Jakin, Georgia

Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Jakin is a city in Early County, Georgia, United States. Incorporated in 1895, Jakin's population was 131 in 2020.

History

Early County was created by an act of the General Assembly on December 15, 1818.<ref>Georgia.gov, Early County</ref> Land lots of Template:Convert surveyed in 1819 and 1820 were distributed by the state in lotteries. Jakin is in the 26th land district in the southernmost end of the county.

As early as 1817 settlers began moving into the area and began to build on the old Indian paths along the river. These old paths became the Old River Road in 1820 and a post road by the mid-1820s. The post riders were often harassed by Indians. As the forests along the river were cleared, large plantations and fine frame homes began to appear. The Chattahoochee River, Template:Convert to the west, was the main source of transportation, bearing downstream huge square-cut timbers to Apalachicola, Florida, for ship building and turpentine for export, and bearing cotton upstream to the cotton mills in Columbus. In 1821 the Armstrong and Attaway Company built the first cotton gin at nearby Saffold Navy Yard.

The first families established here were the Allens, Rambos, Donalsons, Harrells, Shewmakes, Saffolds, Johnsons, Hayes, Gibsons, Crawfords, and Moodys. In 1828 a road was made from Blakely to Bainbridge on which settled the Hodges, Warrens, Minters, Easoms and Perrys. These families pioneered what became Jakin.

In May 1878 C.A. Minter, a physician, purchased three lots, roughly Template:Convert of land, for $10 and a shotgun. The first mayor of Jakin, James Morris "Major" Bivings, named the town "Jakin" after one of the columns of Solomon's temple.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In addition to small farm agriculture, Jakin's early economic growth resulted from turpentine. The unspoiled longleaf pine forests were prime resources, first for turpentine then lumber. Bivings and his partner, James W. Duke of Chicago, founded the Duke and Bivings Lumber Company complete with housing, commissary and post office. Bivings served as the first postmaster. On January 3, 1898, the Flowers Company purchased the lumber mill for $20,000. In addition to machines, buildings and materials, the purchase included Template:Convert of land and a railway. According to published town history, an estimated 1,000 workers were employed by the mill. In 1903 Jakin's population was 2,000. World War I and deforestation led to the closure of the lumber mill in 1918.

Agriculture served as Jakin's main industry until 1963, with Great Northern Nekoosa's purchase of a family-owned lumber mill which later became Great Southern Paper, which also ran a plywood mill in nearby Cedar Springs. Great Southern Paper was acquired by Georgia-Pacific in 1990.<ref>Georgia Pacific website history</ref> In 2005 GP was acquired by the privately held Koch Industries. Despite changing ownership, the mill has operated continuously.

Geography

Jakin is located in southern Early County at Template:Coord (31.090574, -84.983179).<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref> U.S. Route 84 passes through the southern part of the town, leading southeast Template:Convert to Donalsonville and northwest Template:Convert to Dothan, Alabama. Blakely, the Early County seat, is Template:Convert to the north via Jakin Road.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Jakin has a total area of Template:Convert, all land.<ref name="Census 2010">Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

As of the census<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 157 people, 71 households, and 42 families residing in the city. In 2020, its population was 131.

Education

Jakin is served by the Early County School District schools in Blakely: Early County Elementary School, Early County Middle School, and Early County High School.

It was formerly the site of Jakin High School.<ref>"Jakin High School Year Books." City of Jakin. Retrieved on July 1, 2017.</ref>

Notable person

• Isabelle Daniels Holston, 1956 Olympic bronze medal winner<ref>Tennessee State University library, Holston biography</ref>

References

• Centennial History Committee (1995) Jakin Remembers
• Gretchen Geisinger (1999) On Solomon's Porch South Georgia Folklife Project, Valdosta State University

External links

• City of Jakin