GA 181 has had quite a history for such a short highway, mostly thanks to Hartwell Lake. When the road was originally commissioned, GA 181 extended 8 miles, ending just east of downtown Hartwell. During that time, U.S. 29 continued on a different and more direct route to the north and crossed the Savannah River further north as well.

When the contract to build Lake Hartwell was let in 1955, a relocation of U.S. 29 to the north of GA 181 was required and definite. Since the route of GA 181 provided the only viable alternative due to its position south of the dam, U.S. 29 was relocated to part of GA 181 before turning northeast and crossing a new bridge further south and below the dam. This relocation was completed during construction around 1960, and the lake was then completely filled by 1962.

When the new route was completed, GA 181 was not truncated to U.S. 29 like it is today. No, but in fact GA 181 not only became part of the new crossing, but U.S. 29 was basically just added to the top of the existing route since the U.S. 29 overlap, GA 8, was retained as a spur along the old northerly alignment. Oddly enough, this also resulted in the GA 181 of today becoming a banner route, GA 181 Spur: an arrangement not far different from GA 60 Spur in Fannin County, which had originally been mainline GA 60.

By 1962, the route situation was as such: GA 181 was part of U.S. 29 entirely from Old U.S. 29 west to the state line, GA 8 was retained on what was left of the old alignment of U.S. 29 in Georgia, extended as a spur. Meanwhile, the relocated section of GA 181 became the formentioned GA 181 Spur. As part of GA 181 then also ran parallel to the new U.S. 29 route, a short connector road was also built, which became GA 181 Connector (GA 181 today). Also, GA 8 was then routed in such a fashion that it did not go to the state line for several years, since the route was cut off at the lake.

This bizarre arrangement began to be worked out in 1977 when the hanging GA 8 became GA 8 Spur, GA 8 was appropriately relocated back along GA 181 and GA 181, though remaining overlapped east of the newly-assigned GA 8 Spur, was finally restored to its original route resulting in the removal of the "Spur" banner.

By 1982, GA 181 was relocated again and GA 8 Spur was decommissioned. The long nearly 20 year run of GA 181 having U.S. route fame finally came to an end and GA 181 was relocated to GA 181 Connector, resulting in the portion to the west running parallel to U.S. 29 being decommissioned entirely and all banner routes of GA 181 being truncated.

The following year, and nonetheless another major event, the historic Smith-McGee Bridge was replaced. Originally opened in 1922 as a toll bridge, the tolls were removed when the Georgia and South Carolina Highway Departments later took responsibility of the route and its approaches and both states designated the route as 181. The new bridge that replaced it was a typical concrete bridge and the old bridge was retained as a fishing pier, though the deck was removed on the South Carolina side approach. See photos below of the old bridge.

Finally, by the early 1990's, the GA 8/181 multiplex was eliminated at last, truncating GA 181 to end appropriately at U.S. 29/GA 8 so that it would no longer continue to Hartwell. This final change ended a fascinating chapter for such a short highway.