Editing Washington, Georgia

{{About|the city of Washington in Georgia|other uses|Washington (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|Washington County, Georgia}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
 | name                     = Washington, Georgia
 | settlement_type          = [[City]]
 | image_skyline            = Robert Toombs State Historic Site.jpg
 | image_caption            = The [[Robert Toombs House State Historic Site]], also a [[National Historic Landmark]]
 | image_map                = Wilkes_County_Georgia_Incorporated_and_Unincorporated_areas_Washington_Highlighted.svg
 | map_caption              = Location in [[Wilkes County, Georgia|Wilkes County]] and the state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
 | image_flag               = Flag of Washington, Georgia.png
 | pushpin_map              = USA
 | pushpin_label            = Washington
 | pushpin_relief           = yes
 | pushpin_map_caption      = Location of Washington in the US
 | coordinates              = {{coord|33|44|12.5|N|82|44|21.5|W|region:US-GA_type:city|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
 | subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
 | subdivision_name         = {{flag|United States}}
 | subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
 | subdivision_name1        = {{flagdeco|Georgia (U.S. state)}} [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]
 | subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Georgia (U.S. state)|County]]
 | subdivision_name2        = [[Wilkes County, Georgia|Wilkes]]
 | leader_title             = [[Mayor]]
 | leader_name              = Bruce Baily
 | leader_title1            = [[City council|Council]]
 | leader_name1             = Washington City Council
 | established_title        = Settled
 | established_date         = 1774
 | established_title2       = Incorporated
 | established_date2        = 1804
 | founder                  = [[Stephen Heard]]
 | named_for                = [[George Washington]]
 | unit_pref                = Imperial
 | area_total_km2           = 20.08
 | area_land_km2            = 19.94
 | area_water_km2           = 0.14
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 7.75
 | area_land_sq_mi          = 7.70
 | area_water_sq_mi         = 0.05
 | population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
 | population_total         = 3754
 | population_density_km2   = 188.29
 | population_density_sq_mi = 487.66
 | population_demonym       = Washingtonian
 | timezone                 = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
 | utc_offset               = -5
 | timezone_DST             = EDT
 | utc_offset_DST           = -4
 | elevation_m              = 185
 | elevation_ft             = 607
 | postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
 | postal_code              = 30673
 | area_code                = [[Area codes 706 and 762|706/762]]
 | blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
 | blank_info               = 13-80704<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref>
 | blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
 | blank1_info              = 0356620<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=2008-01-31|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=2007-10-25}}</ref>
 | website                  = {{URL|cityofwashingtonga.gov}}
 | pop_est_as_of            = 
 | pop_est_footnotes        = 
 | population_est           = 
 | area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_13.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=December 18, 2021}}</ref>
 | population_footnotes     = 
}}

'''Washington''' is the [[county seat]] of [[Wilkes County, Georgia]], United States.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=2011-06-07|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> Under its original name, Heard's Fort, it was for a brief time during the American Revolutionary War the Georgia state capital. It is noteworthy as the place where the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] voted to dissolve itself, effectively ending the [[American Civil War]].

The population was 4,134 as of the 2010 census. The city is often referred to as Washington-Wilkes, to distinguish it from other places named Washington.

==History==
Heard's Fort was established in 1774 by colonist [[Stephen Heard]]. The settlement served as the temporary [[Capital (political)|capital]] of the new state of Georgia from February 3, 1780, until early 1781.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kudcom.com/www/mark/mark29.html|title=Washington, Georgia|website=www.kudcom.com}}</ref>

===American Revolutionary War===
The [[Battle of Kettle Creek]], one of the most important battles of the American Revolutionary War to be fought in Georgia, was fought on February 14, 1779, in Wilkes County, about {{convert|11|mi|km|spell=in}} from present-day Washington. The American Patriots were victorious, taking 75 prisoners and killing roughly 70 Loyalists, while losing 32 of their own men.

===American Civil War===
As a child, [[Alexander H. Stephens]] had studied at the school in Washington presided over by [[Presbyterian Church (USA)|Presbyterian]] minister Alexander Hamilton Webster. He later became a politician and was elected as vice-president of the Confederacy.

No major battles of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] were fought in or near Washington, but the city is notable as the site where Confederate President [[Jefferson Davis]] held his last meeting with his cabinet. On April 3, 1865, with Union troops under General [[Ulysses S. Grant]] poised to capture the capital at [[Richmond, Virginia]], Davis escaped for [[Danville, Virginia|Danville]], together with the Confederate cabinet.

After leaving Danville, and continuing south, Davis met with his Cabinet for the last time on May 5, 1865, in Washington, along with a hand-picked escort led by Given Campbell, including his personal body guard, Sgt. Joseph A Higgenbotham Jr., of Amherst/Nelson County, Virginia. The meeting took place at the Heard house<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kudcom.com/www/hpage9.html|title=Washington, Georgia|website=www.kudcom.com}}</ref> (now used as the Georgia Branch Bank Building), with fourteen officials present.

===Historic sites===
Several historic sites in Washington are on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], including the [[Wilkes County Courthouse (Georgia)|Wilkes County Courthouse]], the [[Robert Toombs House State Historic Site]], the [[Washington-Wilkes Historical Museum]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kudcom.com/www/att02.html|title=Washington, Georgia|website=www.kudcom.com}}</ref> the [[Mary Willis Library|Mary Willis Public Library]],<ref name=info>{{cite web|url=http://www.n-georgia.com/mary-willis-library.html|publisher=n-georgia.com|title=General Info|access-date=14 July 2011}}</ref> [[Cherry Grove Baptist Church Schoolhouse]], and the recently restored historic [[Fitzpatrick Hotel]], built in 1898.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thefitzpatrickhotel.com/past-and-present/a-brief-history/|title=The Fitzpatrick Hotel in Washington, Georgia – A Brief History|website=thefitzpatrickhotel.com}}</ref>

==Geography==
Washington is located at {{Coord|33|44|7|N|82|44|29|W|type:city}} (33.735394, −82.741420).<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2011-04-23|date=2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|7.9|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|7.8|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.04|sqmi|km2}} (0.25%) is water.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1810= 596
|1820= 695
|1850= 462
|1870= 1506
|1880= 2199
|1890= 2631
|1900= 3300
|1910= 3065
|1920= 4208
|1930= 3158
|1940= 3537
|1950= 3802
|1960= 4440
|1970= 4094
|1980= 4662
|1990= 4279
|2000= 4295
|2010= 4134
|2020= 3754
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=}}</ref><br> 1850-1870<ref name=1870CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1870|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1870/population/1870a-13.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref> 1870-1880<ref name=1880CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1880|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1880/vol-01-population/1880_v1-09.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref><br> 1890-1910<ref name=1910CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1910 Census of Population - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1910|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/abstract/supplement-ga.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|page=}}</ref> 1920-1930<ref name=1930CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1930 Census of Population - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1930|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/03815512v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=|pages=251–256}}</ref><br> 1940<ref name=1940CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1940 Census of Population - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1940|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-volume-1/33973538v1ch04.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1950<ref name=1950CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1950 Census of Population - Georgia |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1950|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-2/37779083v2p11ch2.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1960<ref name=1960CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1960|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-volume-1/vol-01-12-c.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref><br> 1970<ref name=1970CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1970|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1970a_ga-01.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1980<ref name=1980CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1980|url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1980a_gaABC-01.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 1990<ref name=1990CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 1990|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cph-5/cph-5-12.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref><br> 2000<ref name=2000CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 2000|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2003/dec/phc-3-12.pdf |accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref> 2010<ref name=2010CensusGA>{{Cite web|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= 2010 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia  |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|date= 2010|url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2010/cph-2/cph-2-12.pdf|accessdate=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref>
}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Washington racial composition 2020<ref>{{Cite web|title=Explore Census Data|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US1380704&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|access-date=2021-12-07|website=data.census.gov}}</ref>
!Race
!Num.
!Perc.
|-
|[[White (U.S. Census)|White]]
|1,226
|32.66%
|-
|[[African American (U.S. Census)|Black or African American]]
|2,277
|60.66%
|-
|[[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]]
|12
|0.32%
|-
|[[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]]
|24
|0.64%
|-
|[[Race (United States Census)|Other/Mixed]]
|122
|3.25%
|-
|[[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]]
|93
|2.48%
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 3,754 people, 1,646 households, and 904 families residing in the city.

