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Liberty County, Georgia

Coordinates: 31°48′N 81°28′W / 31.80°N 81.46°W / 31.80; -81.46
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Liberty County
County
Liberty County Courthouse in Hinesville
Liberty County Courthouse in Hinesville
Map of Georgia highlighting Liberty County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 31°48′N 81°28′W / 31.8°N 81.46°W / 31.8; -81.46
Country United States
State Georgia
FoundedFebruary 5, 1777; 247 years ago (1777-02-05)
Named forLiberty
SeatHinesville
Largest cityHinesville
Area
 • Total
603 sq mi (1,560 km2)
 • Land490 sq mi (1,300 km2)
 • Water113 sq mi (290 km2)  18.7%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
65,256
 • Density133/sq mi (51/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district1st
Websitewww.libertycountyga.com

Liberty County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population is 65,256.[1] The county seat is Hinesville.[2]

Liberty County is part of the Hinesville, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Savannah-Hinesville-Statesboro, Georgia Combined Statistical Area.

History

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The area that was to become Liberty County was originally occupied by the Guale Indians. In the early 16th century, the Spanish placed a Catholic mission called Santa Catalina de Guale on today's St. Catherine's Island to minister to the Guale. During the 18th century, the Guale became part of the Muscogee confederation. In 1733, Gen. James Oglethorpe negotiated with the local Muskogean Indian tribes for this land that became part of the new colony of Georgia. Settlement of the area by European settlers was sparse until 1752. In that year, a group of Congregationalists from Dorchester, South Carolina petitioned the royal government of Georgia for grants of land in an area known as the Midway District, located between the Ogeechee and South Newport Rivers. The land was granted to them, and they moved as a community with their families and Negro slaves into the area. They immediately began clearing the swamps and marshes and establishing rice fields.

On March 15, 1758, the royal government of Georgia created Saint John's Parish, which included this area between the Ogeechee River and South Newport River. The town of Sunbury was established on June 19, 1758, on the Medway River and quickly became the 2nd busiest port in Georgia, behind Savannah.

The Congregationalists who settled the Midway District were able to establish a flourishing rice culture with the use of Negro slaves to tend to the rice fields. These Congregationalists were 2nd and 3rd generations of people born in British America and had become more independent-minded and distinct in their political views from the other citizens of the colony. In 1774, they were among the first in the colony of Georgia to join the movement for the repeal of the Intolerable Acts. In 1775, unable to persuade the rest of the colony of Georgia to join with the other 12 colonies to send a representative to the 2nd Continental Congress, they sent their own representative from Saint John's Parish, Dr. Lyman Hall.

The royal government of Georgia came to an end in January 1776 when the patriotic Georgia Council of Safety arrested the governor, James Wright and took over the government of the colony. The new government, composed of many of the leading citizens of Saint John's parish, organized a convention and established the first Constitution for the State of Georgia.

On February 5, 1777, under the new constitution, the parishes of Saint John's, Saint Andrew's and Saint James' were consolidated and named Liberty County to honor the efforts of the citizens of Saint John's parish in pursuing the American ideal of liberty.[3]

Sunbury was first designated the county seat in 1784. In 1797, the seat was transferred to Riceboro, and in 1837 it was transferred again to Hinesville.[4]

1922 lynching

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Main article: Lynching of James Harvey and Joe Jordan

On July 1, 1922, James Harvey and Joe Jordan, two African American men, were lynched by a mob of about 50 people in Liberty County during an escort by police from Jesup, Georgia to a jail in Savannah, Georgia. The event drew condemnation from both the local black community and from several prominent white citizens, with the preacher at Midway Methodist Church denouncing the acts and publishing a widely circulated letter condemning the Wayne County officials of being complicit in the murders. The incident prompted an investigation by the NAACP, and in total, 22 men were indicted, with four being convicted.[5]

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 603 square miles (1,560 km2), of which 490 square miles (1,300 km2) is land and 113 square miles (290 km2) (18.7%) is water.[6]

The eastern and southern portion of Liberty County is located in the Ogeechee Coastal sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin. The northern and western portion of the county is located in the Canoochee River sub-basin of the Ogeechee River basin.[7]

