Columbia County, Georgia

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History/Timeline

1885 map of Columbia county

4000 years -Archaic period -Columbia County has over 30 prehistoric sites. There are more than thirty prehistoric sites in Columbia County. Most notable is a burial mound on Stallings Island which documents the Archaic period. ^[1]

1000's years ago -Indigenous people lived in this Columbia area . The Muscogee-speaking Creek, Yuchi, and Iroquoian-speaking Cherokee before the European settlers arrived. The Yuchi came south from Tennessee due to the Cherokee pressuring them. Soon the Cherokee were the dominant Native American tribe. Stallings Island has an archaeological site containing pottery.^[2]

1755 The British Province became a crown colony, which was divided into parishes. Colonists settled in the area which later would become Columbia County. Colonists also settled in Augusta, Georgia on the Fall line. ^[2]

Settlements were Augusta, Brandon, Wrightsboro (Quaker settlement named for Jams Wright, governor), and Brownsborough which was settled by Scots (from northern Scotland and the Orkney Islands), brought over by Thomas "Burnfoot"Brown as indentured workers. ^[2]

1760's The Quaker town of Wrightsborough was built on the same site. ^[1]

1772- Preaching was against the law, due to the Church of England being the established church in the province. The Great Awakening of New England, stimulated preachers similar to Daniel Marshall who preached in Kiokee Baptist Church, the first Baptist church in Georgia. This church was in Brownsborough on the Kiokee Creek in Appling. Reverend Marshall was born in Connecticut, raised as a Presbyterian, then became a Baptist. In Georgia he was arrested for preaching.^[2]Another church, 3rd oldest Baptist church, Abilene, established (1774) was founded in Columbia County. ^[1]

Old Kiokee Baptist Church

Prior to 1776 settlers migrated into Georgia above Augusta from Virginia and North Carolina. They settled in Brownsborough.

1776 George Walton signed the Declaration of Independence, was born in Virginia, but lived in the area that would be Columbia County, along with William Few and Abraham Baldwin who were delegates to eh Federal convention that framed the U.S. Constitution.^[2][1]

1780 Two battles occurred in this region between Patriot Militia and the Tories. At the time the area was frontier. Loyalties were divided.. A legend tale shows the small group of Patriots hid from marauding Tories at the county's Heggie's Rock. ^[2]

Heggie's Rock.

1781 Skirmish between the Elijah Clark patriots against the Tories and British Regular soldiers. James Marshall also served in the American revolution militia. ^[2]

Post 1782 - The residents disagreed whether Augusta or Brownsborough should be county seat for Richmond County. ^[2]

William Few urged for Richmond county to be divided.. Georgia did divide Richmond County. The new county was Columbia County. This did not stop the strife over the county seat location. many Counties disagree over county seat location. The citizens argued over where to build the courthouse. ^[2]

Brownsborough Supporters built a courthouse in Brownsborough Supporters of Cobham built another courthouse

The courthouse at Cobbham was used Brownsborough soon ceased to exist. Appling was the political, educational, social, and religious center of the region.

Dec 10, 1790 Back country settlers requested the courts be held in a place that was closer than Atlanta, Georgia. The Georgia General assembly laid Columbia County out as part of St. Paul Parish,. then created this #12 County from Richmond County. ^[2][1]

1799, William Appling deeded land to the county for a courthouse near Kiokee Creek and the Baptist Church which Marshall had founded. A courthouse was built, that served nine years until 1808. A small town grew around the Baptist church and the Columbia County courthouse, named "Columbia Courthouse". ^[2]

1800s-1890's Baptists became well established in Georgia and other Southern states. The Baptists offered the slaves congregational participation and many free African Americans became preachers.^[2]

1809 the Baptist congregation left the town of "Columbia Courthouse". They built a building near the Kiokee and Greenbrier creeks junction. and constructed a new meeting house (a building which survives) several miles away near the junction of Kiokee and Greenbrier creeks. ^[2]

1816 a building was begun for a new courthouse, 1809 and finished in1812. "Columbia Courthouse" changed names and chartered to be as Appling. It was named for the Appling family that donated the land to the county, as well as Colonel John Appling, (War of 1812). ^[2]

1820- During the Georgia Gold Rush of the 1820s, successful prospecting and mining occurred in Columbia County.^[2]

Mt. Carmel Academy and Columbia Institute were near Appling. Mt. Carmel Academy was run by the famous Southern educator, Moses Waddel; (where John C. Calhoun and William H. Crawford were educated). Bushnell (of Revolutionary War submariner, began Columbia Institute. ^[2]

1830s After the Georgia Railroad was built, the county judges felt that trains passing near Appling would bother their court deliberations.. The judges asked the railway line to be built below Appling. the judges made a bad decision Railroad Presence stimulates a town, yet absence of the railroad can kill a town^[2]

