Camilla is a city in Mitchell County,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, United States, and is its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 5,187, down from 5,360 in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

History

The city was incorporated in 1858. The name "Camilla" was chosen in honor of the granddaughter of Henry Mitchell, a Revolutionary War general for whom Mitchell County was named. Camilla and Mitchell County were originally Creek country, surrendered to the United States in the 1814

Treaty of Fort Jackson The Treaty of Fort Jackson (also known as the Treaty with the Creeks, 1814) was signed on August 9, 1814 at Fort Jackson near Wetumpka, Alabama following the defeat of the Red Stick (Upper Creek) resistance by United States allied forces at ...

. Georgia divided the land ceded by Native Americans into lots to be given away in land lotteries. The lottery of 1820 awarded lands covering much of the southwest section of the state (applying only to land south of the future Lee County line and extending west to the

Chattahoochee River The Chattahoochee River () is a river in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It forms the southern half of the Alabama and Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border, as well as a portion of the Florida and Georgia border. It ...

and east to settled counties in east Georgia), including the area later known as Mitchell County. Despite having access to free land, few people moved to the region. Citizens hesitated to improve land, according to an early twentieth-century history the region "which God Almighty had left in an unfinished condition." It took approximately forty years (1820–1857) for the area to obtain its necessary legal population to become a separate county, after which Camilla became the

.Joshua Butler, "'Almost Too Terrible to Believe': The Camilla, Georgia Race Riot and Massacre, September 1868," (M.A. Thesis: Valdosta State University, 2012), pp. 17–18 (Content taken from the work with permission of the author). In the early 2000s, the city was hit by two disastrous sets of

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...

es, both occurring in the dark hours of the early morning and both going through roughly the same area. The first outbreak was on February 14, 2000; the second was on March 20, 2003.

Camilla massacre

Camilla became the site of a racially-motivated political white-on-black riot on Saturday, September 19, 1868. Determined to promote political and social reform with an organized rally, 150–300

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their owners), emancipation (granted freedom as part of a larger group), or self- ...

, along with Republican political candidates, marched toward the town's courthouse square for the rally. The local sheriff and " citizens committee" in the majority-white town warned the black and white activists of the impending violence and demanded that they forfeit their guns, even though carrying weapons was customary at the time. The marchers refused to give up their guns and continued to the courthouse square, where a group of local whites, quickly deputized by the sheriff, fired upon them. This assault forced the Republicans and freedmen to retreat as locals gave chase into the swamps, killing an estimated nine to fifteen of the black rally participants while wounding forty others. "Whites proceeded through the countryside over the next two weeks, beating and warning Negroes that they would be killed if they tried to vote in the coming election." The Camilla massacre was the culmination of smaller acts of violence committed by white inhabitants that had plagued southwest Georgia since the end of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

.^(pp. 1–2)

Beating of Marion King

On July 23, 1962, a group of

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

activists tried to visit fellow demonstrators from

Albany, Georgia Albany ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Located on the Flint River, it is the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, Dougherty County, and is the sole incorporated city in that county. Located in Southwest Geo ...

, who had been jailed in Camilla. While the rally took place, Marion King, wife of

Albany Movement The Albany Movement was a desegregation and voters' rights coalition formed in Albany, Georgia, in November 1961. This movement was founded by local black leaders and ministers, as well as members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Commi ...

's vice president Slater King, was beaten to the ground and kicked by Camilla police guards until she was unconscious. Mrs. King was pregnant at the time and had her young children with her. She suffered a

miscarriage Miscarriage, also known in medical terms as a spontaneous abortion, is an end to pregnancy resulting in the loss and expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the womb before it can fetal viability, survive independently. Miscarriage before 6 weeks ...

after the ordeal. The 2012 song "Camilla" from the eponymous album by Caroline Herring pays a tribute to Mrs. King's memory.

Geography

Camilla is located in central Mitchell County at (31.230243, −84.209102). U.S. Route 19 is the main highway through the city, passing east of the downtown. US 19 leads north to Albany and southeast to Thomasville. State Routes 37 and 112 pass through the center of Camilla as Broad Street. Route 37 leads east to Moultrie and northwest to Newton, while Route 112 leads northeast to

Sylvester Sylvester or Silvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective ''silvestris'' meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun ''silva'' meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with ''i''. In Classical Latin, ''y'' represented a ...

and south to

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

. State Route 97 leads southwest from Camilla to Bainbridge. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.20%, are water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Camilla has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. Camilla has a relatively wet climate with high precipitation year-round, as typical of the eastern United States. Its southerly latitude in Georgia causes a greater tropical influence resulting in very mild winters in comparison with

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

for example.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,187 people, 1,926 households, and 1,325 families residing in the city.

