On November 21, at 11 a.m., an abundance of Ludowici residents gathered outside the courthouse lawn to celebrate the centennial of Long County. Although small, Long County has an interesting history. Originally Long County was a part of Liberty County and it served to be a significant portion of the county. 

During this time most of the businesses, like the tile factory, were located in the area that would be known as Long County. Robert Parker, the chairman of the Long County Board of Commissioners spoke about how the county came into its own. “Most of the banks that were in Liberty County were in the Long County portion and most of the elected officials in Liberty County, at the time, were from Long County. Hinesville, which was the County seat at the time, left a lot to be desired. They had to shoo the goats out of the courthouse when it was time to call the grand jury. So people started petitioning to move the county seat. One thing led to another. They didn’t get the county seat moved, but what they did get is a brand new county in 1920.”

After Parker gave the history of Long County, sons, daughters, and grandchildren went to the podium to honor their predecessors that made an impact on Long County. One of the citizens that were highlighted was Helen William Coxon, who in 1932, defeated three men in Long County to become the county representative in the Georgia house.

Also, the oldest citizens of the county were recognized. One of those citizens was 97 year old Nathanial “Toby” Carter, a WWII Veteran in the U.S Army. The 2020 Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year award was given to Betty Baxter and Barbra Moody the curators of the new Long County Museum.

 If you’re interested in learning more about the unique history of Long County stop by the Long County museum. The museum hours are 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. Monday- Friday, located at Mary Anne Odum Government Complex.