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Conyers, Georgia

Conyers is an Atlanta suburb, the county seat of and only city in Rockdale County, Georgia, United States. The city is 24 miles (38.6 km) east of downtown Atlanta and is a part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,195. The formerly separate town of Milstead is now part of Conyers.

History

Between 1816 and 1821, the area known as Rockdale was open for settlement. John Holcomb, a blacksmith, was the first settler in what is now Conyers. He settled where the current Rockdale County Courthouse is located, in the middle of Conyers on Main Street.

Eventually, pressure arose for a railroad to cross Georgia; the railroad was intended to run from Augusta, through neighboring Covington to Marthasville (now known as Atlanta). John Holcomb was against the railroad and refused to sell his land, and threatened to shoot anyone from the railroad who came onto his property.

Dr. W. D. Conyers, a banker from Covington, eventually persuaded John Holcomb into selling his land for $700. Dr. Conyers then sold the land to the Georgia Railroad. What is now Conyers began as a watering post along this line, named after Dr. Conyers. By 1845, the railroad was in full operation. By 1854, nearly 400 residents lived around the watering post, and Conyers was incorporated.

Conyers has been nearly destroyed several times by fire. It is said to have survived Sherman's March to the Sea due to a friend of Sherman's who lived in the area between Conyers and Covington. The story goes that the houses were spared because Sherman was uncertain where his friend lived.

In 1870, the surrounding area was incorporated into Rockdale County out of Newton County, Georgia, and Conyers became the county seat.

Over the next decade, Conyers grew into a wild town. It had 12 saloons and five brothels. The more reputable side of the town had 40 stores, Conyers College, a hotel, a carriage manufacturer, and good schools.

The Conyers post office contains a mural, The Ploughman, painted in 1940 by Elizabeth Terrell. Murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through the Section of Painting and Sculpture, later called the Section of Fine Arts, of the Treasury Department. The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious American New Deal agency, employing individuals to carry out public works projects.

Conyers was also home to "sidewalk churches". Along Main Street grew First Methodist, Conyers Presbyterian, and First Baptist. At some point, the congregants are thought to have persuaded the brothels and saloons to close and leave Conyers for Covington, using a mob. This rose out of revivals begun in 1878 with the Methodist and Presbyterian churches. First Baptist Church of Conyers moved out of downtown in late 2000, moving about 2 mi (3 km) south of the Georgia International Horse Park to their current location.

Tightly connected to Conyers is Milstead, a mill town now incorporated into Conyers. At its peak, Milstead and Conyers had a private railroad that delivered products, such as cotton, from the mill to Conyers for shipping to the textile mills. In the 1960s, the mill closed.

In 1944, a Trappist monastery (a Catholic order), Abbey of the Holy Spirit, was established south of the city by Dom Frederic Dunne. The Protestant community of Rockdale County helped with the completing of the current structure. M. Basil Pennington, one of the founders of the Centering Prayer movement, was abbot of the monastery from 2000 to 2002.

In the 1950s, Conyers had a Coca-Cola bottling facility. In 1957, Lithonia Lighting moved from Lithonia.

In the 1960s, Interstate 20 was built through the county.

In the 1970s, parts of the first five episodes of the Dukes of Hazzard were filmed in the town.

In the 1980s, Conyers became known for "White Road", where resident Nancy Fowler claimed to have seen apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Conyers played host to pilgrims.

In the early 1990s, several scenes of In the Heat of the Night were filmed around the Conyers Depot. Alan Autry, who played the character of Captain Bubba Skinner, was seen as a regular around Conyers during the filming.

In 1996, Conyers hosted the equestrian and mountain biking events for the 1996 Olympic Games held in Atlanta. For this, Conyers built the Georgia International Horse Park.

On May 20, 1999, a school shooting took place known as the Heritage High School shooting. Six students were injured before the 15-year-old gunman surrendered to the police.

In October 1999, Rockdale County, and by extension the county seat of Conyers, gained substantial notoriety when the Public Broadcasting Service series Frontline aired a nationwide documentary entitled The Lost Children of Rockdale County detailing a syphilis outbreak among middle- and high-school-aged teenagers within the county. The documentary was well received outside Conyers, with rave reviews from such outlets as The Wall Street Journal and Entertainment Weekly.

In 2010, Conyers was thrust into the spotlight when identical twins and former residents Tasmiyah Janeesha Whitehead and Jasmiyah Kaneesha Whitehead (both born November 27, 1993) were arrested on May 21, 2010, for having committed matricide. The victim was Jarmecca Yvonne Whitehead (born April 18, 1975), who also went by the nickname "Nikki". She was beaten and stabbed and placed in a tub full of water where her daughters left her to die as they left for Rockdale County High School. The crime occurred on January 13, 2010, in the Bridle Ridge Walk subdivision on Appaloosa Way. The crime sent shockwaves throughout the community. Jarmecca's autopsy revealed that she suffered injuries to her lungs and jugular vein, and had a severed spinal cord. Initially, the twins proclaimed their innocence, but in 2014, they pleaded guilty and are serving 30-year sentences in separate prisons. The crime was featured in a few true-crime documentaries and television shows, which include Dateline NBC in an episode titled "Bad Blood", Snapped episode 1403 titled "The Whitehead Twins", and Evil Twins in an episode titled "Honor Roll Killers", a show that airs on the Investigation Discovery network (see also Murder of Nikki Whitehead).

From 2013 to 2018, the CW show The Originals was filmed in Conyers.

Geography
Conyers is located at 33.66639°N, -84.0075°W (33.666360, −84.007574).

The city is located in the eastern part of Metro Atlanta along Interstate 20, which provides access to the city from exits 80 and 82. I-20 leads west 24 mi (39 km) to downtown Atlanta and east 122 mi (196 km) to Augusta. U.S. Route 278 also runs through the city, concurrent with I-20. Other highways that run through the city include Georgia State Routes 20 and 138. GA-20 leads northeast 16 mi (26 km) to Loganville and southwest 20 mi (32 km) to McDonough. GA-138 leads northeast 21 mi (34 km) to Monroe and southwest 18 mi (29 km) to Stockbridge.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.9 sqmi, of which 11.8 sqmi are land and 0.1 sqmi (1.17%) is covered by water.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 17,305 people, 6,300 households, and 3,848 families residing in the city.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, 15,195 people, 5,661 households, and 3,642 families resided in the city. The population density was 907.3 PD/sqmi. The 4,183 housing units averaged 355.1 per square mile (137.1/km$2$). The racial makeup of the city was 24.3% White, 55.8% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 16.3% of the population.

Of the 3,910 households, 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were married couples living together, 21.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were not families. About 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the city, the population was distributed as 27.3% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,789, and for a family was $38,255. Males had a median income of $29,991 versus $24,879 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,805. About 13.7% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.5% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The Rockdale County School District holds preschool to grade 12, and consists of 11 elementary schools, four middle schools, three high schools, and four non-traditional schools. The district has 889 full-time teachers and over 13,801 students.

Sports
East Atlanta FC is a semi-professional soccer club that plays in the United Soccer League 2. The team is composed of college players who play in the summer months at Rockdale Youth Soccer Association at Team Rehabilitation field. The club also features a youth team that plays in the USL academy league and also has a partnership with Rockdale Youth Soccer Association as a Youth Development Partner.

Notable people

 * Jill Arrington, sports anchor at KCBS-TV, formerly with Fox Sports 1 and CBS Sports
 * Tyler Austin, former Major League Baseball player and current NPB player for the Yokohama DeNA Baystars
 * Jesse Baker, former NFL defensive end with the Houston Oilers and Dallas Cowboys
 * Jerome Boger, NFL referee
 * Billy Buckner, MLB pitcher
 * Cartel band members Will Pugh, Joseph Pepper, Nic Hudson, Kevin Sanders, and Ryan Roberts
 * Chris Cockrum, NASCAR driver
 * Geoff Collins, former head coach of Georgia Tech Football
 * Janice Shaw Crouse
 * David Elder, former MLB player
 * Dakota Fanning, actress
 * Elle Fanning, actress
 * Buck Farmer, baseball pitcher
 * Candace Hill, 100-m and 200-m sprint IAAF World Youth Championship winner
 * Holly Hunter, actress
 * Grady Jarrett, NFL player for the Atlanta Falcons
 * Ben L. Jones, "Crazy" Cooter Davenport in The Dukes of Hazzard; politician
 * DeForest Kelley, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, of TV's Star Trek: The Original Series
 * Matt Kennon, singer
 * Dr Heavenly Kimes, Married to Medicine star
 * Clint Mathis, World Cup soccer player
 * Jack McBrayer, actor
 * James C. Miller III, former U.S. government official and economist
 * Marcus Printup, jazz trumpeter with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
 * Johnny Rapid, actor
 * Scott Russell, WSBK Champion, five-time Daytona winner
 * Ashley Scott, artist and writer
 * Teddy Swims, singer, songwriter
 * Marion Tinsley, checkers expert
 * Dave Willis, co-creator of Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Squidbillies
 * Ron Young, racing driver

title: Conyers, Georgia


text:
Lakeview Estates, Georgia

Lakeview Estates, also known as Sunrise Lakes by local residents, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Rockdale County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,637 at the 2000 census.

Lakeview Estates was developed as a family community in the 1970s consisting of modular homes wrapping around the hills above Lake Sunrise and Lake Rockaway. A community club house, water processing plant, community store, and church were built in addition to the community. It is not a trailer park, as much of the land is privately owned, or owned by multiple landlords, and all of the roads are owned and maintained by the county. The original idea for the community was not a success. The affordable real estate was bought out by families and by landlords. In addition, the water processing plant was privately owned. In the early 1980s, the community felt a decline, as crime rose and the income level of the average family decreased. In addition, one landlord, Martha Ann Bailey, purchased the water processing facility and gouged prices.

In the 1980s and 1990s the Community Action Committee, headed by Ed Conway, a longtime resident of Lakeview, began a revitalization of the community. Invoking the help of the community, the two local churches, and the surrounding Rockdale County residents, the Community Action Committee held protests and brought Bailey to court to try to have the water facilities removed from her, due to the price of water, which was the highest in the country. Since the residents of Lakeview Estates could only get water from Ms. Bailey's facilities, the State ruled her business to be a monopoly. By the end of the 1990s, it had been brought under the jurisdiction of Rockdale County.

The Community Action Committee continued its plan of revitalization and helped establish Lakeview's own free health clinic (though as of fall 2006, the clinic is in dire need of funds, staff, and supplies), and brought a police precinct with bicycle mounted policemen to help lower the crime. Saint Pius X Catholic Church, a local church in Rockdale, ministered to the growing Mexican-American population in the community. Although the crime continues to decrease, Lakeview Estates still holds a stigma in Rockdale County for its poverty stricken residents and supposed high crime.

Geography
Lakeview Estates is located at 33.70656°N, -84.036°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.6 sqmi, of which 0.5 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi (7.02%) is water.

Demographics
Lakeview Estates was first listed as a CDP in the 1980 U.S. Census.

2010 Census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 2,695 people living in the CDP. The racial makeup of the CDP was 10.5% White, 2.2% Black, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 0.5% from some other race and 0.9% from two or more races. 85.6% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,637 people, 655 households, and 495 families living in the CDP. The population density was 4,992.0 PD/sqmi. There were 686 housing units at an average density of 1,298.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 54.38% White, 5.69% African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 35.23% from other races, and 3.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 63.86% of the population.

There were 655 households, out of which 44.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 13.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.03 and the average family size was 3.98.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 31.1% under the age of 18, 17.5% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 11.8% from 45 to 64, and 4.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 151.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 168.9 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $28,707, and the median income for a family was $25,863. Males had a median income of $20,266 versus $23,917 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $8,519. About 32.4% of families and 36.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.6% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Lakeview Estates, Georgia


text:
Ellaville, Georgia

Ellaville is a city in Schley County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,812 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Schley County.

Ellaville is part of the Americus micropolitan statistical area.

History
A town named Pond Town was established in 1812 along the stage coach in the area that is now the location of the Ellaville City Cemetery. The area was then part of the lands belonging to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. In 1821, after the Treaty of Indian Springs the area became part of the state of Georgia. In 1826, it served as temporary county seat for Lee County upon the creation of the then vast county. Pond Town soon became a lively town noted for horse racing and whiskey. In 1831, the area became part of Sumter County.

Ellaville was founded in 1857 as county seat of the newly formed Schley County. It was incorporated as a town in 1859. The community was named after the daughter of a first settler.

Lynchings

 * The hanging of Charles Blackman occurred in Ellaville, Georgia, on January 25, 1889
 * In January 1911 a white man died in a Black owned store. He was taken for his own safety to Columbus for three months but when he returned three months later a mob 200 strong lynched Dawson Jordan, Charles Pickett, and Murray Burton as well as burning down three black lodges, a church and a school.
 * October 1912, a prisoner seized from the Sumter County sheriff near Oglethorpe was hung from a bridge and shot dead
 * June 1913, twenty-four-year-old Will Redding was dragged from the Ellaville's city jail strung up on a street corner and riddled with bullets.
 * Will Jones was lynched in Ellaville, Georgia by a white mob on February 13, 1922.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.2 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,595 people, 610 households, and 438 families residing in the city.

Schley County School District
The Schley County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one elementary school and one middle-high school. The district has 66 full-time teachers and over 1,126 students.

 * Schley County Elementary School
 * Schley Middle High School

Infrastructure
Ellaville is served by U.S. Route 19, Georgia State Route 26 and Georgia State Route 153.

Notable people

 * Charles Frederick Crisp, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
 * William J. Sears, Congressman from Florida
 * Brent Cobb, singer
 * Quentin Fulks, campaign manager
 * Caylee Hammack, singer
 * Blaire Erskine, comedian
 * Rosa Lee Ingram, subject of 1940's Civil Rights struggle against unfair trials and sentencing in the Jim Crow Era.

title: Ellaville, Georgia


text:
Hiltonia, Georgia

Hiltonia is a city in Screven County, Georgia, United States. The population was 310 in 2020.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.7 sqmi, of which 1.7 sqmi is land and 0.57% is water.

Demographics
Hiltonia first appeared in the 1920 U.S. Census.

As of the census of 2000, there were 421 people, 134 households, and 101 families residing in the city. By 2020, its population was 310.

title: Hiltonia, Georgia


text:
Newington, Georgia

Newington is a town in Screven County, Georgia, United States. The population was 290 in 2020.

Geography
Newington is located at 32.58908°N, -81.50446°W.

Georgia State Routes 21 and 24 are the main routes through the town. GA-21 runs northwest-southeast as a four-lane divided highway to the west of downtown, leading northwest 14 mi (23 km) to Sylvania, the Screven County seat, and southeast 20 mi (32 km) to Springfield. GA-24 runs north-south through the downtown area as Oliver Highway, leading north 28 mi (45 km) to Hiltonia and southwest 23 mi (37 km) to Statesboro.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 322 people, 137 households, and 89 families residing in the town. By 2020, its population declined to 290.

title: Newington, Georgia


text:
Oliver, Georgia

Oliver is a city in Screven County, Georgia, United States. The population was 210 as of 2020.

Geography
Oliver is located at 32.52222°N, -81.5325°W (32.522176, -81.532458).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.9 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 253 people, 97 households, and 76 families residing in the city. By 2020, its population declined to 210.

title: Oliver, Georgia


text:
Rocky Ford, Georgia

Rocky Ford is a town in Screven County, Georgia, United States. The population was 167 at the 2020 census.

History
The community was named after a rocky ford over the nearby Ogeechee River.

Geography
Rocky Ford is located at 32.66417°N, -81.82833°W (32.664231, -81.828224).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.2 sqmi, of which 1.2 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi (2.42%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 186 people, 78 households, and 53 families residing in the town. By 2020, its population declined to 167.

In 2000, there were 78 households, out of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.6% were married couples living together, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town in 2000, the population was spread out, with 21.5% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.2 males.

As of 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $25,000, and the median income for a family was $28,750. Males had a median income of $28,125 versus $21,719 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,989. About 4.2% of families and 9.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 10.5% of those 65 or over.

title: Rocky Ford, Georgia


text:
Sylvania, Georgia

Sylvania is a city in and the county seat of Screven County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,634 in 2020.

History
The area was inhabited for thousands of years by various cultures of indigenous peoples. By the time of European encounter, it was occupied by the Yuchi peoples, but some Creeks, the Uchee's allies, moved into the area during Colonial times.

The town of Sylvania was founded in 1790 by settlers migrating to the area after the American Revolutionary War. The word "Sylvania" comes from the Latin word sylvan or sylva  which means "forest land" or "place in the woods."

Sylvania was part of the Black Belt of Georgia, developed for cultivation after the cotton gin made it easier to handle short-fiber cotton. Cotton was the most important commodity crop until late in the 19th century. Planters imported many enslaved African Americans to cultivate the crops. By 1830 the county was filled with people. The county seat was moved from Jacksonborough to Sylvania in 1847.

As part of the projects of the Works Progress Administration, federally commissioned murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through the Section of Painting and Sculpture, later called the Section of Fine Arts, of the Treasury Department. In 1941, Caroline Speare Rohland painted a mural for the post office of Sylvania. The scene depicted was of a farming family and their African American farm hand. In the 1980s, complaints from the local NAACP chapter resulted in the removal of the mural. It was found in a closet of the post office in 1995 and restored. The mural is now on permanent loan from the federal government and is held by Georgia Southern University in Statesboro.

Sherman's army moved through the area during the Civil War.

Sylvania calls itself the "Azalea and Dogwood City" and the "Welcome Station City."

Geography
Sylvania is located at 32.75015°N, -81.63959°W.

U.S. Route 301 and Georgia State Route 21 are the main routes through the city. U.S. 301 runs north-south as a western bypass of the downtown area, leading northeast 29 mi (47 km) to Allendale, South Carolina and southwest 23 mi (37 km) to Statesboro. GA-21 runs along the western bypass of the city concurrent with U.S. 301, leading southeast 34 mi (55 km) to Springfield and west 19 mi (31 km) to Millen. Additionally, Georgia State Route 73 runs through the downtown area upon splitting from U.S. 301 south of downtown, but rejoins that route north of the city.

The city is located roughly halfway between the major cities of Savannah and Augusta.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 sqmi, all land. Sylvania's elevation is 230 feet and is slightly higher than most of the land throughout Screven County.

