Shellman, Georgia

Shellman is a city in Randolph County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,083 at the 2010 census. Buildings in the commercial center have been designated as an historic district and listed in 1985 on the National Register of Historic Places.

Shellman, Georgia
City
Shellman in 2012.
Location in Randolph County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 31°45′31″N 84°36′46″W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Randolph
Area [1]
• Total	3.15 sq mi (8.16 km2)
• Land	3.15 sq mi (8.16 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	384 ft (117 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	861
• Density	273.4/sq mi (105.56/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	39886
Area code	229
FIPS code	13-70120[2]
GNIS feature ID	0356533[3]

Geography

Shellman is located at 31°45′31″N 84°36′46″W (31.758473, -84.612731).^[4]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²), all land.

History

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.^[5]

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.^{[6]  [7]}

The Shellman Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[8]

The history of Shellman is extensively documented in two documents published by the Randolph County Georgia Historical Society :

• A History of Shellman (1827-1883)
• Historic Buildings of Shellman (1830-1950)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	462		—
1900	584		26.4%
1910	985		68.7%
1920	1,074		9.0%
1930	1,117		4.0%
1940	1,063		−4.8%
1950	1,090		2.5%
1960	1,050		−3.7%
1970	1,166		11.0%
1980	1,254		7.5%
1990	1,162		−7.3%
2000	1,166		0.3%
2010	1,083		−7.1%
2020	861		−20.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1850-1870[10] 1870-1880[11] 1890-1910[12] 1920-1930[13] 1940[14] 1950[15] 1960[16] 1970[17] 1980[18] 1990[19] 2000[20] 2010[21]

Shellman racial composition as of 2020^[22]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	292	33.91%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	545	63.3%
Native American	1	0.12%
Other/Mixed	15	1.74%
Hispanic or Latino	8	0.93%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 861 people, 374 households, and 213 families residing in the city.

Notable people

• Thomas Davis, NFL defensive player, grew up in Shellman.
• Donnell Harvey, former NBA athlete, grew up here.
• Diadourius Boudleaux Bryant, part of the prolific songwriting team of Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, was born in Shellman in 1920.
• Paul C. Broun Sr., Georgia State Senator was born here in 1916

Gallery

• 
  The Shellman Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
• 
  Shellman City Hall
• 
  Shellman Post Office (ZIP code: 39886)
• 
  Shellman Volunteer Fire Department