Toomsboro, Georgia

Toomsboro is a town in Wilkinson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 383 in 2020.

Toomsboro, Georgia
Town
Location in Wilkinson County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 32°49′32″N 83°5′0″W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Wilkinson
Area [1]
• Total	1.86 sq mi (4.82 km2)
• Land	1.86 sq mi (4.82 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	233 ft (71 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	383
• Density	205.69/sq mi (79.43/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	31090
Area code	478
FIPS code	13-76952[2]
GNIS feature ID	0324226[3]

History

Toomsboro was founded when the Central of Georgia Railway was extended to that point. Its railroad terminal was built in 1869.^[4]

On August 30, 1871, Matthew Deason, a white man, and an African American woman who was possibly his wife, Serena Dul Cat C. Johnson (Georgia Marriages 1699–1944 in Wilkinson County Georgia) were lynched in Toomsboro by members of the Ku Klux Klan. Deason, a former Confederate soldier, was the elected sheriff of Wilkinson County. It was the first documented lynching of a black woman in Georgia after the Civil War.^[5][6]

The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Toomsboro as a town in 1904.^[7] The community is named for 18th-century Georgia politician Robert Toombs.^[8]

Freedom, Georgia

David Bumgardner, a developer who bought properties at auction, intended to turn the property he owned into a quaint tourist destination. In April 2012, Bumgardner and Bill Lucado, who also owned property, announced they were seeking a buyer for the properties by advertising "Toomsboro for sale" although the existing community of Toomsboro maintains its own identity.^[9] They suggested a movie production company might be interested in using Toomsboro as a film set.^[10] In September 2018, 36 pieces of property over 40 acres (16 ha) went up for sale for an asking price of $1.7 million, with an eye toward a preservation-minded buyer "who appreciates its history".^[11] In the aftermath of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in 2020, 19 families cooperatively bought 96.71 acres (39.14 ha) of land in Toomsboro to establish a Black community "where all Black people feel safe without fear of being murdered for who they are".^[12][13] The Freedom Georgia Initiative promotes the new community as Freedom, Georgia.^[9]

Geography

Toomsboro is located at 32°49′32″N 83°5′0″W (32.825423, -83.083196).^[14] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	183		—
1900	50		—
1910	404		708.0%
1920	420		4.0%
1930	665		58.3%
1940	593		−10.8%
1950	711		19.9%
1960	764		7.5%
1970	682		−10.7%
1980	673		−1.3%
1990	617		−8.3%
2000	622		0.8%
2010	472		−24.1%
2020	383		−18.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[15] 1850-1870[16] 1870-1880[17] 1890-1910[18] 1920-1930[19] 1940[20] 1950[21] 1960[22] 1970[23] 1980[24] 1990[25] 2000[26] 2010[27] 2020[28]

Toomsboro, Georgia – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000[29]	Pop 2010[27]	Pop 2020[28]	% 2000	% 2010	2020
White alone (NH)	280	233	208	45.02%	49.36%	54.31%
Black or African American alone (NH)	334	223	145	53.70%	47.25%	37.86%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	0	1	3	0.00%	0.21%	0.78%
Asian alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	1	0	0	0.16%	0.00%	0.00%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	2	10	14	0.32%	2.12%	3.66%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	5	5	13	0.80%	1.06%	3.39%
Total	622	472	383	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 622 people, 209 households, and 146 families residing in the town. In 2020, its population was 383.

Notes

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. Caldwell, Wilber W. (2001). The Courthouse and the Depot: The Architecture of Hope in an Age of Despair. Mercer University Press. p. 71. ISBN 9780865547483.
5. Feimster, Crystal N. Southern Horrors: Women and the Politics of Rape and Lynching. (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2009). page 160.
6. Editors (September 15, 1871) Untitled. Wisconsin State Journal.
7. Acts and Resolutions of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia. State printer. 1904. p. 674.
8. Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 229. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
9. Arnold, Jeff (September 15, 2020). "Black-Owned Town Named Freedom Could Be Reality TV Series". Atlanta, GA Patch. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
10. "Developer looking to sell Georgia town". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Associated Press. April 30, 2012.
11. Dreier, Natalie. "Georgia town for sale for the cost of a NYC luxury apartment". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Cox Media Group National Content Desk.
12. "19 Families Purchased Over 90 Acres of Land In GA To Create A City Safe For Black People". BOTWC.
13. Kirkland, Pamela (September 12, 2020). "19 families buy nearly 97 acres of land in Georgia to create a city safe for Black people". CNN. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
14. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
15. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decade". United States Census Bureau.
16. "1870 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1870.
17. "1880 Census of Population - Georgia - Population of Civil Divisions less than Counties" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1880.
18. "1910 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930.
19. "1930 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1930. pp. 251–256.
20. "1940 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1940.
21. "1950 Census of Population - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
22. "1960 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1960.
23. "1970 Census of Population - Population of County Subdivisions - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1970.
24. "1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1980.
25. "1990 Census of Population - Summary Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 1990.
26. "2000 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Georgia" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000.
27. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Toomsboro city, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
28. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Toomsboro city, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
29. "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Toomsboro town, Georgia". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 25, 2024.