The city's flora include pine, oak, and most notably, dogwood, thus the slogan "The Dogwood City." Although Spanish moss is not as prevalent as in nearby Savannah, it can still be seen in Sylvania and the surrounding countryside.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,634 people, 1,092 households, and 672 families residing in the city.

Annual events
Sylvania hosts an Annual Livestock Festival in April.

Education
The Screven County School District holds grades pre-school to grade 12 and consists of one elementary school, a middle school and a high school. The district has 186 full-time teachers and over 3,130 students. Dr. Jim Thompson is the superintendent.

Notable people

 * William Lovett Anderson, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral and Navy Cross recipient
 * Bob Waters, American football player, coach and college administrator

title: Sylvania, Georgia


text:
Donalsonville, Georgia

Donalsonville is a city in and the county seat of Seminole County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,833 in 2020.

History
Donalsonville was originally part of Decatur County. It is named after John Ernest Donalson (1846–1920), also known as Jonathan or John E. Donalson, a prominent businessman of the area. Donalson built the first lumber mill in Donalsonville, Donalson Lumber Company. He also built homes and a commissary for the workers of the mill. The lumber company paved the way for the town's growth.

Donalsonville was first chartered as a town in Georgia on December 8, 1897. When Seminole County was formed in January 1920, Donalsonville was named as its county seat. By August 1922, the Town of Donalsonville became known as the City of Donalsonville, with the charter passing on August 19, 1922.

The Seminole County Courthouse was erected in 1922 and is still standing today. The Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Wolfe)

Geography
Donalsonville is located at 31.04083°N, -84.87833°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.0 sqmi, of which 4.0 sqmi is land and 0.25% is water. The city is located 20 minutes north of Lake Seminole, 62 mi south of Albany, 36 mi east of Dothan, Alabama and 107 mi west of Valdosta.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,833 people, 872 households, and 542 families residing in the city.

Economy
Donalsonville has about a 63% high school graduate rate with about 52% in the work force. The biggest industries are education, health, and social services. (Georgia.gov) The average median income for households according to the U.S. Census report in 2000 was $20,687 and median family income was $25,679, with the average household size around 2 and family size around 3 people.

According to 2012 data from the Donalsonville Chamber of Commerce, the top five employers in the city are as follows:

Education
The Seminole County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one elementary school and one middle-high school. The district has 120 full-time teachers and over 1,754 students.
 * Seminole County Elementary School
 * Seminole County Middle/High School

Public library
Donalsonville is home to the Seminole County Public Library. The library serves the citizens of Donalsonville and Seminole County with a collection of print and audiovisual materials. The library is located at 103 W. 4th Street in Donalsonville.

The Alday Murders
Donalsonville was the site of the second largest mass murder in Georgia history (the largest being the Woolfolk murders in 1887). On May 14, 1973, Carl Isaacs, his half brother Wayne Coleman, and fellow prisoner George Dungee escaped from the Maryland State Prison. They were later joined by Carl's younger brother, 15-year-old Billy Isaacs. While en route to Florida the men came upon the Alday farm in Donalsonville. They stopped at a mobile home owned by Jerry Alday and his wife Mary, to look for gas as there was a gas pump on the property.

Alday and his father Ned Alday arrived as the trailer was being ransacked and were ordered inside, then shot to death in separate bedrooms. Jerry's brother Jimmy arrived at the trailer on a tractor and he too was led inside and forced to lay on a couch, then shot. Later, Jerry's 25-year-old wife Mary arrived at the trailer as the men attempted to hide the tractor. She was restrained, while Jerry's brother Chester and uncle Aubrey arrived in a pickup truck. The criminals accosted the pair still in their truck and forced them inside the trailer where they were also shot to death. Mary Alday was raped on her kitchen table before being taken out to a wooded area miles away where she was raped again and then finally murdered.

Billy Isaacs cooperated with prosecutors and received a twenty-year sentence for armed robbery. Carl Isaacs, Coleman, and Dungee were tried by jury in Seminole County in 1973, convicted, and sentenced to death. All three convictions and sentences were overturned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in 1985, on the grounds that the pool of local jurors had been tainted by excess pretrial publicity. All three defendants were re-tried in 1988 and were again convicted; however, only Carl Isaacs was sentenced to death, Coleman and Dungee receiving life sentences.

Carl Isaacs was executed on May 6, 2003, at Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison in Jackson, by lethal injection. At the time of his execution, aged 49, he was the longest-serving death row inmate anywhere in the US, having spent 30 years on death row prior to execution.

Billy Isaacs was released from prison in 1993, and died in Florida on May 4, 2009. George Dungee died in prison on April 4, 2006. Only Wayne Coleman remains incarcerated (as of 2023).

The murders were the subject on an award-winning 1977 documentary called Murder One directed by Fleming 'Tex' Fuller. Fuller then wrote a screenplay, which was filmed as the 1988 film, Murder One, starring Henry Thomas. The 1988 film was widely released in North America, but it wasn't released in southwest Georgia near where the killings took place, so as not to offend people.

Janice Daugharty published a fictionalized account of the murders, Going to Jackson (2010, ).

Religion
By the 1900s, the need for churches arose. The first church was erected in Donalsonville in 1850, the Friendship United Methodist Church. In the beginning the Methodist Church served as a meeting place for all Protestant denominations. Later, the First Presbyterian Church of Donalsonville was established in January 1898 with 25 members. On August 4, 1902, 18 people helped to create the First Baptist Church of Donalsonville. The Church of The Nazarene, originally called “The Holiness Church,” was established in October 1902. The meetings of the Church of the Nazarene were actually held in a member's house until 1903, when a building was erected. The first black church in Donalsonville was created in 1895, the Live Oak African Methodist Episcopal Church. Eventually, the number totalled thirteen.

Notable people

 * John and Clarence Anglin - brothers who escaped from Alcatraz prison in 1962
 * Alfred Corn, poet and essayist, born Bainbridge and lived in Donalsonville and Valdosta
 * Bacarri Rambo - Former Miami Dolphins safety
 * Phillip Daniels - Former NFL player, current Assistant Defensive Line Coach for the Philadelphia Eagles

title: Donalsonville, Georgia


text:
Iron City, Georgia

Iron City is a town in Seminole County, Georgia, United States. The population was 312 in 2020.

Geography
Iron City is located at 31.01417°N, -84.81194°W (31.014217, -84.812070). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 sqmi consisting solely of land.

When Iron City was reincorporated in 1908, the corporate limits of the town were to be one half-mile in every direction of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot, according to the Ladies Club. According to the census data for Iron City, the town has an area of 0.8 sqmi. On the map, Iron City is located at 31.01333 N Latitude and -84.81306 W Longitude. It is 40 miles east of Dothan, Alabama and 17 miles west of Bainbridge.

Demographics
In 2020, the city had a population of 312, down from 321 in 2000.

title: Iron City, Georgia


text:
East Griffin, Georgia

East Griffin is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Spalding County, Georgia, United States. The population was 1,635 at the 2000 census.

Geography
East Griffin is located at 33.23917°N, -84.23389°W (33.239156, -84.233786).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.6 sqmi, of which 1.5 sqmi is land and 0.64% is water.

Demographics
East Griffin first appeared as an unincorporated place in the 1950 U.S. Census and was designated a census designated place in the 1980 U.S. Census.

2020
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,635 people, 608 households, and 438 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,056.6 PD/sqmi. There were 654 housing units at an average density of 422.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 83.67% White, 11.87% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 1.59% from other races, and 2.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.57% of the population.

There were 608 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,469, and the median income for a family was $31,544. Males had a median income of $29,102 versus $20,451 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $13,041. About 9.9% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 17.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable Events in History
East Griffin was the final home to the infamous Crawley Brothers- George and Decatur. An account of their lives and the manhunt that brought them to Griffin can be found in the book "The Great Blue Ridge Manhunt- The Missing Pieces" by Evelyn L. Thomas.

title: East Griffin, Georgia


text:
Experiment, Georgia

Experiment is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Spalding County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,233 at the 2000 census.

History
Experiment is named for the University of Georgia Agricultural Experiment Station located there. Experiment has been noted for its unusual place name.

The community was heavily damaged by an EF3 tornado on January 12, 2023. The tornado injured 18 people along its path.

Geography
Experiment is located at 33.27444°N, -84.27472°W (33.274505, -84.274758), immediately north of Griffin and approximately 30 miles (48.3 km) south-southeast of Atlanta.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.0 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
Experiment was first listed as an unincorporated place in the 1950 U.S. Census and then designated a census designated place in 1980 U.S. Census.

2020 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,233 people, 1,163 households, and 839 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,063.4 PD/sqmi. There were 1,259 housing units at an average density of 414.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 45.50% White, 52.55% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.03% Asian, 0.53% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.24% of the population.

There were 1,163 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.9% were married couples living together, 30.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 30.6% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.0 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $25,078, and the median income for a family was $27,139. Males had a median income of $27,447 versus $19,194 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $11,255. About 26.9% of families and 26.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.2% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

title: Experiment, Georgia


text:
Griffin, Georgia

Griffin is a city in and the county seat of Spalding County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 23,478.

Griffin was founded in 1840 and named for landowner Col. Lewis Lawrence Griffin.

