Hancock County, GA -- From "Cotton was King" to the Poorest County in the Country

December 17, 2009

My horse trainer's barn, along with my horse, have moved 3 hours from my home in Ellijay, GA to a town called White Plains, GA (not to be confused with Plains, GA -- the home of former President, Jimmy Carter). The location is more middle Georgia, is in Hancock County, and about a hour from the eastern border and Augusta, GA (home of the "Masters"). But in reality -- it is the middle of nowhere!!!

I've rented a cute little house in between White Plains and Sparta, GA. I stay there 2 or 3 nights a week, so I can ride my horse. It also gives me a chance to explore and investigate the history of this area -- another hobby of mine since retirement.

According to the "Atlanta Journal and Constitution", Hancock County is the poorest county in the country. This area used to be extremely prosperous when "cotton was king". The state capital of Georgia was Milledgeville, about 23 miles from Sparta (today's capital is Atlanta). Historians have written that those curious about Georgia's cultural roots might find answers "in that remarkable small town of Sparta where both races have seen such travail but where they have somehow survived and contributed to Georgia's culture, via writing, education, and an extraordinary architectural legacy that cannot be equaled elsewhere in the state."

Hancock County and Sparta were out of the pages of Martha Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind" -- wealthy and historic. Hancock County was Georgia's 15th county, created in 1793 and was named after John Hancock, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence. Sparta is the county seat of Hancock County, established in 1795, and incorporated in 1805 (it is still the only incorporated town in the county). The town possibly got its name after one observer noted that the frontiersmen involved in the Creek Indian wars fought like ancient Spartans. However, the county historian, Forrest Shivers, found that the name first appeared in correspondence dated July 4, 1794, when concerned citizens gathered for a patriotic celebration and addressed a report to U.S. President George Washington. Previously, this had been a "gathering place" and had been called "Major Abercrombie's". This is because Major Charles Abercrombie laid out the town from his own lands in 1795 (he owned about 15,000 acres), and his former home still stands on Maiden Lane in Sparta.

(Current Hancock County Courthouse in Sparta, GA, originally built in 1885 -- still sits on the same land donated by Major Charles Abercrombie)

The area attracted Revolutionary War veterans from Virginia, the Carolinas, and New England, who came to take advantage of the 1805 land lottery. Georgia conducted 8 land lotteries from 1805 to 1832 in which public lands in the interior of the state were dispersed to small yoeman farmers based on a system of eligibility and chance. These early settlers carved a refined community out of frontier forests. In 1825, on his American tour, the Marquis de Lafayette was hosted in Sparta by former Congressman William Terrell and others.

In 1813, the Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church was founded. The church flourished under its first pastor, Nathan Beman. Nathan had left Vermont to move to Georgia to regain his health. "A man of intelligence and almost boundless energy", Nathan found unusual opportunities in Georgia where wealthy planters were banding together to establish centers of religious instruction and education for their children. Beman became teacher and pastor at Mt. Zion, an academy town founded by Hancock County planters in 1811. Some of the state's leading families supported Mt. Zion Academy, which became one of the most celebrated schools in Georgia. The outstanding men Beman attracted to teach contributed much to the state in educational and religious leadership. Beman was offered the presidency of the University of Georgia, and resigned in 1819 because of his wife's illness and death.

In 1903, the membership of the Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church had dwindled from 130 to less than 10. That year, the church property was sold to the Methodist Church where they worshiped until 1958. In 1969, the property was given to the Hancock County Foundation for Historic Preservation. They did put on a new roof in 2002, but as you can see from the pictures, it is in need of restoration.

There is a very old graveyard at the back of the church (I've included several pictures), with fenced-in "family plots" and individual headstones, including a family plot for the original Bemans. The graves date back to the very early 1800's. There are also some burial sites with very heavy stone covers, some of which have been broken. Now this would be a great place at Halloween -- talk about scary.

And in 1831, the Sparta's Female Model School was organized, and the street was renamed "Maiden Lane", as it is still named today. Can you imagine a modeling school in 1831???? This school attracted wealthy young girls from New England and the mid-Atlantic states.

Hancock County has given Georgia four governors, the first of which was William Rabun in 1817, until his death in 1819. Charles McDonald served as governor from 1839 to 1846, during an economic upheaval. Cotton had dropped to just 4 cents a pound and commerce had come to a standstill. One of the things he did was to have property taxes given to the state, and not the counties. When he wanted a tax increase to revive the state economy, the legislature refused. Charles then ordered the state treasurer NOT to pay the state legislator's salaries until all other state expenses had been paid. Guess what....he got his tax increase (too bad we don't try that with the House and Senate -- since they don't seem to get anything done, but cost us all a lot of money).

William Northern was a native born Georgian, a farmer, and the president of the State Agriculture Society. He became governor in 1890 for 2 terms. Nathaniel E. Harris taught in Sparta, and he founded the Georgia School of Technology (known today as Georgia Tech) around 1885, while he was in the state legislature. He became governor in 1915 for 1 term.

