Immediately after the armistice was signed officially ending World War I on Nov. 11, 1918, Gainesville and Hall County leaders shifted into high gear a number of projects they had been chomping at the bit to begin. Gainesville’s population at the time was about 6,000, and leaders felt the city and county were on the cusp of great progressive strides after years of war. Brenau College and Riverside Military Academy began new buildings.