Thomaston, Georgia

City of Thomaston
—  City  —
Location in Upson County and the state of Georgia.
Coordinates: 32°53′30″N 84°19′37″W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Upson
Area
• Total	9.2 sq mi (23.8 km2)
• Land	9.1 sq mi (23.4 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation	784 ft (239 m)
Population (2006)
• Total	9,638-(14,898 with Sunset Village, Lincoln Park, and Hannahs Mills included.)
• Density	1,022.9/sq mi (395.4/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	30286
Area code(s)	706
FIPS code	13-76168
GNIS feature ID	0324093

Thomaston is a city in and the county seat of Upson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,638 at the 2006 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Thomaston, Georgia Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, Georgia-Alabama (part) Combined Statistical Area. 76% of Thomastonians completed the 2010 census.

History

Upson County Courthouse (Built 1908), Thomaston, Georgia

Thomaston was incorporated on June 11, 1825, and designated as the seat of Upson County. The town was named for General Jett Thomas, an Indian fighter in the War of 1812. He is also credited with assisting in the construction of the state capitol at Milledgeville in 1805-7 and Franklin College on the campus of the University of Georgia in 1806.

The town was laid out with parallel streets running north and south, east and west, with the courthouse square in the center of town.

The judges of the inferior court had the authority to sell lots to individuals on a one-third cash basis with two years to complete the payment. This money was used to build the first courthouse, which was completed in 1828. The second courthouse was completed in 1852, and the present courthouse was erected in 1908. In the southeast corner of the square is a cannonball mounted on a marble base, said to be the first fired at Fort Sumter, off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. P. W. Alexander, a noted correspondent during the Civil War (1861–65) and a citizen of Upson County, retrieved it.

A few miles south of the square is one of the oldest houses in Thomaston, the Pettigrew-White-Stamps House. Built by John E. Pettigrew in 1833, it currently serves as the Upson Historical Society Museum. The African American Museum is housed in a late 1920s three-room shotgun-style house.

The Civil War erupted on Thomaston's soil on April 18, 1865, nine days after Confederate general Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, Virginia, when Union cavalry raiders moving from Columbus to Macon embarked on three days of devastation in Upson County. The raiders, led by Major General James Harrison Wilson, looted homes, destroyed three of Upson's cotton mills, and set fire to a steam locomotive. In 1866 Thomaston's African Americans held an emancipation celebration, which has continued every year since; celebrated in May, it is the country's longest-running commemoration of freedom from slavery.

During the twentieth century Thomaston's economy was primarily based on the manufacture of textiles and tire cord. Granted a charter in 1899, Thomaston Mills shipped textiles worldwide and served as a major source of economic stability and urban growth, along with B. F. Goodrich's tire cord mill, Martha Mills. East Thomaston (established by Thomaston Mills) and Silvertown (for workers at Martha Mills, later WesTek) were typical of southern mill towns of the time.

Education

Thomaston-Upson County School District

The Thomaston-Upson County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of two elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 279 full-time teachers and over 5,009 students.

• Upson-Lee North Elementary School
• Upson-Lee South Elementary School
• Upson-Lee Middle School
• Upson-Lee High School

National recognition

In 1986 Thomaston was chosen to be one of the Top 100 Small Towns in America Towns and again in 1995, because Thomaston offers slow-paced southern charm and hospitality.

Thomaston was once again chosen among 120 towns across the nation to be listed in Norman Crampton's new book, "Making Your Move to One of America's Best Small Towns." According to an article in The Thomaston Times, dated November 4, 2002, the new book described Thomaston as "a perfect place for people looking to leave the fast-paced city life for a more relaxing environment". A press release says the book is for those "looking to raise a family in a storybook American town."

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,411 people, 3,862 households, and 2,386 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,039.4 people per square mile (401.5/km²). There were 4,152 housing units at an average density of 458.6 per square mile (177.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 62.75% White, 35.30% African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 0.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.77% of the population.

There were 3,862 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.0% were married couples living together, 21.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 77.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $24,695, and the median income for a family was $33,093. Males had a median income of $31,168 versus $20,420 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,193. About 18.4% of families and 22.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.3% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.

Industry in the city is driven primarily by manufacturing which makes up 36.5%. The second largest industry is educational, health, and social service comprising 21.0%. The third largest industry is retail trade at 11.6% of the total industry in Thomaston. The remaining portions of industry include agriculture, construction,wholesale trade, transportation, information, finance, management, administration, arts & entertainment, food service, recreation, accommodation, and public administration.

Notable residents

Gordon portrait by Mathew Brady.

• John Brown Gordon – One of Robert E. Lee's most trusted Confederate generals during the American Civil War, and was the governor of Georgia from 1886 to 1890.
• Bill Hartman – An American football running back for both the Georgia Bulldogs and Washington Redskins before World War II.
• Cedric Smith – African American painter
• Pascal "Pappy" English - Survivor Cast Member
• Evelyn Hanna - Author of the novel Blackberry Winter (1938)
• Susan Cody Pruskin - Author of many romance novels under the pen names Suzanne Ashley and Delia Carnell.
• Coy Bowles - a member of the Zac Brown Band
• Wayne Cochran - Musician, Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Riders
• John Holliman - broadcast journalist best known as one of the CNN "Boys of Baghdad" during the first Persian Gulf War
• Remington Dodgen - Former pitcher in the Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Royals organization
• Marion Montgomery (poet) - American poet, novelist, educator and critic ; close friend and critic of Flannery O'Connor
• Chas Short - 4 year letterman at Furman University, standout punter, WolfGang member

External links

• Thomaston GA