About Us

Wiregrass Building History

In 1903, James E. Cooper arrived in Quitman from Moultrie, Georgia to open the Quitman Bakery and Fancy Grocery Store at the very building you are in today. The Quitman Bakery became well known not only in Quitman but all of South Georgia. The bakery was purchased in 1925 by Mr. William Morrow who would drive down the streets of Quitman ringing a bell selling split-top bread. Unfortunately in 1929 the bakery closed due to the Great Depression, as bakery goods were a luxury no longer afforded. The building remained vacant for a while and eventually became Moffett’s Dry Goods and Grocery Store, and it was during this time the sign of the building was painted-“Selz Royal Blue Shoes – Chicago”, which you can still see today. In 1954, the building was transformed into a pool hall which had a few owners throughout the years. After the closing of the Quitman Pool Hall, the Wiregrass again sat vacant, and this time its fate looked bad. For about 15 years, the building remained closed and deteriorating with its only occupants being pigeons. Around 1999 a Quitman industrialist purchased the building and decided the best way to fix the building was to build a steel frame within the brick walls. Upon completion of the renovation, the building became a restaurant which would eventually become the Wiregrass Southern Bistro.