Start Your Adventure!
Catch Nan if you can! Use your passport to explore some of Coweta County's historical places. Begin by visiting the McRitchie-Hollis Museaum or the Willcoxon-Arnall House (now known as Hillcrest Chapel) to pick up your passport and let the adventure begin!
About Passport to Coweta County
Since 2019, NCHC has presented the Passport to Coweta County program. Passport to Coweta County is an outdoor adventure that encourages families to explore different locations, areas, and experiences throughout Newnan and the surrounding Coweta County area. Families visit historical sites including battlefields, museums, and WWII-era homes and also participate in making history by visiting new sites of interest such as the Newnan-Times Herald and the Senoia Area Historical Society. At each site, passports are stamped with Nan's pawprint!
Start your journey at the McRitchie-Hollis Museum or at Hillcrest Funeral Home to pick up your passport for a $5 donation (active NCHC members receive a free passport!). Each location will stamp your passport with Nan's pawprint. Adventurers can exchange their completed passports at the McRitchie-Hollis museum by the end of summer for a prize!
The land on which Hillcrest Chapel sits was originally a 202 ½ acre lot won in the 1827 Georgia Land Lottery. After a few different property owners, John. B Wilcoxon purchased the land.
Willcoxon (1823-1896) came to Newnan from his father’s farm in the county in 1843 to practice law. Willcoxon headed a company of cavalry from Coweta during the Civil War. Both before and after the war he managed a large plantation from this property. In 1867, Colonel Willcoxon built a cotton yarn factory and became one of Coweta County’s most successful businessmen. He also served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1875-1876 and was described in 1895 as “one of Coweta County’s best and wealthiest citizens.”
In 1913, the property was purchased by the children of Samuel James Arnold and Monterrey Houston Arnold. The Arnold children owned the house for nearly 40 years. In 1950, Daniel B. Blalock Sr purchased the property and a funeral home opened in the house in 1953.
Hillcrest Chapel was nominated for a 1991 Georgia Trust for
Historic Preservation Award. On May 20, 1991 the Willcoxon-Arnall House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Hillcrest Chapel has been continuously serving the community for 60 plus years. The Hillcrest Chapel owners and staff are proud to not only carry on this tradition of excellence in funeral service but also preserve this historic structure for future generations.
