Editing Evans County, Georgia (section)

== History ==
[[File:FormerCourthouse.png|thumb|right|The White Building, a three-story building used as the courthouse until 1923]]
On August 11, 1914, the [[Georgia General Assembly]] proposed a constitutional amendment to create Evans County from [[Bulloch County, Georgia|Bulloch]] and [[Tattnall County, Georgia|Tattnall]] counties. Georgia voters ratified the proposed amendment by a vote of 36,689 to 9,789<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=MZ4RAAAAIAAJ&dq=%22Constitutional+Amendment%22++%22Evans+County%22&pg=PA63 Public Affairs Information Service Bulletin], Accessed August 30, 2008</ref> on November 3, 1914, which marks the official date of Evans County's creation. The county was named in honor of [[Clement A. Evans]]. Evans was a state senator from [[Stewart County, Georgia]], a [[Brig. Gen. (CSA)#Brigadier general|Brigadier General]] in the [[Confederate States Army]], a [[Methodist]] [[Minister (Christianity)|minister]], an historian and an author.<ref name=historicalsociety>{{cite book | first=Dorothy | last=Simmons | year=1999 | title=A History of Evans County, Georgia |publisher=The Evans County Historical Society }}</ref>

The push to create Evans County came about for various reasons, most notably the desire to not have to travel so far to the court house; more office jobs; increase in businesses coming to the area, especially in regard to hotels and eating establishments and a belief that there was a minority in [[Reidsville, Georgia]] – the county seat in Tattnall County – which controlled the county.<ref name=historicalsociety/> Moreover, the entrance of the [[Savannah and Western Railroad]] into Tattnall County created a desire by landowners to have stations on their property; ultimately, these new stations led to the founding of the cities which would become part of Evans County: Bellville, Claxton, Daisy and Hagan.<ref name=tattnallcountygeorgia>{{cite book |author=The Tattnall County Heritage Committee |year=2013 |title=Tattnall County Georgia 1801–1812: The Heritage of Tattnall County |publisher=The Tattnall County Heritage Committee}}</ref>

However, not everyone was for the creation of a new county. Some of the arguments against the creation of a new county included: the idea that the difficulties with distance to the courthouse were being overcome; also, the tax burden would override any benefits from new jobs.<ref name=historicalsociety/> Evans County was approved through the constitutional amendment process because of an earlier amendment from 1904 which limited the number of counties to 145. In order to get around this amendment, a new amendment was passed which allowed for the creation of Evans County.<ref name=courthouse/>

The current Evans County courthouse was completed in 1923. The courthouse is in Claxton and was designed in the [[Neoclassical architecture#United States|neoclassical revival]] tradition by architect [[J.J. Baldwin]].<ref name=historicalsociety/><ref name=courthouse>{{cite web |title=Evans County Courthouse | url=http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/courthouses/evansCH.htm |access-date=June 18, 2009}}</ref> Prior to the building of the current courthouse, all of the county's business was held in the White Building, a three-story edifice built by Mr. R. King White and later bought by Mrs. Ben Daniel. Mrs. Daniel's husband, Dr. Ben Daniel, used the building as his office.<ref name=historicalsociety/>

The first female elected [[sheriff]] in Evans County, and in Georgia, was Mrs. [[Josie Mae Rogers]], who was appointed after the death of the late sheriff, her father Jesse C. Durrence on June 24, 1940. Later, she was elected sheriff by the people of the county.<ref name=josiemae>{{cite web |url=http://cdm.georgiaarchives.org:2011/cdm/ref/collection/vg2/id/5716 |title=Vanishing Georgia, Georgia Archives, University System of Georgia |access-date=December 9, 2013 |archive-date=December 13, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131213163315/http://cdm.georgiaarchives.org:2011/cdm/ref/collection/vg2/id/5716 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Not long after, in July 1940, Camp Stewart – which would eventually become [[Fort Stewart]] – was created after the [[United States government]] bought up several tracts of land in various counties, including Evans County. In all, it is estimated that approximately 1,500 people were displaced by the creation of the camp.<ref name=fortstewart>{{cite web |title=New Georgia Encyclopedia: Fort Stewart |url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1322&hl=y |access-date=June 18, 2009 |archive-date=June 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607014653/http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1322&hl=y |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The late 1950s and the 1960s were a time of growth in Evans County, especially in regards to health care and transportation. Beginning in 1958, Dr. Curtis Gordon Hames began research on the [[Evans County Heart Study]], which was funded by the [[National Institutes of Health]]; this study would continue until 1995 and resulted in 560 published papers on [[heart disease]], [[genetics]], cancer and other areas.<ref name=hames/> In 1964, the [[Federal Aviation Administration|FAA]] approved a site for the construction of an airport in the county, just {{convert|3|mi|km|spell=in}} northeast of Claxton.<ref name=historicalsociety/><ref name=airnav/> On December 7, 1967, after two decades of effort, Evans Memorial Hospital was opened.<ref name=historicalsociety/>

In November 1975, B.G. Tippins, a teacher at [[Claxton High School]], worked with 15 students to build a [[Miller Lil' Rascal]], a two-seat sporting biplane. This plane was the only one of its kind built.<ref name=lilrascal>{{cite book |last= Taylor |first= Michael J. H. |title=Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation |year=1989 |publisher=Studio Editions |location=London |pages=31}}</ref>

From 1980 to 1983 several buildings were placed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], including the courthouse and three homes.

On October 16, 2006, the Evans County Sheriff's Department was presented with seven bullet-proof vests by the [[Fraternal Order of Police|Georgia Fraternal Order of Police]].<ref name=FOP>{{cite web|title=Georgia Fraternal Order of Police|url=http://www.georgiafop.org/programs.htm#Evans%20Co%20SO|access-date=January 4, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111126235106/http://www.georgiafop.org/programs.htm#Evans%20Co%20SO|archive-date=November 26, 2011}}</ref>

On June 3, 2008, Evans County commissioners unanimously passed a resolution to mark August 11 as Evans County Day.<ref name=claxtonenterprise>{{cite news |title=Evans County Day set for August|author=Cory Cunningham |newspaper=The Claxton Enterprise |date=June 12, 2008 }}</ref> Since that day there have been annual celebrations of the county's founding including the 2014 centennial celebration.