Ludowici () is a city in
Long County, Georgia
Long County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The county seat is Ludowici, Georgia, Ludowici. Long County is part of the Hinesville-Fort Stewart metropolitan area, Hinesville-Fort ...
, United States. The population was 1,703 at the 2010 Census
and an estimated 2,221 in 2018.
The city is the
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 ...
of Long County.
It is a part of the
Hinesville-Fort Stewart metropolitan area.
The town, which was originally called Johnston Station, had its beginnings in the 1840s when the
Atlantic and Gulf Railroad established a stop referred to as "Four and a Half".
[New Georgia Encyclopedia](_blank)
/ref> The station was constructed across from the house of a landowner named Allen Johnston.
The Long County Courthouse and Ludowici Well Pavilion are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
History
In 1900, the population was about 300 and Johnston Station had a telegraph, post, and express offices. H. F. McKay, an African American Republican, was elected to the Georgia Senate
The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. The Georgia State Senate and the lower house of the General Assembly, the Georgia House of Representatives, comprise the bicameral leg ...
to represent Liberty County the same year. He lived in the area of Johnston Station.
In 1902, the Ludowici Roofing Tile Company built their "Dixie" plant in Johnson Station.["".][American Scene: Ludowici, Ga.]
''TIME
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
''. Monday April 27, 1970. Retrieved on March 3, 2012. In 1905, when the town erected a new high school, the Ludowici company donated towards its construction costs and provided the roofing tile. In return, on August 23, 1905, the town was renamed and incorporated as Ludowici.
The Ludowici Dixie Plant in its heyday covered more than and employed most people who resided in Long County. Tiles manufactured from this plant were stamped "Ludowici Dixie". "Dixie" tile can still be found throughout Georgia and Florida, on such prominent buildings as the U.S. Federal Building in Savannah and Flagler College
Flagler College is a private university, private liberal arts college in St. Augustine, Florida. The school was founded in 1968 and offers 37 undergraduate majors and two master's programs. It also had a Flagler College – Tallahassee Campus, ...
in St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville, the city is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spani ...
, as well as numerous homes in Ludowici and the surrounding communities. The plant closed in 1914. The Ludowici Roof Tile Company still exists, but the company's plant is in New Lexington, Ohio
New Lexington is a village in and the county seat of Perry County, Ohio, United States, southwest of Zanesville, Ohio, Zanesville and miles southeast of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 4,435 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 c ...
.
Before interstate highways were constructed, all motorists traveled on regular U.S. highways. Ludowici was at the crossroads of three U.S. highways, Routes 25, 82 and 301. Many vacationers on their way to Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
passed through Ludowici.
Speed trap designation
The city gained notoriety during the 1950s and 1960s for its aggressive traffic enforcement policies. The AAA went so far as to specifically label Ludowici as a speed trap
Speed limit, Speed limits are enforced on most public roadways by authorities, with the purpose to improve driver compliance with speed limits. Methods used include roadside speed traps set up and operated by the police and automated roadside "s ...
. Members of the local police force were allegedly engaging in manipulation of the timing of the traffic signal downtown, so as to catch unsuspecting out-of-area motorists "running" a suddenly changed red light. The switch for the stop light was located in the barber shop. The traffic light was at an intersection that was bypassed by a shortcut (Main Street – see a local map) so that local residents would not even come to the light when making the turn at the light. Thus, all the tickets went to nonresidents without the police having to be selective since no locals would be at the light. A song was also written about the town.
Then-Governor Lester Maddox
Lester Garfield Maddox Sr. (September 30, 1915 – June 25, 2003) was an American politician who served as the 75th governor of Georgia from 1967 to 1971.
A populist Southern Democrat, Maddox came to prominence as a staunch segregationist, when ...
posted billboards warning tourists to avoid the town because ticket-related corruption was so bad. Word of mouth and media exposure caused many motorists to detour around Ludowici. A 1970 ''TIME
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' article said that Ludowici was "one of the last remaining speed traps in the country."
''Reason
Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, scien ...
'' reported that it wasn't the activity of Governor Maddox that ultimately ended the speed trap activities of the town, but rather that, "In the end, Ludowici was brought down not by Maddox, but by Interstate 95. Tourists no longer had to run a gauntlet of cops and flim-flam men to reach Florida's sunnier climes, and the town faded into well-deserved obscurity."
Geography
Ludowici, in southeast Georgia, is located from the Atlantic coast. Nearby communities include Jesup to the southwest via US Routes 301, 84, and 25; Darien to the southeast via State Route 57; Hinesville/Fort Stewart
Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty and Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans, Long, and Tattnall Counties. The nearby city of Hinesville, along with ...
to the northeast via US 84; and Glennville to the northwest via US 301 and 25.
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 ...
, Ludowici has a total area of , of which , or 0.54%, are water. The city drains west to Jones Creek and east to Doctors Creek, both tributaries of the Altamaha River
The Altamaha River is a major river in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It flows generally eastward for from its Source (river or stream), origin at the confluence of the Oconee River and Ocmulgee River towards the Atlantic Oce ...
.
Demographics
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 1,590 people, 763 households, and 573 families residing in the city.
Education
Long County School District
The Long County School District, which covers the municipality, holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 119 full-time teachers and over 3,285 students.
*Smiley Elementary School
*McClelland Elementary School
*Long County Middle School
* Long County High School
Private education
* Faith Baptist Christian SchoolFaith Baptist Christian Academy
Retrieved June 23, 2010.
References
External links
City of Ludowici webpageBillboard placed by Gov. Maddox to warn motoristsHistory of Ludowici-Celadon, Inc.New Georgia Encyclopedia articleVanishing South Georgia
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Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)
Cities in Long County, Georgia
County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)
Hinesville metropolitan area