Editing Moultrie, Georgia (section)

==History==
The city was named after Gen. [[William Moultrie]],<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=REtEXQNWq6MC&pg=PA240 | title=Historical Gazetteer of the United States | publisher=Routledge | date=May 13, 2013 | access-date=November 30, 2013 | author=Hellmann, Paul T. | page=240| isbn=978-1135948597 }}</ref> the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] hero after whom [[Fort Moultrie]] was named following the successful defense of [[Charleston, South Carolina]], against the British under [[Sir Peter Parker, 1st Baronet|Peter Parker]], an anniversary subsequently celebrated as [[Minor American Revolution holidays#Carolina Day|Carolina Day]].

Colquitt County became the 115th county in Georgia by an act of the Legislature on February 25, 1856. It was named after [[Walter Terry Colquitt]], a minister, statesman and lawyer who was a military leader in the mid-1800s. In 1879, a charter was adopted and {{convert|50|acre|km2}} in the center of the county was declared the county seat.

Founders of [[naval stores]] started harvesting timber in the late 1890s. They set up [[turpentine]] stills and built [[tram roads]], allowing for the railroad to come into the territory. The [[Boston and Albany Railroad (Georgia)|Boston & Albany line]], which later became the [[Georgia Northern Railway]], was the first through town, bringing with it growth and prosperity for the county. Practically every train brought new residents interested in supplying naval stores or working in the sawmills.

By 1900, through the work of businessmen, bankers and speculators, the county was becoming a farmer's paradise.

Land was cleared and development companies began dividing the forested area into farm tracts. Experienced farmers from north Georgia and the Carolinas were invited to come and develop the land. The county's agriculture industry thrives today.