Oglethorpe County, Georgia

Oglethorpe County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,825.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Lexington.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref>

Oglethorpe County is included in the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA Combined Statistical Area. It is the largest county in Northeast Georgia.

History

Oglethorpe County was originally part of a large tract of land surrendered by Creek and Cherokee Native Americans to the Colony of Georgia in the treaty of 1773. The county itself was founded on December 19, 1793, and is named for Georgia's founder, General James Oglethorpe.

On September 10, 1919, Obe Cox was accused of murdering a White farmer's wife. He was seized by a White mob taken to the scene of the crime, his body riddled with bullets and burned at the stake. Several thousand persons witnessed the scene. The lynching was controversial as the local black community "thanked" the mob for just killing Cox and not attacking their community.Template:Sfn After an investigation the black media of the time reported that the blacks who wrote the letter thanking the lynching "do not stand for much in the town and are excused for their utter ignorance in condoning [lynching]."Template:Sfn

See reference "The Lynching Project:Oglethorpe County"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Controversy

In June 2018, Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Office came under protest after a controversial hire was made of former Athens-Clarke County Police Officer Tyler Saulters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Saulters, who was fired from ACCPD, was involved in a controversial use of deadly force with his vehicle, striking a fleeing misdemeanor suspect<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> while attempting to apprehend him in Athens, GA. Protestors were upset that Oglethorpe County Sheriff, David Gabriel, defended the hire and the use of force by the former ACCPD officer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In April 2021, Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Davis was arrested and charged by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for two counts of aggravated assault.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The arrest stemmed from an on-duty use-of-force, in Clarke County.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Davis struck a vehicle he had already performed a traffic stop on.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After striking the vehicle, Davis discharged his duty weapon at the vehicle.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> When the vehicle fled from the unprovoked and unjustified shooting by the Deputy, the deputy pursued and involved officers from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> ACCPD requested an investigation by the GBI, which is standard in most officer involved shootings in Georgia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In August 2024, YouTuber DG Hamblin, produced interviews with a former Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Deputy about his experiences as a police officer.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref><ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> During the interviews excessive use of force by a Sheriff's commander and failure to report that use of force was discussed as well as Sheriff's commanders' interactions with the controversial Poulan Police Department.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>

On August 29, 2024, Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Deputies engaged in a pursuit with a motorcycle for a minor traffic violation (missing registration plate) inside Oglethorpe County.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the pursuit, speeds reached 100 mph (160 km/h).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to the Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Office, the Deputy pursuing the motorcycle called the chase off inside Clarke County but continued to follow the motorcycle.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The motorcyclist was involved in a collision with another vehicle at the intersection of Lexington Road and Woodgrove Road<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in Clarke County. The motorcyclist died on scene, according to the Georgia State Patrol, who investigated the collision and pursuit that led up to the fatal collision.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.7%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> The county is located in the Piedmont region of the state.

The majority of Oglethorpe County is located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. A narrow western portion of the county, in a line from just north of Woodville, through Crawford, to just south of Winterville, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. A small part of the southern portion of the county, from Maxeys east, is located in the Little River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

River

• Broad River

Adjacent counties

• Elbert County (northeast)
• Wilkes County (east)
• Taliaferro County (southeast)
• Greene County (south)
• Oconee County (west)
• Clarke County (west)
• Madison County (north)

National protected area

• Oconee National Forest (part)
• Watson Mill Bridge State Park (part)

Communities

Cities

• Arnoldsville
• Crawford
• Lexington

Towns

• Maxeys

Unincorporated communities

• Philomath
• Point Peter
• Sandy Cross
• Stephens
• Vesta

Demographics

Oglethorpe County racial composition as of 2020<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	10,903	73.54%
Black or African American	2,248	15.16%
Native American	40	0.27%
Asian	134	0.9%
Pacific Islander	5	0.03%
Other/Mixed	626	4.22%
Hispanic or Latino	869	5.86%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,825 people, 5,651 households, and 3,711 families residing in the county.

Recreation

• White Water Rafting on the Broad and South Fork Broad Rivers
• ATV and Motor Bike Park
• Sportsman Hunting: Seasonal Whitetail Deer, Turkey and Rabbit

Historic Districts and Heritage Research, Antique Stores in Historic Lexington, Agriculture and Agritourism as well as Oglethorpe Fresh Produce

In 2016, the Oglethorpe County Recreation Department was named both the District 7 and State Agency of the Year for populations under 20,000 through the Georgia Recreation and Park Association.

Transportation

Major highways

• File:US 78.svg U.S. Route 78
• File:Georgia 10.svg State Route 10
• File:Georgia 22.svg State Route 22
• File:Georgia 77.svg State Route 77

Pedestrians and cycling

The county has limited walkability options available.

Notable people

• Nathan Crawford Barnett, member of the Georgia House of Representatives and Georgia Secretary of State for more than 30 years. Raised in Lexington, and educated at the Lexington Academy
• William H. Crawford (1772–1834) - U.S. Minister to France, U.S. Secretary of War, and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
• George R. Gilmer (1790–1859) - Twice Governor
• Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809) - leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
• Wilson Lumpkin (1783–1870) - Governor
• Joseph H. Lumpkin (1799–1867) First Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court and co-founder of the Lumpkin Law School
• George Mathews (1739–1812) - Revolutionary hero and twice Governor
• Kenny Rogers - Country music performer

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Oglethorpe County, Georgia
• List of counties in Georgia

Bibliography

Notes

References

• Template:Cite book - Total pages: 375
• Template:Cite web

External links

• Oglethorpe County official website
• Watson Mill Covered Bridge State Park