Bulloch County, Georgia

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History/Timeline

Statesboro collage.

Feb 8, 1796 Georgia legislature created the county from the colonial-era St. Phillip's parish. The county seat is Statesboro. Bulloch County is named for Archibald Bulloch, a planter from South Carolina who served as Provincial Governor of Georgia. Archibald Bulloch was born in South Carolina but bought a plantation on the Savannah River. He was politically active in opposing the British, and became the first provincial governor of Georgia, in January 1776.^[1]

1796- Georgia legislature created the 21st county - Bulloch County. Pioneers sometimes called it the "State of Bulloch". The county lost land when Georgia's legislature created the neighboring counties of Candler, Emanuel, Evans, and Jenkins. It was named for Archibald Bulloch, a Revolutionary War soldier, leader of the Liberty Party, and Georgia's first chief executive and commander n Chief.^[2]

Bulloch county map

1800's Bulloch has the Ogeechee River as a boundary on the east, and Canoochee River for the western boundary. Settlers in Bullock County were planters, timbermen, and turpentine distillers. These settlers and ancestors were from England and Northern Ireland, as well as France, Germany, Scotland, Wales and West Africa. They arrived in Bullock county area on mere Indian paths, which gradually became wagon trails.. The settlers cleared the land for their plantations or smaller farms.^[2]

Nov. 15, 1864 General W.T. Sherman, arrived in Savannah (March to the Sea) and began the destruction by dividing the Union army into 2 wings.. For the Left Wing: Maj Gen H.W. Slocum, Union moved East from Atlanta, crossed the Ogeechee River near Louisville. Then Slocum marched to Savannah. The 14th Corps (Davis) marched on the old road along the Savannah, while the 20th Corps (Williams) moved via Springfield. Both Corps approached Savannah via Monteith. ^[3]

Glen Echo , 1773 near Bulloch County

For the Right Wing, Maj. Gen O.O. Howard led his wing south via Jackson and Gordon to cross the oconee River at Balls Ferry. The 17th Corps led by Blair moved to Tennville and destroyed the railway enrollee. The 15th Corpsled by Osterhaus made their way on several roads to Summerville (also known as Summertown). ^[3]

Dec 4, 1864 Hazen's and Smiths divisions, the15th Corps camped at StatesboroThe Right Wing (15th and 17 Corps), Maj. Gen. O.O. Howard, USA, marched south via Jackson and Gordon and crossed the Oconee River at Ball’s Ferry. The 17th Corps (Blair) then moved via Tennille and the railway, destroying it enroute. The 15th Corps (Osterhaus) moved on roads to Summerville (Summertown), from which place two divisions moved near the river on the old Savannah road and two via Statesboro.^[3]

Dec. 4th, Hazen’s and Smith’s divisions, 15th Corps, camped at Statesboro, and Woods’ and Corse’s near Mill Ray (9 miles NE). Next morning, both columns moved toward Jenk’s Bridge (on -US 80) from which point the final movements toward Savannah were begun. ^[3]

Dunnahoo Brannon house

John McDougald House

1803 The County of Bulloch officials named the county seat, "Statesborough" after Georgia created it. They named their county seat "Statesborough" when the Georgia legislature created it in 1803. ^[2]

1849 George White surveyed the county, and observed his findings in Statistics of the State of Georgia: "The county is inhabited by an industrious and kind people. The lands for cultivation are poor, but with work, citizens are able to supply their needs. Many depend on game which is plentiful and orchards. A Bulloch county farmer might become rich while many starve". ^[2]

1850's White did not mention cotton production and slavery, the major components of Bulloch County's economy. Slaves composed 1/3 of the population.^[2]

William Olliff Farm

1860 the slave population was 50% due to decline in white population and increase in the slave population. Many farms were located near the Old River Road (parallel to the Ogeechee River). Very few lived in the county seat.Most slaves worked in raising cotton, which increased within 10 years. Bulloch County planters and slaves produced 594 bales of cotton in 1850, and 1,370 bales in 1860. ^[2]

1880 census showed the county population was 8,053, yet only 1,036 were in "Statesboro" No railroads were here yet.^[2] (All were on plantation and farms)^[2]

East Main St Statesboro, Hist. Dist..

1890 and 1910 Transplants to Bulloch County were aggressive leaders who built links to the railroads and developed other services.. Suddenly the sleepy county seat had enterprising businessmen, a dozen merchants, who developed the strong retail mart for the cotton and later tobacco grown by the farmers.^[2]

Statesboroo Hist. District

1899 -The Savannah and Statesboro Railway (S&S RY) was finished. The timberline and turpentine's requested a railway to Statesboro.. Statesboro depot was located at the corner of E . Vine and Railroad Streets. This S & S Ry provided transportation for residents into Savannah or to Tybee and linked farmers and merchants to other railways across the nation. Communities developed around depots such as Brooklet and Stillson. ^[4]

Ogeechee Technical College gives classes for the regional workforce. Education, Agriculture and Industry are the driving force for Bulloch County. Today industrial plants are located here. ^[2]

Ogeechee Technical College.

Aug 16, 1904 Three African American men A were lynched and burned to death near Statesboro. A fourth man was lynched later in the month in Bulloch County.^[5]

1905 - J.R. Anderson purchased the S&S RY, which operated with a profit. By 1906, 4 trains ran daily with connections at Cuyler and Statesboro.^[4]

1906 the county and city collected $125,000 in donations for a new state-sponsored Agricultural and Mechanical School in Statesboro. This was supposed to be for the farmers, but the school became a teachers' college and later Georgia Southern University. ^[2]

Bulloch County map

1910, 1911 The Savannah & Statesboro RY 9 owned 3 locomotives, 3 passenger cars, 2 baggage cars and 25 freight cars. 1911, the S&S RY bought the Savannah, Augusta & Northern Railway which ran 39 miles of track between Statesboro to Stevens Crossing. Plans were to extend to Atlanta, however went out of business 1933.^[4]

1990 Bulloch county has a large denomination named Primitive Baptist.. These churches were called primitive or "original" as the beliefs pattern John Calvin. The rural churches originally refused to change from the 1800 beliefs. ^[2]

Besides Statesboro, the county's other municipalities are Brooklet, Portal, and Register.^[2]

Government Offices

Bulloch County is governed by a diverse body of seven elected commissioners and an appointed county manager.

The Bulloch County courthouse, located in Statesboro, was designed by Bruce & Morgan in 1894, with renovations by J. Bruyn Kops in 1914. The exterior of the neoclassical revival courthouse was covered with white plaster in the 1960s, much of which remains and has been painted a red brick color.

Bulloch county Courthouse.

Geography

Size - county covers an area of 682 square miles.

Size- total area of 689 square miles (1,780 km2), of which 673 square miles (1,740 km2) is land and 16 square miles (41 km2) (2.3%) is water.

Terrain - mostly flat, as the county is in the coastal plain region of Georgia. Slightly hilly in NW and central side of the county.

Location -Bulloch County is SW of the Ogeechee River

Rivers Ogeechee River, and small waterways, ponds, and swamps.

Trees - bald cypress are seen in these areas. On higher ground, pine, oak, and many other tree varieties native to the southeastern United States thrive.

Trees 500,000 acres of pine trees and fields of sandy soil.

Soil- Sandy

Locale (Basins)

Panoche river sub-basin of Ogeechee River basin - West part of Bulloch County, from north of Portal through Statesboro and south to the county's southwestern corner,

Lower Ogeechee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River Basin - eastern part

Adjacent counties

• Screven County (north)

Bulloch County map

• Effingham County (east)
• Bryan County (southeast)
• Evans County (southwest)
• Candler County (west)
• Emanuel County (northwest)
• Jenkins County (north-northwest)

Protected areas

• USS Bulloch County (LST-509) was a tank landing ship in World War II

Demographics

In 2010 there were 70,217 people in the county with a population density of 104.4 people/sq. mi. The racial makeup of the county was 67.2% white, 27.6% black or African American, 1.5% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.7% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 14.8% were Irish, 13.8% were English, 10.8% were German, and 7.5% were American. The median income for a household in the county was $34,327 and the median income for a family was $51,904. The per capita income for the county was $17,812. About 13.9% of families and 28.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.^[6]

Education
Statesboro, Bulloch County Board of Education runs the public school district.. Schools are Statesboro High School, Southeast Bulloch High School, William James Middle School, Langston Chapel Middle School, Southeast Bulloch Middle School, Julia P. Bryant Elementary School, Sallie Zetterower Elementary School, Mattie Lively Elementary School, Langston Chapel Elementary School, and Mill Creek Elementary School.

Private schools: Bulloch Academy, Trinity Christian School, and Bible Baptist Christian School. The Charter Conservatory for Liberal Arts and Technology, part of the CCAT public school district. In 2016 CCAT was renamed Statesboro STEAM - College, Careers, Arts, & Technology Academy.

2 Community Colleges - in Statesboro.

East Georgia State College, a University System of Georgia college of Swainsboro, GA. operates a satellite campus in Statesboro.

Ogeechee Technical College is a part of the Technical College System of Georgia, providing technical and adult education to area students.

Highways:

Citiesand Towns

• Statesboro County Seat

Statesboro, Georgia

• Brooklet

Brooklet Georgia

• Portal

Portal, Georgia

• Register

Register, Georgia

County Resources

Ogeechee Technical College

Ogeechee Technical College

• Natural areas abound in Bulloch County
• Hunters, anglers, hunt and fish in the fields, streams, and pond
• Golf is a year-round sport
• Mill Creek Regional Park offers 155 acres of softball and soccer fields and paths for walkers and runners.
• Statesboro–Bulloch County Parks and Recreation Department organizes programs throughout the year for adults and children.

Census

1800 --- 1,913 —

1810 --- 2,305 20.5%

1820 --- 2,578 11.8%

1830 --- 2,587 0.3%

1840 --- 3,102 19.9%

1850 --- 4,300 38.6%

1860 --- 5,668 31.8%

1870 --- 5,610 −1.0%

1880 --- 8,053 43.5%

1890 --- 13,712 70.3%

1900 --- 21,377 55.9%

1910 --- 26,464 23.8%

1920 --- 26,133 −1.3%

1930 --- 26,509 1.4%

1940 --- 26,010 −1.9%

1950 --- 24,740 −4.9%

1960 --- 24,263 −1.9%

1970 --- 31,585 30.2%

1980 --- 35,785 13.3%

1990 --- 43,125 20.5%

2000 --- 55,983 29.8%

2010 --- 70,217 25.4%

Est. 2016 --- 74,722

Cemeteries

• Eastside Cemetery
• Kennedy Cemetery
• New Hope United Methodist Church Cemetery

Sources

1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulloch_County,_Georgia
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} http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/bulloch-county
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/historical_markers/county/bulloch/the-march-to-the-sea4
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/historical_markers/county/bulloch/savannah-statesboro-railway
5. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statesboro%2C_Georgia
6. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulloch_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

• Brooklet Georgia
• Portal, Georgia
• Statesboro, Georgia
• http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/bulloch-county
• Register, Georgia
• USS Bulloch County (LST-509)
• http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/bulloch-county