| Washington, Georgia | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Official Name: | City of Washington |
| Pushpin Map: | USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Washington |
| Pushpin Relief: | yes |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of Washington in the US |
| Coordinates: | 33.7368°N -82.7393°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Georgia |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Wilkes |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Bill DeGolian |
| Leader Title1: | Council |
| Leader Name1: | Washington City Council |
| Established Title: | Settled |
| Established Date: | 1774 |
| Established Title2: | Incorporated |
| Established Date2: | 1804 |
| Founder: | Stephen Heard |
| Named For: | George Washington |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Total Km2: | 20.08 |
| Area Land Km2: | 19.94 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.14 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 7.75 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 7.70 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.05 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 3754 |
| Population Density Km2: | 188.29 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 487.66 |
| Population Demonym: | Washingtonian |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation M: | 185 |
| Elevation Ft: | 607 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 30673 |
| Area Code: | 706/762 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 13-80704[1] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0356620[2] |
| Area Footnotes: | [3] |
Washington is the county seat of Wilkes County,[4] Georgia, United States. Under its original name, Heard's Fort, it was for a brief time during the American Revolutionary War the Georgia state capital. It is noteworthy as the place where the Confederacy voted to dissolve itself, effectively ending the American Civil War.
The population was 4,134 as of the 2010 census. The city is often referred to as Washington-Wilkes, to distinguish it from other places named Washington.
Heard's Fort was established in 1774 by colonist Stephen Heard. The settlement served as the temporary capital of the new state of Georgia from February 3, 1780, until early 1781.[5]
The Battle of Kettle Creek, one of the most important battles of the American Revolutionary War to be fought in Georgia, was fought on February 14, 1779, in Wilkes County, about eleven miles (17.7 km) from present-day Washington. The American Patriots were victorious, taking 75 prisoners and killing roughly 70 Loyalists, while losing 32 of their own men.
As a child, Alexander H. Stephens had studied at the school in Washington presided over by Presbyterian minister Alexander Hamilton Webster. He later became a politician and was elected as Vice-President of the Confederacy.
No major battles of the Civil War were fought in or near Washington, but the city is notable as the site where Confederate President Jefferson Davis held his last meeting with his cabinet. On April 3, 1865, with Union troops under General Ulysses S. Grant poised to capture the capital at Richmond, Virginia, Davis escaped for Danville, together with the Confederate cabinet.
After leaving Danville, and continuing south, Davis met with his Cabinet for the last time on May 5, 1865, in Washington, along with a hand-picked escort led by Given Campbell, including his personal body guard, Sgt. Joseph A Higgenbotham, Jr., of Amherst/Nelson County, Virginia. The meeting took place at the Heard house[6] (now used as the Georgia Branch Bank Building), with fourteen officials present.
Several historic sites in Washington are on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Wilkes County Courthouse, the Robert Toombs House State Historic Site, the Washington-Wilkes Historical Museum,[7] the Mary Willis Public Library,[8] Cherry Grove Baptist Church Schoolhouse, and the recently restored historic Fitzpatrick Hotel, built in 1898.[9]
Washington is located at (33.735394, −82.741420).[10]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.9sqmi, of which 7.8sqmi is land and 0.04sqmi (0.25%) is water.
| White | 1,226 | 32.66% | |
| Black or African American | 2,277 | 60.66% | |
| Native American | 12 | 0.32% | |
| Asian | 24 | 0.64% | |
| Other/Mixed | 122 | 3.25% | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 93 | 2.48% |
The Wilkes County School District holds pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of one primary school, one elementary school, a middle school, and a high school.[12] The district has 116 full-time teachers and over 1,858 students.[13]
Dr. Rosemary Caddell is the Superintendent of Schools.[14]
One of Washington's most lingering mysteries is that of the lost Confederate gold.[15] As the last recorded location of the remaining Confederate gold, the Washington area is thought to be the site where it is buried. Worth roughly $100,000 when it disappeared in 1865, at 2016 prices its value would be around $3.6 million. The cable television channel A&E produced a documentary focusing on this legend.