Upson County: History

Upson County was created from parts of Pike and Crawford counties in 1824. Georgia's 59th county was named for Stephen Upson, a well-known lawyer and legislator of the time.

In addition to Thomaston, the county seat, there is one other incorporated municipality, Yatesville. Thomaston was named for General Jett Thomas, the leader of the state militia in 1812 and the builder of the state capitol in Milledgeville.

Until losing its charter in 1995 due to its inactive status, The Rock was the county's third municipality. The Rock is located on a rock, hence the name. It is said that the mail used to be deposited in a secret hole in the rock, and that stage drivers were told to "take the mail to the rock."

One famous citizen of Upson County was John Brown Gordon, a U.S. Senator and Major General of the Confederate Army. He was one of Robert E. Lee's most trusted generals, and later served two terms as Georgia's governor.

Upson County is home to the Thundering Springs, which once made a sounds like rolling thunder. The sound ceased after vandals threw rocks into it. The spring, located 20 miles from Thomaston, was once a boiling column of water and sand, but is now only 12 inches in diameter and merely warm. No bottom to the spring has ever been found.

Some other tourist attractions include Auchumpkee Covered Bridge, built in 1898, and the Pettigrew-White-Stamps House, built in the early 1800s.

"Fairy Stone," a world famous good luck charm, can be found near Thomaston. This is actually the mineral Staurolite which is made of two individual crystals that intersect and form geometric angles.

Upson County: Demographic Information

According to the 1990 Census, the population of Upson County was 26,300 persons. The county's population grew between 1980 and 1990 at a rate of 1.2%, compared with a state average growth rate during the period of 13.2%. The county's projected population for the year 2000 is 26,341 persons.

In Upson County, 71.9% of the residents were white and 27.7% 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, 28.3% of the county’s residents were age 19 or younger, while 16% were age 65 or older. Statewide, 30% were age 19 or younger and 10% were age 65 or older.

In Upson County, the 1990 Census reports 8.3% 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 33.3% of all households in the county and 36% of those in the state.

The 1990 Census indicates that 31.9% of the adult population in Upson County had completed high school, which was greater than the state average of 29.6%. A total of 22.7% 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 6.3% 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.

Upson County spent an average of $3,049 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 8.3 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 1.14, compared with the 0.8 state average. Upson County had 4.5 hospital beds per 1,000 population in 1994, which was greater than the statewide average of 3.6 beds per 1,000 population.

According to the 1990 Census, 65.5% of the housing units in the county were owner occupied. The median value of these units was $41,300. 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 3,358. Statewide, when moving from the highest index crime rate to the lowest, Upson County ranked number 58. Of this five year average, 16.5% were violent crimes, while 83.5% were non-violent crimes.

In 1992, 68.2% of the adult population in the county was registered to vote. Of those registered, 67.3% 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.

Upson County: Economic Information

According to the Georgia Department of Labor, the largest non-government employers in the county include: Dominion Engineered Tex, Thomaston Mills, and Upson County Hospital.

Between 1990 and 1994, Upson County’s annual unemployment rate was lower than the state’s mark, averaging 5% compared with the state’s average of 5.7%. Nationwide, unemployment for the same period averaged 6.5%.

In 1990, 77% of the county’s workforce was employed within the county while the balance, 23%, commuted out of Upson 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. Upson County’s per capita income was $14,348, as compared with $18,549 for the state and $20,105 for the United States.

Upson County’s median household income in 1989 was $22,747. 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 $7,435 per capita. This amount was less than the $10,636 per capita figure for the state as a whole.

Upson County had 500 business establishments in 1991. In the six-year period of 1986-1991, the number of business establishments in the county increased by 4%. 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, Upson County’s assessed property value amounted to $288,320,062 in 1992, resulting in a per capita assessed property value of $10,963. At the state level, per capita assessed property value in 1992 equaled $16,112.

The newspaper with the largest daily circulation in Upson County is the Atlanta Journal/Constitution. The county is considered part of the Atlanta television market.

During 1989, 15% 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, 21% of the children under the age of 18 in the county lived in poverty and 21% 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 Upson County received total government transfer payments amounting to $3,098 per capita in 1992, compared with $2,708 per capita statewide.

Upson County: Government Information

From 1991 to 1995, Upson County's average own source revenue per capita was $223. This amount was less than the average of $339 per capita reported by other counties of similar size and was less than the overall county average of $326.

Upson County collected an average of $122 per capita in property tax during the past five years. This amount was less than the average of $155 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 55% of the county's own source revenue during the period of 1991 to 1995.

Between 1991 and 1995, Upson County's yearly general operating expenditures averaged $217 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 $228 between 1991 and 1995.

From 1991 to 1995, Upson County had an average of $55,645 in long-term debt outstanding each year, resulting in an average per capita debt burden of $2. This amount was less than the $84 per capita average among the 135 counties with outstanding debt during the period and less than the $105 per capita average for the 18 similarly sized counties with outstanding debt.

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

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