Crawfordville, GA
Crawfordville, GA
Crawfordville, GA the county seat of Taliaferro County (Taliaferro is pronounced "Tolliver") and is a community of about 534 residents, some 90 miles east of Atlanta. It is named for William Harris Crawford, U.S. Senator, U.S. minister to France, Secretary of War, Secretary of the Treasury, and candidate for president in 1816 and 1824, and is the former home of Alexander H. Stephens, Vice President of the Confederacy.
Much of downtown Crawfordville has remained as it was in the early to mid 1900s. It is a real-world movie set waiting for the next movie. Thirteen movies, including Get Low (2009), Pushing up Daisies (2007), Sweet Home Alabama (2001), Neon Bible (1994), Stars and Bars (1987), GORP (1979), Summer of my German Soldier (1978), have been filmed in whole, or in part, in Crawfordville.
Platted in 1826 by Hermon Mercer, brother of noted Baptist minister and Mercer University founder Jesse Mercer, Crawfordville is named for William H. Crawford. A Georgia political leader who served as Secretary of War under President James Madison and Secretary of the Treasury under President James Monroe, Crawford was the only Georgian prior to Jimmy Carter to run for President of the United States.
The town still closely resembled Mercer's "Crawfordville Plat," which uniquely was used as a design for a number of other Georgia towns of that era. A number of antebellum structures still stand in the business district.
Taliaferro County is noted as the birthplace of Alexander H. Stephens, the Vice President of the Confederate States of America.
Stephens was born outside Crawfordville in 1812. Despite being orphaned at the age of fourteen, he went on to attend Franklin College (today's University of Georgia) and was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1843. Two years later he purchased his beloved Liberty Hall plantation at Crawfordville.
The property became part of A.H. Stephens Historic Park in 1933, when the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed the park for recreational purposes and saved the historic structures of Liberty Hall.
Although he opposed Georgia's secession from the Union, Stephens was named Vice President of the Confederacy in February of 1862. He often disagreed with Confederate President Jefferson Davis, but served to the best of his ability until the end of the Civil War.
Sent to a Northern prison for five months after
the war concluded, Stephens ultimately
returned home to Crawfordville where he
lived out the rest of his life, spending his time
writing, serving again in the U.S. Congress
and finally being elected to a term as
Governor of Georgia. He is buried at Liberty
Hall.
Liberty Hall, A.H. Stephens Historic Park - Crawfordville, Georgia
The story of Alexander H. Stephens cannot be told without also telling the stories of Harry and Eliza Stephens.
Born into slavery, the couple remained behind to care for the frail and sickly former vice president after the slaves of his farm were liberated in 1865. They lived out their lives at Liberty Hall and were well cared for in Stephens' will. They are buried in a small cemetery adjoining the park, but their descendants have gone on to achieve success in a variety of fields, including medicine.
The little cottage home of Harry and Eliza Stephens has been restored at Liberty Hall and is included on tours of the property.
Adjacent to the park is the towering white-frame Crawfordville Baptist Church. Founded in 1802, the congregation long predates the town itself. The current sanctuary was completed in 1889.
Besides Stephens' home, the most noteworthy structure in Crawfordville is the beautiful Taliaferro County Courthouse. Completed in 1902, it stands in the main business district.
In addition to A.H. Stephens Historic Park with its outdoor activities, cabins, camping, picnic areas and historic attractions, the community is dotted with historical markers and the Taliaferro County Historical Society maintains a museum in the downtown area.
Taliaferro County courthouse
click picture to enlarge
Pet Cemetery Liberty Hall, Crawfordville, GA
TL;DR
Crwafordville is the county seat of Taliaferro County, GA. (Taliaferro is pronounced "Tolliver") It's a small town of about 534 people, 90 miles east of Atlanta. Named after William H. Crawford, a former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate. Home of Alexander H. Stephens, VP of the Confederacy.
Downtown Crawfordville is like a movie set, with 13 films shot there. It was platted in 1826 and still has antebellum structures. Taliaferro County is Stephens' birthplace. He bought Liberty Hall plantation there and is buried on the property, now a historic park.
Stephens' former slaves, Harry and Eliza, cared for him after the war and are also buried on the property. Their descendants have been successful.
The town has the Taliaferro County Courthouse and Crawfordville Baptist Church, founded in 1802. There are historical markers and a local history museum.