Washington, Georgia

Washington is the county seat of Wilkes County, Georgia, United States. Under its original name, Heard's Fort, it was for a brief time during the American Revolutionary War the Georgia state capital. It is noteworthy as the place where the Confederacy voted to dissolve itself, effectively ending the American Civil War.

The population was 4,134 as of the 2010 census. The city is often referred to as Washington-Wilkes, to distinguish it from other places named Washington.

History

Heard's Fort was established in 1774 by colonist Stephen Heard. The settlement served as the temporary capital of the new state of Georgia from February 3, 1780, until early 1781.

American Revolutionary War

The Battle of Kettle Creek, one of the most important battles of the American Revolutionary War to be fought in Georgia, was fought on February 14, 1779, in Wilkes County, about from present-day Washington. The American Patriots were victorious, taking 75 prisoners and killing roughly 70 Loyalists, while losing 32 of their own men.

American Civil War

As a child, Alexander H. Stephens had studied at the school in Washington presided over by Presbyterian minister Alexander Hamilton Webster. He later became a politician and was elected as vice-president of the Confederacy.

No major battles of the Civil War were fought in or near Washington, but the city is notable as the site where Confederate President Jefferson Davis held his last meeting with his cabinet. On April 3, 1865, with Union troops under General Ulysses S. Grant poised to capture the capital at Richmond, Virginia, Davis escaped for Danville, together with the Confederate cabinet.

After leaving Danville, and continuing south, Davis met with his Cabinet for the last time on May 5, 1865, in Washington, along with a hand-picked escort led by Given Campbell, including his personal body guard, Sgt. Joseph A Higgenbotham Jr., of Amherst/Nelson County, Virginia. The meeting took place at the Heard house (now used as the Georgia Branch Bank Building), with fourteen officials present.

Historic sites

Several historic sites in Washington are on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Wilkes County Courthouse, the Robert Toombs House State Historic Site, the Washington-Wilkes Historical Museum, the Mary Willis Public Library, Cherry Grove Baptist Church Schoolhouse, and the recently restored historic Fitzpatrick Hotel, built in 1898.

Geography

Washington is located at (33.735394, −82.741420).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.25%) is water.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,754 people, 1,646 households, and 904 families residing in the city.

Education

The Wilkes County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one primary school, one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 116 full-time teachers and over 1,858 students.
*Washington-Wilkes Elementary School
*Washington-Wilkes Primary School
*Washington-Wilkes Middle School
* Washington-Wilkes Comprehensive High School

Michelle Smith is the Superintendent of Schools.

In popular culture

One of Washington's most lingering mysteries is that of the lost Confederate gold. As the last recorded location of the remaining Confederate gold, the Washington area is thought to be the site where it is buried. Worth roughly $100,000 when it disappeared in 1865, at 2016 prices its value would be around $3.6 million. The cable television channel A&E produced a documentary focusing on this legend.

Notable people

* Edward Porter Alexander – officer in the U.S. Army, Confederate general in the American Civil War, railroad executive
* James Osgood Andrew – bishop
* Edward McKendree Bounds – clergyman and author
* Lloyd D. Brown – United States Army major general who commanded the 28th Infantry Division in World War IIAssociated Press, ''Thomasville Times Enterprise'', "Maj. Gen. Lloyd Brown, Retired Army Officer, Died in Washington," February 18, 1950
* Ernie Harwell – broadcaster for Major League Baseball, "The Voice of the Tigers"
* Hillary Lindsey – Grammy Award–winning songwriter
* Tom Nash – professional football and baseball player
* Robert Toombs – first Secretary of State of the Confederacy, slaveholder, Confederate general in the Civil War
* William Henry Pope – Texas politician
* Fred Thomas– guitarist for James Brown

See also

* Central Savannah River Area
* Jackson Chapel
* List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state)
* List of memorials to George Washington
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Wilkes County, Georgia

References

Further reading

*

External links

; Government
*
; General information
*
Mary Willis Public Library
at Bartram Trail Regional Library System
Washington-Wilkes Chamber of Commerce

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1774 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)
Cities in Wilkes County, Georgia
County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia (U.S. state)
Planned communities in the United States
Populated places established in 1774