The Luella School is located on land which was once part of the antebellum Weems Plantation.  The large Greek Revival plantation was constructed by Thomas Dixon Weems in 1848 and has remained in the family for more than 150 years.  Another prominent plantation in the area was Oak Lawn; it was owned by the Atkins family and had its own post office.

The school is named for the old Luella School which operated in the nearby town of Luella in the early twentieth century. The town of Luella was incorporated in 1912 and was a thriving community with schools, churches, post office, railroad depot, peach packing houses, cotton gin, warehouses, stores, a blacksmith shop, several homes and the Lowe's District Courthouse.  Luella developed around the Georgia Midland Railroad, which was constructed in 1886 and thrived until the great agricultural depression caused by the cotton boll weevil in the 1920s.  Luella School operated until it was consolidated with Locust Grove in 1929.  In 1937, the people of Luella petitioned to be moved to the McDonough school district so as to attend the new school there.

There are two stories about how Luella got its name.  One story says it was named for the daughter of a conductor or official with the Georgia Midland Railroad.  The other story says the name came about from the two sisters who lived near town; one was named Lou, and the other was named Ella. When the sisters would take the train, they would often get to talking and miss their stop. Due to their habitual inattention, the conductor began calling the stop by yelling out "Lou, Ella, get off the train!" According to the story, the local folks liked the sound of Luella and adopted the name; first the post office, then for the town.

Luella, and all of Lowe's Militia district, in located in one of the most productive farming areas in Henry county. Throughout much of our county's history, this area has been famous for the fine cotton farms and peach orchards located here. Some early schools serving southwest Henry County were the antebellum Harmony Grove Academy, and later, Saint Paul School, Greenwood School, Fairview School, Standard School and Philadelphia School. 

 

Gene Morris, Jr.

County Historian