Dougherty County, Georgia

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History/Timeline

Ray Charles Plaza

Prior to 1811-15 Creek Indians lived in the Dougherty County area.^[1]

1830's, -60's Early County settlers brought many slaves in the 1800's, which has led to a large African American population during reconstruction and into the 1900's^[1]

26 Dec 1835 Red Bluff Baker Co... A tragic attack on 8 white men by 45+ Indians (2 men killed and 2 wounded. Forty citizens discovered the dead men in the swamp, brutally beaten, the bodies were grossly disfigured. Citizens asked for help as they had alarmed families.^[2]

1836 After the Creek Wars (1811-15) The Creek Indians were driven away.. The county and Georgia has retained many of its names given by the Creek Indians. The southwest Georgia has good soil, some deposited by the Flint River. This enabled planters who moved to the Dougherty area to have their slaves, the African Americans plant much of the land in cotton. The Flint River is nearby which offers an advantage for transportation on the river of the cotton. ^[1]

1837 Citizens were setting in Albany, Georgia in Baker County at that time. ^[3]

1838 - Georgia General assembly incorporated Albany as a town by the Laws (Ga. Laws 1838, p. 128). ^[3]

Albany Welcome center.

Dougherty County settlers and citizens were European Americans who planted and raised Cotton as the cash crop. Their African Americans slaves produced the cash crop of cotton.

1840's After the railways were built (during 1830's in Georgia), any produce could be shipped via railway.. ^[4]

Albany locomotive.

1840's 50's these planters settlers near Albany, Georgia (then part of Baker county. Soon the settlers petitioned the state assembly for a new county with Albany as their county seat. ^[1]

Dougherty 1855 map

Dec 15, 1853 The General Assembly formed Georgia's # 103rd county, Dougherty county, and named it for Charles Dougherty, lawyer and judge of Athens, Georgia who was a stronger supporter of Civil Rights...Small additions were added 1854, and 56. (Ga. Laws 1853-54, p. 296).^[5][3][6][7]

1854, 56 more land of Worth County was added to Dougherty County. A great many buildings have been restored and in current use. The Quail plantations of this area date back to when Albany was founded. ^[6]

Albany locomotive

1862-65 Civil War Dougherty County raised troops for the Confederate cause Georgia USGenWeb Archives Project

4th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Company E

17th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Company G

18th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Company D

32nd Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Company D

51st Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Company K

62nd Regiment, Georgia Cavalry (Confederate) , Company A

64th Regiment, Georgia Infantry (Confederate) , Company D

John Davis House

Samuel Farkas House

W E Davis house.

1868-1880's Dougherty has had race relations altercations during the county history.. The African Americans elected their representatives for Georgia legislature. White people who had just gone through the Civil war, challenged the voters' rights (wrongly). African American voters decreased as a result to only a few. ^[1]

in different decades African Americans tried to obtain their civil rights including the Albany Movement of the 1960's. Over the next decades, blacks made sporadic efforts, including the famous Albany Movement in the 1960s, to win back their civil rights. ^[1]

The county seat is Albany, Georgia located on the Flint River. This river provided the means to transport the cotton or other products to market. ^[5]

1890 Dougherty county began growing pecan trees and planting peanuts. ^[1]

Albany Carnegie Library

1930's Cattle ranching began. All of which reduced the County dependence on "King Cotton". Plants for meatpacking began in the 1930's. ^[1]

1940's World War II 2 training fields for the Allied pilots were built in the county. these training fields plus the Marine Corps Logistics Base became good sources for employment of the county citizens. ^[1] Postwar industry such as:

1) Breweries

2) Bobs Candies manufacturing

3) Tire makers

4) the 2 pilot training fields

FLOODS

the Flint River has flooded in 1841, 1925, 1994 with the result of major flooding in Dougherty County.^[1]

Flint River/Lake Chew

Nov 17 1961 A desegregation campaign in Albany, Georgia, called "The Albany Movement", challenged the city's racial segregation and discrimination. Martin Luther King Jr. and the SCLC joined the campaign in December.^[8]

1968 Dougherty County 3rd Courthouse in Albany was built with a modern style.^[1]

1993 a new center for offices which were not specific for the courts system was built across the street. ^[1] Then the 1968 3rd Courthouse was re-named the Albany-Dougherty County Judicial Building.

