Wayne County, Georgia
Encyclopedia
Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

. As of 2000, the population was 26,565. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 29,046. The county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 is Jesup
Jesup, Georgia
Jesup is a city in Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,279 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Wayne County.-Geography:Jesup is located at ....

.

History

Seventy years after General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

 James Oglethorpe
James Oglethorpe
James Edward Oglethorpe was a British general, member of Parliament, philanthropist, and founder of the colony of Georgia...

 settled the colony of Georgia and 27 years after that colony became one of the 13 original states, Wayne County came into being. It was created by an Act of the Legislature in 1803 after the Wilkinson Treaty was signed with the Creek Indians on January 16, 1802, which ceded part of the Tallassee Country and part of the lands within the forks of the Oconee
Oconee River
The Oconee River is a river which has its origin in Hall County, Georgia, and terminates where it joins the Ocmulgee River to form the Altamaha River near Lumber City at the borders of Montgomery County, Wheeler County, and Jeff Davis County. South of Athens, two forks, known as the North Oconee...

 and Ocmulgee
Ocmulgee River
The Ocmulgee River is a tributary of the Altamaha River, approximately 255 mi long, in the U.S. state of Georgia...

 Rivers to the United States. As originally laid out, the new county – the 28th Georgia county – was a long narrow strip of land approximately 100 miles (160.9 km) in length but with varying measures of width along the way. It was six miles (10 km) as it stood just south of the Altamaha River
Altamaha River
The Altamaha River is a major river of the American state of Georgia. It flows generally eastward for 137 miles from its origin at the confluence of the Oconee River and Ocmulgee River towards the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties into the ocean near Brunswick, Georgia. There are no dams...

, eight miles (13 km) wide near the Satilla and five miles (8 km) wide at a location about 27 miles (43.5 km) south of the Altamaha. All counties organized prior to 1802 were head right counties – no surveys were ever made of those counties. It was found that under the head right system more land was given away than actually existed and this was the case for Wayne County. Although created in 1803, no valid lottery was done for the county until the Land Lottery Act of 1805. The 1805 Act divided the half million acres (2,000 km²) of Wayne County, formed the Tallassee Strip, and set the stage for the land lottery that would result in more formal settlement of the area. It is the second date, December 7, 1805, that the county chose to observe as the creation date. The area was not a popular one for lottery draws as the straws were drawn sight unseen and the winner was as likely to draw swampland as he was prime agricultural lots. Being close to the coast and bordered by the Altamaha River
Altamaha River
The Altamaha River is a major river of the American state of Georgia. It flows generally eastward for 137 miles from its origin at the confluence of the Oconee River and Ocmulgee River towards the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties into the ocean near Brunswick, Georgia. There are no dams...

, Wayne County's history includes occupation by Spanish missionaries at the time of the settlement of Saint Augustine as well as short lived French occupation. The flags of France, Spain, England, and the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

 all flew over Wayne with little success.

The county was named for Mad Anthony Wayne whose military career had made him a well known hero. When he surprised the British garrison at Stony Point on July 15, 1779, he acquired the nickname “Mad” Anthony. From one siege to another, he was a vital member of General George Washington’s staff serving well under General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

 Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene
Nathanael Greene was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer. Many places in the United...

 and coming to Georgia in 1781 in his service during the American Revolution.

The county was slow in developing and those in the area were in no hurry to be concerned with matters governmental. It was not until 1829 that legislative action created a county seat. Wayne County’s first official county seat was Waynesville, then considered to be a central location in the long and narrow county for settlers to travel for court and other primary government functions. Waynesville was the site of Wayne County's first school, which was called Mineral Springs Academy. It was named for the famous mineral springs which were a short distance east of the residential section of the town. The county seat remained at Waynesville until 1873 when the Courthouse Committee reported the courthouse complete at Jesup.

The first post office in Wayne County was established at Tuckersville - sometime Tuckerville - January 29, 1814 and Tuckersville acted as the county seat until Waynesville was so designated. John Tucker was the first postmaster and his service was followed by William A. Knight and Robert Stafford, Jr. before the mail service was discontinued in 1827. Tuckersville disappears from maps by 1850 and its exact location remains a mystery although it is known it was north of Waynesville on the Post Road
Post road
For other uses, see Post Road .A post road is a road designated for the transportation of postal mail. In past centuries only major towns had a post house, and the roads used by post riders or mail coaches to carry mail among them were particularly important ones or, due to the special attention...

 near the Buffalo Swamp.