Griffin Technical College was located in Griffin from 1963 and a branch of Southern Crescent Technical College is in Griffin. The Griffin Synodical Female College was established by Presbyterians, but closed. The University of Georgia maintains a branch campus in Griffin.

History
The Macon and Western Railroad was extended to a new station in Griffin in 1842. In 1938, Alma Lovell had been distributing religious Bible tracts as a Jehovah's Witness but was arrested for violating a city ordinance requiring prior permission for distributing literature. In Lovell v. City of Griffin, the U.S. Supreme Court found that the city had violated her First Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

The Griffin Commercial Historic District (among the National Register of Historic Places listings in Spalding County, Georgia) is generally bounded by Central Alley, Sixth Street, Taylor Street and Eighth Street. The district includes the Griffin Grocery Company Building, now the Griffin Regional Welcome Center.

The western part of the city was heavily damaged by an EF3 tornado on January 12, 2023. The tornado was one of four that were on the ground simultaneously in the area. This particular tornado injured 18 people along its path.

Geography
Griffin is located at 33.2475°N, -84.27083°W (33.247602, -84.270891). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.6 sqmi, of which 14.5 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi (0.55%) is water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 23,478 people, 8,945 households, and 5,347 families residing in the city.

Education
The Griffin-Spalding County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve and consists of eleven elementary schools, four middle schools, and three high schools. The district has 661 full-time teachers and over 10,648 students. Griffin-Spalding County Public Schools contains 18 schools Griffin Technical College was located in Griffin from 1963 and, following a merger, a branch of Southern Crescent Technical College is in Griffin. The Griffin Synodical Female College was established by Presbyterians, but closed.

Griffin Region College & Career Academy is a public school in Griffin, Georgia that is part of Griffin Spalding County School District. The University of Georgia maintains a branch campus in Griffin. Griffin Region College and Career Academy are located within the city limits. The GRCCA prepares students for college and careers through actual college courses for both high school and college credits. The popular Civil Air Patrol aerospace education program promotes aerospace, aviation and STEM-related careers with standards-based, hands-on curriculum and activities.

Sports and recreation
The Spalding County Pickleball Association (SCPA) is located at Wyomia Tyus Olympic Park. The SCPA operates, develops and manages programs at the Spalding County Pickleball Complex. The courts are open to the public.

Spalding County Special Olympics Bowling Team bowls every Thursday afternoon from September through March at Magnolia Lanes bowling alley.

The Spalding County Leisure Services Department offers youth sports programs including baseball, basketball, fast pitch softball, soccer, and swimming. For adults, Spalding County offers softball, kickball, and Adult Basketball Leagues: Men's Open and Men's Industrial.

There are at least 21 golf courses within 20 miles of the center of Griffin.

Spalding County was named disc golf capital of the southeast, being home to four courses.

The Griffin Warriors, a World Basketball Association team, played at the high school in 2006.

Griffin, during the "golden ages" of baseball, hosted several minor league Class D level teams:

 * Griffin Lightfoots, (1915–1916), Griffin Griffs, (1917) - Georgia-Alabama League
 * Griffin - Georgia State League (1920, 1921)
 * Griffin Pimientos (1947–1949, 1951) (Class D affiliate of the St. Louis Browns), Griffin Tigers (1950) - Georgia-Alabama League

Media
The Griffin Daily News is a local paper, founded in 1872.

WMVV is a local Christian station, while WKEU (AM) broadcasts oldies. WYFK, a Christian station, has their W290AG translator in Griffin. University of Georgia Griffin Campus has a news radio station on 88.9FM or live streaming at wkeuradio.com.

Notable people

 * Morgan Alexander – racing driver; born in Griffin
 * Bill Anderson - country singer; born in South Carolina and grew up in Griffin
 * Edward Andrews - film and television actor; born in Griffin
 * Lewis White Beck - philosopher, translator, textbook author, and scholar of German philosophy; born in Griffin
 * Tim Beckham - professional baseball player; first overall pick in 2008 Major League Baseball draft after attending Griffin High School; born in Griffin
 * Brian Bohannon - head football coach at Kennesaw State; previously played wide receiver for UGA and held a number of assistant coaching positions
 * James S. Boynton - politician and jurist; briefly served as the 51st Governor of Georgia from 1883 after the death of governor Alexander Stephens; born in Henry County, Georgia and moved to Griffin in 1865; buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Griffin
 * Jody Breeze - rapper
 * Thomas Jefferson Byrd - actor
 * Charlie Clemons - football player who played for several different National Football League teams; member of the St. Louis Rams team that won Super Bowl XXXIV; uncle of Nic Clemons and Chris Clemons
 * Chris Clemons - NFL defensive end and brother of Nic Clemons; played college football for University of Georgia; member of Super Bowl XLVIII champion Seattle Seahawks
 * Nic Clemons - defensive end for the Denver Broncos
 * Elbert Dubenion - football player; wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills
 * Rick Dyer - Bigfoot enthusiast known for high-profile hoaxes
 * John J. Eagan - industrialist and co-founder of the American Cast Iron Pipe Company
 * Jack Flynt - lawyer and U.S. Congressman from Spalding County; born in Griffin
 * Willie Gault - NFL wide receiver and Olympic athlete; played 11 seasons for the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Raiders
 * Nick Hamilton - pro wrestling referee
 * Darrin Hancock - basketball player; played with the 1993 Final Four University of Kansas, the NBA, and various minor league teams after graduating from Griffin High School
 * J. C. Hendrix – racing driver; born in Griffin
 * Doc Holliday - figure of the American West and friend of Wyatt Earp; born in Griffin
 * John McIntosh Kell - Executive Officer of the CSS Alabama; served as Adjutant General of Georgia; born in Darien, Georgia; lived in Griffin in his later life until his death in 1900
 * Jan Kemp - academic who exposed the allowing of nine college football players to pass a remedial English course at UGA
 * Sidney Lanier - poet, lawyer and musician; lived in Griffin as a child after his birth in Macon; he wrote the poem "Corn" in Sunnyside, several miles north of Griffin
 * Lauren-Ashley - country singer
 * Sonia Leigh - country singer-songwriter; attended Griffin High School
 * Sherrod Martin - former NFL defensive back for the Carolina Panthers
 * Karen Mathiak - chiropractor and Georgia state legislator
 * Josh Pace - Syracuse University basketball guard during the school's first national championship in 2003; currently plays professional basketball overseas
 * Bobby Rainey - running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and in college for Western Kentucky
 * Henry L. Sherman - lawyer and judge; grew up in Griffin
 * Kyle Stemberger - record producer
 * Ben Talley - football player
 * Dox Thrash - printmaker and painter, helped invent carborundum technique; born in Griffin in 1893
 * Stephen J. Townsend - U.S. Army general; graduate of Griffin High School
 * Jessie Tuggle - football linebacker who played his entire career with the Atlanta Falcons; played in college at Valdosta State after graduating from Griffin High School
 * Wyomia Tyus - athlete, Olympic gold medalist, first woman to retain the Olympic title in the 100; born in Griffin
 * Rayfield Wright - Hall of Fame offensive tackle (born in Griffin); played in college at Fort Valley State
 * John P. Yates - Georgia state legislator

Culture
The Griffin Ballet Theatre was founded in 1994.

The Main Street Players professional theater was founded in 2001.

The Griffin Museum is located upstairs in the Welcome Center and contains an array of Griffin artifacts and memorabilia, including some dating from the mid-1800s.

Griffin Choral Arts, founded in 2007, is a 50-voice auditioned regional community chorus that performs four major concerts each season.

Griffin Music Club was founded in 1942, and is affiliated with the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC).

The Griffin Area Concert Association was founded in 1969. It presents performances by national and international performing artists featuring dance, musical theater, solo instrumentalists, vocal, string or brass ensembles and other performing arts.

Griffin Spalding Historical Society was founded in 1969. Its headquarter is in the Bailey-Tebault House houses at Meriwether Street, of which it provides tours.

The Griffin-Spalding Athletic Hall of Fame was founded in 1983.

Since 1962 the city has presented an early annual Christmas parade, with floats and marching bands, presented by the Southside Riders.

Kiwanis of Griffin was founded in 1940.

In downtown Griffin there is a haunted house attraction, the Sinister Suites Haunted Hotel. It was built in 1910, and after being closed in the 1970s was re-opened as a haunted attraction during October. It features a five-story, 60,000-square foot walk-through of the hotel. But it is closed.

Griffin has been featured or used as a production site in many films and television shows.

title: Griffin, Georgia


text:
Orchard Hill, Georgia

Orchard Hill is a town in Spalding County, Georgia, United States. The population was 230 at the 2000 census.

History
Orchard Hill was named for the setting of the original town site. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Orchard Hill as a town in 1912.

Geography
Orchard Hill is located at 33.18694°N, -84.21139°W (33.186853, -84.211379).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 230 people, 89 households, and 70 families residing in the town. The population density was 646.9 PD/sqmi. There were 94 housing units at an average density of 264.4 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.52% White, 1.30% African American, 2.17% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.17% of the population.

There were 89 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.3% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 18, 14.8% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,429, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $30,481 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,215. About 7.1% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen and 21.4% of those 65 or over.

title: Orchard Hill, Georgia


text:
Sunny Side, Georgia

Sunny Side is a city in Spalding County, Georgia, United States. The population was 142 at the 2000 census.

