Moultrie, Georgia
Encyclopedia
Moultrie is the county seat and largest city of Colquitt County
and the third largest in Southwest Georgia behind Thomasville and Albany. As of 2009, Moultrie's population is 15,199 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of 6.07 percent.
Moultrie is an agricultural community set in the Southern Rivers
part of the State of Georgia
. It is well known for its antique shop
s and has been styled "The Antique Capital of South Georgia." Moultrie is also the home of US Senator Saxby Chambliss
.
- about 200 miles (321.9 km) south of Atlanta and 60 miles (96.6 km) northeast of Tallahassee, Florida.
The city is geographically in the middle of Albany
to the NW, Tifton to the NE, Thomasville
to the SW, and Valdosta
to the SE. According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 14.2 square miles (36.9 km²).
Moultrie is located at 31°10′13"N 83°47′1"W (31.170188, -83.783601).
, the Revolutionary War hero after whom Fort Moultrie was named following the successful defence of Charleston, South Carolina in the American War of Independence, against the British under Peter Parker, an anniversary subsequently celebrated as Carolina Day.
Colquitt County became the 115th county in Georgia
by an act of the Legislature on February 25, 1856. It was named after Walter Terry Colquittt, a minister, statesman and lawyer who was a military leader in the mid 1860's. In 1879, a charter was adopted and 50 acre (0.202343 km²) in the center of the county was declared the county seat.
During the American Civil War
Colquitt County raised several companies of Confederate
troops, particularly Company H, 50th Georgia Volunteer Infantry
.
Founders of naval stores started harvesting the timbers in the late 1890s. They set up turpentine
stills and built tram roads, allowing for the railroad to come into the territory. The Boston & Albany line, which later became the Georgia Northern Railway
, was the first through town, bringing with it growth and prosperity for the County. Practically every train brought new residents interested in supplying naval stores or working in the saw mills.
By 1900, through the work of businessmen, bankers and speculators, the county was becoming a farmer's paradise.
Land was cleared and development companies began dividing the forested area into farm tracts. Experienced farmers from north Georgia and the Carolinas were invited to come and develop the land. The county's agriculture industry thrives today.
There were 5,663 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were married couples
living together, 23.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males.
holiday week boosting the local economy tremendously. The theme is "A History..A Celebration" and include former schools:
holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of ten elementary schools, a middle school, a junior high school, and one high school. The district has 480 full-time teachers and over 8,342 students.
Elementary Schools
Middle Schools
Junior High School
High School
aircraft, the Maule Air
, is also located in Moultrie.
, which connects to Interstate 75
and Interstate 10
. State Road 37
and State Road 111 also run through Moultrie. The Chattahoochee and Gulf Railroad
, and Greyhound
are two transportation services provided in Moultrie. Moultrie also has two small airports, Moultrie Municipal Airport
and Spence Airport
.
Colquitt County, Georgia
Colquitt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on February 25, 1856. As of 2000, the population was 42,053. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 45,744. The county seat is Moultrie...
and the third largest in Southwest Georgia behind Thomasville and Albany. As of 2009, Moultrie's population is 15,199 people. Since 2000, it has had a population growth of 6.07 percent.
Moultrie is an agricultural community set in the Southern Rivers
Southern Rivers
Southern Rivers is an area in southwest Georgia, United States, spreading north.-Geography:The Southern Rivers Region constitutes the southwest corner of the state of Georgia and is made up of the following...
part of the State of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. It is well known for its antique shop
Antique shop
An antique shop is a retail store specializing in the selling of antiques. Antiques shops can be located either locally and with the advent of the Internet found online...
s and has been styled "The Antique Capital of South Georgia." Moultrie is also the home of US Senator Saxby Chambliss
Saxby Chambliss
Clarence Saxby Chambliss, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Georgia. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a U.S. Representative ....
.
Geography
Located in Southwest Georgia, Moultrie is in the center of Colquitt County, 24 miles (39 km) west of Interstate 75Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
- about 200 miles (321.9 km) south of Atlanta and 60 miles (96.6 km) northeast of Tallahassee, Florida.
The city is geographically in the middle of Albany
Albany, Georgia
Albany is a city in and the county seat of Dougherty County, Georgia, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. It is the principal city of the Albany, Georgia metropolitan area and the southwest part of the state. The population was 77,434 at the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the...
to the NW, Tifton to the NE, Thomasville
Thomasville, Georgia
Thomasville is the county seat of Thomas County, Georgia, United States. The city is the second largest in Southwest Georgia after Albany.The city deems itself the City of Roses and holds an annual Rose Festival. The town features plantations open to the public, a historic downtown, a large...
to the SW, and Valdosta
Valdosta, Georgia
Valdosta is the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, United States. It is the principal city of the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 54,518. The Valdosta metropolitan area, according to the 2010 estimate, has a population of 139,588...
to the SE. According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 14.2 square miles (36.9 km²).