1834-36 - After the completion of the Georgia Railroad through the county, Harlem and Grovetown developed and thrived. County Seat of Appling, Georgia was chartered 1816 and named for Col. Daniel Appling (War of 1812 hero). Appling is now an inactive municipality that lost its incorporated status by the 1993 act of the Georgia legislature. ^[1]

1850s thousands of acres in Columbia County were cotton plantations. Census records show a slave population of 8,300, which was 2X the white population ^[1]

Building of the Augusta Canal required Columbia County's cooperation since the canal and locks were within the Category:Columbia County, Georgia ^[1]

1854-55- The Columbia County Courthouse, was built in Appling with a Greek revival style and Italianate influence. It is built around the earlier 1812 courthouse. ^[1]

1854 Courthouse, Appling

1861 - Georgia seceded from the U.S., Gov. George Walker Crawford (the only Whig governor of Georgia), was a native son of Columbia County and presided over the Secession Convention. Men from the county served in: 1) Hamilton Rangers, 2) Ramsey Guards, 3) some in the 48th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment, 4) some in the 22nd; 5) almost all in Wright's Brigade. The troops assembled in front of the courthouse, then boarded trains at the depots: Berzelia, Sawdust, Dearing, and Thomson. ^[2]

Columbia County did not have any skirmishes or Battles. County stories say near the end of the war, Confederate treasury remnants were brought through Columbia County from Augusta to the area in Lincoln County where the Chennault Raid occurred. ^[1]

Many white males were lost in the Civil War. The Courthouse courtroom has a plaque behind the bench with the names of the Confederate Columbia dead. ^[1]

July 1866 - The Freedmen's Bureau reported a mob lynching of a freedman in Appling, Georgia. ^[1]

1868 During Reconstruction, the County was subject to military occupation. Because of significant Ku Klux Klan violence in the late 1860s, it was attached to a special district including Warren, Wilkes, and Oglethorpe counties. Additional Union forces were sent there to try to suppress the Southerners and their vigilante crimes against freedmen. ^[2]

1870 Columbia county lost northern part including Thomson, Dearing, and Wrightsboro towns. The 12,000 acre settlement established 1768 for Quakers from North Carolina with parts of Warren County to form McDuffie County. Thomson became the county seat. This year a tornado struck Appling, Georgia causing extensive damage. Appling was not able to regain its wealth and standing prior to the Civil War.^[2]

1870's Reconstruction Georgia legislature passed an act to establish a public school system. Columbia developed segregated schools, similar to the rest of the state.^[2]

Woodville

1880's A railroad employee disagreed with the presence of saloons and Sabbath-Breaking in Sawdust, Georgia, moved the tracks one mile East, building a new town with a depot.. Soon Harlem, Georgia absorbed the small Sawdust, Georgia which lost its depot. ^[2]

1880's Grovetown was named for the Grove Baptist Church as a summer resort for Augusta citizens..^[2]

1917 - A fire badly damaged Harlem, Georgia. The county was still agricultural, but escaped the boll weevil infestation. World War I, Columbia men served in the war. ^[1]

1941-45 World War II Men from Columbia County answered the call of duty. Prior to this the county was agricultural.^[1]

US Army built Camp (later Fort) Gordon which occupies a large percentage of Richmond county and parts of Columbia, McDuffie, and Jefferson.^[1]

1946 The Army's kept the fort open, after WWII, which contributed more population and economic stimulus for the County.^[1]

columbia county Amphitheater

1950's Clarks Hill Dam was constructed, submerging considerable land in northern Columbia County under the new reservoir. It prompted new residential development around the lake.^[1]

1950-1990 Between 1950 and 1990, the population increased dramatically. Agriculture declined, as farmland was redeveloped as suburban housing and community centers for persons employed in Augusta. Numerous personnel stationed at Fort Gordon eventually settled in Columbia County. During the 1960s, the schools were integrated largely without incident under the leadership of Superintendent John Pierce Blanchard. ^[1]

Unincorporated communities of Martinez (formerly Lulaville, named after a Cuban doctor) and Evans (possibly named after Confederate General Clement A. Evans) became the population centers of the county, since they were located nearest to Augusta.^[1]

New courthouse in Evans, Georgia

1980s and 1990s Evans, Georgia gradually became the de facto county seat, as the Columbia County Government Center and the Government Complex Addition were built there to serve the growing population in the county's eastern areas. Court functions remained in Appling since Georgia state law required that superior court sessions must be held at the county seat and courthouse of each county at least twice a year.

1993 passage of legislation requiring incorporated cities to provide at least three municipal services, Appling was not able to maintain its status as an incorporated city. (There was question as to whether it was ever incorporated. ) ^[1]

1998 Georgia legislature amended the law to allow counties with "unincorporated county seats" to hold court sessions at annexes or satellite courthouses.