History
A post office called Sunny Side was established in 1871. The name "Sunny Side" was commendatorily applied to this place. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Sunny Side as a town in 1897.

Geography
Sunny Side is located at 33.34167°N, -84.29028°W (33.341724, -84.290254).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.2 square mile (0.5 km$2$), all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 142 people, 53 households, and 36 families residing in the city. The population density was 701.3 PD/sqmi. There were 56 housing units at an average density of 276.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 97.18% White, and 2.82% from two or more races.

There were 53 households, out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 24.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 12.0% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 121.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $27,083, and the median income for a family was $30,625. Males had a median income of $26,000 versus $17,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,769. There were 14.7% of families and 13.2% of the population living below the poverty line, including 16.1% of under eighteens and 22.2% of those over 64.

title: Sunny Side, Georgia


text:
Avalon, Georgia

Avalon is a town in Stephens County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 233. Avalon was named for the Arthurian island of paradise. It was founded in 1882 by Richard Dempsey Yow, and incorporated in 1909. Yow and two brothers started a successful mercantile business there. Although it was at one time a self-contained village with a railway station, post office, school, and church, Avalon's tiny population now shares these functions with those dwelling in nearby towns.

Geography
Avalon is located at 34.50167°N, -83.19444°W (34.501609, -83.194322).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.8 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 278 people, 109 households, and 80 families residing in the town. The population density was 157.9 PD/sqmi. There were 116 housing units at an average density of 65.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 91.73% White, 7.91% African American and 0.36% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.52% of the population.

There were 109 households, out of which 34.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.1% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 27.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,000, and the median income for a family was $35,625. Males had a median income of $29,500 versus $16,042 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,701. About 16.0% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 38.7% of those 65 or over.

title: Avalon, Georgia


text:
Toccoa, Georgia

Toccoa is a city in far Northeast Georgia near the border with South Carolina. It is the county seat of Stephens County, Georgia, United States, located about 50 mi from Athens and about 90 mi northeast of Atlanta. The population was 9,133 as of the 2020 census.

History
The Indigenous Nations of the Mississippian culture, and historic Yuchi, linked to the Muscogee Creek confederacy and later allies of the Cherokee, occupied Tugaloo and the area of Toccoa for over 1,000 years prior to colonization.

The Mississippian culture was known for building earthen platform mounds. In the Mississippi and Ohio valleys, the people developed some large, dense cities and complexes featuring multiple mounds and, in some cases, thousands of residents. In what is known as the regional South Appalachian Mississippian culture, by contrast, settlements were smaller and the peoples typically built a single platform mound in the larger villages.

Salvage archeological studies were conducted by Dr. Joseph Caldwell of the University of Georgia in 1957, prior to flooding of this area after construction of a dam downriver. He determined the first settlement was founded about 800 CE and lasted to 1700, when the village was burned. By that time, it was occupied by proto-Creek who were descendants of the Mississippians. Colonial maps until the American Revolution identified this village as one of the Hogeloge people, now known as Yuchi. While they later became allies of the Cherokee, they were of a different ethnicity and language group.

Colonial period
Indian agent Col. George Chicken was one of the first English colonists to mention Toccoa in his journal from 1725, calling it Toxsoah.

As early as 1740, the Unicoi Turnpike, an important Native American trading path, connected Tennessee to Savannah by way of Toccoa. The route began on the Savannah River, just below the entrance of Toccoa Creek. In 1830, it was converted to a toll road.

United States era
European Americans did not settle here until after the American Revolutionary War, when the government gave land grants in lieu of pay owed to veterans. A group led by Col. William H. Wofford moved to the area when the war ended. It became known as Wofford's Tract, or Wofford's Settlement. Col. Wofford is buried near Toccoa Falls. His son, William T. Wofford, was born near Toccoa, then part of Habersham County.

Travelers had to rely on using fords, and later ferries, to get across the Tugaloo River. The first Prather's Bridge was a swinging bridge built in 1804 by James Jeremiah Prather. The first bridge was washed away during a freshet, an overflow caused by heavy rain.

Georgia conducted a Land Lottery of 1820, although the Cherokee had not yet ceded this area to the United States. Scots-Irish who acquired land in the lottery moved to this area from the backcountry of North Carolina and the Georgia coast. The Georgia Gold Rush, starting in 1828, also attracted many new settlers to North Georgia.

European Americans pressed the government to take over the land of the Five Civilized Tribes, seeking cheaper land to develop for cotton plantations. Short-staple cotton, which could be grown in the uplands through this area, had become profitable since the invention of the cotton gin for processing it. At the urging of President Andrew Jackson, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, authorizing the government to force cessions of land by Southeast tribes in exchange for lands west of the Mississippi River, in what became known as Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. The 1838 removal of the Cherokee on the infamous "Trail of Tears" extinguished most of their land claims to this area. The US government released former Cherokee and Creek (Muscogee) lands for sale and settlement by European Americans in Georgia.

A more substantial bridge was built across the Tugaloo River in 1850. That year James D. Prather supervised the construction of his plantation house known as Riverside, on a hill overlooking the upper Tugalo River. The Greek revival antebellum house was built by his enslaved African-American workers, and the timber for the house was harvested from his plantation. The Prather family cemetery was developed to the right of the house.

During the Civil War, General Robert Toombs, a close friend of Prather, used this house as a refuge from Union troops. The soldiers pursued him to Riverside, but he hid and escaped capture.

The Prather Bridge was burned in 1863 by Confederate troops during the Civil War to keep the Union enemy from crossing. James Jeremiah Prather and his son, James Devereaux Prather, rebuilt the bridge in 1868. This bridge lasted until 1918, when it was washed away. It was rebuilt in 1920 by James D. Prather. It was afterward replaced by a concrete bridge, but the wooden bridge was kept as a landmark. Vandals burned it down in 1978.

According to historical accounts, the Johns House, a Victorian cottage near Prather Bridge Road, was built in 1898. When the Georgia General Assembly created Stephens County in 1905, Toccoa was established as the county seat.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt visited Toccoa on March 23, 1938 during the Great Depression. Roosevelt's train made a brief stop there, and he made remarks from the rear platform of the presidential train. He traveled to Gainesville to deliver a major speech, and finished at Warm Springs for a vacation.

Camp Toccoa was developed nearby as a World War II paratrooper training base. It was the first training base for the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the Army's 101st Airborne Division. Its Easy Company was subject of the non-fiction book and an HBO miniseries adaptation of the same name: Band of Brothers.

Traveler's Rest, an antebellum 19th-century inn, known locally as Jarrett Manor, is located outside Toccoa. It stands near Lake Hartwell, which was created by flooding an area of the Tugaloo River after completion of the Hartwell Dam in 1962. The inn has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Toccoa Falls is located on the campus of Toccoa Falls College. The short 100-yard path to the base of the 186-foot (57 m) high natural waterfall is gravel-paved and easily walkable.

Geography and climate
Toccoa is located at 34.57472°N, -83.32°W (34.574725, −83.319865).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.4 sqmi, of which 8.3 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi (0.60%) is water.

Altitude is 313 m (1,027 ft).

Toccoa has a humid subtropical climate similar to much of the rest of the state of Georgia.

2020 census
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 9,133 people, 3,359 households, and 2,135 families residing in the city.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, Toccoa had a population of 8,491. The July 2014 population estimate was 8,257. The median age of a Toccoa resident is 35.4. The number of companies in Toccoa is 1,135. In educational attainment, high school graduate or higher percentage was 84.1%. The total housing units in Toccoa is 4,009. The median household income was $34,047. The foreign-born population was 213. The percentage of individuals below the poverty level was 24.4%.

Economy
Stephens County Development Authority (SCDA) was established in 1965 to continue and sustain the growth of Northeast Georgia. SCDA is responsible for the recruitment of new businesses such as industrial, manufacturing, distribution, corporate and regional headquarters and customer service centers. SCDA serves the following cities: Toccoa, Eastanollee, Martin, and Avalon. Major industrial parks in the area are Toccoa Industrial Park, Meadowbrook Industrial Park, and Hayestone Brady Business Park.

The top Stephens County employers in descending order are the Stephens County School System, Caterpillar, Patterson Pump, ASI (GEM Industries), American Woodmark Corp., Standard Register, Sage Automotive Interiors, Habersham Plantation, Toccoa Falls College, Coats & Clark, Eaton Corporation, and PTL Company (an elevator fixtures and parts manufacturer). Founded and headquartered in Toccoa, 1st Franklin Financial Corporation is a regional financial services company with more than 1,300 employees.

Annual events
Annual events include the Currahee Military Weekend, the Ida Cox Music Series, Toast of Toccoa, Summer Movies at the Ritz, Costume Parade, Harvest Festival, ChristmasFest, and Christmas Parade.

Music
Toccoa is the home of a regional orchestra. The Toccoa Symphony Orchestra is made up of volunteer musicians from the surrounding community, in South Carolina, and Georgia. The symphony exists to provide quality symphonic music to the region and to bring together musicians from throughout northeast Georgia.

The symphony was founded in 1977 by Pinkie Craft Ware and Archie Sharretts, both music educators. Since its founding, the symphony has performed at least three concerts every season. It is supported by a board of directors and an extensive network of patrons.

The orchestra collaborates with many musicians and provides a wide range of concert experiences. The ensemble has premiered works by young composers, presents a yearly Christmas concert with a one hundred voice choir, and incorporates budding performers from nearby Toccoa Falls College.

The rock band Luxury originated in Toccoa, at Toccoa Falls College, in the early 1990s.

Miles Through Time Automotive Museum
The Miles Through Time Automotive Museum was a co-op style automotive museum in a restored 1939 dealership but has moved to Clarkesville, GA in Habersham County. There are over 100 years of automotive history on display. Vehicles can be stored, listed on consignment, for sale by owner or donated and everything is displayed as museum exhibits.

Currahee Military Museum
The Currahee Military Museum, located in downtown Toccoa at the original train station where arriving GIs would disembark, is dedicated to the paratroopers of World War II who trained at Camp Toccoa. Camp Toccoa was located just outside the city proper, at the foot of Currahee Mountain, and was formerly known as Camp Toombs. The museum houses the original Aldbourne stables where paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division were housed temporarily in England in 1944.

Only one building remains of the original Camp Toccoa. The building is believed to be a former food supply storage facility, based on its position near the former camp's gates and the foundation's construction. It was donated to the museum in 2011 by the Milliken company, which was using it as a machine shop. The museum intends to restore the building, along with the surrounding grounds.

Annual Currahee Challenge
On the first Saturday of every October, a six-mile race is held along the Colonel Sink Trail, the same trail used by the paratroopers as part of their training for combat. Known as one of the most daunting races in America. The common refrain is "Three Miles Up And Three Miles Down." The race is part of the Currahee Military Weekend, which features World War II military reenactments in a staged military camp, weapons demonstrations, book signings by veterans, a parade through the downtown historic district, a hangar dance at the airport, and a special banquet featuring keynote speakers and veterans.

Ritz Theatre
The Ritz Theatre is a restored 1939 art deco movie theater, located in the Downtown Toccoa Historic District at 139 Doyle Street. It is an active venue for a variety of entertainment.

Other points of interest
"Born from fire, and twice rebuilt from ashes, Downtown Toccoa's Albemarle Hotel has witnessed Toccoa's growth, and its struggles, for more than 100 years." The current building, dating from the 1930s, retains some of the previous structure. For many years, it was known as the Alexander Apartments. The hotel is located in the Downtown Toccoa Historic District, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Stephens County Schools
Stephens County Schools serves students in preschool through grade twelve. There are four elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 304 full-time teachers and over 4,405 students.

Schools

 * Stephens County High School (SCHS) (grades 9–12)
 * Stephens County Fifth Grade Academy (at SCMS) (grade 5)
 * Stephens County Middle School (SCMS) (grades 6–8)
 * Liberty Elementary (grades 1-2)
 * Toccoa Elementary (grades 3-4)
 * Big A Elementary (grades Pre K-K)

Stephens County High School finished building its new facility in the spring of 2012. It includes a four-sided gymnasium arena, better fine arts facilities, and a larger media center.

Crossroads Juvenile Academy is an alternative school in Stephens County that gives behaviorally impaired students a second chance.

Mountain Education Center is an online night school that grants full Georgia high school diplomas. This course is designed not only for full-time students but also part-time students who are working to recover lost credits.

Higher education
Toccoa is the home of Toccoa Falls College, a private Christian college. North Georgia Technical College has the Currahee campus just south of Toccoa.

Infrastructure

Transportation
Amtrak's Crescent connects Toccoa with the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, Charlotte, Atlanta, Birmingham, and New Orleans. The Amtrak station is at 47 North Alexander Street. The Amtrak line is shared with the Norfolk Southern Railway. Before Amtrak, Toccoa was a stop on the Airline Belle, a regional train of the Southern Railway from 1879 to 1931.

Toccoa is also home to the Toccoa Airport, a small executive airport to the northeast of town. The airport was built by R.G. LeTourneau and is sometimes referred to as R.G. LeTourneau Field.

The nearest interstate highway is Interstate 85. State highway 17 bypasses Toccoa, and highway 17 Alt runs through Toccoa. US highway 123/state highway 365 runs through Toccoa as well.

Media
The Toccoa Record newspaper was founded in 1873.

The WNEG (AM) and 93.1 FM radio station broadcasts from Toccoa. It first went on the air in 1956.

Historic Town Mall
Downtown Toccoa is located near the courthouse and the train depot, which connects to Atlanta. From the 1950s through the 1980s, business bustled in this "mall." Each day, people would flood to shop in downtown Toccoa. Several national retail outlets were then located in downtown Toccoa, including the Belk Gallant department store.

In the early 1960s, around the country, local downtown businesses faced competition with large shopping malls, and many began to fail. As an answer to the depressed conditions in downtowns, Toccoa and many other towns erected concrete canopies and closed streets to create a pedestrian mall. In less than ten years, it was evident that instead of enhancing businesses and creating a positive downtown image, these canopies actually accelerated the downtown's decline.

When the Belk Gallant department store announced it was going to move along a four lane road called Big A, community leaders organized Main Street Toccoa in 1990. In 1991, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Resource Team recommended that the canopies be removed and that the street be opened once again to vehicular traffic. However, for many years, the project was not supported.

During that time, Main Street Toccoa implemented many changes and improvements to the downtown mall area. Brick pavers were installed and trees were planted. However, the canopies themselves began to deteriorate, and no support was found to repair them. During this time, businesses continued to flounder and many of the buildings were empty and in disrepair.

Over time, however, with growing support, approval was given to start the canopy removal project. Efforts that helped contribute community support for the project included county-wide public surveys, a University of Georgia market study, a UGA design charrette, and renderings of individual buildings without the canopies provided by the GA Trust for Historic Preservation and UGA Community Design Planning and Preservation. To gather the necessary funds for the project, Toccoa partnered with six state agencies (Appalachian Regional Commission, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, One Georgia Authority, United States Department of Agriculture, and Georgia Department of Transportation) that provided $1.3 million, with additional local funding of $552,000.

During the canopy removal and street re-opening project, private interest in downtown increased. In 2008, downtown saw 33 storefronts renovated, under the guidance of the Georgia Mountains Regional Development Center Historic Preservation Planner, 11 new business, 17 new jobs, 28 part-time jobs and 68 full-time equivalent jobs retained, and private investment of $3.5 million. Toccoa's Main Street was re-opened to vehicular traffic.

The Currahee Military Museum, featured recently in the PBS series GA Traveler, and named as one of the best museums along the East Coast by Blue Ridge Mountain Magazine, is another attraction that continues downtown's resurgence. Located in the restored historic train depot, the museum features a massive exhibit of 506's Easy Company memorabilia. This World War II paratrooper company was popularized by the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. The depot housing this museum was recently restored to its pre-1940s appearance.

The depot building had previously been used as a maintenance and storage area for Norfolk Southern. Now it has been transformed to a publicly owned building that is home to the Chamber, Welcome Center, Stephens County Historical Society Museum, the Currahee Military Museum, and Amtrak. Funding for the million dollar project was received through Transportation Enhancement Activity and GDOT funds of $400,000; local funding of $100,000 and private investment funds of over $500,000 were contributed. The museum just completed its second addition, funded by Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).

Enhancing Toccoa as a Northeast Georgia destination is the newly restored courthouse, which anchors the downtown district. The renovation project was overseen by a governmental appointed citizen authority. Funded entirely by SPLOST dollars, the $2 million renovation project brought a historic 1907 building back to life while adding green space to the historic district and retained government offices and downtown customers in the city's square.

Sister Cities
Toccoa has no active sister city program. In the 1970s, a sister city relationship was established with Meßstetten, Germany, but the relationship has not been renewed.

Notable people
The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Toccoa.
 * Paul Anderson (1932–1994) – 1955 World weightlifting champion, 1956 gold medal winner in Olympic weightlifting; resident of Toccoa
 * Howard "Doc" Ayers (1922-2020) - football coach at the University of Georgia
 * Dan Biggers (1931–2011) – actor
 * James Brown (1933–2006) – singer, songwriter, dancer, and bandleader
 * Bobby Byrd (1934–2007) – musician, songwriter, and record producer
 * Dee Clark (1938–1990) – singer
 * McKenzie Coan (born 1996) - swimmer and 2016 gold medal winner in the 2016 Summer Paralympics
 * Ida Cox (1896–1967) – blues singer and vaudeville performer
 * Dale Davis (born 1969) – former professional basketball player
 * The Famous Flames - R & B group
 * DeForest Kelley (1920–1999) – actor
 * R. G. LeTourneau (1888-1969) – inventor and Christian philanthropist
 * Herb Maffett (1907-1994) - All-American football player at the University of Georgia
 * Ethan Martin (born 1989) – professional baseball player
 * Evan Oglesby (born 1981) – professional football player
 * Tauren Poole (born 1989) - professional football player
 * Ralph E. Reed Jr. (born 1961) – political activist
 * Oral Roberts (1918–2009) – pastor and televangelist
 * Kimberly Schlapman (born 1969) – member of the country music band Little Big Town
 * Ramblin' Tommy Scott (1917-2013) - country and rockabilly musician
 * Billy Shaw (born 1938) – former Georgia Tech and NFL football player; Pro Football Hall of Fame member
 * Aaron Shust (born 1975) – Christian singer and three time Dove Award winner
 * Jerry Kenneth "Ken" Swilling (born 1970) – football player and a safety on the Georgia Tech 1990 National Championship Team
 * Pat Swilling (born 1964) – professional football player and politician
 * The Watkins Family - Southern gospel/bluegrass music performers
 * William T. Wofford (1824-1884) - Civil War general

In literature and film
The novel Fireworks Over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff was published by St. Martin's Press and released nationwide on March 30, 2010. A day-long celebration was held in Toccoa culminating in a fireworks display at Boyd Field in the evening.