Moultrie is located at 31°10′13"N 83°47′1"W (31.170188, -83.783601).
History
The City was named Moultrie, after Gen. William MoultrieWilliam Moultrie
William Moultrie was a general from South Carolina in the American Revolutionary War.He was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He fought in the Anglo-Cherokee War and served in the colonial assembly before the advent of the American Revolution....
, the Revolutionary War hero after whom Fort Moultrie was named following the successful defence of Charleston, South Carolina in the American War of Independence, against the British under Peter Parker, an anniversary subsequently celebrated as Carolina Day.
Colquitt County became the 115th county in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
by an act of the Legislature on February 25, 1856. It was named after Walter Terry Colquittt, a minister, statesman and lawyer who was a military leader in the mid 1860's. In 1879, a charter was adopted and 50 acre (0.202343 km²) in the center of the county was declared the county seat.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Colquitt County raised several companies of Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
troops, particularly Company H, 50th Georgia Volunteer Infantry
50th Georgia Volunteer Infantry
The 50th Georgia Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment raised by the state of Georgia to fight for the Confederacy in the American Civil War....
.
Founders of naval stores started harvesting the timbers in the late 1890s. They set up turpentine
Turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
stills and built tram roads, allowing for the railroad to come into the territory. The Boston & Albany line, which later became the Georgia Northern Railway
Georgia Northern Railway
The Boston and Albany Railroad was chartered in 1891 to build a rail line from Boston to Albany, Georgia, United States. After two years, very little progress had been made and the railroad was purchased by the Pidcock Family who had founded a private logging railroad in the early 1890s that ran...
, was the first through town, bringing with it growth and prosperity for the County. Practically every train brought new residents interested in supplying naval stores or working in the saw mills.
By 1900, through the work of businessmen, bankers and speculators, the county was becoming a farmer's paradise.
Land was cleared and development companies began dividing the forested area into farm tracts. Experienced farmers from north Georgia and the Carolinas were invited to come and develop the land. The county's agriculture industry thrives today.
There were 5,663 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 23.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.1% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.7 males.
African American Presence
The African-American community has made a significant impact on the city of Moultrie over the years. Several of those making the most impact have been honored by having community buildings or parks bear their names. One late Moultrie resident has even had a railway terminal in the Atlanta area named in his honor. In 2001, the John W. Whitaker Intermodal Terminal in Austell was named for John Whitaker, a Moultrie native who worked with Norfolk Southern most of his lifetime and helped to form the International Brotherhood of Railroad Employees to address workplace discrimination. He was also training as a pilot with the famed Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, but his training was not completed by the time the war ended in 1945. A section of Ninth Street Northwest was named in honor of Moultrie native Ellis Hanks Jr. in 2003. Hanks received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, which is the highest award given to a Marine for heroism in a non-combat situation. He was also the first American to receive the Finnish Life Saving Award. Moultrie is also the home of two Negro leagues professional baseball players R.C. Stevens and John Glenn, Nationally Recognized Author Odessa Walker Hooker, Corporate executive Reatha Clark King, the first Miss Black Deaf America Pageant winner Mrs. Ronnie Mae Tyson-Jones and many more prominent African Americans. Both of Moultrie's middle schools bear the names of successful black educators. C.A. Gray Junior High School was named for Charlie A. Gray, a faculty member at Moultrie High for Negro Youth and Willie J. Williams Middle School in honor of its former principal. Ram Round-up is a historical class reunion of black high schools for Colquitt County, Georgia from the 1920s to the 1970s. It is held every even year in Moultrie, Georgia during the 4th of JulyIndependence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
holiday week boosting the local economy tremendously. The theme is "A History..A Celebration" and include former schools:
- Moultrie High for Colored Youth
- Moultrie High for Negro Youth, and
- William Bryant High
Colquitt County School District
Moultrie public schools are controlled by the Colquitt County Board of Education. The Colquitt County School DistrictColquitt County School District
The Colquitt County School District is a public school district in Colquitt County, Georgia based in Moultrie, Georgia. It serves the communities of Berlin, Doerun, Ellenton, Funston, Moultrie, Norman Park, Omega, and Riverside, Georgia.-Schools:...
holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, that consists of ten elementary schools, a middle school, a junior high school, and one high school. The district has 480 full-time teachers and over 8,342 students.
