Stewart County, Georgia

Stewart County
County
Stewart County courthouse in Lumpkin
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 32°05′N84°50′W / 32.08°N 84.84°W / 32.08; -84.84
Country	United States
State	Georgia
Founded	December 23, 1830;194 years ago (1830)
Named for	Daniel Stewart
Seat	Lumpkin
Largest city	Richland
Area
• Total	464 sq mi (1,200 km2)
• Land	459 sq mi (1,190 km2)
• Water	4.9 sq mi (13 km2)  1.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,314
• Density	12/sq mi (5/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	www.stewartcountyga.gov

Stewart County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,314. ^[1] The county seat is Lumpkin. ^[2] The county was created on December 23, 1830.

History

The area was inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years in the Pre-Columbian period. Roods Landing site on the Chattahoochee River is a significant archaeological site located south of Omaha. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it includes major earthwork mounds built about 1100–1350 CE by peoples of the sophisticated Mississippian culture. Another Mississippian site is the Singer Moye Mounds, located in the southern part of the county.

The first Europeans to encounter the Native Americans were Spanish explorers in the mid-16th century. At that time the historical Creek tribe inhabited the southern two thirds of what is now defined as Georgia, west of the Low Country. they are believed to be the descendants of the Mississippian culture.

They maintained their territory until after European American settlers arrived in increasing number in the early decades of the 19th century. The ensuing conflicts ultimately resulted in most of the Creek people's being driven out of the region. In the 1830s under Indian removal, the US federal government forced most Creek to relocate west of the Mississippi River, to Indian Territory in what became present-day Oklahoma.

Stewart County was created by an act ^[3] of the Georgia General Assembly on December 23, 1830, from land that had been part of Randolph County, Georgia. ^[4] The county is named for Daniel Stewart, a Revolutionary War veteran, and fighter against American Indians. He was one of the four great-grandfathers of U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt. ^[5]

Settlers developed the area as large cotton plantations, part of the "Black Belt" of Georgia and the Deep South. Before the American Civil War, planters depended on enslaved labor of thousands of African Americans to cultivate and process the cotton for market. Mostly born in the United States, the slaves were transported from the Upper South, with many families broken up when some members were purchased through sales in the domestic slave trade.

In 1850, the county reached its peak in wealth as one of the largest cotton producers in the state. It had the tenth-largest population of any county in the state, ^[6] with 16,027 people. ^[7] African-American slaves numbered 7,373, or 46% of the population. ^[8]

By 1860, the county population was 13,422. The apparent drop was due to the counties of Kinchafoonee (later Webster County) and Quitman being created from Stewart County territory in 1853 and 1858, respectively. ^[7] There were 5,534 slaves in the redefined Stewart County, constituting more than one-third of the population. ^[9]

After the war and emancipation, cotton continued as the major commodity crop and additional territory was developed by planters for cultivation. Many freedmen became sharecroppers and tenant farmers in the area, which was agricultural for decades, but in decline. Stewart County lost its premier position when it was bypassed by developing railroads, which went to the north and south. It did not have railroad access until 1885. ^[5]

Inappropriate farming practices and over-cultivation of cotton from before the Civil War led to extensive land erosion by the early 20th century. Together with mechanization of agriculture and damage due to infestation by the boll weevil, there were losses in this part of the economy. Population declined. Up to the mid century, many blacks left the area in two waves of the Great Migration, seeking escape from Jim Crow conditions, and jobs and better lives in northern and midwestern industrial cities. Farmers shifted to cultivating peanuts and later pine trees to reclaim and restore the land. Population losses continued throughout the 20th century, as the forest and lumber industry did not require as many laborers. ^[5]

In 1965, some of the towns in the county began to redevelop their historic properties to attract tourists and expand the economy. Lumpkin, Omaha and Louvale all had relatively intact historic properties and commercial districts. Green Grove is an historic African-American community established by freedmen after the Civil War. Stewart was the first rural county in the state to use historic preservation and Main Street redevelopment to support heritage tourism. ^[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 464 square miles (1,200 km²), of which 459 square miles (1,190 km²) is land and 4.9 square miles (13 km²) (1.1%) is water. ^[10] The county is mainly located in the upper Gulf coastal plain region of the state, with a few hills due to its close proximity to the fall line.

The vast majority of Stewart County is located in the Middle Chattahoochee River-Walter F. George Lake sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin). Just the very eastern edge of the county, bordered by a north-to-south line running through Richland, is located in the Kinchafoonee-Muckalee sub-basin of the same ACF Basin, with the very southeastern corner located in the Ichawaynochaway Creek sub-basin of the larger ACF River Basin. ^[11]

Major highways

• U.S. Route 27
• U.S. Route 280
• State Route 1
• State Route 1 Connector
• State Route 27
• State Route 39
• State Route 39 Connector
• State Route 39 Spur
• State Route 520

Adjacent counties

• Chattahoochee County (north)
• Webster County (east)
• Randolph County (south)
• Quitman County (southwest)
• Barbour County, Alabama (west/CST Border)
• Russell County, Alabama (northwest/CST Border except for Phenix City as the city is jointed by the Columbus Metropolitan Area)

