Camilla in Mitchell County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Mitchell County

Photographed by David Seibert, January 24, 2010

1. Mitchell County Marker

Inscription. The county was created by an Act of the Georgia Legislature on Dec. 21, 1857. Some historians say that the county was named for David B. Mitchell, Governor of Georgia in 1809-13 and again in 1815-17, and that Camilla was named for his daughter.

However, the Georgia Laws of 1857 (pages 38-40), creating Mitchell county, say the county was named in honor of Gen Henry Mitchell, who was born in 1760 and died in 1839. He was a State Senator from Warren County, President of the Senate in 1809, Presidential Elector in 1812, 1816 & 1820, and an outstanding Georgian. He was a Brigadier General of Georgia troops in the post-Revolutionary period.

The first officials of Mitchell County, who took office in 1858, were Sheriff Joshua P. Crosby; Ordinary John W. Pearce; Clerk of Superior Court Montford S. Poore; Clerk of Inferior Court Joseph T. Ellis; Tax Receiver John T. Allen; Tax Collector George West; Treasurer Nathan Maples; Surveyor Murdock McLeod, and Coroner William West.

David West donated fifty acres of his land as a site for the Court House and Jail. A two story frame Court House was built in 1860 and replaced by the present brick building in 1890.

Erected 1954 by Georgia Historical Commission. (Marker Number 101-1.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is

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listed in these topic lists: Law Enforcement • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Historical Society series list. A significant historical date for this entry is December 21, 1857.

Location. 31° 13.867′ N, 84° 12.55′ W. Marker is in Camilla, Georgia, in Mitchell County. It is at the intersection of West Broad Street (Georgia Route 37) and North Court Avenue, on the right when traveling west on West Broad Street. The marker is on the Mitchell Courthouse lawn. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Camilla GA 31730, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Coastal Plain. It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Camilla Massacre (within shouting distance of this marker); Mitchell County War Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); Old City Well (within shouting distance of this marker); The Spirit of Camilla (approx. 0.2 miles away); St. Valentine's Day Tornados (approx. half a mile away); Hawthorne Trail (approx. 0.8 miles away); Neuhauser Building (approx. 8 miles away); Baker County (approx. 9.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Camilla.

Mitchell County Courthouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed by David Seibert, January 24, 2010

2. Mitchell County Courthouse

This courthouse was built in 1937, replacing the 1890 courthouse mentioned on the marker (which had been torn down long before the marker was erected).

Credits. This page was last revised on October 30, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 1, 2010, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 1,313 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 1, 2010, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.