Education

Mitchell County School District

The

Mitchell County School District The Mitchell County School District is a public school district in Mitchell County, Georgia, Mitchell County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, based in Camilla, Georgia, Camilla. It serves the communities of Baconton, Georgia, Bac ...

holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one elementary school that's in Baconton GA, a middle school, a high school, and one charter school. The district has 176 full-time teachers and over 2,855 students. The Mitchell County Head Start Center opened in 2001. District schools include: *South Mitchell County Elementary School *North Mitchell County Elementary School *Mitchell County Middle School * Mitchell County High School

Charter school

*Baconton Community Charter School

Private education

*Westwood Schools

Higher education

Andersonville Theological Seminary has its headquarters based in Camilla. The

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

seminary is accredited through the Association of Independent Christian College and Seminaries. The

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

's headquarters consists of two administrative buildings. It's widely reported by former students that the seminary is a

diploma mill A diploma mill or degree mill is a business that sells illegitimate diplomas or academic degrees, respectively. The term ''diploma mill'' is also used pejoratively to describe any educational institution with low standards for admission and gradua ...

where sub-standard degrees are given for little or no actual coursework.

Government

The legislative authority of the government of the City of Camilla is vested in the six-member Council. Council members serve for terms of four years and until their respective successors are elected and qualified. Three members are elected from and by the voters of Council District No. 1, and three members are elected from and by the voters of Council District No. 2. ;Mayor: * Mayor Kelvin Owens (term expires December 31, 2023) ;Council members: * W.D. Palmer, III (District 2; term expires December 31, 2025) * Raymond Dewayne Burley (District 1; term expires December 31, 2025) * Corey Morgan (District 1; term expires December 31, 2023) * Steve Collins (District 2; term expires December 31, 2023) * Venterra Pollard (District 1; term expires December 31, 2025) * Laura Beth Tucker (District 2; term expires December 31, 2025)

Transportation

* U.S. Highway 19 is the major travel route through the city, connecting Camilla to Albany in the north and Thomasville to the south *

Georgia State Route 112 State Route 112 (SR 112) is a state highway that travels in a generally southwest-to-northeast orientation in the southwestern and central parts of the U.S. state of Georgia. It passes through portions of Grady, Mitchell, Worth, ...

connects

to the south and

to the northeast *

Georgia State Route 37 State Route 37 (SR 37) is a State highway (US), state highway that travels west-to-east through portions of Clay County, Georgia, Clay, Calhoun County, Georgia, Calhoun, Baker County, Georgia, Baker, Mitchell County, Georgia, Mitchel ...

connects Moultrie to the east * Georgia State Route 311 and Georgia State Route 97 connects Bainbridge to the southeast

Notable people

* Kathryn Stripling Byer (1944–2017), poet and teacher; North Carolina Poet Laureate 2005–2009 *

Oscar Branch Colquitt Oscar Branch Colquitt (December 16, 1861 – March 8, 1940) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of Texas, 25th governor of Texas from January 17, 1911, to January 19, 1915. He was a member of the Democratic Party ...

(1861–1940), former governor of Texas * Danny Copeland (born 1966), NFL

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

; Super Bowl winner with

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

Tiger Flowers Theodore "Tiger" Flowers (February 14, 1895 – November 16, 1927) was an American professional boxer. Nicknamed "The Georgia Deacon", he rose to prominence in the early 20th century, becoming the first African-American World Middleweight Box ...

(1895–1927), first Black middleweight boxing champion of the world * James Griffin (born 1961), ex-NFL safety with

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

* Krysta Harden, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture * Jumaine Jones (born 1979), professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

forward for Bnei HaSharon of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

* Fred Nixon (born 1958), ex-NFL player with

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

* Grover Stewart, NFL

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

* Orson Swindle (born 1937),

US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...

colonel and former

POW POW is "prisoner of war", a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. POW or pow may also refer to: Music * P.O.W (Bullet for My Valentine song), "P.O.W" (Bull ...

with

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Gallery

File:Camilla Fire Department.jpg, Camilla Fire Department File:City of Camilla Public Safety Complex.jpg, City of Camilla Public Safety Complex, which is attached to the fire station

References

External links

*
Camilla Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Mitchell County, Georgia County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)