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JONES COUNTY Towns - Clinton
Source:
“History of Jones Co., GA by Carolyn White Williams
CLINTON
Clinton, which was first called Albany was the county seat and is situated near
the center of the
county 22 miles southwest of the capital of Milledgeville, 14 miles from Macon,
25 miles from
Forsyth, 23 miles from Monticello, 28 miles from Irwinton and 28 from Marion.
It had a
courthouse, a jail, a Methodist and Baptist church, male and female academies,
three taverns,
several boardinghouses, stores, a tannery and mechanics shops. The town
was healthy and was
incorporated in 1816. The town was named for Gov. DeWitt CLINTON of New
York, who
figured prominently in politics at that time and who probably came to Clinton in
company with
Gen. LaFayette at the time of his well remembered visit there.
Unlike other small towns, Clinton did not grow in a haphazard manner. The
village was laid out
in 1811 with a square upon which the courthouse was built. The town grew
up around it with the
whole laid off in lots in a neat manner. The lot of land on which Clinton
was built containing
202-1/2 acres was bought from Thomas JOHNSON by the Judges of the Inferior Court
and the
sale of lots paid for the courthouse.
To a sturdy band of pioneers and settlers who back in 1807 came into a
wilderness of Indian
country to build up a civilization and a peaceful agricultural life, we owe
much. Clinton was
designated in 1809 as the capital of the county, however the large brick
courthouse was not
finished until 1818. The contractors for the building were called
“undertakers” and Robert and
John ALLEN were paid for this work. Robert HUTCHINGS and James SMITH were
selected to
secure plans. The Judges at that time were Robert CUNNINGHAM, Joseph
DUCKWORTH,
J.W. RAY, G. W. ROSS.
This courthouse was an interesting part of Clinton’s history.
Clinton was the trading center for
miles around for as many as 16,000 people when Macon was in swaddling clothes in
1821.
Clinton had four springs of freely flowing water that not only supplied the
people, horses, and
travelers, but was used for manufacturing purposes. It was a good place
for settlers to make a
home, and they did.
Among the early comers to Clinton were two Yankees who were to set their mark
upon Georgia.
Samuel GRISWOLD and Daniel PRATT, both skilled carpenters and mechanics.
GRISWOLD
came from Connecticut and PRATT from New Hampshire. The first frame
dwelling was built
by Sam GRISWOLD near the brick courthouse and for several years GRISWOLD and his
family
used it for a store and a swelling. GRISWOLD prospered and soon built a
handsome house on
Bonner’s Hill. Near his home he built a gin factory and with Daniel PRATT
as an assistant he
made gin saws and other equipment and the business grew, so that Daniel PRATT
moved to
Alabama where he founded the town of Prattsville and started a gin factory of
his own. In 1839
because of no railroad facilities, GRISWOLD moved his factory and home to
Griswoldville.
The curcuit rider preached in Clinton and rode to the small town of Macon to
preach at what is
now Mulberry Methodist church. The ladies of Macon drove to Clinton in their
carriages to
purchase crinolines, silks and brocades for their Sunday frocks. Charles
HUTCHINGS had a
fine store and a trip was made to New York each year to procure the latest
materials. He had a
two-story frame building on the north side of the square. Diagonally
across from the
HUTCHINGS store, east of the square stood the handsome two-story structure which
was to
serve as the Clinton Hotel. Here came many notables to attend balls, to
stop over night and to
enjoy the sumptuous fare at the tables and drink at the famous bar which was
provided with the
best brandies at 50 cents a quart.
Not only business flourished there in Clinton, but it was becoming the seat of
culture and
learning. On the hillside back of Lowther Hall and south toward Macon was
the Academy
operated by Thomas Bog SLADE. Here came girls to be taught Latin, Greek,
music, voice and
all the things that enabled a young lade to be “finished,” when she graduated.
SLADE later went
to the infant female college in Macon, Wesleyan and was one of the first
instructors.
As early as 1821 Macon, then Fort Hawkins, was drawing the businessmen from
Clinton. About
1822-25 a huge slice of Jones County was taken by the legislature to make Bibb
County. Many
families were moving into Macon. The coming of the railroad to Macon, as
well as Wesleyan
and the river boat trade all attracted men who were ambitious.
Further loss came to Clinton when the railroad in 1886 was run two miles away
and the town of
Gray started. After the courthouse was rebuilt at Gray the old historic
one at Clinton was
allowed to deteriorate and the rooms where Ben HILL, Aleck STEPHENS, L.Q.C.
LAMAR and
Robert TOOMBS had practiced law were gone forever.
Though Clinton became a lost town, the glories which were once hers will not die
in Georgia’s
history. After 150 years, a few of the fine old houses still stand, some are
gray with neglect and
falling into decay, others are well-kept and freshly painted standing proudly as
they did over a
century ago, hauntingly reminiscent of a past era.
[ AR Soldiers ] [ Jones County Military History ] [ Clinton ] [ Griswoldville Georgia ] [ The Blake Fitz Jarrell Cemetery ] [ Jones Markers ] [ Surnames ]
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