Editing Covington, Georgia (section)

==History==
Covington was founded by European immigrants to the United States. It was incorporated in 1821 as the seat of the newly organized Newton County.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=REtEXQNWq6MC&pg=PA225 | title=Historical Gazetteer of the United States | publisher=Routledge | date=May 13, 2013 | access-date=November 30, 2013 | author=Hellmann, Paul T. | page=225| isbn=978-1135948597 }}</ref> Covington was named for [[United States Army]] [[Brigadier General]] and [[United States House of Representatives|United States Congressman]] [[Leonard Covington]],<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n93 94]}}</ref> a hero of the [[War of 1812]]. The settlement grew with the advent of the railroad in 1845. Covington incorporated as a city in 1854.<ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.kenkrakow.com/gpn/c.pdf | title=Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins | publisher=Winship Press | author=Krakow, Kenneth K. | year=1975 | location=Macon, GA | pages=52 | isbn=0-915430-00-2}}</ref>

In 1864, [[General Sherman]]'s troops marched through during their [[Sherman's March to the Sea|March to the Sea]]. Although they looted the city, destroying numerous buildings, several [[Antebellum era|antebellum]] homes were spared.

===Historic districts===
The Covington Historic District and the North Covington Historic District within the city are both listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. The maps and materials describing these two districts are available for review through City Hall. The Covington Historic District contains Floyd Street and the downtown square. The North Covington Historic District contains North Emory Street and Odum Street as its hub. Both districts have an ordinance to preserve their character, regulating changes proposed for properties, and special permits may be required.

The Covington Mill Village is also a vital part of local history. The Starrsville Historic District, site of the historic settlement of [[Starrsville, Georgia|Starrsville]], is in the exurban area around Covington. The [[Newton County Courthouse (Georgia)|Newton County Courthouse]], brick store, and Salem campground are separately NRHP-listed.<ref name=nris/>