==Education==

The [[Wilkes County School District]] holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one primary school, one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school.<ref>[http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/ReportingFW.aspx?PageReq=111&PID=62&PTID=69&CountyId=757&T=0&FY=2009 Georgia Board of Education], Retrieved June 30, 2010.</ref> The district has 116 full-time teachers and over 1,858 students.<ref>[http://www.school-stats.com/GA/WILKES/WILKES_COUNTY.html School Stats], Retrieved June 30, 2010.</ref>
*Washington-Wilkes Elementary School
*Washington-Wilkes Primary School
*Washington-Wilkes Middle School
*[[Washington-Wilkes Comprehensive High School]]

Michelle Smith is the Superintendent of Schools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wilkes.k12.ga.us/|title=Wilkes County Board of Education|publisher=Wilkes County Schools |access-date=2012-06-16}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
One of Washington's most lingering mysteries is that of the lost Confederate gold.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kudcom.com/www/gold.html|title=Washington, Georgia – Lost Confederate Gold|website=www.kudcom.com}}</ref> As the last recorded location of the remaining Confederate gold, the Washington area is thought to be the site where it is buried. Worth roughly $100,000 when it disappeared in 1865, at 2016 prices its value would be around $3.6 million. The cable television channel [[A&E (TV channel)|A&E]] produced a documentary focusing on this legend.

==Notable people==
* [[Edward Porter Alexander]] – officer in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]], [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] general in the [[American Civil War]], railroad executive
* [[James Osgood Andrew]] – bishop
* [[Edward McKendree Bounds]] – clergyman and author
* [[Lloyd D. Brown]] – [[United States Army]] [[Major General (United States)|major general]] who commanded the [[28th Infantry Division (United States)|28th Infantry Division]] in [[World War II]]<ref>Associated Press, ''Thomasville Times Enterprise'', "Maj. Gen. Lloyd Brown, Retired Army Officer, Died in Washington," February 18, 1950</ref>
* [[Ernie Harwell]] – broadcaster for Major League Baseball, "The Voice of the Tigers"
* [[Hillary Lindsey]] – [[Grammy Award]]–winning songwriter
* [[Tom Nash (American football)|Tom Nash]] – professional football and baseball player
* [[Robert Toombs]] – first Secretary of State of the Confederacy, slaveholder, [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] [[General officer|general]] in the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]
* [[William Henry Pope (U.S. politician)|William Henry Pope]] – [[Texas]] politician
* [[Fred Thomas (bassist)|Fred Thomas]]– guitarist for [[James Brown]]

==See also==
{{Portal|Georgia (U.S. state)}}
* [[Central Savannah River Area]]
* [[Jackson Chapel]]
* [[List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
* [[List of memorials to George Washington]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Wilkes County, Georgia]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |editor-last=Davis |editor-first=William C. |editor-link=William C. Davis (historian) |date=1990 |title=Diary of a Confederate Soldier: John S. Jackman of the Orphan Brigade |series=American Military History |location=Columbia, South Carolina |publisher=[[University of South Carolina Press]] |pages=[https://archive.org/details/diaryofconfedera00jack/page/2 2, 5, 6, 164, 166–68] |isbn=0-87249-695-3 |lccn=90012431 |oclc=906557161 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/diaryofconfedera00jack/page/2 }}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|wikt=no|commonscat=yes|n=no|q=no|s=The New International Encyclopædia/Washington (Georgia)|b=no|voy=no|v=no|d=Q166186}}
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; Government
*{{Official website|http://www.cityofwashingtonga.gov/|Official website}}
; General information
*{{osmrelation-inline|119435}}
*[http://www.btrl.net/public-library-georgia-branch-mary-willis.php Mary Willis Public Library] at [[Bartram Trail Regional Library System]]
*[http://www.washingtonwilkes.org/ Washington-Wilkes Chamber of Commerce]
<!-- EDITORS NOTE: Please follow the [[WP:EL]] guideline where possible and consider discussing on the talk page. Thank you. -->

{{Wilkes County, Georgia}}
{{Central Savannah River Area}}
{{Georgia county seats}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1774 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Cities in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Cities in Wilkes County, Georgia]]
[[Category:County seats in Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Former state capitals in the United States|Georgia (U.S. state)]]
[[Category:Planned communities in the United States]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1774]]