The Cumming Bandstand on the courthouse
square has been named to the
National Register of Historic Places. The Historical Society of Forsyth County,
which nominated the structure to the National Register, and the Forsyth County
Board of Commissioners have been notified that as of June 20, 2002 the Bandstand
was accepted by the National Register Review Board and included on the
prestigious list.
In January, 2002, the structure was placed on the Georgia Register of
Historic Places by the State National Register Review Board following a review
of the nomination submitted by the Historical Society.
The Bandstand, which is maintained
by the Public Facilities Department
of the county government under the watchful eye of Director Frank Halstead,
is the oldest structure on the town square. Built in 1915 by John Robbs,the
bandstand was erected for concerts by the Cumming Brass Band. It served in
that capacity for only a short time, however, for members of the band soon
departed Forsyth County in service to their country in World War I.
No public funds were expended on the
construction of the Bandstand, as
members of the Cumming Brass Band and friends raised the money privately.
It was no surprise that this group chose John Robbs to build the structure,
for he was frequently hired by the county government to work on bridges and
other county projects. According to his grandson, Carroll Floyd, Robbs was
likely selected because he was a “real good carpenter.”
To place the Bandstand in historical
perspective, it was erected ten
years after the brick courthouse, known informally as the 1905 courthouse,
was built on the square. The Bandstand has survived the old courthouse, destroyed
by fire, and another fire in close proximity to its corner on the square.
The first blaze---in 1972---destroyed Cumming City Hall, a small building
which began as a filling station within a few steps of the Bandstand. Then
in 1973, arsonists burned the 1905 courthouse. Now almost three decades later
with the demolition of older buildings to make way for the new, the Bandstand
has become the oldest structure on the square.
Who owns the picturesque structure?
The ownership of the Bandstand is
a story in itself. It is unknown how long the band concerts continued after
the Bandstand was erected, since some of the band members departed for military
service. With the band’s demise, the structure was given to the City
of Cumming, which was expected to provide for its upkeep. However, the law
is the law, and in seven years the Bandstand became the property of the Forsyth
County government, as it was erected on county property.
The Bandstand may have ceased to be used
for concerts by the Cumming
Brass Band, but it was soon adapted for a variety of other purposes, one
being the focal point for festivals and celebrations. One of the largest
celebrations to be held on the Cumming Square was the grand opening of the
chicken plant, Wilson and Company, in the 1940’s. Farmers had changed
crops from cotton to chickens and, with the opening of the plant, could market
their birds nearby.The excitement over the plant opening drew a huge crowd
which gathered to hear speeches from the Bandstand and to eat fried chicken
on the courthouse lawn.
A few years later the fescue festivals
began and lasted for about five
years---from 1948 through 1953. For the farmers of the area, the improvement
in soil conditions brought about by the planting of fescue was reason to
celebrate, and celebrate they did. The Bandstand was again pressed into service
with experimental fescue boxes gracing its exterior and speeches emanating
from its interior.
Politics and the Bandstand went hand
in hand. Politicians on all
levels---local, state, and national---availed themselves of the Bandstand
as a site from which a crowd could be successfully drawn. Gene Talmadge would
speak from the structure when running for Governor of Georgia or United States
Senator or when apprising the county’s citizens of road improvements
and future paving projects. Later his son, Herman, addressed Forsyth Countians
from the Bandstand, as did Zell Miller, who would likewise become Governor
and then U.S. Senator.
The Bandstand has been a multi-purpose
structure, being used for musical
performances by school groups at Christmas, until those choruses completely
outgrew its capacity, and by numerous couples who have chosen it as the site
for their weddings. In 1976, the Cumming Garden Club rehabilitated the Bandstand
by repainting, re-roofing, replacing the slats (latticework) at its base,
replacing soil around the foundation and planting shrubs around seven sides
of the octagonal structure. Another organization, the Historical Society
of Forsyth County, painted the Bandstand in 1998. It again received a sprucing
up, this time by the Public Facilities Department of the county government,
last fall in preparation for photographs to be used in the National Register
presentation for the State National Register Review Board.