Although there is some doubt about whom the City of Jesup
Jesup, Georgia
Jesup is a city in Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,279 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Wayne County.-Geography:Jesup is located at ....

 is named for, there is no doubt it became Jesup on October 24, 1870. Ambling along as Station Number 6 on the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad, the town grew into a city primarily due to the efforts of its first mayor, Willis Clary. Clary had first moved to Wayne County in 1868 and was elected mayor shortly after moving into the town at a meeting held December 3, 1870. Clary is credited with convincing the Macon and Brunswick Railroad
Macon and Brunswick Railroad
-History:It was chartered in 1856 but track building was halted during the American Civil War. By 1867 there was fifty miles of tracks from Macon, Georgia to Hawkinsville, Georgia. The East Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia Railroad bought the railroad line in 1881....

 to locate its tracks so that they crossed the Atlantic and Gulf rails at Jesup. From its beginning, Jesup has been a railway town
Railway town
A railway town is a settlement that originated or was greatly developed because of a railway station or junction at its site.In Victorian Britain, the spread of railways greatly affected the fate of many small towns...

 and as early as 1891, the town’s population was essentially connected to the railroads in some way.

Although not formally incorporated until 1907, the cities of Screven
Screven, Georgia
Screven is a city in Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 702 at the 2000 census. Although it was a railroad town as early as 1847, it was not officially chartered until August 19, 1907.-History:...

 and Odum
Odum, Georgia
Odum is a town in Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 414 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Odum is located at ....

 are also historic railroad towns. Screven ranks as the oldest established town being formally established in 1854 when the town became a terminus on the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad. The rail line connected Screven and Thomasville
Thomasville, Georgia
Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The city is the second largest in Southwest Georgia after Albany.The city deems itself the City of Roses and holds an annual Rose Festival. The town features plantations open to the public, a historic downtown, a large...

 which at the time was a resort city popular with Europeans and wealthy Armenians. It is not known exactly when Station Number 7 became known as Screven but the town bears the name of the family of Dr. James Proctor Screven and his son, John Bryan Screven of Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...

 who were operating the railroad at the time of its inception. Screven’s first businessman and landowner, C. C. Grace helped to build the community. Likewise, Godfrey Odum used real estate to build his fortune and to improve the community into a town. Odum became a stop on the Macon and Brunswick Railroad and later became a part of the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia. Odum was known as Satilla on an 1870 timetable from the Macon and Brunswick and before that it was known as Haslum. Rail access made it easier for Odum’s turpentine and sawmills products to be shipped to larger markets.

Henry W. Grady
Henry W. Grady
Henry Woodfin Grady was a journalist and orator who helped reintegrate the states of the former Confederacy into the Union after the American Civil War....

 once said South Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

 was only suited for pine trees and cows and it is the pine that has made Wayne County the pine tree infested place it is. Others have said "You can always tell someone from Wayne County, but not much." Through the years, turpentine and naval stores
Naval stores
Naval Stores is a broad term which originally applied to the resin-based components used in building and maintaining wooden sailing ships, a category which includes cordage, mask, turpentine, rosin, pitch and tar...

 made communities, schools and churches spring up along the paths of the railroads and the streams and creeks. Places like Mount Pleasant, Gardi, McKinnon, Doctortown, Manningtown, Brentwood, Ritch, O’Quinn, Madray Springs and Piney Grove were centers of family life. The pine tree so despised by Henry Grady carried the economy through the turpentine and sawmill era back into the pulp and paper industry of the 20th century.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 648.8 square miles (1,680.4 km²), of which 644.66 square miles (1,669.7 km²) (or 99.36%) is land and 4.13 square miles (10.7 km²) (or 0.64%) is water.

Major highways

  • U.S. Highway 25
  • U.S. Highway 84
  • U.S. Highway 301
  • U.S. Highway 341
  • Georgia State Route 23
    Georgia State Route 23
    State Route 23 is a state route located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The route travels from the Florida state line in southern Charlton County north to State Route 56 north of Waynesboro.-Route description:...