Major highways

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Adjacent counties

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Communities

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Cities

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Census-designated place

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Unincorporated communities

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Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
17905,355—
18005,313−0.8%
18106,22817.2%
18206,6957.5%
18307,2338.0%
18407,2410.1%
18507,9269.5%
18608,3675.6%
18707,688−8.1%
188010,64938.5%
189012,88721.0%
190013,0931.6%
191012,924−1.3%
192012,707−1.7%
19308,153−35.8%
19408,5955.4%
19508,444−1.8%
196014,48771.6%
197017,56921.3%
198037,583113.9%
199052,74540.3%
200061,61016.8%
201063,4533.0%
202065,2562.8%
2023 (est.)69,210[8]6.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1880[10] 1890-1910[11]
1920-1930[12] 1930-1940[13]
1940-1950[14] 1960-1980[15]
1980-2000[16] 2010[17]
Liberty County racial composition as of 2020[18]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 24,004 36.78%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 27,309 41.85%
Native American 225 0.34%
Asian 1,325 2.03%
Pacific Islander 437 0.67%
Other/Mixed 4,170 6.39%
Hispanic or Latino 7,786 11.93%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 65,256 people, 23,485 households, and 16,657 families residing in the county.

Education

[edit]
Liberty County School District headquarters

Liberty County School District is the designated school district for grades K-12 for the county, except parts in Fort Stewart. Fort Stewart has the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) as its local school district,[19] for the elementary level.[20] Students at the secondary level on Fort Stewart attend public schools operated by county school districts.[21]

The Liberty district operates public schools, including the comprehensive high school Liberty County High School and the Bradwell Institute, as well as its educative middle schools Midway Middle School, Lewis Frasier Middle School, and Snelson-Golden Middle School.

They also provide a career academy, Liberty College & Career Academy (LCCA), for extra academics where students study for a profession they could seek out in the future.

In the media

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The 2014 independent film, A Promise, was filmed in Liberty County.[22][23]

Politics

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United States presidential election results for Liberty County, Georgia[24]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 9,441 41.00% 13,459 58.45% 128 0.56%
2020 7,959 37.20% 13,104 61.25% 331 1.55%
2016 6,134 37.68% 9,556 58.70% 589 3.62%
2012 5,565 34.36% 10,457 64.57% 173 1.07%
2008 5,828 35.54% 10,474 63.87% 98 0.60%
2004 6,131 47.86% 6,619 51.67% 59 0.46%
2000 4,455 44.68% 5,347 53.62% 170 1.70%
1996 3,042 37.42% 4,462 54.89% 625 7.69%
1992 2,832 35.87% 3,853 48.80% 1,210 15.33%
1988 3,100 51.24% 2,906 48.03% 44 0.73%
1984 3,229 53.53% 2,803 46.47% 0 0.00%
1980 1,507 32.18% 3,099 66.18% 77 1.64%
1976 979 22.73% 3,328 77.27% 0 0.00%
1972 2,337 65.76% 1,217 34.24% 0 0.00%
1968 592 16.78% 1,572 44.55% 1,365 38.68%
1964 1,458 39.73% 2,212 60.27% 0 0.00%
1960 929 36.88% 1,590 63.12% 0 0.00%
1956 967 52.02% 892 47.98% 0 0.00%
1952 517 26.31% 1,448 73.69% 0 0.00%
1948 121 9.98% 820 67.66% 271 22.36%
1944 122 20.23% 481 79.77% 0 0.00%
1940 102 20.00% 407 79.80% 1 0.20%
1936 49 11.64% 369 87.65% 3 0.71%
1932 18 5.84% 289 93.83% 1 0.32%
1928 203 50.25% 201 49.75% 0 0.00%
1924 39 9.38% 334 80.29% 43 10.34%
1920 175 36.61% 303 63.39% 0 0.00%
1916 26 6.95% 245 65.51% 103 27.54%
1912 29 8.12% 251 70.31% 77 21.57%
[edit]
  • Liberty County Justice Center
    Liberty County Justice Center
  • Liberty County Courthouse Annex
    Liberty County Courthouse Annex
  • Liberty County Recreation Department
    Liberty County Recreation Department

See also

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References

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General
  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Liberty County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 186.
  4. ^ Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 233. ISBN 978-1135948597. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
  5. ^ Harris, J. William (2001). Deep Souths: Delta, Piedmont, and Sea Island Society in the Age of Segregation. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 288. ISBN 978-0-8018-6563-3 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  7. ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  8. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  9. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
  10. ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
  11. ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
  12. ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
  13. ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
  14. ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
  15. ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
  16. ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
  17. ^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2014.
  18. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  19. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Liberty County, GA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022. - text list - "Fort Stewart School District" refers to the DoDEA schools.
  20. ^ "Fort Stewart Schools". Department of Defense Education Activity. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  21. ^ "Fort Stewart Education". Military One Source. Retrieved July 5, 2022. - This is from a .mil website.
  22. ^ "Film company sets premieres". www.bryancountynews.com. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  23. ^ "Georgia hears about local film industry". coastalcourier.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  24. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
Specific

31°48′N 81°28′W / 31.80°N 81.46°W / 31.80; -81.46

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