Thomaston, Georgia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
City of Thomaston
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Thomaston-Upson County Government Administration Complex
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| Motto(s):
"One of the Best 100 Towns"
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Location in Upson County and the state of Georgia.
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| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Upson |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.74 sq mi (25.24 km2) |
| • Land | 9.54 sq mi (24.71 km2) |
| • Water | 0.20 sq mi (0.53 km2) |
| Elevation | 784 ft (239 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 9,816 |
| • Density | 1,029.04/sq mi (397.32/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
30286
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| Area code(s) | 706 |
| FIPS code | 13-76168 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0324093 |
| Website | Official City of Thomaston, Georgia Government Website: http://www.cityofthomaston.com/ |
Thomaston is a city in and the county seat of Upson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 9,170 at the 2010 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 (GA) - Gainesville (GA) - Alabama (partial) Combined Statistical Area.
Contents
History
Thomaston was incorporated on January 1, 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. Jett 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.
National recognition
In 1986 Thomaston was chosen to be one of the Top 100 Small Towns in America Towns and again in 1995, because it 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
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 570 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,181 | 107.2% | |
| 1900 | 1,714 | 45.1% | |
| 1910 | 1,645 | −4.0% | |
| 1920 | 2,502 | 52.1% | |
| 1930 | 4,922 | 96.7% | |
| 1940 | 6,396 | 29.9% | |
| 1950 | 6,580 | 2.9% | |
| 1960 | 9,336 | 41.9% | |
| 1970 | 10,024 | 7.4% | |
| 1980 | 9,682 | −3.4% | |
| 1990 | 9,127 | −5.7% | |
| 2000 | 9,411 | 3.1% | |
| 2010 | 9,170 | −2.6% | |
| 2020 | 9,816 | 7.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2020 census
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
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| White (non-Hispanic) | 4,899 | 49.91% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 4,202 | 42.81% |
| Native American | 21 | 0.21% |
| Asian | 34 | 0.35% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.01% |
| Other/Mixed | 357 | 3.64% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 302 | 3.08% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 9,816 people, 3,333 households, and 1,779 families residing in the city.
Arts and culture
National Register of Historic Places
The Upson County courthouse was built in 1908, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Pettigrew-White-Stamps House
Annual events
Thomaston hosts an annual Emancipation Proclamation Celebration each May. It is the nation's oldest and longest running emancipation celebration of its kind.
Parks and recreation
- Sprewell Bluff Park, located on the Flint River
- The Greatest Generation Recreational Park
Education
Thomaston-Upson County School District
The Thomaston-Upson County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and 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 Elementary School
- Upson-Lee Primary School
- Upson-Lee Middle School
- Upson-Lee High School
- Upson-Lee Pre-k
- Upson-Lee Alternative School
Notable people
- Dr. John H. Carter - Led effort to create MLK Memorial in Washington DC
- Dallas Raines - Weather personality at KABC in Los Angeles
- Elia Goode Byington (1858–1936), journalist
- Mike Cavan - football player at Univ. of Ga. and former head coach at SMU
- Wayne Cochran - musician (Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Riders)
- Ivylyn Girardeau - medical missionary in Pakistan
- John Brown Gordon - one of Robert E. Lee's most trusted Confederate generals during the American Civil War; governor of Georgia 1886-1890
- Frank Gordy (1904-1983) - founder of The Varsity restaurant chain
- William Guilford (1844–1909) - businessman and state legislator
- Bill Hartman - football running back for the Georgia Bulldogs and Washington Redskins before World War II
- John Holliman - broadcast journalist best known as one of CNN's "Boys of Baghdad" during the first Persian Gulf War
- Marion Montgomery - poet, novelist, educator, and critic; close friend and critic of Flannery O'Connor
- Cedric Smith - African American painter
- Coy Bowles - Grammy award-winning country artist Zac Brown Band
- Travon Walker- Georgia Bulldogs defensive lineman who led the Bulldogs to their first national championship since 1980. 1st overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars
See also
In Spanish: Thomaston (Georgia) para niños
