Historic Sites in Seminole County

The history of Seminole County

Seminole County is one of Georgia's youngest counties. Voters ratified its creation from the western portion of Decatur County on November 2, 1920, and the new county government began operating on January 1, 1921. The name honors the Seminole people, who are said to have made their last stand in this corner of southwest Georgia. Native Americans lived along the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers from at least the thirteenth century until white settlement displaced them. The county seat, Donalsonville, was chartered as a town on December 8, 1897, and named for John Ernest Donalson, whose lumber mill, the first in the area, sparked its growth. Turpentine, timber and farming sustained the early economy, and agriculture has remained central ever since. The county built its courthouse in Donalsonville in 1922; known locally as the Two Palm Courthouse, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The landscape changed dramatically in 1957, when completion of the Jim Woodruff Dam flooded the southern part of the county and created Lake Seminole where the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers meet. In downtown Donalsonville, the renovated Olive Theatre and a mural depicting the area's farming past reflect efforts to preserve local heritage. Notable natives include Court of Appeals of Georgia judge Julian Webb and professional football player Phillip Daniels.

Sources: georgiaencyclopedia.orgdonalsonvillega.org