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Georgia Counties

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Georgia Counties

Georgia is divided into 159 counties. Under the Georgia Constitution, Counties are granted home rule to deal with issues that are local in nature. Four consolidated city-Counties — Athens (Clarke County), Augusta (Richmond County), Columbus (Muscogee County), and Cusseta (Chattahoochee County) — exist.

Georgia has the second-highest number of Counties of any state in the United States, behind Texas (254). A few Georgia Counties have changed names over time. Jasper County was originally known as Randolph County. Later, the current Randolph County came into being. Webster County was once known as Kinchafoonee County, and Bartow County was formerly known as Cass County.

Early County, Georgia

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

County Seat: Blakely
Year Organized: 1818
Square Miles: 511

Court House:

P.O. Box 693
County Administration Building
Blakely, GA 39823-0693

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Georgia's 41st county was named for Peter Early, Governor of Georgia from 1813 to 1815, Superior Court Judge, and member of Congress.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Early County was created from land obtained from the Creek Indians. The counties of Calhoun, Clay, Decatur, Dougherty, Grady, Miller, Mitchell, and Seminole were all created from territory originally belonging to Early County.

Georgia's 41st county was named for Peter Early, Governor of Georgia from 1813 to 1815, Superior Court Judge, and member of Congress. Blakely, the county seat, was named for Captain Johnson Blakely, a North Carolinian lost at sea during the War of 1812

Points of Interest

Kolomoki Mounds State Park, located in the north central part of Early County, contains a row of mounds of Native American origin dating to around the year 800. One mound believed to have been a temple base is the largest in the United States. The museum interprets seven mounds built during the 12th and 13th centuries by Swift Creek and Weeden Island Indians. The park also features a beautiful lake for canoeing and swimming, primitive and RV camping, and a nature trails for hiking and bird watching.

The southernmost covered bridge in the United States, Coheelee Creek Bridge, is located in the western part of the county. Built for $490 in 1891, the bridge stretches 96 feet across the Coheelee Creek. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and completely restored in 1984. The area surrounding the bridge is now operated as a historic park, offering creekside trails with native plants and picnic facilities.

As with many counties in Southwest Georgia, peanut farming is a vital component of Early County's economy. Early County is the largest peanut quota holding county in the nation. In recognition of this crop's importance, a statue of a peanut was erected on the square in Blakely in 1954.

Erected in 1861, the only known Confederate Flag Pole is the last remaining wooden Confederate flag pole standing. Located on the northside grounds of the Early County Courthouse in downtown Blakely. This historic landmark is the only one of its kind in the Southeastern area.

Neighboring Counties:

North: Clay County
Northeast: Calhoun County
East: Baker County
Southeast: Miller County
South: Seminole County
Southwest: Houston County, Ala.
Northwest: Henry County, Ala.

Cities and Towns:

- Blakely (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Damascus	town	Incorporated Area
- Jakin	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

County http://www.early.k12.ga.us/earlycounty/index.html

Chamber of Commerce http://www.blakelyearlychamber.com/ Additional County Info http://www.georgiaplanning.com/CountyPortal/countyportal.asp?FIPS=13099

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this 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."