National protected area

• Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Communities

Cities

• Lumpkin
• Richland

Unincorporated communities

• Louvale
• Omaha
• Florence
• Sanford

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	12,933		—
1850	16,027		23.9%
1860	13,422		−16.3%
1870	14,204		5.8%
1880	13,998		−1.5%
1890	15,682		12.0%
1900	15,856		1.1%
1910	13,437		−15.3%
1920	12,089		−10.0%
1930	11,114		−8.1%
1940	10,603		−4.6%
1950	9,194		−13.3%
1960	7,371		−19.8%
1970	6,511		−11.7%
1980	5,896		−9.4%
1990	5,654		−4.1%
2000	5,252		−7.1%
2010	6,058		15.3%
2020	5,314		−12.3%
2023 (est.)	4,674	[12]	−12.0%
U.S. Decennial Census [13] 1790-1880 [14] 1890-1910 [15] 1920-1930 [16] 1930-1940 [17] 1940-1950 [18] 1960-1980 [19] 1980-2000 [20] 2010 [21]

Stewart County, Georgia – Demographic Profile
(NH = Non-Hispanic)
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity	Pop 2010 [22]	Pop 2020 [23]	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	1,655	1,338	27.32%	25.18%
Black or African American alone (NH)	2,833	2,461	46.76%	46.31%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	11	10	0.18%	0.19%
Asian alone (NH)	44	167	0.73%	3.14%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	5	0.02%	0.09%
Other race alone (NH)	9	8	0.15%	0.15%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	51	108	0.84%	2.03%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,454	1,217	24.00%	22.90%
Total	6,058	5,314	100.00%	100.00%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,314 people, 1,816 households, and 1,138 families residing in the county.

Parks and recreation

Florence Marina State Park and Providence Canyon State Park are located in Stewart County.

About 800 acres (3.2 km²) of the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge are located along the Chattahoochee River's eastern shores in Stewart County. In addition, the Hannahatchee Wildlife Management Area is a 5,600-acre (23 km²) hunting preserve.

• 
  Florence Marina
• 
  Boat Ramp at Florence Marina
• 
  Providence Canyon
• 
  Providence Canyon

Politics

Sheriff Larry Jones is the Chief Law Enforcement Officer for this county.

Stewart County is reliably Democratic. In US presidential elections between 1880 and 2020 Stewart County has only voted Republican twice.

United States presidential election results for Stewart County, Georgia ^[24]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	801	40.25%	1,182	59.40%	7	0.35%
2016	805	39.12%	1,222	59.38%	31	1.51%
2012	745	35.89%	1,323	63.73%	8	0.39%
2008	783	37.13%	1,305	61.88%	21	1.00%
2004	797	39.22%	1,220	60.04%	15	0.74%
2000	675	34.54%	1,267	64.84%	12	0.61%
1996	525	23.67%	1,537	69.30%	156	7.03%
1992	1,186	40.77%	1,540	52.94%	183	6.29%
1988	832	42.17%	1,136	57.58%	5	0.25%
1984	805	38.10%	1,308	61.90%	0	0.00%
1980	611	29.28%	1,440	69.00%	36	1.72%
1976	433	20.97%	1,632	79.03%	0	0.00%
1972	1,020	74.29%	353	25.71%	0	0.00%
1968	233	14.09%	489	29.56%	932	56.35%
1964	1,037	73.39%	373	26.40%	3	0.21%
1960	302	31.86%	646	68.14%	0	0.00%
1956	235	25.35%	692	74.65%	0	0.00%
1952	311	27.60%	816	72.40%	0	0.00%
1948	46	7.82%	276	46.94%	266	45.24%
1944	78	11.56%	597	88.44%	0	0.00%
1940	52	7.98%	600	92.02%	0	0.00%
1936	49	7.20%	628	92.22%	4	0.59%
1932	15	2.48%	588	97.03%	3	0.50%
1928	88	10.73%	732	89.27%	0	0.00%
1924	24	5.16%	408	87.74%	33	7.10%
1920	31	8.27%	344	91.73%	0	0.00%
1916	14	2.74%	474	92.76%	23	4.50%
1912	7	1.47%	452	94.96%	17	3.57%

See also

• State of Georgia portal

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

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Stewart County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 28, 2022.
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
3. Ga. Laws 1830, p 49
4. GeorgiaInfo - Carl Vinson Institute of Government History of the Stewart County Courthouse Archived April 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
5. Matthew M. Moye, "Stewart County", New Georgia Encyclopedia, January 2, 2008, accessed January 7, 2010
6. "Stewart County", New Georgia Encyclopedia, accessed January 7, 2010
7. Matthew M. Moye, "Stewart County", Georgia Info, January 2, 2008, accessed January 7, 2009
8. Georgia: County Level Breakdown, 1850 Census Archived October 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , University of Virginia Library Census Browser, accessed January 7, 2009
9. Georgia: County Level Breakdown, 1860 Census Archived October 13, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , University of Virginia Library Census Browser, accessed January 7, 2009
10. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
11. "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
12. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
13. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". United States Census Bureau.
14. "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
15. "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
16. "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
17. "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
18. "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
19. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
20. "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
21. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
22. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Stewart County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
23. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - Stewart County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
24. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 22, 2018.

Further reading

• Susan R. Boatright and Douglas C. Bachtel, eds., Georgia County Guide, Athens, GA: Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, University of Georgia, annual.
• Helen Elisa Terrill, History of Stewart County, Georgia, ed. Sara Robertson Dixon, Columbus, Ga.: Columbus Office Supply, 1958.
• Helen Terrill and Sara Dixon, History of Stewart County, Georgia, vol. 1, Fernandina Beach, Fla.: Wolfe, 1998.
• William W. Winn, The Magic and Mystery of Westville, Lumpkin, Ga.: Westville Historic Handicrafts, 1999.

External links

• "Stewart County", New Georgia Encyclopedia
• Stewart County Georgia Community Web Pages

32°05′N84°50′W / 32.08°N 84.84°W / 32.08; -84.84