Camden County, Georgia
Camden County | |
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UTC−4 (EDT) | |
Congressional district | 1st |
Website | www |
Camden County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2020 census, its population was 54,768.[1] Its county seat is Woodbine,[2] and the largest city is Kingsland. It is one of the original counties of Georgia, created February 5, 1777. It is the 11th-largest county in the state of Georgia by area, and the 41st-largest by population.[3][4]
Camden County comprises the Kingsland, GA micropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Jacksonville-Kingsland-Palatka, FL-GA combined statistical area.[5]
History
Colonial period
The first recorded European to visit what is today Camden County was Captain Jean Ribault of France in 1562. Ribault was sent out by French Huguenots to find a suitable place for a settlement. Ribault named the rivers he saw the Seine and the Some, known today as the St. Marys and Satilla Rivers. Ribault described the area as, "Fairest, fruitfulest and pleasantest of all the world."[6]
In 1565,
Competing British and Spanish claims to the territory between their respective colonies of South Carolina and Florida was a source of international tension, and the colony of Georgia was founded in 1733 in part to protect the British interests. The Spanish theoretically lost their claim to the territory in 1742 after the
General Oglethorpe was at Cumberland Island when Tomochichi gave the barrier island its name. Later, he erected a hunting lodge on Cumberland named Dungeness, which was the predecessor of the famous Greene and Carnegie Dungeness Mansions. He also founded Fort St. Andrews on the north end of Cumberland Island, as well as a strong battery, Fort Prince Williams, on the south end. Fort Prince Williams commanded the entrance to the St. Marys River but had become a ruin by the Revolutionary War.
In 1763, Spain, under a treaty of peace with Great Britain, ceded Florida to the British. After this, the boundaries of Georgia were extended from the Altamaha (now the southern boundary of McIntosh County) to the St. Marys River (the current southern boundary of Camden). In 1765, four parishes were laid out between the Altamaha and St. Marys Rivers. These were St. Davids, St. Patricks, St. James, and the parishes of St. Marys and St. Thomas.
Early American era
Largely due to security issues arising from proximity to powerful Indian groups and British Florida, Georgia was the last colony to join in the
Also under the 1777 state constitution, Glynn County and Camden County had limited and restricted representation in the new patriotic Georgia government due to their extreme "state of alarm" throughout the war.[8] Between 1776 and 1778 Camden County saw the construction of numerous forts, three failed American campaigns against the British at St. Augustine, and numerous depredations by raiders of various allegiance. One of the most notorious of these raiders was Daniel McGirth.[9] A significant loyalist faction existed in Camden County, headed by the brothers of Royal Governor James Wright, Charles and German Wright. They built a fort on the St. Marys River in 1775 to protect their lands and chattel during the war after repeated attacks by patriot banditti. Wright's Fort became a rendezvous for a group of loyalists called the "Florida Rangers". Two skirmishes were fought by Loyalist and Continental forces over Wright's Fort, and both times American troops failed to rout the Loyalists from the area. Finally, retreating British soldiers burned it down in 1778. The Americans rebuilt it when they invaded East Florida, and then burned it down to prevent it falling into enemy hands. The archaeological site was rediscovered in 1975.[10]
The primary economic enterprise of the county was rice planting, particularly along the Satilla River.
Camden County was the site of many trading posts with the Native Americans, who by the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries consisted mainly of people of the
Many men from Camden County volunteered to fight under
On January 15, 1815, British troops led by Sir George Cockburn landed on Cumberland Island. Their goal was to attack the fort at Point Peter. They quickly overwhelmed the small American forced and took Ft. Point Peter easily. After the skirmish, British soldiers occupied the county through February. They raided the town of St. Marys, as well as many plantations and smaller settlements. Although New Orleans was the last major battle of the war, the skirmish at Point Peter happened even later, almost a month after the Treaty of Ghent had been signed. The British occupation of Camden County led to the liberation of an estimated 1,485 slaves from Georgia and Florida.[13]
Camden County was on an international border until the Adams–Onís Treaty of 1819 between the United States and Spain, making the Florida provinces American territory.
