Toomsboro, Georgia

Toomsboro is a town in Wilkinson County, Georgia, United States. The population was 472 at the 2010 census.

Toomsboro, Georgia
Town
Location in Wilkinson County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 32°49′32″N 83°5′0″W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Wilkinson
Area [1]
• Total	1.86 sq mi (4.82 km^2)
• Land	1.86 sq mi (4.82 km^2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km^2)
Elevation	233 ft (71 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	472
• Estimate  (2019)[2]	486
• Density	261.01/sq mi (100.79/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	31090
Area code(s)	478
FIPS code	13-76952[3]
GNIS feature ID	0324226[4]

History

Toomsboro was founded when the Central of Georgia Railway was extended to that point. Its railroad terminal was built in 1869.[5]

On August 30, 1871, Matthew Deason, a white man, and his black mistress whose name is not known were lynched in Toomsboro by members of the Ku Klux Klan. Deason, a former Confederate soldier, was the elected sheriff of Wilkinson County. It was the first documented lynching of a black woman in Georgia after the Civil War.[6][7]

The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Toomsboro as a town in 1904.[8] The community is named for 18th-century Georgia politician Robert Toombs.[9]

Geography

Toomsboro is located at 32°49′32″N 83°5′0″W (32.825423, -83.083196).[10]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	183		—
1900	50		—
1910	404		708.0%
1920	420		4.0%
1930	665		58.3%
1940	593		−10.8%
1950	711		19.9%
1960	764		7.5%
1970	682		−10.7%
1980	673		−1.3%
1990	617		−8.3%
2000	622		0.8%
2010	472		−24.1%
Est. 2019	486	[2]	3.0%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 622 people, 209 households, and 146 families residing in the town. The population density was 333.9 people per square mile (129.1/km²). There were 252 housing units at an average density of 135.3 per square mile (52.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 45.02% White, 53.70% African American, 0.80% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population.

There were 209 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.2% were married couples living together, 26.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.32.

In the town, the population was spread out with 25.1% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 77.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $26,250, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $27,321 versus $23,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,679. About 15.6% of families and 22.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.0% of those under age 18 and 24.0% of those age 65 or over.

Miscellany

Many properties in Toomsboro are owned by David Bumgardner, a developer who bought some properties at auction and others from preservationist Bill Lucado circa 2002. Bumgardner intended to turn Toomsboro into a quaint tourist destination. In April 2012, Bumgardner and Lucado announced they were seeking a buyer for the properties, suggesting a movie production company might be interested in using Toomsboro as a film set.[12] In September 2018, 36 pieces of property over 40 acres went up for sale for an asking price of $1.7 million, with an eye toward a preservation-minded buyer "who appreciates its history".[13]

Notes

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
2. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
4. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
5. Caldwell, Wilber W. (2001). The Courthouse and the Depot: The Architecture of Hope in an Age of Despair. Mercer University Press. p. 71.
6. Feimster, Crystal N. Southern Horrors: Women and the Politics of Rape and Lynching. (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2009). page 160.
7. Editors (September 15, 1871) Untitled. Wisconsin State Journal.
8. Acts and Resolutons of the General Assembly of the State of Georgia. State printer. 1904. p. 674.
9. Krakow, Kenneth K. (1975). Georgia Place-Names: Their History and Origins (PDF). Macon, GA: Winship Press. p. 229. ISBN 0-915430-00-2.
10. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
12. Associated Press. (2012, April 30). Developer looking to sell Georgia town. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
13. Natalie Dreier. (2018, September 12). Georgia town for sale for the cost of a NYC luxury apartment. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution