Summary History of Dawson County Georgia

Summary History of Dawson County Links to the Counties of: Barrow Bartow Cherokee Cobb DeKalb Douglas Forsyth Fulton Gwinnett Hall Paulding Or link to Atlanta
Note: I am not a historian, but I have great interest in these areas where I sell homes. The following information is culled from a variety of sources. Although I can not guarantee accuracy within those sources, I took care to write the following with as much accuracy as I could achieve. Dawson County
On December 3, 1857 Dawson County was created as Georgia’s 118^th county (some say it was the 119^th) by land taken primarily from Lumpkin County. Small parts of land were also taken from Gilmer, Pickens, and Forsyth Counties. The county, as well as its county seat (Dawsonville) were named for William C. Dawson who was a Commander in the Creek Indian War of 1836, served in both houses of the Georgia legislature, served in both the U.S. House and as a U.S. Senator, and also was a Superior Court Judge. Around the time of the Revolutionary War Cherokee Indians were inhabiting this land. Before 1829 there were a few white adventurers and traders, but this was very much an area solidly within the Cherokee Nation. However, with the discovery of gold in North Georgia in 1829 that quickly changed. By 1832 prospectors and miners had come into this area in significant numbers, and by 1838 Indians who had not already voluntarily left the region were rounded up and sent west to Oklahoma in what is known as The Trail of Tears. The early history of this county represents what some might term “a checkered past.” Even in the years between 1829 and 1857, before the county was formed, people in this area had some specific run-ins with authorities. For example, there was the Leather’s Ford skirmish which pitted local miners against the government militia. And after the county was formed even more notorious events occurred. This reached a peak during Prohibition when Dawson County served as a major manufacturing and distribution center for bootleg whiskey (moonshine). Although several other North Georgia Counties certainly had their moonshine operations as well, Dawson County apparently took this business to new heights! Bootleggers modified their cars to achieve better speed and handling in order to outrun the revenue agents and police. The county was a major supplier of alcohol to thirsty Atlantans during the Prohibition period. And the manufacture of illegal corn whiskey apparently continued for a time even after the end of Prohibition. But, this crafty re-tooling of autos to evade the revenuers gave birth to what has become one of the most popular sports in the U.S. today … NASCAR. Yes, stock car racing and NASCAR can trace their roots to this era of moonshine-running! And one of the all time stars of NASCAR, Bill Elliott (“Awesome Bill from Dawsonville”), was born in Dawsonville, Dawson County Georgia. Elliott was winner of over forty races on the NASCAR circuit, along with two Dayton 500 races and a NASCAR Winston Cup Championship, and is in the Motorsports Hall of Fame. Regarding the Civil War, this area was a Unionist stronghold. People from this county as well as Pickens County and Union County formed the First Georgia State Troopers Volunteers, which was a full Union regiment! And some of these volunteers lost their lives to Confederate guerillas. But the county was spared the ravages that beset a number of other Georgia communities. Because of a lack of major transportation routes into Dawson County, either by road or by rail, the county remained rural, with agriculture being its economic foundation Again, moonshine for a significant period of time played a major role in the county’s “agriculture,” but crops like cotton were also present. And apparently even a bit of gold mining continued, although nothing like in the 1830’s when there were even mining operations within the community of Dawsonville itself. In the 1930’s though, with the depression setting in and the boll weevil destroying the cotton economy, a number of people left the county for Atlanta and elsewhere, and entire communities basically disappeared. And population continued to decline even past the time of the Second World War. In the late 1950’s, though, the financial landscape for Dawson County began to change. One event was a re-routing of the Appalachian Trail, to now bring its end point just a few miles north of Amicalola Falls, which is in the northern tip of Dawson County. (By the way, the Indian name given to Amicalola Falls is said to mean “tumbling waters.” .. And if you’ve ever been to the falls, you know this name is appropriate.) Another very important event was the creation of Buford Dam and Lake Lanier, with the Chattahoochee and Chestatee Rivers feeding that lake. Hikers and travelers started coming into the northern portion of the county at Amicalola Falls State Park. And recreational enthusiasts as well as people interested in a second home or a new primary residence were drawn to Lake Lanier, which has miles of shoreline along the east-southeast boundary of the county. Today the population of Dawson County has grown significantly, and it is no longer due to moonshine! … although there are a lot of followers of NASCAR in the area (no offense intended to the wonderful NASCAR people!). GA400 provides the major highway that in earlier decades was missing. The North Georgia Premium Outlets Mall is huge, and draws people from many parts of the metro-Atlanta area, as well as even from out of state. And significant housing developments, including luxury developments, have opened during recent years. In terms of agriculture, the county is doing well with the poultry business being very strong here. This county has truly seen a major resurgence, and has become a favorite place for people to shop, golf, enjoy water sports, and live. From The U.S. Census Bureau
ESTIMATED 2006 Population: 2000 Population: Population change (April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006): Median Household Income 2004: Housing Units 2005: Home Ownership Rate 2000: Households 2000: Persons per Household 2000: 2000 Land Area (sq miles): 2000 Persons per Sq Mile:	20,643 15,999 29.0% 50,686 9,080 81.4% 6,069 2.62 211.04 75.8
Resources for constructing this summary included: Roadside Georgia website, Archives of Dawson County page: http://roadsidegeorgia.com/county/dawson.html Dawson County Board of Commissioners website, Dawson County History page: http://www.dawsoncounty.org/page.php?id=244 Bill Elliott website, Personal Biography page: http://www.billelliott.com/about/bio4.htm The New Georgia Encyclopedia website, Dawson County page: http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?path=/CitiesCounties/Counties&id=h-2321 Carl Vinson Institute of Government website, Dawson County page: http://www.cviog.uga.edu/Projects/gainfo/histcountymaps/dawsonhistmaps.htm Georgia State Parks & Historic Sites website, Amicalola Falls State Park and Lodge page: http://www.gastateparks.org/info/amicalola/ U.S. Census Bureau website, Dawson County, Georgia page: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13/13085.html Web Site Design, Photos, Videos, and All Original Content in this website © 2007 Copyright by Ronald Dowell