Civil War and Reconstruction
At the beginning of the Civil War, the population was 5,482 of which 1,721 were white. During the war, many of the county's civilians moved farther inland, particularly to Centerville and Trader's Hill on the St. Marys River in Charlton County. The inhabitant's fears were realized when the town of St. Marys was attacked by United States Navy.[citation needed] At least one federal party to "carry off" slaves was met by armed resistance on White Oak Creek off the Satilla River.[14]
Camden County organized four volunteer companies: the Camden Chasseurs, St. Marys Volunteers Guard, Camden Rifles, and Camden County Guards.[15]
Camden County land fell under
Since the 1830s
Earlier plans for railways in the area dated back to the 1830s, but construction was never begun. In 1893, Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad built a Savannah-Jacksonville line through Camden County. In 1923 the county seat of Camden County was moved from St. Marys to Woodbine, a reflection of the shift from the water transportation to railways. In 1927, U.S. Route 17 was constructed through Woodbine and Kingsland.[11]
From 1917 to 1937, a
In 1965, Thiokol Chemical launched a 13-foot (4.0 m)-diameter, 3,000,000-pound-force (13,000 kN)-thrust rocket from their chemical plant in the eastern part of the county.[19] On February 3, 1971, a
During World War II, the Georgia State Guard and local Home Guard held bases on Cumberland Island.[11] The island and surrounding waters were also patrolled by the United States Coast Guard.[16] The U.S. Army began to acquire land south of Crooked River in 1954 to build a military ocean terminal to ship ammunition in case of a national emergency. In November 1976, the area of Kings Bay was selected for a submarine base. Soon afterward, the first Navy personnel arrived in the Kings Bay area and started preparations for the orderly transfer of property from the Army to the Navy. Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay not only occupies the former Army terminal land, but several thousand additional acres. Camden County's population grew enormously after the military took an interest in the area, and during the 1980s, was the fourth fastest growing county in the United States.[11]
Cumberland Island National Seashore was established in 1970 to protect and preserve the natural and historic resources of the island. Crooked River State Park was established in 1985.
In 2009, the Camden County Sheriff's Office was ordered by the Justice Department to repay $662,000 of improperly spent funds seized from alleged criminals before it would be allowed to participate in the Justice Department's equitable sharing program. Items that were determined to have been purchased by the Camden County Sheriff's Department improperly included a Dodge Viper purchased for approximately $90,000 which the Sheriff's Office intended to use in anti-drug programs.[20][21]
In 2012, the Camden County Joint Development Authority began considering developing a
In June 2015, the Camden board decided to formally advance the
Geography
According to the
The bulk of Camden County's central and western area, from an east–west line running through Waverly in the north to a line running from Charlton County northeast to St. Andrew Sound, is located in the Satilla River sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla basin. The area north of Waverly, as well as from west of Kingsland east to the coast of Cumberland Island, is located in the Cumberland-St. Simons sub-basin of the St. Marys-Satilla River basin. Camden County's southern border area, in a line from Charlton County to St. Marys, is located in the St. Marys River sub-basin of the same St. Marys-Satilla basin.[26]
