Morven is a city in
Brooks County,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
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Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, United States. It is part of the
Valdosta, Georgia
Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, Lowndes County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. As of 2019, Valdosta had an estimated population of 56,457.
Valdosta is the principal city of the Valdosta Metr ...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...
. The city was named after a
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...
in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. The population was 565 at the 2010 census.
It was formerly known as Sharpe's Store.
History
Morven is the oldest community established by Europeans in Brooks County.
The
Coffee Road
Coffee Road as it became known, was a supply trail cut through the southern Georgia frontier in the early 1820s by General John E. Coffee,
with the help of Thomas Swain. After establishing the counties of Early, Irwin, and Appling in 1819, the Ge ...
was opened through Morven circa 1823. Sion Hall, one of the first settlers, saw an opportunity to use his sawmill and to farm. The area was developed for large cotton plantations, based on enslaved African-American field workers.
''Circa'' 1826, Hamilton Sharpe built a store made of logs; he opened a post office in 1828. The community that grew up around the store became known as Sharpe's Store. In the same year a Methodist campground was established named Mount Zion. The post office and community was renamed Morven in 1853. At the end of the century, the South Georgia Railroad was built through Morven in 1897. The community was incorporated by the state legislature in 1900.
Cotton cultivation continued to be important in the early 20th century. Hampton Smith owned the Old Joyce Place near Morven. Often hiring laborers through convict leasing, by which Smith paid police their high fees for minor infractions, Smith was known to be abusive to his black workers. On 16 May 1918, Smith was shot and killed by Sidney Johnson, a black worker whom he had severely beaten.
During the ensuing manhunt in Brooks and Lowndes counties, white mobs captured at least 12 blacks and
lynched
Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged transgressor, punish a convicted transgressor, or intimidate people. It can also be an ex ...
them during the next few days. All but one were men; the victims included 19-year-old
Mary Turner, who had denounced the lynching of her husband, and her eight-month-old fetus, cut from her body and also murdered at the site, on the west bank of the Little River.
A second railroad (Valdosta/Morven & Western RR) was built through Morven in the 1920s. In 1923 the town raised an $8,000 bond to provide a water system. A group of local women organized to gain installation of electric lights in August 1924. After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the first paved road was built in the community in the winter of 1948 to 1949 from
Quitman, the county seat of Brooks County.
Geography
Morven is located at (30.944263, -83.500796).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.92%, is water.
Morven is located at the junction of State Highways 76 and 94 and is west of
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...
.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
of 2000, there were 634 people, 225 households, and 152 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 250 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 41.48%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 52.05%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.16%
Native American, 6.31% from
other races
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.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 7.41% of the population.
There were 225 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 18.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.39.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.8% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,438, and the median income for a family was $25,167. Males had a median income of $21,667 versus $20,750 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $11,126. About 20.6% of families and 24.6% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 22.4% of those under age 18 and 28.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The city government consists of a five-member city council and a mayor. There are only six paid employees, consisting of a city clerk, a police chief and two patrolmen, and two maintenance people.
Major highways
*
State Route 76
*
State Route 133
*
Coffee Road
Coffee Road as it became known, was a supply trail cut through the southern Georgia frontier in the early 1820s by General John E. Coffee,
with the help of Thomas Swain. After establishing the counties of Early, Irwin, and Appling in 1819, the Ge ...
passes through the county.
Historical sites
Coffee Road
Coffee Road was opened up by the state legislature act approved December 23, 1822.
$1500 was appropriated for the road, which started near Cunningham Ford on the
Alapaha River
The Alapaha River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 18, 2011 river in southern Georgia and northern Florida in the United States. It is a tributary of the S ...
southwest through districts 10, 12, and 13 of
Irwin County continuing through Districts 18 and 23 of
Early County to intersect the Florida state line near the
Ochlockonee River
The Ochlockonee River ( ) is a fast running river, except where it has been dammed to form Lake Talquin in Florida, originating in Georgia and flowing for before terminating in Florida.
Background
The name is from the Hitchiti language words ...
.
References
External links
City of Morvenat Georgia.gov
{{authority control
Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)
Cities in Brooks County, Georgia
Cities in the Valdosta metropolitan area