Burke_County_Georgia.gif

Burke County, Georgia

Privacy Level: Open (White)
Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surnames/tags: burke_county georgia
Profile manager: Mary Richardson private message [send private message]
This page has been accessed 4,747 times.



Welcome to Burke County, Georgia Project!
flag
... ... ... is a part of Georgia history.
Join: Georgia Project
Discuss: Georgia

Contents

History/Timeline

Burke County
1600's-1700 Creek, Cherokee, and Catawba Indians were the original inhabitants of the area.[1]
1700's Some whites lived in the area prior to Oglethorpe arriving. As the Indians who lived here complained to Gov. Glenn of South Carolina that John Jones, John Whitehead, George Galphin with his trading station at Gaiphinton were hunting on their hunting grounds. [2]
1732 This area was established and was known at that time as the Halifax District. This then became the parish of St. George. [1]
1733-, 36, 58 the Indian tribes signed treaties with the English. Thus the first white settlers were "headright settlers". Their land was large parcels awarded to large families. Many of the first landowners came from the older colonies after Georgia ceased its ban of slavery.Gov Reynolds made grants to people living in Burke County. [3]
1733- George Galphin was present at his trading Station at Gaiphinton near the Ogeechee River when Fort Augusta took the place of Fort Moore. The settlements in South Carolina extended to the Savannah river. Halifax borough sent 2 representatives to the Assembly of Gov. Reynolds. [2]
1740 White settlers move into this area as early as the 1740's.[4] [4]
1751 Most of the original landowners migrated from the older American colonies after Georgia lifted its ban on slavery. Farmers began small and medium size operations. The Savannah and Ogeechee Rivers interested these farmers for their transportation as well as water for their livestock. A few were Scot-Irish Protestant emigrants. [1]
1758 Burke was one of the original Georgia counties created from the parish of St. George. The county seat of Waynesboro is named in honor of "Mad" Anthony Wayne, who freed Georgia from the British even though they were exceeding the Americans 2 to 1 in the Revolutionary War encounter.. [3]
March 15, 1758 8 parishes are created in Georgia, mostly for military and religious purposes. [3]
Burke County, Georgia
Chatham County, Georgia
Effingham County, Georgia
Liberty County, Georgia
Richmond County, Georgia
Burke county was named in honor of Edmund Burke, Irish philosopher, Whig member of parliament, and close friend of James Oglethorpe who urged conciliation with the American colonies. [3]
1759 - Some Salzburgers moved up from Ebenezer into St George's Parish and established New Goettingen, now a dead town.[4]
1763 Cession treaty of territory by the Indians to the Crown. This specified right to white settlement in all of St. George's Parish. Famous men who spent time in Burke County are . George Washington was to have spent the night in Waynesborough in 17 May 1791, Eli Whitney had 3 cotten gins here.[4]
1765 - John Bartram, a British scientist, with his son, visited Shell Bluff to study the fascinating large oyster shell formations, which come to be known as "Ostrea georgiana."[4]
1774 the Liberty Boys began the rebellion Governor Wright received protests for their actions from the parish citizens. .[2]
Pre 1775 - Prior to the Revolution, many settlers settled on the Ogeechee river, the creeks flowing into it, as well as on the Savannah and its tributaries. The parish had (6) justices of the peace. The locale of Waynesboro is a prison, known as "Burke jail"..[2]
1776-1883 American Revolution -The patriots of Burke had considerable trouble with the Tories, who raided the county repeatedly. Although many people did not serve in the army, they were patriots and lived in danger of raids.They were not yet the large landowners of the plantations and slaves, they ran small farms.. [2]
1777 map
Feb 5, 1777 St. George Parish became one of Georgia's first counties, (Burke County) named for a member of British Parliament, Edmund Burke, who was in favor of a positive approach to the of American colonial grievances. Burke County residents were loyal to king, which caused conflicts during the Revolutionary War (1775-83) and a resulting major property damage. [1][5]
1779 The colonists defeated 400 British troops; and a British victory at the Battle of Brier (later Briar) Creek.[1][5]

Marker of the Battle of Burke County Jail.
1779 A military battle between the American revolutionaries and the King's troops was named the Battle of Burke County Jail. Col. John Twiggs, Col. William Few, Benjamin Few with southern men defended the Cause during the American Revolution at the Battle of Burke Jail. [1] A group of American patriots held off British soldiers at the Burke County Jail in Georgia, despite being badly outnumbered. The British were making use of Loyalists living in the south in hopes the loyalists could help them gain control of the state governments. They hoped to then establish a Southern base to crush the rebellion in the North. In 1778 Savannah, Georgia fell.
Mid January Patriots gathered at the Burke County Jail south of Augusta to plan their moves. The British heard of the Patriot meeting, so they sent 230 British soldiers to attack the 120 Patriots on Jan. 26 AM at the Battle of The Burke Jail The British may also have intended to free any Loyalist prisoners at the Burke Jail. However The Patriots awoke, and held off the British all day long!! At the end of the day, the British withdrew and joined the main British Army on its way to Augusta!. (e British successfully captured Augusta a few days later.) This battle was small in light of the whole revolution, but Burke County remembers it.[6]


1783 -Waynesboro was laid off when the legislature incorporated the village, with a grant of 2000 acres of land for the village with and was named in honor of Mad Anthony Wayne, who was a great favorite in Georgia. Commissioners were- Thomas Lewis, Sr., Thomas Lewis, Jr., Jas. Duhart, Edward Telfair, and John Jones. They sold 200 lots and used the moneys to pay for a academy or court house. After the town grew, a race-course was started.. The village had no church, so preaching was done occasionally at the court-house in the winter and in the summer people heard the sermons at Bath, near Richmond until Methodist, Presbyterian and Baptist churches began.[2][1]
1788 The Bark Camp Baptist Church was established on the Bark Camp site in Burke County. Prior to the Revolutionary War, Bark Camp, was sort of a camp for incoming settlers. Bellevue Plantation was a grant to Samuel Eastlake by King George III in 1767. During the Civil War Union general William T Sherman damaged the plantation during his march to the sea.. Both Confederate and Union Soldiers are buried on the property after the war there.[1]
1789 After the Revolutionary War, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina citizens began a westward migrated from Maryland,Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Many new settlers took up land in Burke took up lands and lived here in Burke County. perhaps the following generation again migrated westward. [4]
1790's Planters bought or were granted larger tracts of land to be planted in cotton.. This land was good for cotton. The plantation system replaced the county area's small farms and Burke county was known as a major cotton producing area. [1]
Bellevue Plantation
1794 It is speculated the one of the first cotton-gins were set up in Burke County. Whitney secured his patent, he set up one of his machines so that they brought cotton to him from all areas. Cotton was good quality, land was cheap, with low price for slaves.The depression of the tobacco and indigo culture promoted the rise of the cotton industry. The oak and hickory tree area cleared, but area became unhealthy when the malarioius season set in.. Eventually the small landowners sold their farms in Burke and moved further west. [2]
1800's Burke county became a county of large plantations and wealthy planters. Some of these lived in beautiful homes on their places during the winter and in summer went to the pine woods. Habersham, Alexander, Summerville, Bath and Brothersville were each piny wood villages, to which the planters retreated before the sickly season (when malaria set in), with extravagant hospitality. The large winter homes often were filled with guests from the cities or neighboring plantations. The Virginia style life was again reproduced in Burke county 60-100 years later.The villages to which they spent time during the summer time had a social circle. [2]
The overseer managed the large plantations. A factor in Augusta or Savannah cashed the drafts of the planters, stocked the larder with supplies, and supplied the libraries with the best books and periodicals. The planter's wealth was dependent upon others to keep the plantation running. Neighboring counties had a few of the similar class. [2]
The other class of poor working people lived in the pine woods wi few or no slaves. They had log cabins on small parcels of land, did their own labor, perhaps rafted timber down the Savannah River, made shingles in the cypress. But they were content.[2]
Burke County land was good for Cotton..It resulted excellent cotton-production which caused the county to be one great plantation except the land in the pine woods. The African Americans here increased in number, and plantation owners owned scores. The owners put a high estimate on the African American as if they were property. The plantation owners were in debt and had neglected their land maintenance, as they valued the African American slaves with more value than the land. When the slaves were freed, the plantations were bankrupt.
Burke county area was settled by emigrants from Virginia, North Carolina and the north of Ireland.. They settled in St. George's parish. Some settlers were originally small landowners, but soon these farms gave way to the large land owners or plantations. Soon large amounts of African American slaves were overseen by an overseer, and often were the only inhabitants in the county during summers and fall. If a new rich land in Georgia's newest areas opened, the Burke planter moved some of his plantation inhabitants and opened a brand new plantation there. Sometimes a plantation owned separate homes of 20 frontiersmen..[2]
1812 This town's name was shortened to Waynesboro when it was incorporated and named for Revolutionary War hero Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne. [1]
1850's-1870's Land was cleared and soon began planting the large cotton plantations. As a result of the plantations, soon the African Americans were a majority here. The county relied on agriculture for many years following the Civil War. It is located within the CSRA (the Central Savannah River Area) The county became majority African American in population, as most laborers were slaves. It continued to rely on agriculture for decades after the American Civil War. [5]
1862-65 Civil War- Burke County provided several units for the Civil War service such as 2nd Regiment Georgia Infantry Company D (Burke Sharpshooters), 3rd Regiment Georgia Infantry Company A (Burke Guards), 32nd Regiment Georgia Infantry Company C (Williams Volunteers), 32nd Regiment Georgia Infantry Company K (Alexander Greys), 48th Regiment Georgia Infantry Company D (Burke Volunteers), Cobb's Legion Infantry company E (Poythress Volunteers) and the Cobb's Legion Cavalry Company F (Grubb's Hussars).[5]
1862-65 Civil War many plantations did not survive the Civil War. The economy lost its slave labor, yet still produced cotton.. The result was smaller farms again employing tenant labor.. Many of these workers were the freed slave African Americans. In the 1900's the development mechanized cotton pickers and row cultivators. This displaced many Georgians from the farming culture they were familiar with. They then moved to the towns or cities to look for other jobs.[1]
Bellvue Plantation
1864-65 A 1767 grant to Samuel Eastlake by King George III was Bellevue Plantation. This was damaged during the attack on Burke County, and the Plantation during the Civil War when Union general William T Sherman marched to the sea almost 100 years later.. Both Congfererate and Union soldiers are buried on the plantation property following the battle. [1]
1864 Campaign: Savannah Campaign - Civil War, the commanders were Brig. Gen. H. Judson Kilpatrick (US) and Maj. Gen. Joseph Wheeler (CS). Gen. Kilpatrick and cavalry headed NE on Dec 4 morning with plans to attack Waynesborough and destroy the Confederate cavalry of Gen Wheeler. The Union men moved forward, pushing the Rebel confederates in front of them.. At one point the Union overran a defensive line of barricades. The Confederates fell back to its last line of barricades in Waynesborough. Furious fighting occurred, with the Union troops, breaking through the Confederate troops . Wheelers troops retreated.. This was a Union victory. [7][8]
1866- Suddenly the African American slaves became freemen in greater number than the white people. Some of the few white people living on their estates moved to the County seat. Waynesboro changed from a deserted village to being a city. Eventually the old field pines were cut town, The white people are concentrated in the villages. The plantations were left in the hands of African American tenants. [2]
1895 map showing Burke County.
Augusta & Savannah railroad along with the Central were built. [2]
Girard, Burke county, Georgia is 19 milesSE of Waynesboro with a post office, several stores and the nearest railroad station is Robbins, S.C.
Girth, Burke county, Georgia is located W of Brier Creek, in the S part of the county and Thomas on the Central of Georgia is nearest station.
Gough, Burke county, Georgia is in the W part near the headwaters of Bulkhead Creek 15 miles from Waynesboro.
Keysville, Burke County, Georgia was incorporated by Georgia legislature in 1890. Keysville ih 101 population in 1900 with a post office, express and telegraph service has stores and is on the Augusta railway.
Hillis, Burke County, Georgia near the Screven county line had 104 citizens in 1900, with postoffice, schools, churches, and stores
Munnerlyn, Georgia is on the Central of Georgia railroad, (12 miles S of Waynesboro with a post office, stores, schools, telegraph office and population of 87 in 1900.
Oatts, Georgia and Rosier, Georgia (16 miles SW of Waynesboro) (15 miles SW of Waynesboro near the Jefferson county line.. Louisville is the closest railway station.
Sardis, Georgia post-village in the SE part of Burke county, is near the Screven county line., which had a population of 51. Its closest railway station is Munnerylyn.
Saint Clair, Burke County, Georgia a post-town on W side of Burke County, had a large population of 154 in 1900. The is the trading center for the agriculture district. Matthews and Keysville located on the Augusta Southern Railway are its nearest railroad towns.[2]
Shell Bluff, Burke county, Georgia is 10 miles NE of Waynesboro, and in 1900 had a population of 61. Green's Cut is the nearest railroad station.[2]
Telfairville, Georgia was a little village of Burke county, (15 miles east of Waynesboro), located on the ridge between Brier creek and the Savannah river. The community supports a money order post office and a few stores.. Its nearest railway station is in Robbins, S.C. [2]
Thomas, Georgia was a post-village of Burke county, being a station on the Augusta branch of the Central of Georgia railroad, (6 miles north of Waynesboro.) This is where Generals Kilpatrick and Wheeler had the intense fighting in 1864. about six miles south of Waynesboro. During the war it was known as Thomas Station. Here there was some sharp fighting between the cavalry forces of Wheeler and Kilpatrick on Nov. 27 and Dec. 3, 1864. Baird's division of infantry Kilpatrick was supported in the latter engagement by Baird's division of infantry.[2]
1911 map of Burke County
1920's-30's as with many farming counties, the mechanization of agriculture reduced the number of workers on farms and many lost their jobs. Census tables show the decrease in population. Part was due to african Americans left the farms/ plantations to seek jobs in Northern cities. Some of the Jim Crow segregation as well as job opportunities in the midwest, and Northern cities such was Chicago and Detroit. [5]
May 20, 1989-Unit 2 of the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant (Unit 2) operational in Waynesboro, GA [3]
February 16, 2010- US Federal loan $8.33 billion guarantee for the new Vogtle reactors (Wayneboro, Georgia), the first step to jump-start the nuclear construction industry.[3]

Government Offices

:1763 - The first Courthouse in St George's was built.[4]

1st Courthouse, 1773- According to Jordan and Puster, Burke County's first courthouse was a log cabin constructed in 1773 -- four years before the county's creation.[9] 1777, a new wooden courthouse was built, but it burned in 1825. [10]

1856 A third courthouse was built in 1856 but it was destroyed that year in a fire.[11]

  • 1856 The courthouse in Waynesboro burned to the ground in the early morning of 24 January, including most county records. [12]

http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/counties/burke

1857 - The Burke County Courthouse in Waynesboro was completed. Its architectural style including Italianate elements as well as a Victorian clock tower. The fourth courthouse in the county's history, the structure replaced one that was both built and burnt in 1856.[13]

Date Built 1857 Architecture Style Vernacular with Italianate elements and Victorian clock tower Designer Unknown (perhaps D.B. Plump)


Courthouse in Waynesboro, Burke County

4th courthouse, 1857 The present courthouse was built.. This was expanded 1899-1900, with L.F. Goodrich as architect.

1857 - The Burke County Courthouse in Waynesboro was completed. Its architectural style including Italianate elements as well as a Victorian clock tower. The fourth courthouse in the county's history, the structure replaced one that was both built and burnt in 1856.[14]
1940, a Neoclassical Revival annex was completed at the rear of the courthouse. Since then, the courthouse has been completely renovated. Reportedly, it is one of the oldest brick buildings still in use in Georgia.[15]

Geography

Location- within the CSRA (the Central Savannah River Area)
Developed for large cotton plantations in the antebellum period.
Eastern edge shares the border with South Carolina along the Savannah River
Trees - pine woods, where for many years the chief resource was ranging timber and cattle, :Resources -there are now many small well-cultivated farms, where there are good substantial prosperous farmers.
Soil - fertile with limestone type soil (tenacious), beneath the surface an inexhaustible deposit of rotten limestone
Topography - undulating for good drainage,
Lakes, Ponds - deep depressions and ponds.
Mountains - No lofty hills
Drainage Good due to limestone soil, rains and floods drained away
Rivers and creeks - Savannah River on the east, the Ogeechee on the west, and the great Briar creek crossed the whole county. Bark, Camp, Buckhead, Rocky, McIntosh, Beaverdam, and Walnut creeks.
Forest - Near river, creek banks was a large strip of oak and hickory land. Pine forests, valued only for pasturage, filled up the area unoccupied by the oak and hickory forests. There was beneath the surface an inexhaustible deposit of rotten limestone which now and then cropped out on the surface.
Burke county has fertile soil composed of tenacious limestone, with undulating topography for drainage with were natural ponds, but no high hills. Its soil was limestone, thus the rains and flooding did not bother Burke County area. Some refer to the limestone as "rotten limestone" and there are outcropping of it visible.

Adjacent counties

  • Richmond County (north)
  • Aiken County, South Carolina (northeast)
  • Barnwell County, South Carolina (east-northeast)
  • Allendale County, South Carolina (east)
  • Screven County (southeast)
  • Jenkins County (south)
  • Emanuel County (southwest)
  • Jefferson County (west)

Protected areas

Demographics

In 2000, there were 22,243 people in the county with a population density of 27 people/sq. mi. The racial makeup of the county was 51.00% Black or African American, 46.90% White, 0.23% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 1.42% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. In 2010 there were 23,316 people in the county with a population density of 28.2 people/sq. mi. The median income for a household in the county was $33,155 and the median income for a family was $41,659. The per capita income for the county was $15,934. About 20.0% of families and 25.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.0% of those under age 18 and 16.2% of those age 65 or over.[16]

Highways

HighwaysHighwaysHighwaysHighways
U.S. Route 25U.S. Route 25 BypassGeorgia State Route 17Georgia State Route 23
Georgia State Route 24Georgia State Route 56Georgia State Route 56 SpurGeorgia State Route 78
Georgia State Route 80Georgia Route 88Georgia State Route 121Georgia State Route 121 Bypass
Georgia State Route 305Georgia Savannah River Parkway

Education

K-12 public education in Waynesboro is managed by Burke County Public Schools, with one high school, one middle school, 2 elementary/1 primary school, and 1 alternative school and 4 private schools.

SGA Elementary School (Pre k-5)
Blakeney Elementary School (3-5)
Waynesboro Primary School (pre K-2)
Burke County Middle School (6-8)
Burke County High School (9-12)
Burke County Alternative School (6-12)
Private Schools
Burke Haven Christian (K-8)
Edmund Burke Academy (Pre K-12)
Lord's House of Praise Christian (Pre K-11)
Waynesboro Mennonite School (9-12)
  • Augusta Technical College, Waynesboro campus

Cities/Towns

Waynesboro, Georgia

County Resources

Census

1790 --- 9,467 —
1800 --- 9,504 0.4%
1810 --- 10,858 14.2%
1820 --- 11,577 6.6%
1830 --- 11,833 2.2%
1840 --- 13,176 11.3%
1850 --- 16,100 22.2%
1860 --- 17,165 6.6%
1870 --- 17,679 3.0%
1880 --- 27,128 53.4%
1890 --- 28,501 5.1%
1900 --- 30,165 5.8%
1910 --- 27,268 −9.6%
1920 --- 30,836 13.1%
1930 --- 29,224 −5.2%
1940 --- 26,520 −9.3%
1950 --- 23,458 −11.5%
1960 --- 20,596 −12.2%
1970 --- 18,255 −11.4%
1980 --- 19,349 6.0%
1990 --- 20,579 6.4%
2000 --- 22,243 8.1%
2010 --- 23,316 4.8%
Est. 2016 --- 22,688
Notables
  • Governor Lyman Hall lived in Burke, signer of the Declaration of Independence
  • Governor David Emanuel lived in Burke
  • Governor Edward Telfair lived in Burke
  • Governor Herschel V. Johnson lived in Burke
  • Governor John Martin, all governors, lived in Burke.
  • Hon. J. J. Jones , congressman
  • S. A. Corker , congressman
  • R. E. Lester, congressman, were from this county
  • Shewmakes
  • Judge Lawson, a prominent democratic politician
  • Colonel T. M. Berrien long lived here
  • Edward Byne Baptist preachers
  • Professor James Elmore Palmer, noted as an educator and long a professor in Emory College
  • Jonathan Broxton, Major League Baseball player
  • Wycliffe Gordon, jazz trombonist
  • Cornelius Washington, NFL player
  • Robert Lee Scott, Jr., World War II fighter ace
  • Beau Jack, born Sidney Walker, Boxing World Champion Boxer
  • John Abbott, naturalist and illustrator John Abbot, author of The Natural History of the Rarer Lepidopterous Insects of Georgia (1797)
  • Charles C Jones 1800's historian
  • Herschel Johnson, politician

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 https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/burke-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 http://genealogytrails.com/geo/burke/countyhistory.html
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 http://www.ourgeorgiahistory.com/ogh/Burke_County,_Georgia
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 http://www.usgenweb.info/gaburke/
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burke_County,_Georgia
  6. ↑ http://www.taraross.com/2016/01/this-day-in-history-battle-of-burke-county-jail/
  7. ↑ https://www.nps.gov/abpp/battles/ga027.htm
  8. ↑ http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/engagement-at-burke-county-jail
  9. ↑ http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/counties/burke
  10. ↑ http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/counties/burke
  11. ↑ http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/counties/burke
  12. ↑ https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Burke_County,_Georgia_Genealogy
  13. ↑ https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/burke-county
  14. ↑ http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/counties/burke
  15. ↑ http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/counties/burke
  16. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burke_County,_Georgia




Images: 8
Burke County, Georgia Image 1
Burke County, Georgia Image 1
Burke County, Georgia Image 2
Burke County, Georgia Image 2
Burke County, Georgia Image 3
Burke County, Georgia Image 3
Burke County, Georgia Image 4
Burke County, Georgia Image 4
Burke County, Georgia Image 5
Burke County, Georgia Image 5
view all
Collaboration
  • Login to edit this profile and add images.
  • Private Messages: Send a private message to the Profile Manager. (Best when privacy is an issue.)
  • Public Comments: Login to post. (Best for messages specifically directed to those editing this profile. Limit 20 per day.)


Comments

Leave a message for others who see this profile.
There are no comments yet.
Login to post a comment.

Categories: Burke County, Georgia | Georgia Projects