Remarkable Women: Part 4 — Ellie Loudermilk

PERRY, Ga. — Lord Acton famously said, “History is not a burden on the memory, but an illumination of the soul.” The city of Perry has taken on a soul of its own, starting nearly 200 years ago in 1824. What began as an antebellum-era small town has grown from the grist and sawmills into a thriving community, with a rich and vibrant history alongside its development. Keeping that history alive is Ellie Loudermilk, president of the Perry Area Historical Society.

Loudermilk received her masters in business from Georgia Southern University as well as an education specialist degree in school administration from the University of Georgia. She took that foundation and used it to serve in the Houston County School District as a teacher and technology coordinator for Perry High School.

Preserving the high school’s history was monumental, as she took on multiple projects relating to the Perry High’s sports, events and goings-on. Now the high school has display cases reflecting their athletic and academic programs, historical data and notable achievements, as well as school tours for class reunions, a written history of Perry High School for their website, and a school graduate database stretching as far back as 1939 — all thanks to Loudermilk.

Preserving history also spread to the middle Georgia area. Loudermilk was a key player in starting up the Perry Area Historical Museum, and serves as the museum’s director. Bev Abney, a member of the historical society’s board of directors, described the museum as a facility with a notable impact in the community, according to a written statement provided to The Journal.

“She was instrumental in starting up the Perry Area Historical Museum in 2011, an exceptional facility that draws numerous visitors to Perry and is recognized as a benchmark for local museums in cities of all sizes,” Abney said.

Through the historical society, Loudermilk has led the charge on numerous projects that have been paramount to educating the public on middle Georgia history, by organizing a public self-tour of significant historical sites, historic tours of the city and the museum, giving presentations around the community, as well as assisting community members as needed with learning their family lines and writing biographies.

Doing this has allowed Loudermilk to become a published author, according to Abney.

“Ellie’s countless hours of research of genealogical records, land purchases, cemetery records, church records and family histories has led to her direct involvement in writing, editing, [and] publishing five books about the history of the communities of Perry,” Abney said.

One of the most monumental projects undertaken was in 2012, where she served as co-director of the New Harmonies roots music exhibit alongside the Smithsonian. Under Loudermilk’s leadership, the community came together to contribute Perry’s history to the exhibit.

“Ellie’s ability to bring the entire community together resulted in over 200 volunteers and more than 75 area musicians and musical groups adding local flavor to this impressive national exhibit. A total of 6136 visitors from 23 states, 51 Georgia counties, and three foreign countries enjoyed both the exhibit and Perry’s southern hospitality,” Abney said.

With Loudermilk’s leadership comes multiple accolades, including the Governor’s Award for Georgia Humanities, NBC’s and Georgia Magazine’s Hometown Hero awards, multiple awards from the Daughters of the American Revolution, two Seabie Hickson Awards from the chamber of commerce, the Woman of Distinction award from Houston County Libraries, and the Award for Local Advocacy from the Georgia Archives.

She doesn’t do all of this alone. Working alongside officers, a board of directors and staff at the museum, Loudermilk works hard and loves what she does, according to Abney.

“This busy lady is loved and respected by all who know her and we’re fortunate that Ellie loves Perry as much as Perry loves her,” Abney said.

Loudermilk delved further into her leadership style.

“I try and foster a collaborative culture and lead by example. I am a servant leader who strives to serve the needs of others before my own needs. I work to create an ethical workplace with strong values and find ways to develop and inspire others to do the same,” Loudermilk said.

Bringing that inspiration to her personal life, she served on the Property and Space Committee and the Wednesday night supper team at First Baptist Perry for three and seven years, respectively. A devoted wife and mother, Loudermilk has been married to her husband, Bill, for over five decades, and has three children and eight grandchildren.

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