Elementary Schools
- Cox Elementary School
- Doerun Elementary School
- Funston Elementary School
- Hamilton Elementary School
- Norman Park Elementary School
- Odom Elementary School
- Okapilco Elementary School
- Stringfellow Elementary School
- Sunset Elementary School
- Wright Elementary School
- Pre-K Program
Middle Schools
- Williams Middle SchoolWilliams Middle School (Moultrie, Georgia)Williams Middle School is a public middle school in Moultrie, Georgia, USA,the principal is Doug Howell. The school is part of the Colquitt County Board of Education, which serves Colquitt County.The school houses 6th & 7th grade only.-Background:Williams Middle School houses 6th & 7th grade only...
Junior High School
- C. A. Gray Junior High SchoolC.A. Gray Jr High SchoolC.A. Gray Jr High School is a public high school/middle school in Moultrie, Georgia, USA. that was established in 1956. It serves the entire city of Moultrie. It also serves small portions of Omega.C.A...
High School
- Colquitt County High SchoolColquitt County High SchoolColquitt County High School is a public high school located in Moultrie, Georgia, USA. The school is part of the Colquitt County School District which serves Colquitt County, Georgia.-Sports:The following sports are played at CCHS:*Baseball*Basketball...
Industry
Industry for the Moultrie area grew considerably when Sanderson Farms opened a processing plant in 2006 that now currently employs over 1,000 workers, over 10 percent of the local workforce. The manufacturer of light, single-engined STOLSTOL
STOL is an acronym for short take-off and landing, a term used to describe aircraft with very short runway requirements.-Definitions:There is no one accepted definition of STOL and many different definitions have been used by different authorities and nations at various times and for a myriad of...
aircraft, the Maule Air
Maule Air
Maule Air, Inc. is a manufacturer of light, single-engined, short take-off and landing aircraft, based in Moultrie, Georgia, USA. Maule has delivered 2,500 aircraft in its first 50 years of business.- History :...
, is also located in Moultrie.
Telecommunications
There are several radio and television stations located in the Moultrie area.- Radio
- WOBB-100.3FM Country
- WMGA-1130 AM Spanish
- WMTM-1300 AM Gospel music
- WHBS-1400 AM Religious
- WMTM-93.9 FM Oldies
- Television
Transportation
Moultrie is serviced by US 319U.S. Route 319
U.S. Highway 319 is a spur of U.S. Route 19. It runs for 318 miles from US 1 /State Route 4 in Wadley, Georgia to the John Gorrie Bridge at Apalachicola, Florida. The sections of US 319 in Medart, Florida and from just east of Carrabelle, Florida to its terminus in Apalachicola are jointly...
, which connects to Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
and Interstate 10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
. State Road 37
Georgia State Route 37
State Route 37 is a west–east state route located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. The route travels from Alabama State Route 10 at the Alabama state line west of Fort Gaines east to U.S...
and State Road 111 also run through Moultrie. The Chattahoochee and Gulf Railroad
Chattahoochee and Gulf Railroad
The Chattahoochee and Gulf Railroad was a short line railroad operating from 2003 to 2006 between Hilton, Georgia and Dothan, Alabama, on former Central of Georgia and Norfolk Southern tracks. Initially the railroad was a subsidiary of Gulf and Ohio Railways. In 2006, the railroad was acquired by...
, and Greyhound
Greyhound Lines
Greyhound Lines, Inc., based in Dallas, Texas, is an intercity common carrier of passengers by bus serving over 3,700 destinations in the United States, Canada and Mexico, operating under the well-known logo of a leaping greyhound. It was founded in Hibbing, Minnesota, USA, in 1914 and...
are two transportation services provided in Moultrie. Moultrie also has two small airports, Moultrie Municipal Airport
Moultrie Municipal Airport
Moultrie Municipal Airport is a public airport located 6 miles south of Moultrie, Georgia. The airport serves the general aviation community, with no scheduled commercial airline service.-History:...
and Spence Airport
Spence Airport
Spence Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located four nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Moultrie, a city in Colquitt County, Georgia, United States...
.
Historic sites
Moultrie is also home to several buildings and homes that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Festivals
- Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition - October
- The Calico Arts & Crafts Shows - March and November
- Southern Wildlife & Outdoor Exposition - August
- Automotive Swap Meet - November
- Ram Roundup-July
Points of interest
- Museum of Colquitt County History
- Reed Bingham State ParkReed Bingham State ParkReed Bingham State Park is a 1,613 acre Georgia state park in Cook County located 5 miles east of Ellenton. The park surrounds a 375 acre lake that is a tourist attraction in southern Georgia...
- The Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library
- Spence Field