Racetrack Road, a more than two-mile stretch, spans Highways 81 and 155, connecting what was once known as Keys Ferry Road to Macon Road—now Macon Street in McDonough. Today, this bustling road is home to shopping strips, Leo's Cafe, and Food Depot, but its name reveals a far more intriguing origin rooted in local history.
County land records from 1852 reference a deed mentioning a 40-acre plot of land along Racetrack Road, specifically where Food Depot now stands. This land was known as the Six Hundred Yards Racetrack, a significant feature of McDonough in its early days. Presumably, this track was used by settlers for horse racing, a popular pastime among the affluent who brought fine horse breeds to showcase their wealth and status.
Notably, two of McDonough's founders, Tandy Key and Ezekiel Cloud, met their untimely deaths as a result of horse riding—underscoring the high-stakes nature of activity in the era. The last recorded owner of the racetrack was Thomas Hughey of Troup County, who sold the property to the Doyal family in 1852. Hughey would later serve as Sheriff of Coweta County and be laid to rest in the historic Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta.
Although no business records of the racetrack have survived, one can only imagine the lively activity and community gatherings that must have taken place there, making Racetrack Road not just a connector of highways but a pathway through history.
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