The History of the Cherokee Sheriff's Office

By Sheriff Frank Reynolds

Earlier this year, I met with local historian Michael Hitt, a retired police officer and published author, to assist me with the history of the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office (CSO). He has conducted prior research for the Roswell Police Department, the U.S. Army, and more.

Hitt has scoured hundreds of newspapers from the University of Georgia and other sources to uncover forgotten history of the CSO. I have also spent hours reading old court minutes archived in the Cherokee County Clerk of Courts records vault to learn about the CSO’s past.

The Cherokee County Historical Society’s Executive Director, Stefanie Joyner, has also aided in our research. She and her team have allowed us access to their documents and photographs. We have even discussed the possibility of a future museum of CSO history to be located in the historic courthouse.

Together, we have been able to locate old uniforms, equipment, documents, and oral history associated with the CSO since its inception in 1831.

According to Reverend Lloyd G. Marlin’s book, The History of Cherokee County, the first sheriff of the county was John Jolly. Since then, a total of 41 sheriffs have served the citizens of Cherokee.

Some of the notable sheriffs include Enoch G. Gramling (served 1867-1885), Joshua P. Spears (served 1895-1898 and again from 1910-1920), and his son Lee Spears (served 1932-1949).

Dan Stringer, Newt Adams, and Bo Ballard may be more familiar to our current citizens.

Unfortunately, much of the history has been lost over the years, but it is never too late to preserve what is left. With the help of published articles from the Cherokee Advance to the more modern Cherokee Tribune, we have pieced together a timeline of events to help guide our path down
memory lane.

For instance, there have been six jails built around Canton since the 1830s. The site of what is now Rotary Park is the location of the third jail built in 1883. It was torn down when the historic marble courthouse was built in 1927. In 1989,
Sheriff Bo Ballard built a more modern jail on the site of the old “work camp” on Chattin Drive, and in 2003, Sheriff Roger Garrison built the current facility.

There are also numerous “firsts” for the Sheriff’s Office:

First use of a canine - April 1907, Sheriff Benjamin Willingham
First vehicle - July 1915, Sheriff Joshua Spears
First radio installed in a patrol car - August 1949, Sheriff William Wehunt
First aircraft - March 1987, Sheriff Bo Ballard
First national accreditation - September 1997, Sheriff Roger Garrison

One of the common threads that appears throughout our history is the strong relationship between the sheriff’s office and the community. One such example came not from its citizens but rather a group of inmates.

In a letter to the Cherokee Advance on November 11, 1921, a group of inmates wrote the following:

“…Mr. Blackwell’s kindness to his prisoners cannot be excelled, and his equals are few. Both white and black can realize his sympathy for them by his noble deeds, which prove that he is merciful and has a heart that extends out to help to bear the burden of those who are in need of help.”

When our research is complete, my hope is to work with the Cherokee Sheriff’s Foundation, a nonprofit 501(C)3, to produce a book for our community.

If you are privy to some historical information of the sheriff’s office you’d like to share, please reach out to us. We would love to hear from you.