# Oglethorpe County, Georgia

Oglethorpe County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,825. The county seat is Lexington.
Oglethorpe County is included in the Athens-Clarke County, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA Combined Statistical Area. It is the largest county in Northeast Georgia.

## History

Oglethorpe County was originally part of a large tract of land surrendered by Creek and Cherokee Native Americans to the Colony of Georgia in the treaty of 1773. The county itself was founded on December 19, 1793, and is named for Georgia's founder, General James Oglethorpe.
On September 10, 1919, Obe Cox was accused of murdering a White farmer's wife. He was seized by a White mob taken to the scene of the crime, his body riddled with bullets and burned at the stake. Several thousand persons witnessed the scene. The lynching was controversial as the local black community "thanked" the mob for just killing Cox and not attacking their community. After an investigation the black media of the time reported that the blacks who wrote the letter thanking the lynching "do not stand for much in the town and are excused for their utter ignorance in condoning [lynching]."
See reference "The Lynching Project:Oglethorpe County"

## Controversy

In June 2018, Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Office came under protest after a controversial hire was made of former Athens-Clarke County Police Officer Tyler Saulters. Saulters, who was fired from ACCPD, was involved in a controversial use of deadly force with his vehicle, striking a fleeing misdemeanor suspect while attempting to apprehend him in Athens, GA. Protestors were upset that Oglethorpe County Sheriff, David Gabriel, defended the hire and the use of force by the former ACCPD officer.
In April 2021, Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Davis was arrested and charged by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation for two counts of aggravated assault. The arrest stemmed from an on-duty use-of-force, in Clarke County. Davis struck a vehicle he had already performed a traffic stop on. After striking the vehicle, Davis discharged his duty weapon at the vehicle. When the vehicle fled from the unprovoked and unjustified shooting by the Deputy, the deputy pursued and involved officers from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. ACCPD requested an investigation by the GBI, which is standard in most officer involved shootings in Georgia.
In August 2024, YouTuber DG Hamblin, produced interviews with a former Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Deputy about his experiences as a police officer. During the interviews excessive use of force by a Sheriff's commander and failure to report that use of force was discussed as well as Sheriff's commanders' interactions with the controversial Poulan Police Department.
On August 29, 2024, Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Deputies engaged in a pursuit with a motorcycle for a minor traffic violation (missing registration plate) inside Oglethorpe County. During the pursuit, speeds reached 100 mph (160 km/h). According to the Oglethorpe County Sheriff's Office, the Deputy pursuing the motorcycle called the chase off inside Clarke County but continued to follow the motorcycle. The motorcyclist was involved in a collision with another vehicle at the intersection of Lexington Road and Woodgrove Road in Clarke County. The motorcyclist died on scene, according to the Georgia State Patrol, who investigated the collision and pursuit that led up to the fatal collision.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 442 square miles (1,140 km$^2$), of which 439 square miles (1,140 km$^2$) is land and 3.0 square miles (7.8 km$^2$) (0.7%) is water. The county is located in the Piedmont region of the state.
The majority of Oglethorpe County is located in the Broad River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin. A narrow western portion of the county, in a line from just north of Woodville, through Crawford, to just south of Winterville, is located in the Upper Oconee River sub-basin of the Altamaha River basin. A small part of the southern portion of the county, from Maxeys east, is located in the Little River sub-basin of the Savannah River basin.

### River

* Broad River

### Adjacent counties

* Elbert County (northeast)
* Wilkes County (east)
* Taliaferro County (southeast)
* Greene County (south)
* Oconee County (west)
* Clarke County (west)
* Madison County (north)

### National protected area

* Oconee National Forest (part)
* Watson Mill Bridge State Park (part)

## Communities
### Cities

* Arnoldsville
* Crawford
* Lexington

### Towns

* Maxeys

### Unincorporated communities

* Philomath
* Point Peter
* Sandy Cross
* Stephens
* Vesta

## Demographics

Oglethorpe County racial composition as of 2020 :
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
| White | 10,903 | 73.54% |
| Black or African American | 2,248 | 15.16% |
| Native American | 40 | 0.27% |
| Asian | 134 | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 5 | 0.03% |
| Other/Mixed | 626 | 4.22% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 869 | 5.86% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 14,825 people, 5,651 households, and 3,711 families residing in the county.

