Blakely, Georgia

Blakely is a city in and the county seat^[4] of Early County, Georgia, United States. As of 2020, its population was 5,371. It is located approximately halfway between Columbus and Tallahassee, Florida on U.S. Route 27.

Blakely, Georgia
City
Early County Courthouse in Blakely
Nickname:  Peanut Capital of the World
Location in Early County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 31°22′36″N 84°56′2″W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Early
Government
• Mayor	Travis Wimbush
Area [1]
• Total	17.66 sq mi (45.75 km2)
• Land	17.55 sq mi (45.46 km2)
• Water	0.11 sq mi (0.29 km2)
Elevation	262 ft (80 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,371
• Density	306.02/sq mi (118.15/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	39823
Area code	229
FIPS code	13-08536[2]
GNIS feature ID	0331185[3]
Website	cityofblakely.net

History

Blakely was platted in 1825 as the county seat for Early County.^[5] It was named for Johnston Blakeley, an officer in the War of 1812.^[6] Between 1881 and 1947 at least seven African-Americans were lynched in Blakely,^[7] including at least two veterans. One of these, Wilbur Little, was murdered upon returning from service in World War I by whites who detested seeing a black person in uniform.^[8] In 1960 an African-American veteran from New Jersey who was traveling through the county was convicted of rape and sentenced to death 3 days after his arrest in a trial that featured no defense counsel and no jury. The story was chronicled in the movie Fair Game.A month after the article appeared in the Chicago Defender the NAACP sent Monroe N. Work to Blakely to investigate the incident. On June 7, 1919, Work sent a telegram to NAACP officer J.R. Shillady stating "Have investigated report. Blakely, Georgia, lynching does not appear to have occurred [sic]." Work concluded his investigation by recommending that allegations of a lynching be dropped.^[9] However, further review by the organization found that it had in fact occurred.^[10][11]

Geography

Blakely is located at 31°22′36″N 84°56′2″W (31.376728, -84.933873).^[12] The city is located in southwestern Georgia along U.S. Route 27, Georgia State Route 62, and Georgia State Route 39. Blakely is located approximately 75 mi (121 km) south of Columbus, 48 mi (77 km) southwest of Albany, and 76 mi (122 km) northwest of Tallahassee, Florida and 24 miles northeast of Dothan, Alabama.

According to the United States Census Bureau, this town has a total area of 17.6 square miles (46 km²), of which 17.5 square miles (45 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (0.74%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	279		—
1890	441		58.1%
1900	804		82.3%
1910	1,838		128.6%
1920	1,985		8.0%
1930	2,106		6.1%
1940	2,774		31.7%
1950	3,234		16.6%
1960	3,580		10.7%
1970	5,267		47.1%
1980	5,880		11.6%
1990	5,595		−4.8%
2000	5,696		1.8%
2010	5,068		−11.0%
2020	5,371		6.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[13] 1850-1870[14] 1870-1880[15] 1890-1910[16] 1920-1930[17] 1940[18] 1950[19] 1960[20] 1970[21] 1980[22] 1990[23] 2000[24] 2010[25]

Blakely racial composition as of 2020^[26]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	1,444	26.89%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	3,706	69.0%
Native American	12	0.22%
Asian	32	0.6%
Other/Mixed	113	2.1%
Hispanic or Latino	64	1.19%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,371 people, 1,584 households, and 1,065 families residing in the city.

Blakely City Hall

Education

Early County School District

The Early County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school.^[27] The district has 156 full-time teachers and over 2,764 students.^[28]

• Early County Elementary School
• Early County Middle School
• Early County High School

Alternative School

• Learning and Opportunity Academy

References

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. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
5. Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 20. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
6. Hellmann, Paul T. (May 13, 2013). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. p. 221. ISBN 978-1135948597. Retrieved November 30, 2013.
7. "THE LYNCHING PROJECT: EARLY COUNTY". Retrieved June 17, 2020.
8. Wilkerson, Isabel, The Warmth of Other Suns : The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, p. 145, ISBN 978-1-4915-4542-3, OCLC 881023508, retrieved July 18, 2020. Cites "Army Uniform Cost Soldier His Life," Chicago Defender, April 5, 1919, p. 1.
9. "Memory of Georgia lynching lives on in Bayonne". February 14, 2019.
10. Du Bois, William Edward Burghardt (July 1919). The Crisis: A Record of the Darker Races. Vol. 18. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. p. 155.
11. Mikkelsen, Vincent (2007). Coming from Battle to Face a War: The Lynching of Black Soldiers in the World War I Era (PDF) (PhD). Florida State University College of Arts and Sciences. pp. 139–140. S2CID 161488986. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 27, 2020.
12. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
13. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
14. "1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1870.
15. "1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
16. "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1910.
17. "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930. pp. 251–256.
18. "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
19. "1950 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1950.
20. "1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1960.
21. "1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1970.
22. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
23. "1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1990.
24. "2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
25. "2010 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2010.
26. "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
27. Georgia Board of Education^{[permanent dead link‍]}, Retrieved June 8, 2010.
28. School Stats, Retrieved June 8, 2010.

External links

• City of Blakely