Bibb County, Georgia

Bibb County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Macon
Year Organized: 1822
Square Miles: 250

Court House:

P.O. Box 4708
County Courthouse
Macon, GA 31208-4708

Etymology - Origin of County Name

named for Dr. William Wyatt Bibb. Dr. Bibb lived in Elbert County, and served in the US House of Representatives in the US Senate. He was appointed governor of the Territory of Alabama in 1816 and became the first elected governor of that state.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

The county, the 54th county formed, was named for Dr. William Wyatt Bibb. Dr. Bibb lived in Elbert County, and served in the US House of Representatives in the US Senate. He was appointed governor of the Territory of Alabama in 1816 and became the first elected governor of that state.

Macon was incorporated in 1823 and named after Senator Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina - the home state of most of the early white settlers in the area. Macon's City Hall served as the temporary state capitol from November 1864 to March 1865.

Macon is home to Wesleyan College, founded in 1836 as the Georgia Female College, the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women.

In Macon there are 11 National Register Historic Districts and 2 national Historic Landmark as well as a national monument.

Points of Interest

Macon is home to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. These two facilities play an integral role in the ongoing revitalization of downtown Macon.

The Italian Renaissance Revival Mansion, the Hay House, was built in the 1850. This National Historic Landmark is over 18,000 square feet and has 24 rooms decorated with museum pieces.

Georgia's largest African American museum, Tubman African American Museum, offers fourteen exhibition galleries, a resource center and magnificent 63-foot mural depicting African-American art, history and culture. Permanent collections are accompanied by touring national and international exhibitions by well-known African American artists.

The Douglas Theatre, built in 1921 by black entrepreneur Charles Douglass, is a restored historic theatre that has hosted greats like Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ida Cox and Cab Calloway. The Douglass Theatre now pays tribute to the African American influence on film and theatre

Notable Citizens

Two notable Georgians from Bibb County are Sidney Clopton Lanier (1842-1881), poet, author, and musician, and the late Otis Redding, the recording star whose hits included "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay".

The Italian Renaissance Revival Mansion, the Hay House, was built in the 1850. This National Historic Landmark is over 18,000 square feet and has 24 rooms decorated with museum pieces.

Higher Education

Macon State College, Wesleyan College, Mercer University, and Central Georgia Technical College.

Neighboring Counties:

Northeast: Jones County
Southeast: Twiggs County
South: Houston County
Southwest: Peach County; Crawford County
Northwest: Monroe County

Cities and Towns:

- Macon (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Payne	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

County http://www.co.bibb.ga.us

Additional County Info http://www.georgiaplanning.com/CountyPortal/countyportal.asp?FIPS=13021

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

Penn Foster High School

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