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Walthourville, Georgia

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Walthourville (/ˈwɔːltaʊərvɪl/) is a city in Liberty County, Georgia, United States. When it was incorporated in 1974, it had a government entirely composed of women; and in 1978 it elected Carrie Kent, the first African-American woman mayor in Georgia history. Walthourville is a part of the Hinesville-Fort Stewart metropolitan statistical area (MSA). The population was 3,680 at the 2020 Census.

Walthourville, Georgia
City
City hall
City hall
Location in Liberty County and the state of Georgia
Location in Liberty County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 31°46′34″N 81°37′27″W / 31.77611°N 81.62417°W / 31.77611; -81.62417
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyLiberty
Area
[1]
 • Total3.84 sq mi (9.96 km2)
 • Land3.84 sq mi (9.96 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
89 ft (27 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total3,680
 • Density957.34/sq mi (369.63/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
31333
Area code912
FIPS code13-80256[2]
GNIS feature ID0356617[3]
Websitecityofwalthourville.com

History

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Walthourville Presbyterian Church, National Register of Historic Places

Walthourville draws its name from Andrew Walthour, a revolutionary soldier and a physician who established a plantation in the area circa 1795. The Walthourville Presbyterian Church was originally housed in a structure, erected in 1820, which served as a meeting place for both Baptists and Presbyterians. In 1845 a Presbyterian church was erected, which was destroyed by fire in 1877. The following year a new church was completed, with that structure being destroyed in a storm in 1881. The present church was dedicated in July 1884.[4][5]

The Walthourville Academy, a non-sectarian co-educational school, was founded in 1823.[6] A post office was established on July 3, 1837[7]

By the 1840s the town was one of the most prosperous towns in south Georgia.[8] In 1854 the North Newport Church moved to Walthourville.[9]

The tracks of the Savannah, Albany & Gulf Railroad reached Walthourville in 1857. The railroad merged with the Atlantic & Gulf Railroad and traversed south Georgia from Savannah to Bainbridge. The Walthourville depot was Station No. 4, the fourth to be constructed on the line from Savannah.[10][11]

An 1862 guide to Confederate railroads provided the following description of Walthourville, "a post-town in Liberty county, Georgia, forty miles South-west of Savannah, is the largest place in the county. It contains two flourishing academies, and about 400 inhabitants."[12]

By 1974 the town had an airstrip and an industrial park, and there was some concern the area might be annexed by nearby Hinesville, Georgia. Although the town was 179 years old, it was not officially chartered by the state. An attempt to do so by the male leaders of the town some 12 years earlier had failed due in part to "bickering."[13]

A committee entirely composed of women completed the necessary census and circulated a petition as required, getting 300 signatures.[14] When they filed the paperwork with the Georgia General Assembly for approval they named themselves the incorporating officers. "We thought it was all just on paper", said Mayor Lyndol Anderson.[13] But when the approved papers arrived (signed by then-Governor Jimmy Carter[15]) they realized they were required to serve as town government until the first election in December.[13]

 
2007 Historical marker

They were sworn into office in April 1974[14] becoming the one of the first all-woman governments of a municipality in Georgia history.[16] (The first known instance was Oak Park in 1934[17]). Coming as it did at the height of the women's liberation movement, the all-woman government of the town attracted much attention including national coverage by A.P.,[18] UPI,[19] NBC Nightly News with John Chancellor[20][21] and CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite.[22][23] The women of Walthourville, however, reportedly rejected the label of "women's libbers".[22][24]

In December 1974 the all-woman slate ran in its first election, and were challenged by a slate of male candidates, none of whom succeeded.[18][21][25] The women had proven themselves good campaigners[24] as well as good governors. They had gotten streetlights installed in the town and put up street signs, and had not only levied no new taxes, but they had donated their own (nominal) official salaries back to the town.[13]

Four years later, one man did join the council in the 1978 election.[26] In the same election, council member Carrie Kent was elected mayor - the first African-american woman to be elected mayor in Georgia.[26] In 2007 the town erected a historical marker commemorating the history of its incorporation (see photo).

Points of interest

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In the vicinity of Walthourville across the county line near the intersection of Tibet Highway and Griffin Road lies Tea Grove Plantation, an outdoor collection of historic buildings, vehicles, and farming equipment open to the public.[27]

Walthourville Presbyterian Church is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

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Walthourville is located at 31°46′34″N 81°37′27″W / 31.77611°N 81.62417°W / 31.77611; -81.62417 (31.776124, -81.624229).[28]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2), all land.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1980905—
19902,024123.6%
20004,03099.1%
20104,1112.0%
20203,680−10.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[29]
Walthourville racial composition as of 2020[30]
Race Num. Perc.
White (non-Hispanic) 879 23.89%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic) 2,103 57.15%
Native American 15 0.41%
Asian 32 0.87%
Pacific Islander 24 0.65%
Other/Mixed 248 6.74%
Hispanic or Latino 379 10.3%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,680 people, 1,652 households, and 1,006 families residing in the city.

Government and infrastructure

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Walthourville Post Office

The United States Postal Service operates the Walthourville Post Office.[31]

Education

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The Liberty County School District operates public schools serving Walthourville.

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ^ National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Walthorville Presbyterian Church. Aug 6, 1987.
  5. ^ Assembly, Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A. (Old School) General (1857). Minutes of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. Stated Clerk of the Assembly.
  6. ^ Interior, United States Dept of the (1883). Annual Report. The Department.
  7. ^ Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971. NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls
  8. ^ "History". City of Walthourville. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  9. ^ "First African Baptist Church - Riceboro, GA - This Old Church on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  10. ^ Caldwell, Wilber W. (2001). The Courthouse and the Depot: The Architecture of Hope in an Age of Despair : a Narrative Guide to Railroad Expansion and Its Impact on Public Architecture in Georgia, 1833-1910. Mercer University Press. ISBN 978-0-86554-748-3.
  11. ^ "Savannah, Albany & Gulf Railroad". www.csa-railroads.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  12. ^ Swayze, J. C. (1862). "Hill & Swayze's Confederate States rail-road & steam-boat guide : containing the time-tables, fares, connections and distances on all the rail-roads ... 1862?". HathiTrust. hdl:2027/nc01.ark:/13960/t2f77hm54. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d Woodhead, Henry (February 16, 1975). "The City Mothers of Walthourville". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Magazine. pp. 6, 8, 10, 22–23. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b "Women Run New Town's Government". The Atlanta Constitution. April 13, 1974. p. 12-A. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Manhatton, Mike (June 24, 2009). "Mother Carrie Kent Brown Laid to Rest". WTOC-TV. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  16. ^ "Battle of the Sexes - In Walthourville Election, It's Women Versus Men". The Atlanta Constitution. November 22, 1974. p. 2-B. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Petticoat Rule Supplanting Men in Georgia Town". Palm Beach Post-Times. Palm Beach, Florida. Associated Press. December 15, 1934. p. 1. Archived from the original on November 21, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b "Gals defeat men to run town". The Miami News. Associated Press. December 5, 1974. p. 1. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  19. ^ United Press International (August 15, 1974). "Women Running Show in Walthourville". Alexandria Daily Town Talk. p. B-8. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Chancellor, John; Jones, Kenley (December 4, 1974). "Walthourville, Georgia / Government Elections segment #474985". in transcript: NBC Nightly News. Retrieved November 19, 2018 – via Vanderbilt Television News Archive.
  21. ^ a b Chancellor, John (December 5, 1974). "Walthourville, Georgia / Election Returns segment #475002". in transcript: NBC Nightly News. Retrieved November 19, 2018 – via Vanderbilt Television News Archive.
  22. ^ a b Cronkite, Walter; Goldberg, Bernard (April 17, 1974). "Women Rule / Georgia, segment #233908". in transcript: CBS Evening News. Retrieved November 19, 2018 – via Vanderbilt Television News Archive.
  23. ^ Cronkite, Walter; Goldberg, Bernard (December 3, 1974). "Walthourville, Georgia / All-Woman Government Challenged, segment #232674". in transcript: CBS Evening News. Retrieved November 18, 2018 – via Vanderbilt Television News Archive.
  24. ^ a b Rigert, Joe (August 4, 1976). "Walthourville's women carve new political trail". Minneapolis Tribune. pp. 1A, 6A. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "The Ladies Get the Vote". The Atlanta Constitution. December 5, 1974. p. 3-D. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  26. ^ a b "Black Woman Elected Mayor". The Atlanta Constitution. December 29, 1978. p. 3-C. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Bryan County News, bryancountynews.net – news and sports for Fort Stewart, Richmond Hill and Pembroke". Archived from the original on August 11, 2014. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  28. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  29. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  30. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
  31. ^ "Walthourville." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on May 9, 2017. "52 TALMADGE RD WALTHOURVILLE, GA 31333-9998"
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