Immediately after the organization of the high school at Shady Grove,
people began to move in from the surrounding country to take advantage
of the school. Some of these families boarded pupils from a distance who
were attending school. A post office was established, with a star route
from Gilmer, that delivered mail twice a week. R. D. White and J. W.
Wall, and S. B. Davis ran general supply stores, and Shady Grove became
quite a business center. At one time Shady Grove had two general supply
stores, two blacksmith shops, a drug store, post office, barber shop, a
shoe shop, a cotton gin and grist mill. John P. Mooney operated a
telephone system with a switchboard in his residence. Dr. Sorrells, Dr.
Duke, and Dr. Walker all practiced medicine at Shady Grove.
About the year 1905, the M. & E. T. Railroad was built north of Shady
Grove and the town of Rhonesboro was laid off. Most of the business at
Shady Grove moved to Rhonesboro, and Shady Grove lost its importance as
a trading center.
The citizenship of any community will make almost a complete change in
fifty or sixty years. It is interesting to note that very few people,
who were here fifty years ago, are here now. The old people have passed
away and the young ones have become old. The cemetery has grown from a
few scattered graves to a thickly populated “City of the Dead.”
Shady Grove still has a fine lot of citizens who will tell you that it
is a nice place in which to live.