Several films have been shot in Toccoa:

 * County Line (2017) - starring Tom Wopat, Jeff Fahey, and Grant Goodeve
 * Heritage Falls (2016) - starring David Keith
 * Legal Action (2018) - starring Eric Close, Nick Searcy, and Tommy Flanagan
 * The Legend of 5 Mile Cave (2018) - starring Adam Baldwin and Jeremy Sumpter
 * Southern Comfort (2001) - documentary about resident trans man Robert Eads
 * The Warrant (2019) - starring Neal McDonough, Steven R. McQueen, Casper Van Dien, and Annabeth Gish
 * When We Last Spoke (2018) - starring Cloris Leachman, Corbin Bernsen, and Melissa Gilbert

In media
The Weather Channel remembered the 1977 Toccoa Falls dam break and flood.

On May 7, 2000, Mary Ann Stephens of Toccoa was shot to death outside a Ramada Inn in Jacksonville, Florida while on vacation with her husband. The incident received national attention and resulted in an Academy Award-winning French documentary, Murder on a Sunday Morning, on the arrest and acquittal of the original suspect.

Awards

 * 2008 Excellence in Downtown Development Award from the Georgia Downtown Association
 * 2009 Great America Main Street Top Ten Semi-finalist from the National Trust for Historic Preservation
 * 2009 Excellence in Rehabilitation Award from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
 * 2014 and again in 2021 Georgia Exceptional Main Street (GEMS) Community designation from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, the highest designation awarded in the state
 * 2017 Chairman's Award for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
 * 2018 Downtown Excellence Award in Promotions from the Georgia Downtown Association
 * 2018 Community Grand Award from the Georgia Urban Forest Council
 * 2019 Live, Work, Play Community award from GeorgiaTrend and the Georgia Municipal Association

Kelly Barnes Dam failure
On November 6, 1977, the earthen Kelly Barnes Dam failed and released over 170 million gallons of water above the Toccoa Falls College campus. The failure killed 20 children and 19 adults. First Lady Rosalynn Carter visited Toccoa the next day.

title: Toccoa, Georgia


text:
Lumpkin, Georgia

Lumpkin is a city and county seat of Stewart County, Georgia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 891.

History
This area of Georgia was inhabited by succeeding cultures of indigenous Native Americans for thousands of years before European contact. Historical tribes included the Cherokee, Choctaw and Creek, who encountered European Americans as their settlements moved into traditional territory. During the Indian removal of 1830, the United States government forced such tribes to move west of the Mississippi River to Indian Territory, to extinguish their claims and make way for more European-American settlement.

Lumpkin was incorporated by European Americans on March 30, 1829. First named the county seat of Randolph County on December 2, 1830, it became the seat of Stewart County when the latter was split from Randolph three weeks later. The city was named in honor of Wilson Lumpkin, a two-term governor of Georgia and legislator who supported Indian removal. His namesake county is at the northern end of the state.

The town grew as a commercial center served by stagecoach. Its merchants traded with the planters in the area. This was part of the Black Belt, named for the fertile land in the upland South that supported extensive cotton plantations in the 19th century. In the antebellum years, planters depended on the labor and skills of hundreds of thousands of enslaved African Americans to cultivate and process the cotton for market.

After the war, many freedmen stayed in the area as sharecroppers and tenant farmers, and the economy continued to depend on agriculture. With land erosion and depletion, cotton farming gave way to peanut and pine tree cultivation, and labor needs decreased. The population of the county dropped markedly from the Great Migration of blacks to industrial jobs in the North and Midwest in the early decades of the 20th century, but the town of Lumpkin remained relatively stable. The county is still quite rural.

Lumpkin was the first small town in Georgia to complete a successful historic preservation project to encourage what has become known as heritage tourism. It restored the Bedingfield Inn, built in 1836 and located on the central square. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

On December 5, 1954, a destructive F2 tornado hit the northwest side of town, killing one and injuring 20.

In the 1960s, a group of citizens created a living history complex known as Westville. They relocated 30 historic structures to create a grouping of western Georgia architecture as would have been found in an 1850s working village. Some of the buildings were purchased from the collection of John Word West established in 1928 in Jonesboro, Georgia. The village, staffed by volunteers to give the sense of daily life, has since moved to Columbus, Georgia.

The nearby private Stewart Detention Center houses federal detainees for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The facility is owned and run by CoreCivic. In 2011 Stewart ranked as the largest and busiest such facility in the United States. Stewart County's share of revenue from the federal government, 85 cents per inmate per day, amounted to more than half of the county's entire annual budget. It was removed from the 2020 U.S. Census geography for Lumpkin city hence the decline in population.

Geography
Lumpkin is located at 32.04964°N, -84.79586°W. U.S. Route 27 passes west of the city, leading north 37 mi to Columbus and south 132 mi to Tallahassee, Florida. Georgia State Route 27 also passes through the city, leading southwest 24 mi to Georgetown on the Alabama state line and east 9 mi to Richland.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.6 mi2, of which 1.6 mi2 is land and 0.04 mi2 (1.25%) is water.

Demographics
''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

At the census of 2000, there were 1,369 people, 552 households, and 367 families residing in the city; by 2020, its population declined to 891.

Government
The current mayor of Lumpkin is Jimmy Babb. Charles Gibson, his predecessor, elected in 2010, was the first African-American elected to this office.

Education
The Stewart County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of an elementary school, middle school, and high school. The district has 58 full-time teachers and over 704 students.
 * Stewart County Elementary School
 * Stewart County Middle School
 * Stewart County High School

Notable People

 * Birthplace of Jarvis Jones, Retired NFL Linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
 * Birthplace of John Wellborn Root, American architect and key figure in Chicago School of design
 * Birthplace of Dorothy Pitman Hughes, American Feminist and Civil Rights Activist.

title: Lumpkin, Georgia


text:
Richland, Georgia

Richland is a city in Stewart County, Georgia, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 1,370.

History
The community took its name from the local Richland Baptist Church, the name of which most likely is a transfer from Richland, South Carolina, the native home of a large share of the first settlers. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Richland in 1889.

Geography
Richland is located along U.S. Route 280 and Georgia State Route 520 (known as South Georgia Parkway). U.S. Route 280 and Georgia 520 lead northwest 36 mi to Columbus. The two highways separate in the city, with U.S. Route 280 leading east 29 mi to Americus and Georgia 520 leading southeast 52 mi to Albany.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.2 sqmi, of which 4.2 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi (0.48%) is water.

Demographics
At the 2020 census, its population was 1,370.

Notable people

 * Birthplace of Lillian Gordy Carter, mother of former president of the United States Jimmy Carter
 * Jarvis Jones, Retired NFL linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers
 * Steve Sanders, child actor and vocalist for Oak Ridge Boys

title: Richland, Georgia


text:
Americus, Georgia

Americus is the county seat of Sumter County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,230. It is the principal city of the Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Schley and Sumter counties and had a combined population of 36,966 at the 2000 census.

Habitat for Humanity was founded in Americus and its international headquarters is there, as well as The Fuller Center for Housing's international headquarters, Georgia Southwestern State University, the Windsor Hotel, The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers, and many other organizations. The city is notable for its rich history, including a large business and residential historic district, being one of the 29 places where Martin Luther King was jailed, the infamous Leesburg Stockade incident, and its close proximity to Jimmy Carter National Historic Site, Andersonville National Historic Site, and Koinonia Farm.

Early years
For its first two decades, Americus was a small courthouse town. The arrival of the railroad in 1854 and, three decades later, local attorney Samuel H. Hawkins' construction of the only privately financed railroad in state history made Americus the eighth largest city in Georgia into the 20th century. It was known as the "Metropolis of Southwest Georgia", a reflection of its status as a cotton distribution center.

In 1890, Georgia's first chartered electric street car system went into operation in Americus. One of its restored cars is on permanent display at the Lake Blackshear Regional Library, a gift from the Robert T. Crabb family who acquired the street car in the 1940s.

The town was already graced with an abundance of antebellum and Victorian architecture when local capitalists opened the Windsor Hotel in 1892. A five-story Queen Anne edifice, it was designed by a Swedish architect, Gottfried L. Norrman, in Atlanta. Vice-President Thomas R. Marshall gave a speech from the balcony in 1917, and soon to be New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke in the dining room in 1928.

On January 1, 1976, the city center was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Americus Historic District. The district boundaries were extended in 1979.