The 1898 Georgia hurricane which made landfall on Cumberland Island in Camden County was the strongest hurricane to hit the state of Georgia within recorded history.[27]
Major highways
Adjacent counties
- Glynn County (north)
- Nassau County, Florida (south)
- Charlton County(west)
- Brantley County(northwest)
National protected area
Communities
Cities
Census-designated place
Unincorporated communities
- Dover Bluff
- Hopewell
- Spring Bluff
- Waverly
- White Oak
- Bullhead Bluff
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1790 | 305 | — | |
1800 | 1,681 | 451.1% | |
1810 | 3,941 | 134.4% | |
1820 | 4,342 | 10.2% | |
1830 | 4,578 | 5.4% | |
1840 | 6,075 | 32.7% | |
1850 | 6,319 | 4.0% | |
1860 | 5,420 | −14.2% | |
1870 | 4,615 | −14.9% | |
1880 | 6,183 | 34.0% | |
1890 | 6,178 | −0.1% | |
1900 | 7,669 | 24.1% | |
1910 | 7,690 | 0.3% | |
1920 | 6,969 | −9.4% | |
1930 | 6,338 | −9.1% | |
1940 | 5,910 | −6.8% | |
1950 | 7,322 | 23.9% | |
1960 | 9,975 | 36.2% | |
1970 | 11,334 | 13.6% | |
1980 | 13,371 | 18.0% | |
1990 | 30,167 | 125.6% | |
2000 | 43,664 | 44.7% | |
2010 | 50,513 | 15.7% | |
2020 | 54,768 | 8.4% | |
2023 (est.) | 58,118 | [28] | 6.1% |
U.S. Decennial Census[29] 1790-1880[30] 1890-1910[31] 1920-1930[32] 1930-1940[33] 1940-1950[34] 1960-1980[35] 1980-2000[36] 2010[37] 2020[38] |
Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2000[39] | Pop 2010[37] | Pop 2020[38] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
White alone (NH)
|
31,975 | 35,977 | 37,203 | 73.23% | 71.22% | 67.93% |
Black or African American alone (NH)
|
8,719 | 9,621 | 9,497 | 19.97% | 19.05% | 17.34% |
Alaska Native alone (NH)
|
195 | 230 | 185 | 0.45% | 0.46% | 0.34% |
Asian alone (NH) | 429 | 706 | 845 | 0.98% | 1.40% | 1.54% |
Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 32 | 70 | 66 | 0.07% | 0.14% | 0.12% |
Other race alone (NH) | 70 | 72 | 325 | 0.16% | 0.14% | 0.59% |
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 659 | 1,247 | 2,989 | 1.51% | 2.47% | 5.46% |
Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1,585 | 2,590 | 3,658 | 3.63% | 5.13% | 6.68% |
Total | 43,664 | 50,513 | 54,768 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 54,768 people, 19,338 households, and 14,380 families residing in the county. Among the 2020 population, its racial and ethnic makeup was 67.93% non-Hispanic white, 17.34% African American, 0.34% Native American, 1.54% Asian alone, 0.12% Pacific Islander American, 6.05% multiracial, and 6.68% Hispanic or Latino of any race.[40]
Education
Camden is home to one comprehensive[clarification needed] public high school (with a separate center for ninth graders), two middle schools, nine elementary schools and an alternative school. The system serves approximately 9,600 students. The school board is run by the following members:[41]
- Superintendent of Schools - Dr. Will Hardin
- Assistant Superintendent - Dr. Jonathan Miller
- Assistant Superintendent - Dr. Rebecca Gillette
Politics
Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 15,249 | 64.35% | 7,967 | 33.62% | 482 | 2.03% |
2016 | 12,310 | 64.56% | 5,930 | 31.10% | 829 | 4.35% |
2012 | 11,343 | 62.84% | 6,377 | 35.33% | 330 | 1.83% |
2008 | 10,502 | 61.39% | 6,482 | 37.89% | 124 | 0.72% |
2004 | 9,488 | 66.85% | 4,637 | 32.67% | 68 | 0.48% |
2000 | 6,371 | 62.96% | 3,636 | 35.93% | 112 | 1.11% |
1996 | 4,222 | 49.75% | 3,644 | 42.94% | 620 | 7.31% |
1992 | 3,517 | 46.45% | 2,952 | 38.99% | 1,103 | 14.57% |
1988 | 2,913 | 57.68% | 2,090 | 41.39% | 47 | 0.93% |
1984 | 2,841 | 56.76% | 2,164 | 43.24% | 0 | 0.00% |
1980 | 1,439 | 32.39% | 2,924 | 65.81% | 80 | 1.80% |
1976 | 995 | 25.15% | 2,962 | 74.85% | 0 | 0.00% |
1972 | 2,380 | 75.97% | 753 | 24.03% | 0 | 0.00% |
1968 | 751 | 19.33% | 1,146 | 29.50% | 1,988 | 51.17% |
1964 | 1,802 | 51.56% | 1,693 | 48.44% | 0 | 0.00% |
1960 | 950 | 41.83% | 1,321 | 58.17% | 0 | 0.00% |
