Atkinson County GENWEB index
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WELCOME TO ATKINSON COUNTY, GEORGIA

 
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ATKINSON COUNTY, GEORGIA HISTORY

Atkinson County's earliest occupants were Indians of a pre-Creek civilization; possibly of the Muskhogean cultures. The Creek Indians
later occupied the territory. The last Indian stand in the area was about 1 1/2 miles from the town of Willacoochee on the Alapaha River.
The story states that so many Indians were massacred that the river ran red with blood. The earliest settlers were comprised of Revolutionary soldiers
or their families. The territory was rich with virgin pines which the settlers used to construct homes, later contributing largely to the economy of
Atkinson County. The Satilla River (pronounced "Sentilly" locally) was the main link to the coast. The first loggers were the Tanner, Gillis, and Griffis
families of Atkinson County. The men would raft the logs down the Satilla River to Burnt Fort.

Atkinson County was created from parts of Clinch and Coffee Counties on August 15, 1917. Atkinson County was the 151st county formed with only
8 more counties to follow. The county was named for William Yates Atkinson, Georgia's governor from 1894-1898. It is bordered by the following counties:
Clinch, Coffee, Lanier, Berrien, and Ware. Atkinson County towns are Pearson, the county seat; Axson, once known as McDonald's Mill; Willacoochee; and Kirkland.

The Brunswick and Western Railroad constructed around 1875, brought a period of growth to these towns. The Brunswick and Western Railroad later
became the Atlantic Coastline. The Brunswick-Western and the Georgia-Florida Railroads intersected in Willacoochee.

Pearson was incorporated December 27, 1890 and was named after Benejah Pearson, the grandfather of Pearson's first mayor Jeff Kirkland. The city first
surveyed by R.D. Meador, had 32 (1 acre) blocks; 4 blocks east and 8 blocks north. In 1898, the city was surveyed again by T.B. Marshall into a perfect
square using the railroad as a dividing line. Pearson had a post office before Douglas due to the railroad. The postmaster from Douglas had to travel
to Pearson to collect the mail. Pearson's first postmaster was a Mr. Holtzendorff. The newspaper, The Pearson Tribune, was begun in 1915 by a Mr. Roland.
It's earliest editor, B.T. Allen. The Atkinson County Citizen began publication in September 1954 by Bird Yarbrough. Willacoochee, formerly known as Danielsville,
was the first town chartered in Atkinson County on November 12, 1889. Willacoochee is an Indian name believed to mean wildcat. Willacoochee also
had a newspaper between 1910-1930 known as "The Willacoochee Times" and other various names. Axson was named McDonald's Mill for the McDonald's
large sawmill. When the county was created, the name was changed in honor of President Woodrow Wilson's wife. About 1875 a small railroad was built
connecting Axson and Douglas. Kirkland was named for Joseph Kirkland and was a trading center before the arrival of the railroad.
One of the oldest churches in Atkinson County, Antioch Church and cemetery, is located northwest of Kirkland.


 

Cities & Communities in Atkinson County
Pearson|Kirkland|Williacoochee|Axson
 

 


MapMap by Wally Smith
 
NEIGHBORING COUNTIES
 
CLINCH | COFFEE | BERRIEN |LANIER | WARE
 
Coffee County Mailing list

We have combined Coffee and Atkinson Counties together. Please join us on the mailing list. Post your "Brick Walls"!! Subscribe to
the Coffee County,GA Mailing List by clicking here then, put subscribe in the body of your message and nothing else.
Be sure to remove all your signature tags. Send email to the list addressed to: [email protected]

My name is Melody Moore McCook and I am the person responsible for Atkinson County. Our Assistant Coordinator is Lynn Morrison Carver.
Our State Coordinator is Linda Blum Barton. Our South Central Regional Assistant is Dan Clark. If you would like to contribute
your Atkinson county information to this page, please let me know. We appreciate our contributors!

GAGENWEB LINKS

GAGenWeb Project GAGenWeb Archives USGenWeb State Index
World GenWeb Project Index The US GenWeb Archive Table Of Contents The US GenWeb Archive Project
about uploading your files

OTHER GEORGIA LINKS

Georgia State Archives Georgia Post Cards Cyndi's list of Genealogy
Sites on the Internet - Georgia
Georgia Genealogical Society Huxford Society Salzburger Society



[email protected]
Melody M. McCook / Douglas / Georgia
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This page updated October 16, 2013
 
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