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The Formation of and Changes in the Warren County Boundary Line
Warren County was created by an Act of the Legislature on December 19, 1793. Parts of the counties of Richmond, Columbia, and Wilkes were taken to form Georgia's sixteenth county. Later, parts of Warren County were used to create Glascock County and parts of Jefferson, McDuffie and Taliaferro counties.
Historical Highlights
The area's first inhabitants were Creek Indians, who established the famous Upper Trading Path, a route between Augusta and Creek settlements far west as the Mississippi River.
The first white settlers were men who received grants from King George III of England. While Georgia was still an English colony, the area now forming Warren County was part of St. Paul's Parish.
Warrenton, the county seat, was incorporated in 1810. the other incorporated towns are Camak and Norwood.
Railroad service came to Warren County relatively early. Athens resident James Camak led a group of associates to charter the Georgia Railroad in 1833, building a line just north of Warrenton in the 1830s. (This depot in that location evolved into the town of Camak.) The link between Warrenton and Camak was made by mule-car, leading to the county seat's nickname, "Muletown." The Civil War (1851-65) brought efforts to replace the mule-car with true rail, but this was not accomplished until 1873.
Norwood developed around a gristmill owned by Radford Gunn, and the community was known as Gunn's Mill until 1888. The Georgia Railroad laid tracks through the town, which bustled with business activity its early days.
The first rural, free mail delivery occurred in Norwood in 1868, when six residents hired Jerry Parsons, an African-American, to deliver their mail on a daily basis, paying for his food and clothing in exchange.
Beall Springs grew up around a mineral springs used by Native Americans long before the state acquired the land in 1773. The Beall family, as the first white settlers to own the land surrounding the springs, allowed the public to continue using the water. In the nineteenth century Beall Springs became a popular resort, complete with hotel and leisure-time activities. Among notable men who visited were Confederate vice president Alexander Stephens and U.S. senator Robert Toombs.
In 1864, William T. Sherman's troops arrived at the Woolen Mills as Jewel on the Ogeechee River intending to burn it to the ground. Before burning the mill, they noticed the sign of the Masonic order that had been cut into one of the rocks which formed the chimney to the mill. The captain passed long enough to ask if Mr. Jewel was a member of the order. When answered in the affirmative, the captain ordered his men to leave the mill intact.
Ca. 1910 Historic Post Card View of the Warren Co. Courthouse
The Warren County Courthouse was built about 1910 and is an example of Neoclassical Revival architecture. It was designed by Walter Chamberlain. Warren County's first courthouse was allegedly erected in 1809 and served for a century until it was destroyed by fire and replaced by the 1910 structure.
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Joseph Warren
Hero of the Battle of Bunker Hill, Joseph warren dispatched Paul Revere on his famous ride. he was a physician and American patriot, born in Roxybury, Massachusetts, and was educated at Harvard College. Following the passage of the Stamp Act in 1765, he became a leader of the anti-British party. In 1774, Warren took part in drafting the Suffolk Resolves, which urged forcible opposition to Great Britain. Warren was a member of the first three provincial congresses of Massachusetts, was president of the third, and was a prominent member of the Committee of Public Safety. He also served as Grand Master of Freemasons for North America. He became a major general on June 14, 1775, during the American Revolution, and three days later he was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Confederate Monument
In 1907 a Confederate Monument was erected on the town square as a tribute to the men of warren County who served in the War Between the States. It was an undertaking by ladies of the "Matron's Club" which included many members who were widows from the War. Money was raised from the lunches the ladies cooked and served to the public when court was in session.
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James Camak
James Camak was elected the first president of the Georgia Rail Road. The town of Camak was named in his honor.
1842 Georgia Rail Road and Banking Company stock certificate signed by James Camak.
Background image: ca. 1920 street scene of Main Street looking east in downtown Warrenton, Ga.
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