## Recreation

* White Water Rafting on the Broad and South Fork Broad Rivers
* ATV and Motor Bike Park
* Sportsman Hunting: Seasonal Whitetail Deer, Turkey and Rabbit
Historic Districts and Heritage Research, Antique Stores in Historic Lexington, Agriculture and Agritourism as well as Oglethorpe Fresh Produce
In 2016, the Oglethorpe County Recreation Department was named both the District 7 and State Agency of the Year for populations under 20,000 through the Georgia Recreation and Park Association.

## Transportation
### Major highways

* U.S. Route 78
* State Route 10
* State Route 22
* State Route 77

### Pedestrians and cycling

The county has limited walkability options available.

## Politics

United States presidential election results for Oglethorpe County, Georgia :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 6,255 | 70.90% | 2,515 | 28.51% | 52 | 0.59% |
| 2020 | 5,592 | 68.71% | 2,439 | 29.97% | 107 | 1.31% |
| 2016 | 4,625 | 69.30% | 1,831 | 27.43% | 218 | 3.27% |
| 2012 | 4,251 | 67.64% | 1,914 | 30.45% | 120 | 1.91% |
| 2008 | 4,144 | 64.12% | 2,232 | 34.54% | 87 | 1.35% |
| 2004 | 3,688 | 65.41% | 1,899 | 33.68% | 51 | 0.90% |
| 2000 | 2,706 | 61.71% | 1,519 | 34.64% | 160 | 3.65% |
| 1996 | 1,826 | 48.03% | 1,570 | 41.29% | 406 | 10.68% |
| 1992 | 1,590 | 42.94% | 1,491 | 40.26% | 622 | 16.80% |
| 1988 | 1,951 | 62.61% | 1,154 | 37.03% | 11 | 0.35% |
| 1984 | 2,122 | 63.15% | 1,238 | 36.85% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1980 | 1,187 | 41.56% | 1,611 | 56.41% | 58 | 2.03% |
| 1976 | 811 | 30.43% | 1,854 | 69.57% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1972 | 1,712 | 84.00% | 326 | 16.00% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 383 | 14.71% | 483 | 18.56% | 1,737 | 66.73% |
| 1964 | 1,126 | 56.58% | 864 | 43.42% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 142 | 9.17% | 1,406 | 90.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 167 | 10.63% | 1,404 | 89.37% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 208 | 12.46% | 1,461 | 87.54% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 62 | 5.55% | 819 | 73.26% | 237 | 21.20% |
| 1944 | 173 | 15.80% | 922 | 84.20% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 131 | 13.79% | 818 | 86.11% | 1 | 0.11% |
| 1936 | 115 | 11.93% | 845 | 87.66% | 4 | 0.41% |
| 1932 | 34 | 2.66% | 1,240 | 97.03% | 4 | 0.31% |
| 1928 | 205 | 20.14% | 813 | 79.86% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1924 | 129 | 6.56% | 1,748 | 88.96% | 88 | 4.48% |
| 1920 | 42 | 4.74% | 844 | 95.26% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1916 | 18 | 2.51% | 657 | 91.63% | 42 | 5.86% |
| 1912 | 50 | 9.09% | 400 | 72.73% | 100 | 18.18% |

## Notable people

* Nathan Crawford Barnett, member of the Georgia House of Representatives and Georgia Secretary of State for more than 30 years. Raised in Lexington, and educated at the Lexington Academy
* William H. Crawford (1772–1834) - U.S. Minister to France, U.S. Secretary of War, and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
* George R. Gilmer (1790–1859) - Twice Governor
* Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809) - leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
* Wilson Lumpkin (1783–1870) - Governor
* Joseph H. Lumpkin (1799–1867) First Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court and co-founder of the Lumpkin Law School
* George Mathews (1739–1812) - Revolutionary hero and twice Governor
* Kenny Rogers - Country music performer