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Dawson County, Georgia

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Contents

History/Timeline

Nascars
1776 Cherokee Indians were the early settlers. Many farms, orchards and log buildings dotted the river valleys.[1][2]
1829 -Gold was discovered while the Native Americans were still here.[1]
1832- Prospectors were here searching for gold. Georgia claimed the area as part of a new territory.[1][2]
1830's Georgia claimed the land as a territory. This brought the removal of the Cherokees to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. Georgia held land lotteries to bring white settlers.. Gold continued to be mined for 20 years. [2]
1838 - The remaining Native Americans were removed to Oklahoma along the Trail of Tears. The legacy of the Cherokee is found in many Dawson county names such as Amicalola ("Tumbling waters"), Etowah, Toto Creek for the Cherokee Toter family.[1]
Dawson County map.
1830's and 1840's The gold rush continued in Dawson County. Many remnants of the mines and small mining projects can be found here.[1][2]
1850's -Battle of Leather's Ford - Miners against local militia occurred before the creation of the county. This skirmish was a forecast of the county's wide ranged battles between citizens and law enforcement, whether farmers or miners or bootleggers.[3]
3 Dec 1857 Georgia legislature passed a legislative act to create Dawson County as the 119th Georgia County from Lumpkin County and parts from Gilmer, Pickens and Forsyth. The legislature named the county seat to be Dawsonville in honor of judge William C Dawson, a commander of a brigade during the 1836 Creek Indian War, Georgia legislator and senator, as well as U.S. Senator (1849-1955)[1][2]
28 April 1858 county officers gathered the record books for the county and stored them in a log building that was currently being used for court and offices of the county officials..
James Foster built the log courthouse for $30.00. James Jackson built the benches for an additional 1.25. [1]
May 1858 -1st Permanent CourthouseThe new 50 X 30 foot building was built, according to plans for 4 gables and window sills and steps to be built of "good plant" (good workmanship) by Wesley McGuire, John Hockenhull and Anderson Wilson.[1][2]
Aug, 1858 Changes were made by the grand jury to the size of 54 X 38 feet, with bricks similar to those of Gainesville, windowsills of granite, soapstone or marble, and 2 gables. Harrison Summerour, John McAfee and R. N. McClure secured a bond for $9,600.00 to build the courthouse. [1]
However a difficulty arose before the money was paid to the builders, and $2,500.00 was borrowed from Mr. Summerour to meet the deadline of a contract payment. N. H. Goss made chairs for the new building for $4.95. The bricks, which were purchased at $8.00 per thousand, were made by the slaves of John Hockenhull. Possibly other bricks were made at John Hockenhull's for the outside walls. [1]
10 Dec 1859 Dawsonville, Georgia was incorporated as county Seat.[2]
Moonshine.
1859's-1950's - In addition to agriculture, a 2nd important source of economy was moonshine.. There we many "moonshiners". The corn whisky was made, bootleggers modified their cars for speed to evade police and deliver the moonshine to sources . After Prohibition, the bootleggers evaded the state revenue agents who were taxing The whiskey.[1][4]
Feb 1860, some defacement of the building. Repair was done, and building was in good condition when the Civil War began. Repairs were:[1]
1) removal of old shingles and sold for $5.00.
2) Lathing was removed
3) Northwest room had been ranted for $10.00/month was redone for the commissioner's office.
4) Windows were paned with glass and painted.
5) fence was built around the courthouse and painted (to keep out the livestock) (there was no stock law in effect).
An earlier dug well was inside the fencing.
Sawdust was kept on the floor until carpeting was installed
Printed material was purchased for the making of curtains for the windows, then later shutters were made and added to the windows.
H. C. Thompson plastered the building, then later it was removed and Mr. Finger re-plastered it.
Many coats of whitewash to keep it "spic-and-span".
When the Original jail was built, a failed escape, caused a fire which destroyed the jail, leaving the county with no jail.[1]
1861-65 This area was a Pro- Unionist stronghold during the Civil War. Men from Dawson, Pickens, and Union counties created the Union, First Georgia State Troops Volunteers Regiment. Some of these soldiers were later murdered by Confederate guerrillas.[2]
Gold mining provided some economy, but the primary economic focus of the county was farming. A Second economic factor was the distilling and transportation of illegal corn whiskey called "moonshine". [2]Confederate Regiments were: [5]
21st Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company E Concord Rangers
22nd Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company I, Dawson County Independents
38th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company I (Wright's Legion), Dawson Farmers
38th Regiment, Georgia Infantry, Company L (Wright's Legion)
52nd Regiment, Georgia Volunteer Infantry, Company I

The following Union units were raised in Dawson County:

1st Georgia Infantry Battalion (Union), Companies B and C
1881 a new jail was built west of the courthouse. Both the jail and courthouse are listed on the National Register of historic places and have had more renovation to restore them. [2]
1936 With the above land and additional land the Chattahoochee National Forest was created.[2]
Amicalola Falls State Park.
Georgia purchased land for the Amicalola Falls State Park

Amicalola Falls State Park. All through the mid 1950's the mountains and this park began to draw visitors. Fall is a particularly big draw on visitors to the mountains and the Amicalola Falls State Park [2]

1957, the Appalachian Trail was re-routed and arrived 8 miles N of Amicalola Falls State Park.. This is popular for hikers. The Chattahoochee River plan was partially blocked to flood a plain and form Lake Lanier (size- 39,000 acres) which is at the southern tip of Dawson County. [1][3][2]
1911 Georgia bought 31,000 acres from a lumber company owners.
1912- many African Americans living in Dawson county borders were expelled from Dawson and Forsyth Counties. Most of these people ended up in Gainesville. Incidents as well as the 1915 murder of a Marietta native, Mary Phagan (possibly by her boss, Leo Frank). This led to the Ku Klux Klan resurrection by an Alabama native, William Simmons in Stone Mountain, Georgia.[3]
1920 and 1930's Dawson county was the site of transportation of the moonshine, during the years of Prohibition.[2]
1971 Lockheed-Georgia which was later Lockheed-Martin bought 10,000 Acres for the Dawson Forest Wildlife Management Area.. This is a state-managed game preserve and is located south of Amicalola Falls State Park which brought in more visitors. [2]
1970's the steady decline of population was helped by the development of Lake Lanier (formed in 1950). People wanted a lake community and built weekend houses as well as retirees settled near the lake community. Northern visitors were arriving to see the mountains and forests. [2]
1978 - 2nd Dawson County Courthouse was built in Dawsonville.[2]
1980 the Georgia 400 highway was built to Atlanta, providing the county with a major highway.This highway with Lake Lanier, Amicalola Falls and an Outlet Mall have stimulated Dawson county to transform from a mountainous he recent development of the North Georgia Premium Outlets have helped Dawson County transition from a quiet mountain enclave to one of Georgia's fastest growing communities.[1][3]
1980 Dawson County's current courthouse opened to replace the 1858 old courthouse. Even the 1858 building still stands, thus both buildings are used for official business. The 1858 courthouse has been restored and spiffed up. It now operates as community center and a spot for art shows or exhibitions. [2]
Atlanta Georgia Dawson Motor Raceway.
Dawsonville, Georgia, home to racing legend Bill Elliot, whose NASCAR sport drew its start from a mainstay of the Dawson County economy. [3]
1984-2002 Bill Elliott, one of NASCAR's most successful drivers, was born in Dawsonville. He was called "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville", and won 44 races on the NASCAR circuit, two Dayton 500 victories,988 NASCAR Winston Cup championships well as receiving the NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award a record 16 times during 1984 and 2002. The earlier described modifications of the bootleggers' cars became the first cars used and raced for entertainment (and profit), leading to the birth of modern stock car racing and NASCAR.[1]


2000: Here there are the grounds of Kangaroo Conservation Center was originally established in Alpharetta, but opened on 87 acres in Dawsonville, which has 300 western gray kangaroos in addition to Australian plants, birds, and reptiles.. [2]
2000's (21st Century) Dawson county is one of the top poultry-producing areas in the state.[2]