1956 | 1,014 | 46.26% | 1,178 | 53.74% | 0 | 0.00% |
1952 | 619 | 32.51% | 1,285 | 67.49% | 0 | 0.00% |
1948 | 208 | 19.17% | 552 | 50.88% | 325 | 29.95% |
1944 | 76 | 12.03% | 556 | 87.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
1940 | 60 | 9.60% | 564 | 90.24% | 1 | 0.16% |
1936 | 53 | 9.28% | 515 | 90.19% | 3 | 0.53% |
1932 | 49 | 10.45% | 417 | 88.91% | 3 | 0.64% |
1928 | 267 | 49.35% | 274 | 50.65% | 0 | 0.00% |
1924 | 1 | 0.57% | 172 | 98.29% | 2 | 1.14% |
1920 | 14 | 8.43% | 152 | 91.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
1916 | 4 | 1.54% | 251 | 96.91% | 4 | 1.54% |
1912 | 2 | 0.82% | 238 | 97.94% | 3 | 1.23% |
Notable people
- Duncan Lamont Clinch: After serving in the Seminole Wars, partially in Camden County, Clinch retired to planting near Jefferson on the Satilla River, and later began his political career.[45]
- Thomas Buckingham Smith: Born on Cumberland Island in 1810, Smith was a diplomat, antiquarian, and scholar. Notable Spanish translator and author of works on southern Native Americans.[46]
- John Floyd (October 3, 1769 – June 24, 1839): was an American politician and brigadier general in the First Brigade of Georgia Militia. He was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, as well as the US House of Representatives.
- Okefenoke Swamp during the Seminole Wars. The Floyds were the largest planting family in Camden County.[47]
- 2000 NFL Draft, he played professionally for the Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams.[50]
- The Citadel and thereafter was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinalsof the National Football League (NFL). He was a running back and return specialist for the Cardinals from 1981 to 1989.
- 2013 NFL Draft, and has also played for the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns. He played college football for Vanderbilt.[51]
- Alicia Patterson: Founder and editor of Newsday. While not from Camden County by birth, her remains are interred at her private hunting lodge in Kingsland.[52]
- Jarrad Davis: Former linebacker for the Camden County Wildcats, the University of Florida, and current linebacker for the Detroit Lions[53]
- Jason Spencer: former State Representative for district 180 in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2011 to 2018, is a longtime resident of the center of the district, Woodbine.
- William J. Hardee, Confederate general
See also
References
- ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Camden County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Georgia Land area in square miles, 2010 by County". IndexMundi. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ "Georgia Population by County". IndexMundi. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ "Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Guidance on the Uses of the Delineations of These Areas" (PDF). Executive Office of the President. July 21, 2023. p. 135. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ a b " Archived November 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Camden County History" Archived November 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Our Georgia History
- ^ Hamer, Marguerite Bartlett. "Edmund Gray and His Settlement at New Hanover." The Georgia Historical Quarterly, ISSN 0016-8297, 03/1929, Volume 13, Issue 1, pp. 1 - 12
- ^ Revolutionary Records of Georgia. Volume 1. page 285.
- ^ Martha Condray Searcy. The Georgia-Florida Contest in the American Revolution. University of Alabama Press, 1985. See also, Wilbur H. Siebert, "Privateering in Florida Waters and Northwards in the American Revolution". Florida Historical Quarterly XXII. 1943. 62-73.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b c d Reddick, Margurite. Camden's Challenge. WH Wolfe Associates, Alpharetta, Georgia, 1994.
