RICHLAND, Ga. (WALB) — Richland, Georgia, sits at a center crossroad— halfway between Albany and Columbus. But for a town that was once a hub of activity, residents say the streets are quieter now than they used to be.

Decades ago, the city was a railroad town with bustling trains and businesses lined down Broad Street.

Residents remember exactly: four grocery stores, two banks, two drug stores, car dealerships, a Coca-Cola bottling plant and a peanut mill.

But over time, things changed.

“People just grew up and moved away,” Kathy Blackburn, a lifelong Richland resident and owner of the Picket Fence antique store, said. “Lack of jobs, the economy. The road went around us. The railroad left us. It’s a lot of factors.”

The railroads shut down and a new highway, known as Richland Bypass, was built around the city, to reroute traffic that once went through downtown. Blackburn recalled a manufactured home factory that employed many closing its doors too.

A Distillery Puts Richland Back on the Map

On a block of historic brick buildings along Broad Street, one business is helping draw visitors back downtown.

Richland Rum — a craft distillery that relocated downtown — is drawing visitors from across the country and around the world. Business leaders say they attract roughly 10,000 visitors to Richland each year. The South Ga. tourist stop has also earned national recognition, including Best American Rum by Forbes in 2018 and by Robb Report in 2017.

General Manager Kimberly Ashmore says the distillery moved in and rebuilt.

“There was a loss of beautiful architecture, a lot of emptiness and abandoned buildings,” Ashmore said. “And when we moved downtown there was no difference for us. It was a lot of work to revitalize the area ... We have almost this entire block that’s been redone.”

Richland Rum takes advantage of the region’s unique elevation, fall line geography and well water from the Blue Ridge Mountains to grow sugarcane and make its product. Ashmore says that connection to the ‘rich land’ is why they stay, but they cannot build up the city alone.

“To revitalize the city, it’s going to take many small pieces to come together,” she said. “We’re just one piece. We’re looking to build a puzzle here. Just one coffee shop or another business for the locals and the tourists can make all the difference.”

Watch more from WALB’s Your Hometown:

The Antique Store That Never Left

Kathy Blackburn has watched Richland change for 70 years.

She and her sister opened the Picket Fence, an antique shop on Broad Street. The store doubles as a community showcase, featuring artwork and furniture from local residents.

“We enjoy seeing people and trying to support local people,” Blackburn said. “We have some of our friends with their artwork in here, a lady does furniture. We just enjoy doing it.”

She has seen her hometown flourish and decline — And she’s still here.

“I love the town. I love the quiet and I feel safe here. It’s a good place to raise children,” she said.

But Blackburn has one request that she says would make all the difference.

“We lost our only restaurant, Red’s Pizza. They retired and it was a big part of the community,” she said. “It would be great if we could have another restaurant... More community connections. Places to gather and do things.”

Reviving Downtown Richland

For 25 years, the Better Hometown volunteer group has been proudly doing the work that many might not notice.

Chairman Diane Lee and her volunteers are out at 6 a.m. trimming bushes and edging sidewalks. The group recently installed new street signs and stop signs along Broad Street and Wall Street.

“We keep downtown clean,” Lee said. “Better Hometown is responsible for every shrubbery, every tree, every flower. We tell the city, do not touch it.”

Lee grew up in Richland, left for college and came back.

“That’s one reason we moved back to Richland, was to raise our kids in a small town where everybody knows each other and they take care of each other,” she said.

She acknowledges the organization’s challenges of vacant downtown buildings.

“[Owners] are letting them sit there, and they’re not even maintaining them,” she said. “That’s one of our biggest problems on Broad Street right now.”

Lee said a Florida couple recently renovated a historic Broad Street home into a bed and breakfast and event center. And behind the old schoolhouse, a former basketball court is now a community garden open to all residents.

But she adds that local effort alone is not enough.

“I would call on our senators and congressmen to pay us attention. The big towns get all the attention sometimes, and the money goes there. And the rural communities are sort of left dry,” she said.

A Town Worth Visiting

Richland may be quieter than it once was, but residents say they see signs of renewal.

The railroad tracks are still there -- near City Hall, which is the former train depot -- heading toward Columbus. The brick buildings on Broad Street still carry the history and character of another era. And the people who stayed are excited on what comes next.

“If you like a quieter way of life, we’d love to see you come here,” Blackburn said.

Providence Canyon, Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon,” is just down the road. Florence Marina sits nearby. And at the center of it all, Richland Rum welcomes visitors from across the country and beyond.

“I envision that street being full of cars again. And in every storefront, there’s somebody in there,” Lee said.

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