Things to see in Dawson county are 1)the old county jail, which has been restored and is now the county's welcome center; 2) old Lumpkin Campground, which was established in 1830 as a Methodist camp-meeting site and is still in use for Methodist and Baptist camp meetings; and Steele's Covered Bridge. 3)1966 the county has hosted an annual Moonshine Festival in celebration of its history.4) 2000 the Kangaroo Conservation Center, established originally in Alpharetta, opened on eighty-seven acres in Dawsonville. The center is home to approximately 300 kangaroos, as well as to Australian birds, reptiles, and plants.

NASCAR driver Bill Elliott is a famous native of Dawson County.
Dawson County Moonshiners developed a delivery system for this illegal whiskey using young men in fast cars. These cars had been modified to outrun the revenue agents. These cars were the legacy upon which the stock car racing used. This gave rise to sport's most enduring figure, Bill Elliot ("Awesome Bill from Dawsonville").[3]
Dawsonville GA Moonshine and Georgia Racing Hall of Fame.
By-passed by major railroad lines and through highways, the economic development of the area rested on the shoulders of these bootleggers.[3]


Lloyd Seay (21 year old bootlegging racer) is probably the most famous After winning the Lakewood 100 in Atlanta, the next day Seay was dead from a single gunshot to the head, in an argument over sugar, an essential ingredient in the distilling process of moonshine.[3]
Currently - The Dawson County/Dawsonville Welcome Center is housed in the historic jail.[1]


Charlie Weems, Federal agent and others would chase the bootleggers across the county. See the books by Charlie Weems: "A Breed Apart and Agents That Fly" (about bringing Dawson County bootleggers to justice). Look up the book to read an excerpt from A Breed Apart.[3]


Government Offices

28 April 1858 county officers gathered the record books for the county and stored them in a log building that was currently being used for court and offices of the county officials..
James Foster built the log courthouse for $30.00. James Jackson built the benches for an additional 1.25. [1]
May 1858 -1st Permanent Courthouse The permanent courthouse plans were accepted for the

new (50 X 30 foot) building with 4 gables and window sills and steps to be constructed of "good plant" (good workmanship) by Wesley McGuire, John Hockenhull and Anderson Wilson.[1]

Aug, 1858 Changes were made by the grand jury for the size to be 54 X 38 feet with 2 gables, good bricks similar to that in Gainesville and the windowsills to be of granite, soapstone, or marble.. For this plan, Harrison Summerour, John McAfee and R. N. McClure secured a bond for $9,600.00 to build the courthouse. [1]
However a difficulty arose before the money was paid to the builders, and $2,500.00 was borrowed from Mr. Summerour to meet the deadline of a contract payment. N. H. Goss made chairs for the new building for $4.95. The bricks, which were purchased at $8.00 per thousand, were made by the slaves of John Hockenhull. Possibly other bricks were made at John Hockenhull's for the outside walls. [1]
Feb 1860, some defacement of the building. Repair was done, and building was in good condition when the Civil War began. Repairs were:[1]
1) removal of old shingles and sold for $5.00.
2) Lathing was removed
3) Northwest room had been ranted for $10.00/month was redone for the commissioner's office.
4) Windows were paned with glass and painted.
5) fence was built around the courthouse and painted (to keep out the livestock) (there was no stock law in effect).
An earlier dug well was inside the fencing.
Sawdust was kept on the floor until carpeting was installed
Printed material was purchased for the making of curtains for the windows, then later shutters were made and added to the windows.
H. C. Thompson plastered the building, then later it was removed and Mr. Finger re-plastered it.
Many coats of whitewash to keep it "spic-and-span".
When the Original jail was built, a failed escape, caused a fire which destroyed the jail, leaving the county with no jail.[1]
1881 a new jail was built west of the courthouse. Boththe jail and courthouse are listed on the National Register of historic places and have had more renovation to restore them.[1]
Dawson Co. Courthouse