  • Georgia State Route 27
    Georgia State Route 27
    State Route 27 is a west–east state route located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The route travels from SR 39 east of Georgetown to U.S. 17/SR 25 in Brunswick.-Route description:...

  • Georgia State Route 38
  • Georgia State Route 169
  • Georgia State Route 203

Adjacent counties

  • Tattnall County
    Tattnall County, Georgia
    Tattnall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 22,305. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 23,179...

     (north)
  • Long County
    Long County, Georgia
    Long County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The constitutional amendment to create the county was proposed August 14, 1920, and ratified November 2, 1920. As of 2000, the population is 10,304. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 11,300...

     (northeast)
  • McIntosh County
    McIntosh County, Georgia
    McIntosh County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of the Brunswick, Georgia, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of McIntosh, Glynn, and Brantley counties. As of 2010, the population is 14,333. The county seat is Darien.-History:McIntosh County was split...

     (east)
  • Glynn County
    Glynn County, Georgia
    Glynn County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 67,568. The 2008 Census Estimate showed a population of 75,884...

     (southeast)
  • Brantley County
    Brantley County, Georgia
    Brantley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of the 'Brunswick, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Brantley, Glynn, and McIntosh counties. As of 2000, the population is 14,629. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 15,440...

     (south)
  • Pierce County
    Pierce County, Georgia
    Pierce County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 15,636. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 17,881. The county seat is Blackshear....

     (southwest)
  • Appling County
    Appling County, Georgia
    Appling County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population is 17,419. The 2007 Census Estimate placed the population at 17,946...

     (northwest)

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 26,565 people, 9,324 households, and 6,937 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 41 people per square mile (16/km²). There were 10,827 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.73% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 20.32% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.23% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.44% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.02% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 1.31% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.95% from two or more races. 3.81% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race.

There were 9,324 households out of which 35.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 14.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.60% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the county the population was spread out with 25.90% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 11.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 108.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,766, and the median income for a family was $39,442. Males had a median income of $31,977 versus $19,551 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the county was $15,628. About 13.40% of families and 16.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.70% of those under age 18 and 14.40% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...

 operates the Federal Correctional Institution, Jesup
Federal Correctional Institution, Jesup
The Federal Correctional Institution, Jesup is a medium security facility housing male offenders in Jesup, southeast Georgia. The prison, on U.S. Route 301, is northwest of Brunswick, Georgia, southwest of Savannah, Georgia, and miles northwest of Jacksonville, Florida...

 in Jesup
Jesup, Georgia
Jesup is a city in Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,279 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Wayne County.-Geography:Jesup is located at ....

, Wayne County.

Cities and towns

  • Jesup
    Jesup, Georgia
    Jesup is a city in Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,279 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Wayne County.-Geography:Jesup is located at ....

  • Odum
    Odum, Georgia
    Odum is a town in Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 414 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Odum is located at ....

  • Screven
    Screven, Georgia
    Screven is a city in Wayne County, Georgia, United States. The population was 702 at the 2000 census. Although it was a railroad town as early as 1847, it was not officially chartered until August 19, 1907.-History:...


Communities

  • Gardi
    Gardi, Georgia
    Gardi is a small community on the outskirts of Jesup, Georgia, in the United States. Its population is around 200 and is growing rapidly....

  • Madray Springs
  • Manningtown
  • Broadhurst
  • Brentwood
  • Doctortown

Former towns

  • Waynesville (There is another community named Waynesville
    Waynesville, Georgia
    Waynesville is an unincorporated community in Brantley County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the 'Brunswick, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area'. Its ZIP code is 31566.-Geography:Named after Revolutionary War Hero, General "Mad" Anthony B...

     in Brantley County
    Brantley County, Georgia
    Brantley County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It is part of the 'Brunswick, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Brantley, Glynn, and McIntosh counties. As of 2000, the population is 14,629. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 15,440...

    , Georgia
    Georgia (U.S. state)
    Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

    .) This is the same Waynesville that was in Wayne County, prior to the redrawing of Wayne.
  • Tuckersville
  • Pendarvis
  • Fort Barrington
  • Williamsburg

See also

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK