Historic Sites in Jones County

The history of Jones County

Jones County was created in 1807 as Georgia's thirty-second county, formed from land the Muscogee (Creek) Nation had ceded in 1806 and parceled out to settlers by land lottery in lots of 202.5 acres. It was named for James Jones, a protege of Governor James Jackson and an opponent of the Yazoo land fraud. Native trails and trading paths crossed the area, including the Lower Creek Trading Path, which later became the Garrison Road. Plantation agriculture built on enslaved labor filled the county quickly: in 1820 it was Georgia's most densely populated county, and its seat, Clinton, was the state's fourth-largest town. In 1849 Samuel Griswold founded the industrial village of Griswoldville, whose pistol works supplied the Confederacy with more sidearms than any other private company. Two notable engagements followed in 1864. Cavalry fought at Sunshine Church that summer, and on November 22 Georgia militia suffered heavy losses attacking a Union brigade at Griswoldville, the first infantry battle of Sherman's March to the Sea. The county seat moved from Clinton to Gray in 1905. Natives and residents included Harrison Berry, an enslaved man who published writings on slavery, and Governor William J. Northen. Visitors can see the Old Clinton historic district, the Griswoldville battlefield, the 1906 Romanesque Revival courthouse, and Jarrell Plantation State Historic Site.

Sources: georgiaencyclopedia.orgen.wikipedia.org