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Other Information:
After the county creation, William Dodge had a two-story frame
courthouse built at his expense -- presumably in appreciation
for the county having been named in his honor. In 1906 or 1907,
this courthouse was torn down and replaced by the current two-story
brick courthouse (see
early photo).
County Courthouse Historical
Marker: Click
here
County History:
Dodge County was created on Oct. 26, 1870 by an act of the General
Assembly (Ga. Laws 1870, p. 18). Formed from portions of Montgomery,
Pulaski, and Telfair counties, Dodge County's original boundaries
were defined as:
That there shall be a new county laid out and formed of
the thirteenth, (13th) fourteenth, (14th) fifteenth, (15th)
sixteenth, (16th) nineteenth (19th) and twentieth (20th) land
districts of originally Wilkinson county, (except that portion
of said land districts numbers thirteen, (13) sixteen (16)
and nineteen (19) which now lie in and constitute a part of
Laurens county) now forming parts of the counties of Pulaski,
Telfair and Montgomery; that said new county shall be called
the county of Dodge. . . .
Dodge County's borders with Pulaski and Telfair counties were
adjusted in 1872, 1874, 1875, and 1876.
Georgia's 136th county was named for former New York congressman
and industrialist William
Dodge (1805-1883). After the Civil War, Dodge served one
term in Congress and then began purchasing large amounts of land
in the area that would become Dodge County. Here, he established
a number of lumber mills and is credited as one of the pioneers
of Georgia's timber industry.
County Seat:
The act creating Dodge County directed that its county seat would
be station No. 13 on the Macon & Brunswick Railroad, which
the act also recognized as being known as Eastman. The community
that would eventually become Eastman was first settled around
1840. When the route of the Macon & Brunswick Railroad came
through after the Civil War, the settlement became a train depot
known as Station No. 13. In 1870, the town was named for William
P. Eastman, a business associate of William Dodge who settled
here that year. Eastman was incorporated on Oct. 27, 1870 by
an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1870, p. 187).
Maps
Size of County (Total
Area): 503.2 square miles
County Rank in Total
Area: 30th out of 159
Population:
Dodge County
City of Eastman
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