Appling was one of 187 inactive cities in Georgia that lost its charter on June 1, 1995. Today it is nearly a dead town. Following these changes, the county proceeded to build an expansive Courthouse Annex in Evans, completed in 2001. Appling retains its status as de jure county seat, but all governmental functions are carried out in Evans. ^[1]

Historic sites in Appling include the Courthouse and Jail, the Marshall Monument, and various places associated with Kiokee Baptist Church. Other sites in the county include Stevens Creek Dam and Canal Locks, the birthplace of the comedian Oliver Hardy in Harlem, and various cemeteries.^[1]

Columbia County is located near the Savannah River in east central Georgia, northwest of Augusta, bordering South Carolina.^[1]

The historic Old Jail in the Columbia County seat of Appling was renovated by the Columbia County Historical Society who also meet there monthly. ^[1] The population has increased nearly 35,000 in 10 years to 124,053..^[1]

Government Offices

1854 Courthouse, Appling

• The legal county seat is Appling, but the location of Columbia County's government and courts is Evans

1993 passage of legislation requiring incorporated cities to provide at least three municipal services, Appling was not able to maintain its status as an incorporated city. (There was question as to whether it was ever incorporated. ) ^[1]

New courthouse in Evans, Georgia

1998 Georgia legislature amended the law to allow counties with "unincorporated county seats" to hold court sessions at annexes or satellite courthouses.

Geography

Columbia County is located along the Savannah River in east central Georgia.

It borders South Carolina northwest of Augusta.

Adjacent counties

• Richmond County (southeast)

map Columbia C. in Georgia

• McDuffie County (west)
• Lincoln County (northwest)
• McCormick County, South Carolina (north)
• Edgefield County, South Carolina (northeast)

Protected areas

• Heggie's Rock Preserve Greenspace area--piedmont flat rock outcrop.” It is characterized by exposed granite rock with dish gardens and stunted trees scattered throughout the landscape. The undeveloped wooded site contains an abundance of wildlife, granite outcrops, valuable wetlands, streams, and aquatic habitat within the floodplain of Little Kiokee Creek..

• Lake Strom Thurmond

• Mistletoe State Park

Demographics

In 2000, there were 89,288 people in the county with a population density of 308 people/sq. mi. Racial makeup of the county was 82.67% White, 11.21% Black or African American, 0.32% Native American, 3.36% Asian (0.6% of the Asians are of South Asian descent), 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.80% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. 2.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. By 2010 with 124,053 people there, the population density was 427.6 people/sq. mi. edian income for a household in the county was $66,333 and the median income for a family was $74,426. Per capita income for the county was $29,479. About 5.3% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line.^[3]

• Columbia County is a county located in the US state of Georgia. As of 2013, the population was 135,416. The legal county seat is Appling, but the location of Columbia County's government and courts is Evans.

Highways

Schools

Cities

• Appling

• Evans

• Grovetown

• Harlem

Towns/Census Des Places/Uninco Communities

• Appling

County Resources

• Heggie's Rock

Heggie's Rock.

• Burks Mountain
• Mount Carmel

• Central Savannah River Area

Census

1800 --- 8,345 —

1810 --- 11,242 34.7%

1820 --- 12,695 12.9%

1830 --- 12,606 −0.7%

1840 --- 11,356 −9.9%

1850 --- 11,961 5.3%

1860 --- 11,860 −0.8%

1870 --- 13,529 14.1%

1880 --- 10,465 −22.6%

1890 --- 11,281 7.8%

1900 --- 10,653 −5.6%

1910 --- 12,328 15.7%

1920 --- 11,718 −4.9%

1930 --- 8,793 −25.0%

1940 --- 9,433 7.3%

1950 --- 9,525 1.0%

1960 --- 13,423 40.9%

1970 --- 22,327 66.3%

1980 --- 40,118 79.7%

1990 --- 66,031 64.6%

2000 --- 89,288 35.2%

2010 --- 124,053 38.9%

Est. 2016 --- 147,450

Notables

• Oliver Hardy (comedian, born in Harlem)
• Paul Hamilton Hayne (poet and author)
• Henry Louis Benning (Confederate general for whom Fort Benning is named)
• William Few
• Abraham Baldwin
• George Walton
• George W. Crawford
• William H. Crawford (presidential candidate in 1824)
• Thomas Watson (populist leader and Georgia senator born in Thomson when it was still in Columbia County)
• George McDuffie (South Carolina governor and senator in the early 19th century)
• Jesse Mercer (a long-time preacher in the county for whom Mercer University is named)
• Ben Hayslip (country music songwriter).
• Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum from Columbia County, where there is now the Lady Antebellum pavilion.

Cemeteries

• Columbia County Cemeteries, Georgia

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25} https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/columbia-county
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22} https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_County,_Georgia
3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_County,_Georgia

• A History of Georgia: From Its First Discovery by Europeans to the Adoption of the Present Constitution in MDCCXCVIII, Vol 1, by William Bacon Stevens January 1, 1847 New York : D. Appleton

• https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/columbia-county