Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald (HMR0T)

Location: Fitzgerald, GA 31750 Ben Hill County
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Country: United States of America
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N 31° 42.891', W 83° 15.186'

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Inscription

The Colony City

Founded at Swan in 1895 by Mr. Philander H. Fitzgerald, lawyer, veteran and publisher of the AMERICAN TRIBUNE of Indianapolis, as a soldiers' colony in the South. Fitzgerald was settled by Union veterans who, tired of Northern winters, flocked from 38 states and 2 territories to this benign and fertile land, which, only 30 years before, had been deep in enemy territory.

In the early 90's, devastating droughts had impoverished the farmers of the Mid-West and Georgians had sent trainloads of food to relieve their plight. Impressed, Mr. Fitzgerald conceived his plan and formed the American Tribune Soldiers' Colony Company (non-profit). Despite offers from neighboring states, the Company chose this site, acquired 50,000 acres of land, and laid out a town.

By December, 5,000 colonists had arrived. The next fall, the schools opened with 501 pupils, the first in Georgia to offer free tuition and texts and a nine-month term. On Dec. 2, 1896, Fitzgerald was incorporated and elected officials took charge.

With principal streets named to honor great leaders of both armies, and with Confederate veterans joining their former enemies in this unique community endeavor, Fitzgerald has symbolized through the years an enduring unity born of that unfailing respect which brave men hold for each other.

Details

HM Number	HMR0T
Series	This marker is part of the Georgia: Georgia Historical Society/Commission series
Tags	Settlements and Settlers, US Civil War
Marker Number	009-4
Year Placed	1957
Placed By	Georgia Historical Commission
Marker Condition	No reports yet
Date Added	Wednesday, September 10th, 2014 at 5:46pm PDT -07:00

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Locationbig map

UTM (WGS84 Datum)	17R E 286501 N 3511037
Decimal Degrees	31.71485000, -83.25310000
Degrees and Decimal Minutes	N 31° 42.891', W 83° 15.186'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds	31° 42' 53.46" N, 83° 15' 11.16" W
Driving Directions	Google Maps
Area Code(s)	229
Closest Postal Address	At or near 113-199 E Central Ave, Fitzgerald GA 31750, US
Alternative Maps	Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap