Clay County Government

History Of Clay County

Clay County was created from parts of Early and Randolph Counties in 1854. It was named for Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky. Senator clay was a strong states rights advocate and was one of the framers of the several states rights compromises that held young America together until the War Between the States. There are two incorporated municipalities within our county; Fort Gaines, our county seat, and Bluffton.

The town of Fort Gaines grew up around a fort on the Chattahoochee River which was established to protect settlers during the Creek Indian Wars. After the War of 1812's last battle in New Orleans in 1814, General Andrew Jackson and his army were sent to Georgia which was the southwest frontier of America. They quelled the hostilities which promoted settlers to move into Alabama, Florida and Georgia.

The town and fort was named for the fort's first builder, General Edmund Pendleton Gaines. The fort was rebuilt several times between its first construction and its final use during the War Between the States.

General Gaines was a member of the militia, similar to the Army National Guard of today. General Gaines is also remembered in history for arresting and bringing to trial for treason, Mr. Aaron Burr. You will remember Mr. Burr was President Jefferson's Vice President. Mr. Burr later killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel in New Jersey. He was also charged with conspiring to establish an independent country approximately where Texas is now. Burr was acquitted at his trial for treason.

Fort Gaines became a shipping point for cotton planters for many miles around in both Alabama and Georgia and remained a key central market until about 1858 when railroads replaced river freight. Paddle wheeled, wood fired, steam boats were able to navigate from Fort Gaines to the Gulf of Mexico. It was then known as Queen City and was a commercial, cultural and social hub for the area.

The Walter F. George Lock and Dam and the George T. Bagby State Park and Lodge are just north of Fort Gaines on the Chattahoochee River, Under construction from 1955 until 1963, the dam stretches two and a half miles from the Alabama side across the river to the Georgia side. The lock, second highest east of the Mississippi, forms a lake called Lake Walter F. George. The lake extends from Fort Gaines 85 miles upriver to Columbus, Georgia. It was named for Walter F. George, a notable Clay county resident who rose from tenant farmer beginnings to serve in the U.S. Senate from 1923 to 1956. Boats are still able to travel from Columbus, Georgia through the lock at Fort Gaines, to the Gulf of Mexico. Today, Walter F. George is one of the largest nesting grounds for the American Eagle in the state. One may watch the majesty of these great creatures from the viewing area located at the Corps of Engineers office on Highway 39 at Fort Gaines.

Fort Gaines hosts the Fort Gaines Historic District and Frontier Village which are major tourist attractions. Fort Gaines has a pioneer cemetery with graves from about 1820 to about 1870. There are several reconstructed fort buildings on the site of the original Fort Gaines and two War Between the States gun emplacements that prevented the Union Navy gunboats from ever reaching Columbus, a critical confederate arms center during that War. There are also the remains of an 1890's cottonseed oil mill and an early 20th century waterworks. All of these sites are on the National Register of historic sites.

When first arriving in Fort Gaines, one often has a feeling of stepping back in time to a bygone era when life was slower and perhaps less stressful. The angled parking on the main street downtown between the Coleman Opera House and the anachronistic Mobley Hardware Co. conjures up impressions of Model T Fords and horse drawn carriages. The grandeur of the moss covered great oak trees that frequent the century and a half antebellum homes along the shaded boulevards evoke visions of cotillion tea dances and hand churned ice cream socials.

Do not however, be misguided by these visions. Fort Gaines is covered in the city limits by a DSL high speed internet service, sufficient infrastructure to support a population twice its current size and led by visionaries who wish to bring growth and progress in to Clay County without losing its identity or charm.

Today, Clay County is a popular destination for tourists interested in fishing, boating and camping. We are located on the southwest state border of Georgia. Clay County is also rich in wildlife and hosts several well known hunting lodges complete with our renowned southern hospitality. It is also unique in that Clay County, because of its location near the sea, a powerful river and the beginnings of mountains, has a phenomenal mixture of native plant life.

Historical buffs will enjoy the original Fort Gaines as well as the many historical sites located throughout the county. Two prominent ones are the the Coleman Museum located in the Opera House and David Campbell's Sutton's Corner General Store Museum. The Carl Vinson Institute of Government has a great site for historical maps of Clay County. Click here to explore old Clay County maps.

The following are pictures taken in and around Fort Gaines Georgia in the early 1900's.