Spotlight on Warren County

Warren County is a land of history.  Many of the old deeds recorded in the Office of the Clerk of the Superior Court of Warren County refer to certain plots of land as being derived from grants from King George III of England.  During Colonial times the land lying to the west of modern-day Warrenton was described as “wild land” and was known as Saint Paul’s Parish.

 Located in the lower Piedmont, with a temperate touch of Coastal Plains, Warren County was created in 1793 from portions of Columbia, Burke, Richmond and Wilkes Counties.  The twentieth county to be formed in Georgia, it is named for General Joseph Warren, a Revolutionary War hero who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill.

 When the County was created the Georgia General Assembly named a commission to select the county seat and erect a courthouse and jail.  By 1796 a courthouse had not yet been constructed so the Georgia General Assembly declared that the county court meet at the home of plantation owner Sterling Gardner.  A plot of land on Gardner’s plantation was designated as the permanent county seat of Warren; thirteen years later the town of Warrenton was incorporated on the site.  Warrenton was once called Mule Town because a mule car was operated to transport passengers to the town of Camak to catch the Georgia Railroad. 

The Warren County courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today Warren County had three municipalities.  In addition to Warrenton are the communities of Camak and Norwood.  

Camak was incorporated in 1898 at the junction of the Georgia Railroad and the Savannah & Atlanta Railroad.  It was named for James Camak, the first president of Georgia Railroad.  Railroad Days festival is held annually in Camak offering historic railroad memorabilia, arts and crafts, food, live entertainment, a turn of the century church service and more.

 Norwood was once one of Warren County’s most thriving towns.  The site of the town was originally a gristmill built during the War Between the States.  In 1884 a bill was introduced to incorporate the town.  In 1888 the name was changed from Gunn’s Mill to Norwood in honor of the Honorable Thomas Norwood, a member of Congress from Savannah.   Norwood is proud to be the place of origin of Rural Free Delivery. 

 The natural resources of Warren County include forest, fields, streams and wildlife making the region a recreational and retirement destination for many.  Most of the 176,000 acres of the county are brimming with loblolly pines, dogwood, sweet gums and maple trees.  These forests provide habitats for deer, quail, wild turkey and other small game.  The Ogeechee River forms the western boundary of the county and beckons fishermen in search of a myriad of species of fish. 

Hay and timber are major agricultural commodities produced in Warren County.

The Warren County Library is home to the Mill Branch Indian Artifact display.  Items here represent the entire prehistoric span from approximately 7800 BC to 1450 AD.  Other places of interest in the county include the Old Burkhalter home, built by Revoluntionary War Soldier Jacob Burkhalter.  Several stagecoach stops are still to be found in the county.  The water from Beall Springs, a resort at the turn of the century, would supposedly make ill visitors well again.  Another must-see is the Ogeechee River Mill that is still in use today.  Little Briar Church is the oldest church in the County.  It was established in 1777, sixteen years before the birth of the County.  Little Briar Church was also the 4^th Baptist Church organized in the state of Georgia. 

Little Briar Church is the oldest church in Warren County and the fourth Baptist church established in the state.  It was established in 1777.

In 2002 there were 165 farms in Warren County with 47,992 acres of land in production.  The market value of production from these farms was $25.4 million.  Livestock accounted for $13 million of this number.  Agricultural products sold include cattle and calves, milk, hay, horses, pecans, goats, wheat, sorghum, oats and hogs.

 The Sandersville office of AgGeorgia Farm Credit serves the farmers in Warren County.  Call or come by the office today and let Branch Manager Valda Tanner and his staff work with you on the best way to finance your farming operation.  The Sandersville office is located at 775 Sparta Road.  The phone number is (478) 552-6922.

 * Thanks to the Warren County Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Extension Service for assistance in writing this story. 

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