Region’s history is told by historic markers, sites

ALBANY ‒ Southwest Georgia has a rich history, as the historical markers dotting the region attest. The following markers provide a glimpse into the history of the region and can serve as waypoints for day trips focused on the area’s history. Some markers are mere reminders of “what happened here;” others explain what you are viewing. State historical sites and parks also offer opportunities to learn about our region.

· The battle of Chickasawachee Swamp – Baker County

· Jefferson Davis Memorial Park – Irwin County

· Hernando de Soto in Georgia – Calhoun Co

· Dill House — Clay County

· Blackshear Trail — Crisp County

· Fort Early — Crisp County

· de Doto Trail – Decatur County

· The Tonge Factory — Decatur County

· The Bridge House — Dougherty County

· Kolomoki Mounds – Early County

· Chehaw Village Marker — Lee County

· Palmyra Community — Lee County

· Noted Indian Settlement — Lee County

· Georgetown — Quitman County

· Seminole War Path — Randolph County

· Roanoke — Stewart County

· Battle of the Blankets — Worth County

· Thigpen Trail — Worth County

Kolomoki Mounds State Park: One of the largest and earliest Woodland Period mound complexes in the Southeastern United States, it contains Georgia’s oldest temple mounds. Other mounds align with the spring equinox. The park has an excellent museum; however, it is currently closed.

Ocmulgee Mounds National Park: Although the site is not in southwest Georgia, it is worth the drive north to Bibb County. For 17,000 years, Prehistoric indigenous people lived on the Macon Fall Line. The site has a collection of mounds covering several periods of occupation at what is now known as the Lamar mounds and Village Site. Historians believe that this is the site recorded in de Soto’s chronicles as the chiefdom of Ichisi. Efforts are currently under way to greatly expand the park into a national preserve. 

Andersonville National historic Site: Andersonville Village, in Sumter County, was the site of a Confederate Military prison from 1864 until May 1865. The 26-acre stockade there held more than 32,000 Union prisoners at one point. Andersonville National Cemetery and The National Prisoner of War Memorial Museum make the site an interesting destination for a day trip.

The Jimmy Carter National Historic Park in Plains: The site preserves several locations associated with Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, including his childhood home, high school, and the Plains Depot, which was the headquarters for his successful 1976 residential campaign. The Carters returned to Plains following his presidency. First Lady Rosalynn Carter is now buried on the grounds of their home. Carter’s boyhood farm is a time capsule into rural Georgia prior to World War II.

Another glimpse into the history of this region can be found with a quiet walk through the cemeteries scattered across southwest Georgia and by reading the markers assembled there.