Chubb family honored in Polk County

While many know Nick Chubb as a football star, fewer know the impact his ancestors created with Chubbtown.

The legacy of the 1864 Floyd and Polk County community was once again commemorated by the Polk County commission, who prepared a proclamation during their latest work session.

Polk County Commissioner Hal Floyd read the document detailing the family’s history. Chubbtown was founded as a community of free blacks in the early 1860s by the Chubb family. During the post-reconstruction period, the family continued purchasing real estate to make the town self-sufficient, and the community prospered in Floyd and Polk for over 40 years.

Citizens could find a general store, a blacksmith shop, a grist mill, a distillery, a syrup mill, a sawmill, a wagon company, a cotton gin, a casket company and several farms — all owned by the Chubb family. Their community offered goods to both black and white citizens, and the group prospered in the south while many blacks were seeking prosperity in the north.

The community would face challenges, however. Many of the group’s businesses were destroyed by a flood in the early 1900s. Seemingly unaffected was the Chubb Chapel United Methodist Church, which is the sole building that dates back to the town’s original development. This event is even more impressive considering Chubbtown reportedly experienced a run-in with Union soldiers, though they were spared by the army.

It is this church where visitors can find the graves of many of the original Chubbs. William, Henry, John, Thomas, Jacob, Isaac, Nicholas and George — all groundbreakers of the community — lie within. The location is no longer self-sufficient or owned exclusively by Chubb family members, but still operates under its historic name.

Even if Nick Chubb weren’t a Georgia Bulldogs running back, there is a solid chance he would be well known. The proclamation ended with the board applauding and recognizing the family members before moving onto other business.

“We appreciate the Chubb family,” Polk County Chairperson Jennifer Hulsey said. “Thank you.”