Geography

Size - total area of 214 square miles (550 km2), of which 211 square miles (550 km2) is land and 3.6 square miles (9.3 km2) (1.7%) is water.
location - Northern Georgia
Sub-Basins-
Etowah Sub-basin of the ACT River (Coosa-Tallapoosa River Basin - is most of Dawsin County.
Upper Chattahoochee River Sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin is the southeastern tip
Coosawattee River Sub-basin of ACT River Basin -- small northern section
Lakes -Lake Lanier - Southeastern part -boundary of other counties pass through lake
Falls- Amicalola Falls- highest (tallest cascading waterfall east of Mississippi River.. This is classified as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia
Mountains-- Black Mountain is highest (elevation 3,600 feet), Amicalola Mt. (3382 ft), Frosty Mt. (3382 ft), Sanderlin Mt. (3020 ft)
National Forest- Chattahoochee National Forest- 6,760 Acres.
Rivers - Chestatee and Etowah Rivers
Founded 1857
Named for William Crosby Dawson
Seat Dawsonville
Largest city Dawsonville
Population (2010) 22,330
Density 106/sq mi (41/km2)
Congressional district 9th
Time zone Eastern: UTC−5/−4
Website www.dawsoncounty.org

Adjacent counties

  • Fannin County - north
  • Lumpkin County - northeast
  • Hall County - east
  • Forsyth County - south
  • Cherokee County - southwest
  • Pickens County - west
  • Gilmer County - northwest

Protected areas

Demographics

In 2010 there were 22,330 people in the county with a population density of 105.9 people/sq. mi. The racial makeup of the county was 95.6% white, 0.6% Asian, 0.5% black or African American, 0.4% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 18.9% were American, 18.8% were Irish, 14.7% were English, and 13.6% were German. The median income for a household in the county was $51,128 and the median income for a family was $60,236. The per capita income for the county was $25,557. About 7.8% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.[6]

  • Dawson County is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
  • According to the 2010 U.S. census, the population is 22,330, an increase from the 2000 population of 15,999.

Highways

  • U.S. Route 19
  • Georgia State Route 9
  • Georgia State Route 52
  • Georgia State Route 53
  • Georgia State Route 136
  • Georgia State Route 183
  • Georgia State Route 40
  • Cowart Road
  • Steve Tate Highway
  • Burnt Mountain Road (Old SR 108)
  • Dawson Forest Road (Old SR 318)
  • Lumpkin Campground Road (Old SR 9E)
  • Harmony Church Road (Old SR 9E)
  • Auraria Road (Old SR 9E)
  • Keith Evans Road (Old SR 342)
  • Bailey Waters Road (Old SR 342)
  • Shoal Creek Road (Old SR 136 Spur)
  • Nix Bridge Road (Old SR 226)

Cities

Communities
Juno Georgia unincorporated small
    • There are large, gated private communities that function similar to a municipality providing many municipal-type services that operate independently of county government.
Big Canoe, Georgia 8,000 acres

County Resources

Census

Notables
  • Bill Elliott - NASCAR Racer, 1988 Cup Series Champion, and Hall of Fame member. Bill Elliott, one of NASCAR's most successful drivers, was born in Dawsonville. He was called "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville", and won 44 races on the NASCAR circuit, two Dayton 500 victories,988 NASCAR Winston Cup championships well as receiving the NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award a record 16 times during 1984 and 2002. The earlier described modifications of the bootleggers' cars became the first cars used and raced for entertainment (and profit), leading to the birth of modern stock car racing and NASCAR.[1]
  • Chase Elliott - NASCAR Racer & 2014 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion
  • Gober Sosebee - Stock Car Racer (3 time Daytona Champion)

Cemeteries


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 http://dawsoncounty.org/visitors/dawson-county-history/
  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 https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/dawson-county
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 http://roadsidegeorgia.com/county/dawson.html
  4. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawson_County,_Georgia
  5. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawson_County,_Georgia
  6. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawson_County,_Georgia




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