Lamar County: History

Lamar County was created in 1920 from portions of Monroe and Pike counties and is named for Lucius Quintus Cinncinatus Lamar, a Confederate Army colonel, Secretary of the Interior under Grover Cleveland, and a Supreme Court Justice. It was the 158th county created.

Barnesville is the county seat and the largest municipality. The other municipalities are Aldora and Milner.
Lamar County is home to Gordon College, a two-year unit of the University System of Georgia. Gordon College had a 1992 enrollment of 1,914. It was known as Gordon Military College from 1927 until 1972.

The history of Barnesville includes a period in which the city was designated "Buggy Capital of the World." Around the turn of the century, Barnesville had four buggy companies. The Barnesville Hardware Store now occupies the site of the former Smith Buggy Company showroom built in 1891.

Also of historical note are several homes and buildings in Lamar County. These include the Brown-Kennedy home (1850), Jackson G. Smith home (1870), and Gachet House (1821) which is particularly notable because it was visited by three presidents.

Since its beginnnings 20 years ago, the "Barnesville Buggy Days" festival has grown to become one of Georgia's largest community festivals. Held annually the third week in September, the festival attracts more than 50,000 people and features a parade of original Barnesville Buggies and some 200 horses.

Lamar County: Demographic Information

According to the 1990 Census, the population of Lamar County was 13,038 persons. The county's population grew between 1980 and 1990 at a rate of 6.7%, compared with a state average growth rate during the period of 13.2%. The county's projected population for the year 2000 is 13,654 persons.

In Lamar County, 65.6% of the residents were white and 34.1% were black, according to the 1990 Census. Hispanics, who may also be identified as either white or black in the Census data, constituted 0.4% of the county’s population. Statewide, 71% of residents were white, 27% were black and 1.7% were Hispanic.

In addition, 30.5% of the county’s residents were age 19 or younger, while 13.4% were age 65 or older. Statewide, 30% were age 19 or younger and 10% were age 65 or older.

In Lamar County, the 1990 Census reports 8.2% of households were headed by females and had children under 18 years of age, compared with 8% statewide. Total households with children under 18 comprised 35.8% of all households in the county and 36% of those in the state.

The 1990 Census indicates that 33.3% of the adult population in Lamar County had completed high school, which was greater than the state average of 29.6%. A total of 24.8% of the county’s population had at least some college level education compared with the 41.3% state average.

Between 1991 and 1995, an average of 8% of students in grades 8 to 12 dropped out of school each year in the county. Statewide, the average percentage of dropouts was 6.7% for the same time period.

Lamar County spent an average of $3,742 per pupil for public education each year between 1990 and 1994. This expenditure was less than the statewide average of $4,002.

Between 1989 and 1993, the infant mortality rate (infant deaths per 1,000 live births) was 12.5 for the county. The statewide rate was 11.3 during the same period.

In 1992, the number of physicians in the county per 1,000 population was 0.23, compared with the 0.8 state average. Lamar County had 0 hospital beds per 1,000 population in 1994, which was less than the statewide average of 3.6 beds per 1,000 population.

According to the 1990 Census, 64.5% of the housing units in the county were owner occupied. The median value of these units was $47,600. Across the state, 76% of housing units were owner occupied, with a median value of $70,700.

Between 1990 and 1994, the county’s index crime rate (crimes per 100,000 population) was 2,442. Statewide, when moving from the highest index crime rate to the lowest, Lamar County ranked number 90. Of this five year average, 24.2% were violent crimes, while 75.8% were non-violent crimes.

In 1992, 67.1% of the adult population in the county was registered to vote. Of those registered, 68.5% voted in the 1992 general election. Statewide, in 1992, 67% of eligible Georgians were registered to vote. Of those registered, 73% voted in the general election that year.

Lamar County: Economic Information

According to the Georgia Department of Labor, the largest non-government employers in the county include: General Tire Inc., Weyerhaeuser Company, and William Carter Company.

Between 1990 and 1994, Lamar County’s annual unemployment rate was higher than the state’s mark, averaging 6% compared with the state’s average of 5.7%. Nationwide, unemployment for the same period averaged 6.5%.

In 1990, 50% of the county’s workforce was employed within the county while the balance, 51%, commuted out of Lamar County for employment.

The county per capita income in 1992 was less than that of the state and was less than that of the nation. Lamar County’s per capita income was $13,159, as compared with $18,549 for the state and $20,105 for the United States.

Lamar County’s median household income in 1989 was $23,336. This amount was less than the state’s median household income of $29,021 in that same year. Nationally, the median household income in 1989 was $30,056.

In 1993, taxable sales in the county amounted to $5,773 per capita. This amount was less than the $10,636 per capita figure for the state as a whole.

Lamar County had 194 business establishments in 1991. In the six-year period of 1986-1991, the number of business establishments in the county decreased by 1%. Statewide, the number of business establishments increased by 6% during the same period.

According to the Georgia Department of Revenue’s Net Property and Utility Digest, Lamar County’s assessed property value amounted to $143,195,050 in 1992, resulting in a per capita assessed property value of $10,983. At the state level, per capita assessed property value in 1992 equaled $16,112.

The newspaper with the largest daily circulation in Lamar County is the Griffin News. The county is considered part of the Atlanta television market.

During 1989, 16% of the county’s population lived below the poverty level, compared with a statewide level of 15% and a U.S. rate of 13%. In addition, 20% of the children under the age of 18 in the county lived in poverty and 22% of the elderly, persons over age 65, lived below the poverty level. Statewide, in 1989, 20% of all children and 20% of the elderly lived in poverty. Nationally, 19% of all children and 11% of the elderly were considered to be impoverished.

Residents of Lamar County received total government transfer payments amounting to $2,802 per capita in 1992, compared with $2,708 per capita statewide.

Lamar County: Government Information

From 1991 to 1995, Lamar County's average own source revenue per capita was $210. This amount was less than the average of $322 per capita reported by other counties of similar size and was less than the overall county average of $326.

Lamar County collected an average of $106 per capita in property tax during the past five years. This amount was less than the average of $142 per capita for other similarly sized counties. For the same period, the average per capita amount of county property tax collected in Georgia was $155. On average, property taxes accounted for 50% of the county's own source revenue during the period of 1991 to 1995.

Between 1991 and 1995, Lamar County's yearly general operating expenditures averaged $224 per capita. This amount was less than the overall county average of $274 per capita during the same period. The average yearly general operating expenditures per capita for similarly sized counties was $290 between 1991 and 1995.
Between 1991 to 1995, Lamar County had no long-term debt outstanding.

In 1996, Lamar was designated as a tier two county under Georgia's Job Tax Credit Program. Under this classification, eligible companies may receive $1,500 in tax credits for each new job created in the county.

According to the Association County Commissioners of Georgia, Lamar County has a 5-member board of commissioners, with the chairman elected by the voters. The county seat of Lamar County is Barnesville.