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Brinson

Brinson, Decatur County, Georgia

Marker Inscription

Brinson. First settled in the 1850's present day Brinson was originally known as Spring Creek. The name was changed in 1889 when the town was laid out and established by Simeon Brinson. In that same year the Alabama Midland Railroad completed a line through the town. Brinson soon became a shipping point for agricultural products, lumber and naval stores which were the major industries in the area. By an act of the Georgia General Assembly on August 22, 1907, the village was incorporated as "the Town of Brinson." Brinson began to decline because of the closing of sawmill operations between 1910-20. Erected by the Historic Chattahoochee Commission and the Decatur County Commission 1986

Erected by Historic Chattahoochee Commission

The Story

First settled in the 1850s as Spring Creek, this Decatur County town was renamed for Simeon Brinson, who laid it out in 1889 just as the Alabama Midland Railroad pushed a line through. Brinson boomed as a shipping point for cotton, lumber, and naval stores, the turpentine and pine products that drove the local economy, and was incorporated in 1907. When the sawmills fell silent around 1910 to 1920, the town began a slow decline.

Why it matters

Brinson's rise and fall traces the arc of countless New South railroad towns whose fortunes lived and died with the timber and the trains.

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Related people

  • · Simeon Brinson

Themes & tags

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