Swainsboro
Georgia
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City Of Swainsboro
It was late in 1822 that the town of Swainsboro was established by the legislature as the county seat of Emanuel County. There is no sure evidence of the derivation of the name; at that time the governor of North Carolina was named Swain, and some of his relatives lived in the vicinity of the new town. The name is unique; there is only one Swainsboro in the world.Swainsboro did not become an incorporated town until 1900, 78 years after its founding. Jesse Thompson, Sr.(pictured to the left) was Mayor then, and during his administration the village built its own power plant and deep well, and erected a few streetlights. By 1905, Swainsboro had its first school. There was not a church building until 1875.
Stories abound. There is the one about the location; it seems that a group of leading citizens, out on the old Savannah Road, looked about for a site that would be poor land for farming, and decided to put the town there.There is the story about the location of a new school. Col. Bob Williams wanted it in "Bobtown," where North Main is now, and Judge Kirkland wanted it on "Monte Sano" near his home at Dawson and Herrington. They finally compromised and put it halfway between, on Church Street near Racetrack.
Racetrack was so named because men with newfangled automobiles liked to show them off. The community nearby was known as "Mechanicsville."
Early in its corporate life the town depended on railroads for transportation. The Wadley-Southern connected with the Central of Georgia at Wadley, and the Georgia and Florida ran all the way to Augusta.In the 1930's many of the town's streets and sidewalks were paved, and Swainsboro found itself at the intersection of two major national highways, US 1 and US 80. US 1 was the principal highway from Maine to Key West. US 80, at that time, ran from Tybee to San Diego. The Coleman Hotel and the Tick Tock Café were both popular with north/south travelers.
Swainsboro Vocational-Tech School was opened in 1963, and Emanuel County Junior College opened ten years later. Both schools have subsequently changed their names to Swainsboro Technical College and East Georgia College, respectively.Timber was, and still is, the region's principal product. In Swainsboro's early history, logs were hauled by mules and wagons to the Ohoopee River, thence to be rafted all the way to Darien on the coast. Railroads later took over the job, and then, trucks shared the work. Swainsboro had its sawmills and turpentine stills, and has been host to the annual Pine Tree Festival since 1946.
Stories abound. There is the one about the location; it seems that a group of leading citizens, out on the old Savannah Road, looked about for a site that would be poor land for farming, and decided to put the town there.There is the story about the location of a new school. Col. Bob Williams wanted it in "Bobtown," where North Main is now, and Judge Kirkland wanted it on "Monte Sano" near his home at Dawson and Herrington. They finally compromised and put it halfway between, on Church Street near Racetrack.
Racetrack was so named because men with newfangled automobiles liked to show them off. The community nearby was known as "Mechanicsville."
Early in its corporate life the town depended on railroads for transportation. The Wadley-Southern connected with the Central of Georgia at Wadley, and the Georgia and Florida ran all the way to Augusta.In the 1930's many of the town's streets and sidewalks were paved, and Swainsboro found itself at the intersection of two major national highways, US 1 and US 80. US 1 was the principal highway from Maine to Key West. US 80, at that time, ran from Tybee to San Diego. The Coleman Hotel and the Tick Tock Café were both popular with north/south travelers.
Swainsboro Vocational-Tech School was opened in 1963, and Emanuel County Junior College opened ten years later. Both schools have subsequently changed their names to Swainsboro Technical College and East Georgia College, respectively.Timber was, and still is, the region's principal product. In Swainsboro's early history, logs were hauled by mules and wagons to the Ohoopee River, thence to be rafted all the way to Darien on the coast. Railroads later took over the job, and then, trucks shared the work. Swainsboro had its sawmills and turpentine stills, and has been host to the annual Pine Tree Festival since 1946.