• Source: Washington, Georgia

Washington is the county seat of Wilkes County, Georgia, United States. Under its original name, Heard's Fort, it was for a brief time during the American Revolutionary War the Georgia state capital. It is noteworthy as the place where the Confederacy voted to dissolve itself, effectively ending the American Civil War.
The population was 4,134 as of the 2010 census. The city is often referred to as Washington-Wilkes, to distinguish it from other places named Washington.




History


Heard's Fort was established in 1774 by colonist Stephen Heard. The settlement served as the temporary capital of the new state of Georgia from February 3, 1780, until early 1781.




= American Revolutionary War

=
The Battle of Kettle Creek, one of the most important battles of the American Revolutionary War to be fought in Georgia, was fought on February 14, 1779, in Wilkes County, about eleven miles (17.7 km) from present-day Washington. The American Patriots were victorious, taking 75 prisoners and killing roughly 70 Loyalists, while losing 32 of their own men.




= American Civil War

=
As a child, Alexander H. Stephens had studied at the school in Washington presided over by Presbyterian minister Alexander Hamilton Webster. He later became a politician and was elected as Vice-President of the Confederacy.
No major battles of the Civil War were fought in or near Washington, but the city is notable as the site where Confederate President Jefferson Davis held his last meeting with his cabinet. On April 3, 1865, with Union troops under General Ulysses S. Grant poised to capture the capital at Richmond, Virginia, Davis escaped for Danville, together with the Confederate cabinet.
After leaving Danville, and continuing south, Davis met with his Cabinet for the last time on May 5, 1865, in Washington, along with a hand-picked escort led by Given Campbell, including his personal body guard, Sgt. Joseph A Higgenbotham, Jr., of Amherst/Nelson County, Virginia. The meeting took place at the Heard house (now used as the Georgia Branch Bank Building), with fourteen officials present.




= Historic sites

=
Several historic sites in Washington are on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Wilkes County Courthouse, the Robert Toombs House State Historic Site, the Washington-Wilkes Historical Museum, the Mary Willis Public Library, Cherry Grove Baptist Church Schoolhouse, and the recently restored historic Fitzpatrick Hotel, built in 1898.




Geography


Washington is located at 33°44′7″N 82°44′29″W (33.735394, −82.741420).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.9 square miles (20 km2), of which 7.8 square miles (20 km2) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) (0.25%) is water.




Demographics



As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,754 people, 1,646 households, and 904 families residing in the city.




Education


The Wilkes County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one primary school, one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. The district has 116 full-time teachers and over 1,858 students.

Washington-Wilkes Elementary School
Washington-Wilkes Primary School
Washington-Wilkes Middle School
Washington-Wilkes Comprehensive High School
Dr. Rosemary Caddell is the Superintendent of Schools.




In popular culture


One of Washington's most lingering mysteries is that of the lost Confederate gold. As the last recorded location of the remaining Confederate gold, the Washington area is thought to be the site where it is buried. Worth roughly $100,000 when it disappeared in 1865, at 2016 prices its value would be around $3.6 million. The cable television channel A&E produced a documentary focusing on this legend.




Notable people


Edward Porter Alexander – officer in the U.S. Army, Confederate general in the American Civil War, railroad executive
James Osgood Andrew – bishop
Edward McKendree Bounds – clergyman and author
Lloyd D. Brown – United States Army major general who commanded the 28th Infantry Division in World War II
Ernie Harwell – broadcaster for Major League Baseball, "The Voice of the Tigers"
Hillary Lindsey – Grammy Award–winning songwriter
Tom Nash – professional football and baseball player
Robert Toombs – first Secretary of State of the Confederacy, slaveholder, Confederate general in the Civil War
William Henry Pope – Texas politician
Fred Thomas– guitarist for James Brown




See also



Central Savannah River Area
Jackson Chapel
List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state)
List of memorials to George Washington
National Register of Historic Places listings in Wilkes County, Georgia




References






Further reading


Davis, William C., ed. (1990). Diary of a Confederate Soldier: John S. Jackman of the Orphan Brigade. American Military History. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press. pp. 2, 5, 6, 164, 166–68. ISBN 0-87249-695-3. LCCN 90012431. OCLC 906557161.




External links



Government
Official website
General information
Geographic data related to Washington, Georgia at OpenStreetMap
Mary Willis Public Library at Bartram Trail Regional Library System
Washington-Wilkes Chamber of Commerce

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