I did find some information that comes from the Census of 1850, which was about 11 years prior to the Civil War. At that time, the total FREE population was 4,272, consisting of 2,134 white males, 2,078 white females, 33 free colored males and 27 free colored females. The slave population was 7,306. I find that number amazing, considering it was only 1 county.

The value of real estate is also amazing -- $1,640,646 with the value of personal estates being $4,049,156. What would that be in the $$ of today? Probably in the billions.

Cotton was obviously the main product of the county, and with the slave population increasing, they produced 11,374 bales of cotton. Corn, oats, and sweet potatoes were also important. As was "industry" -- 2 cotton factories, 7 flour mills, and 8 saw mills. One of the largest factories was the Hancock Manufactering Company in Sparta. They put out 3,500 yards of cloth per day. Education and religion was also very important to the residents, with 21 churches, 339 pupils attending academies and other schools, plus 2 libraries.

The Civil War started in 1864, and was eventually devastating to the South and to Georgia. Sherman's March across Georgia went right through this area of the state. Cotton continued to be the mainstay of Hancock County's economy after the Civil War. David Dickson, Georgia's leading planter for years, found ways to employ freedmen and again became wealthy. He died in 1885, leaving his estate to his daughter Amanda America Dickson, whose mother had been a household slave (who was raped by Dickson when she was 12, and Amanda was the result). Despite attempts by Dickson's white relatives to overturn his will, Amanda remained the sole heir. This included 17,000 acres of land in Hancock and Washington counties. By the time of her death in 1893, Dickson was widely acknowledged as the richest African American woman in the country.

(This picture is of Glen Mary Plantation -- in Hancock County -- which was the home of Major General Ethan Allen Hitchcock (May 18, 1798-August 5, 1870), advisor to Lincoln and "Pen of the Army," is the only surviving rural High Greek Revival "raised cottage" plantation house remaining in the United States which is situated on a portion of original cotton plantation lands. It was an open tourist attraction, but has been temporarily closed until money can be raised to make needed repairs)

Sparta grew during the early twentieth century, acquiring commercial banks, warehouses, cotton gins, and a textile mill. During this era of prosperity, many remarkable homes were built in town, and the town acquired telephones, electricity, and municipal water and sewers early in the new century.

The town's prosperity ended with the coming of the boll weevil and the cotton crash after World War I (1917-1918). Sparta's banks collapsed, and a long depression continued for years. The county lost more than a third of its population. The timber industry expanded in the area, but its growth could not overcome the losses.

In 2000, the U.S. Census recorded the population of Sparta as 1,522. Between 1900 and 2000 the city's population decreased by 11%, while Georgia's overall population grew by 26.4%. The population today is 85% black and 15% white. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, Hancock County is the poorest county in the country. The median income in the US is $41,994, and the median income in Hancock County is $18,580. It is amazing to me that my part time condo rental job means that I earn more than 50% of the people in Hancock County.

The prosperity from the years of cotton and in the early 1900's accounts for the many large, beautiful, and unfortunately, run down houses that you can find in Sparta. I'm posting pictures of 2 homes that sit on the main street. The first house is the original Bird-Campbell-Pierce house, and was built by Wilson Bird in 1830. I love the Internet -- you can find anything. I had taken a picture of this house when I was exploring Sparta, and as I did the Internet research, I found the website for the Sparta Historical Society. This picture from 2004 was posted on a "tour of homes" hosted by the Historical Society -- PRIOR to restoration. It was incredibly run down -- almost to the point that you wouldn't think it could be restored. Nor would you think it was the same house. I believe it is a Georgian Colonial home, with the "dental molding"across the top, the 5 windows across the front, multiple fireplaces -- all characteristics of this style of home that was popular in 1830. It is currently for sale.

(The top photo is the BEFORE of the Bird-Campbell-Pierce House -- from the Sparta Historical Society web site. The bottom photo is the AFTER)

The other home is a large, beautiful home with white columns, but it is run down with peeling paint, downspouts falling off, and a yard that no one has cared for in a while. Again, this home is probably a Georgian Colonial (square, symmetrical shape, 5 windows across the front, medium pitched roof, paired chimney, and dental molding (square, tooth-like cuts) along the eaves) although it also has characteristics of the Colonial Revival style (temple-like entrance with pillars and columns and a center entry hall). The Georgian Colonial was popular through 1830, and the Colonial Revival was built between the late 1800's and the early 1900's.

The county courthouse is also a beautiful example of early architecture, and was built around 1882 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The steeple over the courthouse makes for a beautiful

picture -- and luckily all of the peeling paint doesn't seem to show up on the photographs. I've been told the inside is absolutely falling down, and nothing is repaired because the county has no money. This is the case with most things in Sparta -- the main street downtown is filled with dilapidated buildings, some empty and boarded up.

The best thing about Sparta and Hancock County is the beautiful scenery and the many scenic drives in the area. As with most of Georgia, it is covered in pine trees and forests, with lakes and rivers abounding. There is Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair which draw weekend residents and tourists in the summer. And in the fall there are hunters -- God protect those poor deer and quail. There are also 16 streams and creeks near Sparta which have good fishing for the fly fisherman or those wanting to catch Sunfish, Muskie, or Bluegill.