Tourism is another industry that all states and counties depend on. Tourists boat, fish and hunt around the Flint River as well as the cypress swamps.. There are also quail reserves for quail hunting. ^[1]

Albany, GA

Albany, Georgia takes pride on being considered a "City of Excellence" and "Good Life City". Two colleges include the Albany State University and Albany Technical College.^[6]

The county is recognized for its quail and duck hunting, the fishing from the Flint River and its cypress swamps. The County contains 326 square miles of land area with a 2010 census population of 94,565 persons.^[3]

Government Offices

1853 - There was no courthouse for the court to meet in early days. Court was in some rented rooms prior to completion of the 1st Courthouse. ^[3]

1856 The1st courthouse was built with the African American slave labor.^[3]

1904 2nd Courthouse was a 2-story building. However this burned in 1966.^[3]

1968 3rd Courthouse was built and the city of Albany and county governments shared the building, but by 1990 the many offices had run out of room...^[3]

Current Courthouse

1993 A new 5 story building was built across the street to hold the agencies not directly connected to courts, but necessary for any city and county government..^[3]

The 1968 courthouse was renamed the Albany -Dougherty County Judicial Building and continues to serve as the Dougherty Courthouse today.^[3][1]

Geography

Size - total area varies from 326 sq mi. to 335 square miles (870 km2), of which 329 square miles (850 km2) is land and 5.9 square miles (15 km2) (1.8%) is water.

Boundaries - Start at NE corner, then West on county line between Dougherty and Lee County, to intersection with Chickasawhatchie Creek, including new county, all of Grinnett's Causeway and Pine Islands, down westerly line to the point of intersection with a East-West district line dividing 1st, 2nd, red districts of Baker from 7th, 8th, 9th districts of Baker ; then East on district one to intersection of Irwin and Baker counties; then North on line to intersection with NorthEast point of Baker County.^[3]

Sub-basins

Lower Flint River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin) majority of Dougherty County

Middle Flint River sub-basin of the same ACF River basin - NE corner (NE of Albany)

Kinchafoonee-Muckalee sub-basin of the larger ACF River Basin - very small part of county N of Albany

Ichawaynochaway Creek sub-basin of the same ACF River Basin - Western part of county

The County contains 326 square miles of land area with a 2010 census population of 94,565 persons. Adjacent counties

• Lee County – north
• Worth County – east
• Mitchell County – south
• Baker County – southwest
• Calhoun County – west
• Terrell County – northwest

Protected areas

• Chehaw Park
• Confederate Memorial
• [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Chehaw Lake Chehaw (Lake Worth)
• Flint River

Demographics

In 2000 there were 96,065 people in the county with a population density of 292 people/sq. mi. In 2010 there were 94,565 people in the county with a population density of 287.7 people/sq. mi. Races in the county was 67.1% black or African American, 29.6% white, 0.8% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.0% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino origin were 2.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 6.1% were English, 6.0% were American, and 5.3% were Irish. (the Population decreased in 2010..The median income for a household in the county was $30,934, and the median income for a family was $36,655. About 19.60% of families and 24.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.30% of those under age 18 and 17.20% of those age 65 or over.^[9]

• Politics-- The county voted Democratic in Presidential elections except for 5 Presidential elections in the 1900's

Cities/Communities

• Albany County Seat and the only incorporated town.

• Putney

• Acree, Georgia - community
• Butler, Georgia
• Dosaga
• Doublegate
• Ducker
• Five Points
• Four Points
• Gillionville
• Hotalihuyana
• Pecan City, Georgia - community
• Pretoria
• Putney, Georgia - community
• Radium Springs, Georgia - community
• River Bend
• Ruark
• Turner City
• Walker
• Williamsburg

• Ochmulgee, Georgia -- a Ghost town

County Resources

• Albany Museum of Art
• Flint RiverQuarium
• Albany Civil Rights Institute
• Parks at Chehaw - see the elephants at the Chehaw Zoo
• Zoo Atlanta is the 2nd accredited zoo in the state. Jim Fowler designed the zoo and is cohost of *Mutual of Omaha's Wild kingdom.
• Radium Springs Gardens
• Thronateeska Heritage Center containing the Museum of History, Wetherbee Planetarium, and the Science Discovery Center.

Census

Notables

Born in Albany:

• Ray Charles, rhythm and blues musician
• Alice Coachman 1st African American Olympic gold medal winner
• Jim Fowler, host of the television series Wild Kingdom
• Harry James - trumpeter
• C.B. King, and Clennon Washington King Jr, Preston King, Slater brothers and civil rights activists
• Ray Knight, major league baseball player and husband of golfer Nancy Lopez.

Cemeteries

• Crown Hill Cemetery

• Riverside Cemetery

• Crow Hill Cemetery

• Oakview Cemetery

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} https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/dougherty-county
2. ↑ http://www.genrecords.net/gabaker/history/attack35.txt
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10} http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/counties/dougherty
4. ↑ https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/business-economy/railroads
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dougherty_County,_Georgia
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} http://www.dougherty.ga.us
7. ↑ http://www.genrecords.net/gadoughe/
8. ↑ http://www.blackpast.org/aah/albany-movement-1961-1962
9. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dougherty_County,_Georgia

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putney%2C_Georgia
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albany%2C_Georgia
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dougherty_County%2C_Georgia
• https://www.georgiapioneers.com/counties/countydougherty.html
• http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/topics/counties/dougherty
• History and Reminiscences of Dougherty County, Georgia
• "The Souls of Black Folk"
• http://www.genrecords.net/gadoughe/history.html
• https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/dougherty-county