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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.

Emanuel County, Georgia

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

County Seat: Swainsboro
Year Organized: 1812
Square Miles: 686

Court House:

P.O. Box 787
County Office Building
Swainsboro, GA 30401-0787

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Emanuel County was named for one of Georgia's most obscure and least known Governors, David Emanuel. The son of John Emanuel, the family came to Georgia from Lunenburg County, Virginia around 1756.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

From Emanuel Memories, 1776-1976. . .

Some 250 years ago the Lower Creek Indians lived in the territory of Georgia now known as Emanuel County. They hunted deer and other wild game for food and pelts; held their War and Green Corn dances: fished the Ohoopee and the Cannoochee rivers; roamed the forest; loved, hated and passed on, leaving evidence of their arrowheads and other relics still found today.

Located in the Northeast portion of Emanuel County, the oldest man-made structure in Emanuel County is believed to be the long, low dam at McKinney's Pond. There is no record of the erection of McKinney's Pond Dam. Tradition has it that the stream was dammed by beavers first and that the Indians hauled dirt to the site to strengthen and improve the structure. Later white men did the same.

When all this occurred no one knows, but specialists with the State of Georgia have estimated the ages of the trees now growing on the dam to be over 300 years old.

Eventually, white men arrived in the area seeking furs, gold, adventure or a place to settle. Drawn by the prospect of land of their own and beneficial fur trade, early settlers from Savannah and the Carolinas began to move westward and southward primarily along water routes.

By 1741 it was deemed in the interest of good government to divided the Georgia Colony at Savannah into two counties: Frederica and Savannah. The latter included all settlements on the Savannah River and on both banks of the Great Ogeechee River. This two counties were subdivided into districts. Still later these districts were divided into parishes for establishment of religious worship according to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England.

In 1777 the parishes were replaced by counties, this being ratified by the first State Constitutional Convention in Savannah. The section of Georgia now known as Emanuel County became a part of Washington County. From Washington County, at a later date, was formed Montgomery County with its county seat at one time located within five miles of Swainsboro.

Official creation of Emanuel County was in 1812, when the Georgia Legislature authorized it to be cut from territory that was part of Bulloch and Montgomery counties. The idea for forming the county is attributed to Stephen Swain, who had been elected in 1812 to represent Montgomery County in the Georgia Senate.

Swain was the youngest son of Stephen Swain Sr., a veteran of the Revolutionary War who had moved to Georgia in 1790. The elder Swain received a grant of 200 acres of land on the Ohoopee River in old Washington County.

In November 1812, Swain introduced a bill to create the new county. The bill passed with no opposition.

Emanuel County was named for one of Georgia's most obscure and least known Governors, David Emanuel. The son of John Emanuel, the family came to Georgia from Lunenburg County, Virginia around 1756.

The City of Swainsboro is the county seat and is named for Stephen Swain.

Points of Interest

The George L. Smith, II, State Park is in Emanuel County. It is best known for the newly refurbished Parrish Mill, a combination grist mill, saw mill, covered bridge and dam built in 1880. The park offers 11 miles of hiking trails, fishing, canoeing and boating.

Higher Education

East Georgia College and Swainsboro Technical Institute

Neighboring Counties:

North: Jefferson County
Northeast: Burke County; Jenkins County
Southeast: Bulloch County; Candler County; Tattnall County
South: Toombs County
Southwest: Montgomery County; Treutlen County
West: Laurens County
Northwest: Johnson County

Cities and Towns:

- Adrian	city	Incorporated Area
- Garfield	town	Incorporated Area
- Midville	city	Incorporated Area
- Nunez	town	Incorporated Area
- Oak Park	town	Incorporated Area
- Stillmore	town	Incorporated Area
- Summertown	town	Incorporated Area
- Swainsboro (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Twin City	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Chamber of Commerce http://www.emanuelchamber.org/

Additional County Info http://www.georgiaplanning.com/CountyPortal/countyportal.asp?FIPS=13107

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."