Putnam History

A Brief History of Putnam County

Putnam County was laid out from Baldwin County in 1807. Putnam County was named for General Israel Putnam of Connecticut, Massachusetts, one of the most noted patriots of the Revolutionary War. The new county lay in the heart of Georgia’s Piedmont region and was part of the lands ceded by the Creek Indians in 1802 and 1805. The new county filled quickly with land-hungry settlers, and had a total population of 15,475 by 1820—the total population of Putnam County in 2000 was 18,812.

Eatonton was founded as the seat of Putnam County in 1808 and was incorporated the following year.

Putnam County is the birthplace of Joel Chandler Harris (1848). Joel Chandler Harris created the world famous “Uncle Remus” folklore tales. These folklore tales were his most famous masterpieces. Who can forget those wonderful characters like Br’er Rabbit and Br’er Fox.

1983 Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker, was also born in Putnam County. Her novel “The Color Purple” was later made into a hit movie starring Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey.

Another famous person who originated from Putnam County is S. Truett Cathy. Truett Cathy was the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Chick-fil-a, Inc. Truett Cathy opened his first Chick-fil-a restaurant in 1967 and now there are approximately 975 restaurants.

World famous athlete and Eatonton native, Vincent Hancock is an American shooter and Olympic athlete who won the gold medal in the men’s skeet at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and 2012 Summer Olympics in London.  He is the first skeet shooter to repeat as the Olympic champion.  In 2005, at age of 16, Hancock won his first World Championship title in men’s skeet and went on to win the prestigious International Shooting Sports Federation’s Shooter of the Year award. Hancock also won World Championships in 2009.

Putnam County is home to Rock Eagle 4-H Center. The Rock Eagle Mound is 102 feet long and 120 feet wide. The mound is believed to have been built by Native Americans over 2,000 years ago. The mound was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.