Gallery, 4 Greenville St., where a portrait of Jackie Kennedy in the front window lures passersby into the two-story collection of items culled from estate sales along the East Coast.

Check out the chalk Rhett and Scarlett bookends antique dealer Emmett Long says were carnival prizes from the 1940s. Or browse the vintage quilts, chrome candy dishes, rugged wood farm tables, a walnut butler writing desk from 1800 and a Japanese gold silk dressing screen.

Older items include celadon bird feeders from the Ming dynasty, a snuff bottle from 1610 and a circular painting of Jesus and Mary purchased from Sotheby’s, which Long says dates to the 1640s. A rope chair made by Hans Wegner, one of the founders of the Bauhaus movement, is a highlight of the shop’s booty.

“What’s in the store is the tip of the iceberg,” Long says. Owners Morris Steward and George Johnson maintain 7,000 square feet of warehouse space within five miles from the store. Collectibles from the undisplayed items include a campy 1970s Herculon sofa in purple, orange, red, yellow and lime green plaid.

Other worthy stops include Panoply, 16 Greenville St., for a look at a charming restoration of a 1907 building, which now houses an interior design company, two artist studios and displays of 15 local artists and The Costume Shop, 11 1/2 Greenville St., open year-round with more than 1,000 get-ups for Halloween costumes, theater groups, book reports or people who require fake blood in February.

Eat and Drink

Redneck Gourmet, 11 North Court Square, gets a lot of press for its playful motif and beloved salads, sandwiches, comfort plates and homemade desserts, but hidden gems thrive among Newnan’s robust dining scene, too, like local favorite Mother’s Restaurant, which everyone refers to as Mama’s, though there is no sign.

It’s down an alley, (32 E. Broad Street), has no menu and closes whenever the food runs out (lunch only). The board usually announces dishes like fried chicken, turnip greens, potatoes and stuffing.

For satisfying home cooking, more deliberately marked, look for the giant purple milk carton across the street from the new $2.5 million Greenville Street Park. Claire’s Love Your Mother Cafe, 8 Savannah St., nourishes body and soul with three meats (beef, chicken and pork) and several veggies served daily cafeteria style in a home that dates to 1850. Everything is made from scratch. Loyal customers rave about the brownies, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato souffle and mashed potatoes. The corn fritters that come with every plate are not to be missed.

The restaurant began as a nod to recycling and hippy themes, but when owner Claire Williams’ mother passed away in July, she says the name took on double meaning. The recipes are a compilation of tweaked favorites from the files of friends and grandmothers, and the vibe inside is maternal and restorative.

A tapestry that was made for Williams’ father when he went to the Navy in 1945 hangs in the restaurant’s “pink room” and was made by several women from Rico, who contributed stars made of old clothing. Williams says many diners from North Fulton have found friends and relatives’ names on the quilt.

When the sun goes down, The Alamo, 19 West Court Square, is the place to be seen and to mingle with some of Newnan’s liveliest citizens.

After it was a buggy shop, the building became the Alamo Theatre in the late 1930s, where numerous locals met their spouses.

It reopened in 2004 as a nightclub and hosts trivia, live music and Texas Hold ‘Em throughout the week. Rows of old movie chairs, a ticket box and an ancient camera, along with the balcony for the old cinema’s nonwhite patrons, still mark the space as a Southern movie house relic.

So strong is the nostalgia among locals with teenage memories of The Alamo that several Newnan High School reunions have been held there in spite of it being a smoky hangout for a more tattooed set. The bar is open 5 p.m.-2 a.m. Mondays-Fridays and noon-midnight Saturday. No alcohol is served in the city on Sundays, though that remains hotly contested each election cycle. The attached restaurant, Fabianos, is a buzzing pizzeria and one of the most popular places in town to eat.

For a more up-market vibe, martinis at 10 East Washington, 10 E. Washington St., are a fine way to end a day shopping and sightseeing in Newnan. Order any one of chef-owner George Rasovsky’s delicious continental appetizers to go with a few rounds of drinks, and find a spot on the upstairs patio, among the rooftops of downtown, to watch the sun set behind the courthouse clock tower of this little city, just far enough away to feel like another world.

7 FUN THINGS TO DO

> Spirit Stroll: Take a one-hour-long ghost walk through the College Temple Historic district led by a costumed guide. 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Oct. 24. A “Dinner with the Dead” will be held in a historic Newnan home at 7 p.m. Oct. 25 followed by a ghost walk at 8 p.m. Tours start at the Male Academy Museum, 30 Temple Ave. $15 per person, or $40 per person for dinner and the stroll Oct. 25. Call 770-251-0207 for reservations.

> Pickin’ on the Square: Musicians show up (no registration required, no amplifiers permitted) for an impromptu jam session on the courthouse square from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. the second Saturday of every month.

> Tour with Elizabeth: A fourth-generation Newnanite and former president of the Newnan Coweta Historical Society, Elizabeth Beers does not run regular scheduled tours, but call ahead and she will lead group or personal tours through the area’s numerous historic neighborhoods, downtown, cemeteries and other points of interest. Call 770-253-0500 for reservations. $50 per hour.

> Market Day: More than 70 vendors set up in the courthouse square the first Saturday of the month, April-December, selling jewelry, textile arts, fine arts, baked goods and agricultural products. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The next Market Day is Nov. 8. www.mainstreetnewnan.com.

> Male Academy Museum: People of Newnan cleaned out their attics to donate several of the permanently displayed items, including a large collection of Civil War weapons, surgical instruments, photographs, clothing and other artifacts. $2 adults, free for children younger than 12. 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays; 2-5 p.m. Sundays.

> Oak Hill Cemetery: The oldest graves in this 50-acre cemetery date to 1840, and 268 Confederate soldiers, two of whom remain unknown, are buried here. Look for plots from members of Newnan’s influential Cole family as well as two Georgia governors and the elaborate Parrot family monument.

> Slave Cemetery: The African-American Heritage Museum and Research Center inside a shotgun shack at 92 Farmer St. contains exhibits of early Newnan artifacts and provides services to families researching genealogy. Newnanites refer to the large swath of land out front as the Slave Cemetery, a place where plantation owners are said to have buried their slaves. Some 260 people are interred there, though only one has a named headstone. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Call to confirm hours or make appointments. 770-683-7055.

Part of a monthly series of things to do in the heart of metro Atlanta cities and towns