- ^ Patrick, Rembert (1954). Florida Fiasco: Rampant Rebels on the Georgia-Florida Border 1810-1815. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press. p. 57.
- ^ "Forgotten Invasion". Archived from the original on December 10, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
- ^ James Vocelle. History of Camden County. 97.
- ^ The Southern Recorder. April 31, 1861. Milledgeville Historic Newspapers Archive: Georgia Historic Newspapers http://milledgeville.galileo.usg.edu/milledgeville/view?docId=news/srw1861/srw1861-0065.xml&query=Camden&brand=milledgeville-brand Archived October 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Bullard. Cumberland Island: A History. University of Georgia Press 2001.
- ^ Vocelle, James. History of Camden County Georgia.
- ^ "Durango paper mill closing, 900 workers lose jobs | Online Athens". April 6, 2016. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
- ^ a b c Heglund, Emily (September 2014). "Camden spaceport could be 'turning point' for Ga". Tribune & Georgian. Archived from the original on January 22, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
- ^ "Sheriff Under Scrutiny over Drug Money Spending". NPR.org. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ Dickson, Terry. "Camden County works way back into federal seized assets program". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ Rush, Johna Strickland (November 15, 2012). "Spaceport could land in Camden". Tribune & Georgian. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2012.
- ^ Perez-Trevino, Emma (January 6, 2014). "Brownsville, SpaceX await FAA ruling". Brownsville Herald. Retrieved January 10, 2014.[permanent dead link]
- ^
"Camden County Board of Commissioners Approves Option Agreement for Real Estate". Spaceport Camden. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
On June 3, 2015, The Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved an option agreement to purchase 4,011 acres, more or less. The subject property was the former location where the world's most powerful rocket motor was test fired in the 1960s. The county will be commencing soon the next milestone of the project whereby the Federal Aviation Administration prepares an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to address the potential environmental impacts of constructing and operating a commercial launch site in Camden County, Georgia. "This exciting announcement advances the project forward and aligns with the county's vision of developing a world-class spaceport," stated Steve Howard, County Administrator.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
- ^ "Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission Interactive Mapping Experience". Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
- ^ @philklotzbach (October 10, 2018). "The last major (Category 3+)..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "1880 Census Population by Counties 1790-1800" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
- ^ "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
- ^ "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
- ^ "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
- ^ "1950 Census of Population - Georgia -" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
- ^ "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
- ^ "2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
- ^ a b "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Camden County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ a b "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Camden County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "P004 HISPANIC OR LATINO, AND NOT HISPANIC OR LATINO BY RACE – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Camden County, Georgia". United States Census Bureau.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ^ "CAMDEN COUNTY SCHOOLS ORGANIZATION 2017-2018" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 17, 2018.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ "James Seagrove b. 1747 Colerain, Londonderry, Ireland d. 16 Jul 1812 St. Marys, Camden, GA: Georgia Society SAR Graves Registry". gasocietysar.org. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ "Founders Online: To George Washington from James Seagrove, 5 July 1792". Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ "A Guide to the General Duncan Lamont Clinch Family Papers". www.library.ufl.edu. Clinch, Duncan Lamont Jr., Clinch, John Houstoun McIntosh. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "Guide to the Buckingham Smith papers and collected materials, 1529-1941, n.d." dlib.nyu.edu. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ Charles Floyd. New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- ^ "Catharine Greene (1755-1814)". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ "Catherine Greene | History of American Women". History of American Women. March 22, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ "Travis Taylor Past Stats". Database Football. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
- ^ "Vanderbilt Football: Ryan Seymour". vucommodores.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-55710-053-5.
- ^ "Jarrad Davis". NFL.com. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
External links
- Camden County website
- "Camden County" New Georgia Encyclopedia Archived October 11, 2012, at the Wayback Machine