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Brooks County, Georgia

Coordinates: 30°47′5″N 83°33′39″W / 30.78472°N 83.56083°W / 30.78472; -83.56083
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Not to be confused with Brooks, Georgia.
Brooks County
County
Brooks County Courthouse in Quitman
Brooks County Courthouse in Quitman
Map of Georgia highlighting Brooks County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 30°43′44″N 83°42′54″W / 30.7289°N 83.715°W / 30.7289; -83.715
Country United States
State Georgia
Founded1858
Named forPreston Brooks
SeatQuitman
Largest cityQuitman
Area
 • Total498 sq mi (1,290 km2)
 • Land493 sq mi (1,280 km2)
 • Water4.8 sq mi (12 km2)  1.0%
Population
 (2010)
 • Total16,243
 • Density33/sq mi (13/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district8th
Websitewww.brookscountyga.us

Brooks County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 16,243.[1] The county seat is Quitman.[2] The county was created in 1858 from portions of Lowndes and Thomas counties by an act of the Georgia General Assembly and is named in honor of U.S. Representative Preston Brooks.

Brooks County is included in the Valdosta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The first Europeans, in what is now Brooks County, were Spanish missionaries from Florida who arrived around 1570. Brooks County was formed from parts of Lowndes and Thomas counties and was named for Preston Brooks, a member of Congress prior to the Civil War who is perhaps most famous for his assault on the anti-slavery Senator Charles Sumner. During the Civil War, the county was the main producer of food for the confederacy and became known as the "Breadbasket of the South."[citation needed] Brooks County is in the Plantation Trace tourist region.

Historical sites

  • Brooks County Courthouse

Located at 1 E. Screven St., Quitman, the Brooks County Courthouse was constructed in 1864 and designed by John Wind. The county's courthouse was constructed in 1864. Brooks County officials paid for the structure with $14,958 in Confederate money, a fortunate circumstance for the county, since this currency was soon to become useless

  • Brooks County Museum and Cultural Center

Located at 121 N. Culpepper, Quitman, it was originally a library. The Cultural Center provides a series of music, art, and culinary events throughout the year.

  • Mary Turner and the Lynchings of 1918

In May of 1918, a white plantation owner in Brooks County was killed by one of his African-American workers. In retaliation, white mobs hunted down and murdered at least eleven African-Americans, including twenty year old and eight months pregnant Mary Turner and her husband. After her husband was murdered by the white lynch mob, Mary Turner, on May 19, 1918, publicly condemned the murder of her husband and threatened to identify the perpetrators to law enforcement authorities. For this she was abducted by enraged whites, who hanged her by her ankles from a tree near Folsom's Bridge, burned the clothes from her body, cut her fetus from her womb, killed the fetus, and then riddled Ms. Turner's body with bullets. Following the murder of Mary Turner and her unborn baby, several other bodies were found in the area, and the perpetrator of the plantation owner's murder was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police. A white mob mutilated the corpse and dragged it through the streets by a rope around the neck for several miles, and finally burned it. Subsequently, as many as 500 African-Americans fled Lowndes and Brooks counties in fear for their lives.[3] Mary Turner's lynching drew widespread condemnation nationally, and formed the impetus for the Anti-Lynching Crusaders campaign for the 1922 Dyer Bill, which sought to make lynching a federal crime.[4] In 2010, a historical marker encaptioned "Mary Turner and the Lynching Rampage" was installed at Folsom's Bridge to remind the public of these atrocities.[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 498 square miles (1,290 km2), of which 493 square miles (1,280 km2) is land and 4.8 square miles (12 km2) (1.0%) is water.[6]

The eastern boundary of the county are the Little River (Withlacoochee River) and the Withlacoochee River which together meander along a distance of over 100 miles (160 km) to form that boundary. These river boundaries are shared with Cook and Lowndes counties. The southern boundary of the county has a mutual east-west interface of about 25 miles (40 km) with Florida, although it is not continuous. The county is actually discontinuous along the Florida border with the easternmost section about a mile east of the rest of the county. This section presently consists of only one parcel recorded as 350 acres (1.4 km2) although it has a border with Florida of almost 2 miles (3.2 km). The county shares a north-south boundary with Thomas county to the west about 26 miles (42 km) in length. It also shares an east-west boundary of 10 miles (16 km) and a north-south boundary of 3 miles (4.8 km) with Colquitt county to the northwest. The county has over 10,000 parcels of land with 19 over 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) and two over 5,000 acres (20 km2). The county is home to several endangered plant and animal species including the Pond Spicebush, the Wood Stork, and the Eastern Indigo snake.

Adjacent counties

Transportation

Major highways

Railroads

GA Bike Route 10

Georgia State Bicycle Route 10 is one of 14 bike routes across Georgia. Route 10 is 246 miles (396 km) long and goes from Lake Seminole in the west to Jekyll Island in the east. It runs a west-east route, of approximately 27.3 miles (43.9 km), through the County and passes through downtown Quitman.

Airport

BROOKS CO (4J5) Runway length 5000' Lights, CTAF 122.9 FSS Macon 122.4 [8]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18606,356—
18708,34231.2%
188011,72740.6%
189013,97919.2%
190018,60633.1%
191023,83228.1%
192024,5383.0%
193021,330−13.1%
194020,497−3.9%
195018,169−11.4%
196015,292−15.8%
197013,739−10.2%
198015,25511.0%
199015,3980.9%
200016,4506.8%
201016,243−1.3%
2013 (est.)15,516−4.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11]
1990-2000[12] 2010-2013[1]

As of the census[13] of 2000, there were 16,450 people, 6,155 households, and 4,370 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 people per square mile (13/km²). There were 7,118 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 57.36% Caucasian, 39.34% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.76% from other races, and 0.94% from two or more races. 3.07% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,155 households out of which 31.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.30% were married couples living together, 18.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.00% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.90% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 92.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,911, and the median income for a family was $32,382. Males had a median income of $26,303 versus $18,925 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,977. About 19.10% of families and 23.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.40% of those under age 18 and 20.10% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Brooks County School District offers pre-school to grade twelve. There are two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school, Brooks County High School.[14] The district has 167 full-time teachers and over 2,563 students.[15]

Government

The Government consists of a five-member Board of Commissioners. Under the guidelines of the Commissioners is a County Administrator, a Sheriff and Tax Commissioner, the Judicial System and other Boards and Authorities.

Recreation

Brooks County is well known for its wildlife. Quail, dove, ducks, and deer abound in the fields and forests. Brooks County also offers excellent fishing in its many lakes and streams, which are open to the public.

Hospital

Brooks County Hospital, a part of Archbold Medical Center, a 25-bed facility[16] was established in 1935 and has 24-hour emergency facilities.

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  3. ^ ""Remembering Mary Turner"". The Mary Turner Project. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  4. ^ Armstrong, Julie. ""Mary Turner and the Memory of Lynching"". University of Georgia Press. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  5. ^ Gullberg, Greg (May 22, 2012). ""South Georgia Citizens Fight To Keep Mary Turner's Story Alive"". WCTV.
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  7. ^ http://www.dot.state.ga.us/maps/Documents/railroad/Georgia_Rail_Map_plain.pdf
  8. ^ "4J5 - Quitman Brooks County Airport". AirNav. Retrieved 2012-12-22.
  9. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  10. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  11. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  12. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  13. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
  14. ^ Georgia Board of Education, Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  15. ^ School Stats, Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  16. ^ "Brooks County Hospital (Quitman, GA) Detailed Hospital Profile". Hospital-data.com. Retrieved 2012-12-22.

External links

Template:Georgia

30°47′5″N 83°33′39″W / 30.78472°N 83.56083°W / 30.78472; -83.56083

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