WAS CAMPBELLTON GEORGIA REAL?

Was Campbellton, Georgia Real?

Many of our readers have asked if there was a real place called Campbellton and the answer is yes. Let’s say you knew nothing of the South, or even the United States, and wanted to locate this wonderful old place. Modern technology’s GPS system places the former town at “33.653284, -84.67136”, for what that means to the current generation. For those of the author’s generation and older who grew up with the Atlas or flat map, Campbellton is located in the Southeastern United States, in the State of Georgia, one of the thirteen colonies. Georgia was founded in 1732 by James Edward Oglethorpe, becoming a Royal Colony in 1752.

From the capitol of Georgia, visually go slightly southwest on the map until you locate the Chattahoochee River then follow it down to where the road identified as Highway 92 crosses the river. At that point you are at the south side of the Campbellton Ferry, currently in Fulton County. Once you cross the river you enter Douglas County, formerly part of Campbell County. Campbell merged with Fulton in 1932. The limits of Campbellton once ran from the nearby intersection of Cascade-Palmetto Highway (State Highway 154) and Highway 92, parts of which are still identified as Campbellton-Fairburn Road. Campbellton ran west to the river and then north about a half-mile, a fairly odd-shaped 80 acres, more or less.

In 2015 there remains an active Baptist Church and a Methodist Church located on the south side of Hwy 92, directly across from the entrance to the two remaining streets. They are identified today as Church Street, and the other and longest actually leaving the former town, north along the river, as Cochran Road. Both churches have cemeteries. The location of the Baptist church is secondary, the first location was on the land ridge north of the Beavers house. The marker there indicated its founding in 1828. On the preserved small square sits a WPA and UDC (United Daughters of the Confederacy) memorial monument to Mrs. Elizabeth Glover. Her life and patriotic works tie her to the town. On the square once sat the second (c. 1835) red brick two-story courthouse. It was the design inspiration and a strong influence on the last courthouse built in 1871, still standing today in Fairburn. The existing courthouse in Fairburn is fronted on East Broad and the current railroad, once the famous Atlanta and West Point. Cole and Pearl Streets also touch the property. Today (in Campbellton) the Beavers House (c. 1828-1830) still stands within sight of the square. What historians believe to be the original community well is on the north side of the square accompanied by native red cedars. East of the current Baptist Church sits the c. 1848 Masonic Lodge which still functions today.

A lot has come and gone since the early settlers arrived on the site formally in 1828. On these 80-odd acres, records and historians say there were 1200 people in the town before the Civil War. Surely there was a thriving business district to support these folks. We know there were two courthouses. The first (c. 1828-1829) was a two-story wood frame structure, which is reported to have sat where the current Baptist Church is today (2015). As mentioned, the second courthouse was located on the square. The original county jail was constructed soon after the government was established by the State Legislature, c. 1828. Its description is unknown to us at this time; however, the second jail contract let c1858 was located slightly to the northeast of the present square, toward the present early 1940’s unpainted barn. The second jail was used by Campbell County up until shortly after completion of the c1884 Victorian influenced jail in Fairburn (vicinity of Hwy 92 and Greene Street.). So from the departure of the county seat in Campbellton on October 17, 1870 until the last jail in 1884, county prisoners were transported to and from, housed in the c1858 jail still in Campbellton at that time.

If you choose to visit Campbellton, please be mindful that anywhere off of the roadways is private property. The local folks prize their privacy highly. By Georgia law the visitation of cemeteries is allowed, with courtesy and respect shown by those visiting. Genealogical researchers are welcomed. We hope this will inspire you to visit Campbellton, still a wonderful old town. Dog River Press is an author owned business and publishing company of their own works. It is our dream to publish the most current factual book on the town of Campbellton, as soon as our continuing research is completed. The book may have to be done with revised editions as information is still being discovered.

We hope you have read the trilogy of Marshal Mathew Duncan and his family living in the Campbellton area. The novels bring the former town to life. “I felt as though I knew the characters on a personal basis. I hated to see the series end. I’ll miss them,” said a reader. Although the trilogy is complete, the story of the Duncans will continue. Future volumes are awaiting publication.