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Other Information:
In an act of Dec. 23, 1822, the legislature authorized Crawford
County's initial inferior court to select a site to serve as
county seat and provide for construction of a courthouse (Ga.
Laws 1822, p. 23). The same act provided that until a courthouse
could be built, Crawford County courts and elections would be
held at the house of Imlay Vansciver. In Dec. 1823, the legislature
designated Knoxville as county seat. At some point thereafter,
Crawford County's first courthouse was built. That structure
burned in 1829 or 1830. The following year, construction of a
new courthouse began. The new building was completed in Jan.
1832. Since then, there have been numerous repairs and remodeling,
with extensive interior renovations and construction of a small
addition in the late 1960s. In 2001-02, a new courthouse was
built one block behind the old courthouse. The historic structure
(see
photo) may became the home of the Crawford County Historical
Society).
County Courthouse Historical
Marker: Click
here
County History:
Crawford County was one of four counties created on Dec. 9, 1822,
by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1822, p. 21). Crawford
County was created entirely from Houston County. In 1824, portions
of the Crawford County were used to create Upson County. In 1826,
the portion of the Old Creek Agency Reserve on the east side
of the Flint River was added to Crawford County (Ga. Laws 1826,
p. 60). Georgia's 57th county was named for William
H. Crawford (1772-1834), former U.S. Senator and U.S. Secretary
of the Treasury, as well as Georgia's first candidate for U.S.
President (1824).
County Seat:
In an act of Dec. 23, 1822, the legislature authorized Crawford
County's inferior court to select a site for the county seat,
with a provision that such site "be as near the centre of
the county as convenience will admit" (Ga. Laws 1822, p. 23).
In an act of Dec. 10, 1823, the legislature designated Knoxville
as county seat (Ga. Laws 1823, p. 170). Knoxville was named for
Revolutionary War Gen.
Henry Knox (1750-1806), who in 1789 became the first U.S.
Secretary of War. The legislature incorporated Knoxville in an
act of Dec. 24, 1825 (Ga. Laws 1825, p. 183).
Around 1890, a new railroad was built through the middle of
Crawford County following a north-south route. For whatever reason,
the railroad's path came near -- but skipped -- the county seat.
A train station was built one mile southwest of Knoxville, which
became known as Roberta. In the years that followed, most Knoxville
residents moved to Roberta. Eventually, Knoxville ceased functioning
as a town, although its charter was never repealed. By the 1990s,
Knoxville was one of over 100 Georgia towns that provided few
if any services to their citizens but legally retained the status
of an incorporated municipality. In an effort to deal with this
problem, the General Assembly enacted legislation in 1993 mandating
that any incorporated city in Georgia must provide its citizens
with at least three municipal services or lose its charter (O.C.G.A.
sec. 36-30-7.1).
Though given a grace period to comply, over 100 small or inactive
towns -- including Knoxville -- lost their municipal charters
on July 1, 1995. At that point, they became unincorporated communities
under the jurisdiction of their county governments. Today, Crawford,
Columbia, and Echols are the only Georgia counties with an unincorporated
community serving as county seat.
Maps
Size of County (Total
Area): 326.5 square miles
County Rank in Total
Area: 92nd out of 159
Population:
Crawford County
Unincorporated Community of Knoxville
- The U.S. Census Bureau does not collect official population
figures for unincorporated communities
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