kids encyclopedia robot

Telfair County, Georgia facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Telfair County
Telfair County Courthouse in McRae-Helena
Telfair County Courthouse in McRae-Helena
Map of Georgia highlighting Telfair County
Location within the U.S. state of Georgia
Map of the United States highlighting Georgia
Georgia's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Georgia
Founded December 10, 1807; 217 years ago (1807)
Named for Edward Telfair
Seat McRae-Helena
Largest city McRae-Helena
Area
 • Total 444 sq mi (1,150 km2)
 • Land 437 sq mi (1,130 km2)
 • Water 6.7 sq mi (17 km2)  1.5%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 12,477
 • Density 29/sq mi (11/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 8th

Telfair County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,477. The largest city and county seat is McRae-Helena.

In 2009, researchers from the Fernbank Museum of Natural History announced having found artifacts they associated with the 1541 Hernando de Soto Expedition at a private site near the Ocmulgee River, the first such find between Tallahassee, Florida and western North Carolina. De Soto's expedition was well recorded, but researchers have had difficulties finding artifacts from sites where he stopped. This site was an indigenous village occupied by the historic Creek people from the early 15th century into the 16th century. It was located further southeast than de Soto's expedition was thought to go in Georgia.

History

Chevronbeads
Modern example of chevron beads

Archaeologists associated with Atlanta's Fernbank Museum of Natural History have excavated a 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) plot near McRae-Helena and approximately a mile from the Ocmulgee River, beginning in 2005. In 2009 they announced finding evidence of a Spanish settlement dating to the first half of the 16th century. The archaeologists originally believed that the artifacts may have come from a settlement founded by Spanish leader Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón from Hispaniola in 1526 and briefly occupied by hundreds of colonists. The group encountered hard conditions and fewer than 200 survived to return to Hispaniola.

Additional research suggests that the site instead was one visited in 1541 by the de Soto Expedition. Researchers have recovered Murano glass beads, made in Venice, Italy, and brought by the Spanish for trading with Native Americans; pottery fragments, and iron weapons. Some of the beads bear a chevron pattern. Such beads have been identified as a hallmark of the de Soto expedition, due to the limited period of time in which they were produced. Excavations have also produced six metal objects, including three iron tools and a silver pendant.

The site is further west than scholars had earlier believed that the de Soto expedition had traveled, based on documentation from his expedition. This was the first evidence found of his expedition between Tallahassee, Florida, where excavations have revealed artifacts of his expedition, and western North Carolina where another site has been found.

What we have now is the best-documented collection of Spanish artifacts in Georgia; many are unique, and they are the only examples of certain artifacts ever found outside Florida.

This site is believed to have been a Native American community, occupied from the end of the 15th century through the first decades of the 16th century. At that time, they had neither glass nor metal goods. Blanton presented a paper on his findings on November 5, 2009, at the Southeastern Archaeological Conference in Mobile, Alabama.

The historic Creek people occupied much of this area of Georgia. Telfair County was established by European Americans on December 10, 1807, as part of Georgia. Development of the county largely took place after Indian Removal in the 1830s of the Creek Confederacy, who had occupied a large territory, including the southern two thirds of present-day Georgia, for thousands of years. They were removed to Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River, in today's Oklahoma. The county is named for Edward Telfair, the sixteenth governor of Georgia and a member of the Continental Congress.

Many of the first European-American settlers were Scottish immigrants and Scots-Irish migrants who traveled down the backcountry from Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 444 square miles (1,150 km2), of which 437 square miles (1,130 km2) is land and 6.7 square miles (17 km2) (1.5%) is water. The county contains at least 50 artesian wells.

The southern two-thirds of Telfair County, bordered by a line from Milan east to Lumber City, are located in the Lower Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. The northern portion of the county is located in the Little Ocmulgee River sub-basin of the same Altamaha River basin.

Major highways

  • US 23.svg U.S. Route 23
  • US 280.svg U.S. Route 280
  • US 319.svg U.S. Route 319
  • US 341.svg U.S. Route 341
  • US 441.svg U.S. Route 441
  • Georgia 19.svg State Route 19
  • Georgia 27.svg State Route 27
  • Georgia 30.svg State Route 30
  • Georgia 31.svg State Route 31
  • Georgia 117.svg State Route 117
  • Georgia 132.svg State Route 132
  • Georgia 149.svg State Route 149
  • Georgia 149 Connector.svg State Route 149 Connector
  • Georgia 165.svg State Route 165

Adjacent counties

Communities

Cities

Unincorporated communities

  • China Hill
  • Towns
  • Workmore

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1810 744
1820 2,104 182.8%
1830 2,136 1.5%
1840 2,763 29.4%
1850 3,026 9.5%
1860 2,713 −10.3%
1870 3,245 19.6%
1880 4,828 48.8%
1890 5,477 13.4%
1900 10,083 84.1%
1910 13,288 31.8%
1920 15,291 15.1%
1930 14,997 −1.9%
1940 15,145 1.0%
1950 13,221 −12.7%
1960 11,715 −11.4%
1970 11,381 −2.9%
1980 11,445 0.6%
1990 11,000 −3.9%
2000 11,794 7.2%
2010 16,500 39.9%
2020 12,477 −24.4%
2023 (est.) 10,920 −33.8%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1880 1890-1910
1920-1930 1930-1940
1940-1950 1960-1980
1980-2000 2010
Telfair County racial composition as of 2020
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 5,970 47.85%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 4,326 34.67%
Native American 28 0.22%
Asian 30 0.24%
Other/mixed 195 1.56%
Hispanic or Latino 1,928 15.45%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 12,477 people, 4,668 households, and 3,259 families residing in the county.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Telfair para niños

kids search engine
Telfair County, Georgia Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.