Into the 20th century
For the local minority community, Rev. Dr. Major W. Reddick established the Americus Institute (1897–1932). Booker T. Washington was a guest speaker there in May 1908. Rev. Alfred S. Staley was responsible for locating the state Masonic Orphanage in Americus, which served its function from 1898 to 1940. Both men engineered the unification of the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia in 1915, the former as president and the latter as recording secretary. The public school named in honor of A.S. Staley was designated a National School of Excellence in 1990.

Two other colleges were also established in Americus, the Third District Agricultural and Mechanical School in 1906 (now Georgia Southwestern State University), and the South Georgia Trade and Vocational School in 1948 (now South Georgia Technical College). South Georgia Technical College is located on the original site of Souther Field.

In World War I, an Army Air Service training facility, Souther Field (now Jimmy Carter Regional Airport), was commissioned northeast of the city limits. Charles A. Lindbergh, the "Lone Eagle", bought his first airplane and made his first solo flight there during a two-week stay in May 1923. Recommissioned for World War II, Souther Field was used for RAF pilot training (1941–1942) as well as US pilot training before ending the war as a German prisoner-of-war camp. The town was incorporated in 1832, and the name Americus was picked out of a hat.

Shoeless Joe Jackson served as the field manager for the local baseball team after his banishment from professional baseball. A plaque at Thomas Bell Stadium commemorates his contribution to the local baseball program.

Race relations and the civil rights movement
In 1913, a young black man named Will Redding was lynched by a white mob. Redding refused the Chief of Police's order to stop loitering, was arrested, a struggle ensued, and ultimately Redding grabbed the Chief's gun and shot him. He was then chased down, shot, and put in jail. An angry mob went into the jail and tore down the door to Redding's cell, dragged him out onto Forsyth street, and beat him to death with crow bars and hammers.

Koinonia Farm, an interracial Christian community, was organized near Americus in 1942 by Clarence Jordan. Its interracial nature occasioned much opposition from local residents. A terrorist campaign of violence, intimidation, vandalism, and harassment by the Ku Klux Klan and others went on for the next 25 years, as well a boycott of Koinonia's products, such that by the late 1960s the once-thriving community was practically depopulated and essentially defunct. In the late 1960s Millard and Linda Fuller, with Clarence Jordan, revived Koinonia Farm and it thrived again. Miller and Fuller founded Habitat for Humanity International at Koinonia in 1976 before moving it into Americus the following year. In 2005, they founded The Fuller Center for Housing, also in Americus. Koinonia Farm remains in operation and is currently located southwest of Americus on Highway 49.

The civil rights era in Americus was a time of great turmoil. An uptown store which had refused to honor the Koinonia boycott was bombed in 1957. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCCC) organized the peaceful protests and a voter registration drive, the Americus Movement. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spent a weekend in the courthouse jail in 1961, after an arrest in Albany.

In 1963 occurred the Leesburg Stockade incident. A group of African-American girls aged 12 to 15 were arrested in Americus after trying to buy movie tickets at a theatre's whites-only window, as a form of civil protest. At least fourteen girls were taken to a filthy "hellhole", an isolated prison in Leesburg, Georgia where they were held incommunicado for at least 45 days, in appalling conditions, without right of correspondence or legal representation, and with their families not knowing where they had been or disappeared to. Some weeks later, the girls were surreptitiously photographed by Danny Lyon who had learned the girls' location. The publishing of Lyon's photograph in the black press eventually brought the situation to national attention, and the girls were released some weeks later without ever having been charged with any crime.

In the same year of 1963, the local Sumter Movement to end racial segregation was organized and led by Rev. Joseph R. Campbell. Four of its activists were arrested under Georgia's 1871 Anti-Treason Act. A federal court ruled the law unconstitutional, establishing that peaceful protests could not be punishable by execution. Color barriers were first removed in 1965 when J.W. Jones and Henry L. Williams joined the Americus police force. Lewis M. Lowe was elected as the first black city councilman ten years later. With their election in 1995, Eloise R. Paschal and Eddie Rhea Walker broke the gender barrier on the city's governing body.

In 1971, the city was featured in a Marshall Frady article, "Discovering One Another in a Georgia Town", in Life magazine. The portrayal of the city's school integration was relatively benign, especially considering the community's history of troubled race relations.

2007 tornado
Americus was hit by an EF3 tornado around 9:15 pm on March 1, 2007. The tornado was up to 1 mi, and carved a 38 mi path of destruction through the city and surrounding residential areas. It destroyed parts of Sumter Regional Hospital, forcing the evacuations of all of the patients there. There were two fatalities at a Hudson Street residence near the hospital; all SRH patients were evacuated safely. The hospital, however, faced major reconstruction issues and was eventually torn down. A new hospital, Phoebe Sumter, opened at a new location on the corner of US 19 and Highway 280 in December 2011.

Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue said, "It was worse that [sic] I had feared. The hospital was hit, but the devastation within the area of Sumter County and Americus was more than I imagined. The businesses around the hospital are totally destroyed. Power is still not restored in many places. It's just a blessing frankly that we didn't have more fatalities than we did." Over 500 homes were affected, with around 100 completely destroyed. Several businesses throughout the town were seriously damaged or destroyed as well.

President George W. Bush visited the area on March 3, calling what he saw "tough devastation."

Geography
Americus is located at 32.07528°N, -84.22667°W (32.075221, -84.226602).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.7 sqmi, of which 10.5 sqmi is land and 0.2 sqmi (1.87%) is water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 16,230 people, 6,162 households, and 3,557 families residing in the city.

Largest employers
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the largest employers in the area were:

Primary and secondary schools
The Sumter County School District holds grades pre-school to twelfth, which consist of one primary school and one elementary school, two middle schools, and two high schools. The district has 353 full-time teachers and over 5,774 students.

Elementary schools:
 * Sumter County Primary School
 * Sumter County Elementary School
 * Sumter County Intermediate School

Secondary schools:
 * Sumter County Middle School
 * Americus-Sumter Ninth Grade Academy
 * Americus-Sumter County High School

K-12 charter school:
 * Furlow Charter School

K-12 private school:
 * Southland Academy

Higher education

 * Georgia Southwestern State University
 * South Georgia Technical College

All schools and colleges are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Public libraries
The community has the Lake Blackshear Regional Library, a part of the Lake Blackshear Regional Library System. It was temporarily relocated to a shirt factory warehouse also located in Americus after the tornado in 2007, but, once the reconstruction of the library finished around 2012, it was moved back to its original place.

Tourism

 * Georgia Rural Telephone Museum - Leslie
 * Georgia Veterans State Park - Lake Blackshear
 * Jimmy Carter National Historic Site - Plains
 * Habitat for Humanity Global Village and Discovery Center - Americus

Baseball
There have been eight minor league teams that have represented the city of Americus during 20 seasons spanning 1906–2002. Since classification of the minors began, seven of them have been labeled as class D loops and one played in an independent league. Several ballplayers for Americus teams subsequently played in the major leagues.

Notable people

 * Griffin Bell
 * Mike Cheokas - politician
 * Brent Cobb
 * Howell Cobb
 * Philip Cook
 * Charles F. Crisp
 * Charles R. Crisp
 * Cassandra Pickett Durham
 * Lonne Elder III
 * Millard Fuller
 * Chan Gailey
 * Jimmy Garrison
 * Victor Green
 * Dr. Shirley Green-Reese
 * Kent Hill
 * George Hooks
 * Alonzo Jackson
 * Eddie Jackson
 * Otis Leverette
 * Angel Martino
 * Joanna Moore
 * Ruby Muhammad
 * James Nabrit Jr.
 * Leonard Pope
 * Dan Reeves
 * Mo Sanford
 * Emma Lane - Inventor of the Lane Cake

title: Americus, Georgia


text:
De Soto, Georgia

De Soto is a city in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. The population was 214 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Americus micropolitan statistical area.

History
The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the place in 1889 as the "Town of De Soto". The community is named for Hernando de Soto, the explorer who discovered the Mississippi River.

Geography
De Soto is located at 31.95472°N, -84.0675°W (31.954674, -84.067633).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 0.8 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 214 people, 78 households, and 53 families residing in the city. By 2020, its population was 124.

Politics
In 2010, the city was cited by the Georgia Secretary of State's office for failing to hold regular elections in 2009, as well as being unable to document any elections from 2005 through 2007. A De Soto councilmember apologized by saying that the city simply "forgot" about the need to hold an election. Facing a number of state violations, the city promised to remedy the situation permanently by outsourcing the elections process to a third party. The state provided that the 2009 election must be held by March 2010.

title: De Soto, Georgia


text:
Leslie, Georgia

Leslie is a city in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. The population was 409 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Americus micropolitan statistical area.

History
Leslie was founded in 1884. The community was named after one Leslie Bailey. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Leslie in 1892.

Geography
Leslie is located at 31.955°N, -84.08694°W (31.954900, -84.086904).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.8 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 455 people, 175 households, and 127 families residing in the city. The population density was 256.6 PD/sqmi. There were 192 housing units at an average density of 108.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 50.99% White, 45.05% African American, 3.74% from other races, and 0.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 4.40% of the population.

There were 175 households, out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 18.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.5% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 76.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,773, and the median income for a family was $29,821. Males had a median income of $30,625 versus $21,607 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,243. About 21.1% of families and 28.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 44.9% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

Attractions
Leslie is the site of the Georgia Rural Telephone Museum, a large collection of antique telephone equipment.

title: Leslie, Georgia