Fannin County was created from Gilmer and Union counties on Jan. 21, 1854 by an act of the General Assembly (Ga. Laws 1853-54, p. 298). That legislation specified Fannin County's boundaries as:

"Beginning at the North-west corner of Lot No. 163, 27th District, 2d Section, thence South to the South-west corner of Lot No. 180, 27th District, 2d Section, thence East to Lot No. 9 in the 7th District and 2d Section, thence on a straight line to the South-east corner of the 7th District and 2d Section, thence South with the district line to Lot No. 9 in the 6th District and 1st Section, thence North-east with the Blue Ridge to Lot No. 228, thence in a straight line to William Cavender's in the county of Union, thence due North to the top of the Ridge dividing the waters of Tacoah and Notley rivers, thence along the top of the said dividing Ridge North west to the head of Dooly Creek, thence in a North direction along the top of the main ridge to the North Carolina line at or near Jesse Raper's, thence along the North Carolina line to the line dividing Tennessee and Georgia, thence along said line to the starting point." [Note: Instead of lot 228, as noted above, the 1854 act specified lot "162 on the district line between 5th and 6th of the 1st Section at the Lumpkin line." However, in 1891, the legislature replaced this quoted language with "228" stating that reference to lot 162 in the 1854 act had been a "clerical error" (Ga. Laws 1890-91, p. 240).]

Georgia's 107th county was named for Col. James Fannin (1804-1836), a Georgian who fought in the War for Texas Independence and was killed at Goliad.

Historical Maps

 

1855

 

1863

 

1864

 

1865

 

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1883

 

1885a

 

1885b

 

1895

 

1899

 

1904

 

1910

 

1915

 

1952

 

1955

 

1970a

 

1970b

 

1999

 

2001a

 

2001b

© Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia

Go to Historical Atlas of Georgia Counties

Go to Fannin County Courthouse page