The Elbert County Historical Society is located in the old Seaboard Air Line Railway on Deadwyler Streets at North Oliver in Elberton, GA.
The depot was built in 1910 and was restored in 1986-1989. The Architect/builder/engineer was Gathaway Engineering. The old Depot is now the home of the Elbert County Historical Society.
Elbert County was created from Wilkes County on Dec. 10, 1790 by an act of the General Assembly. Georgia's 13th county was named for Gen. Samuel Elbert, who commanded Continental forces in Georgia during the American Revolution and subsequently served as govenor (1785-86).
Portions of Elbert County were used to help create Madison County (1811) and Hart County (1853).
The County Seat is Elberton [named for Gen. Samuel Elbert]. Designated county seat 1790, incorporated Dec. 10, 1803.
In January 1791, one month after Elbert County's creation, the plantation home of T.A. Carter served as courtroom for the county's first superior court. What served as the county's courthouse for the next nine years is not known but in 1800, Elbert County's first courthouse -- a two-story wooden building -- was constructed. Whether other courthouses followed is not known, but the present courthouse was constructed in 1893. By this time, Elbert had an active granite industry, and granite was incorporated into the new structure. The building's interior was extensively renovated in 1964.
Cities and Towns Includes the cities of Bowman and Elberton. See Extended History for More information. The Official County Website is located at (
visit link)
Source: My Georgia Genealogy (
visit link)
Seaboard Air Line Railroad
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad (reporting mark SAL), which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad whose corporate existence extended from April 14, 1900 until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. The company was headquartered in Portsmouth, Virginia until 1958, when its main offices were relocated to Richmond, Virginia. Total route mileage circa 1950 was 4,146 miles.
The main line of the Seaboard ran from Richmond via Raleigh, North Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia to Jacksonville, Florida, a major interchange point for passenger trains bringing travelers to the Sunshine State. From Jacksonville, Seaboard rails continued to such popular tourist destinations as Tampa, St. Petersburg, West Palm Beach, and Miami.
Other important Seaboard routes included a line from Jacksonville via Tallahassee to a connection with the L&N at Chattahoochee, Florida for through service to New Orleans; a line to Atlanta, Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama connecting with the main line at Hamlet, North Carolina; and a line from the main at Norlina, North Carolina to Portsmouth, Virginia, the earliest route of what became the Seaboard.
In the first half of the twentieth century, Seaboard, along with its main competitors Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, Florida East Coast Railway, and Southern Railway, contributed greatly to the economic development of the Southeastern United States, and particularly to that of Florida. Its primary revenues derived from bringing vacationers to Florida from the Northeast and carrying southern timber, minerals, and produce, especially Florida citrus crops, to the northern states.
Source: Wikipedia (
visit link)
I was not able to find a web site for the Elbert Co. Historical Society.
Elbert County, Georgia History, Records, Facts and Genealogy may be found at My Georgia Genealogy (
visit link)