History

Talbotton was founded in 1828 as the seat of the newly formed Talbot County. Both the county and the town were named for Governor Matthew Talbot.

Talbotton may be best known in history as the place where the immigrant Straus family got their start in retail sales in the 19th century. In 1896, the family acquired R. H. Macy & Co. in New York.

Geography

Talbotton is located at 32°40′41″N 84°32′23″W / 32.67806°N 84.53972°W / 32.67806; -84.53972 (32.678170, -84.539787). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.1 square miles (8.0 km), of which 3.1 square miles (8.0 km) is land and 0.32% is water.

The city is located in the central portion of the county along U.S. Route 80, which runs north to south through the main part of town, and turns east leaving town. U.S. Route 80 leads east 34 mi (55 km) to Roberta and southwest 37 mi (60 km) to Columbus. Georgia State Routes 90 and 208 also run through the city as well, with GA 90 leading southeast 8 mi (13 km) to Junction City and GA 208 leading west 13 mi (21 km) to Waverly Hall.

Climate

Talbotton has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), with hot, humid summers and mild winters. The record high of 110 °F (43 °C) and record low of −6 °F (−21 °C) were recorded on July 19, 1913 and February 13, 1899, respectively.

On March 3, 2019, an EF4 tornado struck the town at low-end EF3 strength, causing major damage to structures and trees in the town.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 742 people, 372 households, and 222 families residing in the city.

Education

The Talbot County School District headquarters is located in the city as well as the only school building in the entire county. The district and school has 48 full-time teachers and over 792 students.

• Central Elementary/High School

Notable people

• John W. Bower, signatory to the Texas Declaration of Independence, member of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Texas, and Chief justice of Refugio County, Texas; born in Talbotton.
• Charles Henry Jones, journalist, editor, and political figure, born in Talbotton.
• Clarence Jordan, farmer and New Testament Greek scholar; born in Talbotton.
• George W. Towns, U.S. Representative, and the 39th Governor of Georgia from 1847 to 1851; former resident of Talbotton.
• Lady, American rapper; born in Talbotton.
• Elizabeth Evelyn Wright, founder of Voorhees College; born in Talbotton.
• Isidor Strauss, U.S. Representative from the NY-15 district (1894-1895) and co-founder of Macy's Department Store, who died during the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic, lived in Talbotton as a youth.

Gallery

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  Built in 1892 in the Queen Anne style, the Talbot County Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 18, 1980.
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  Talbotton City Hall
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  Talbotton Post Office (ZIP code: 31827)
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  Talbot County Public Library
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  The Newton P. Carreker House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 26, 1980.
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  The Straus-LeVert Memorial Hall is a contributing property to the LeVert Historic District which was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 11, 1976.
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  The David Shelton House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 17, 1980.
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  The George W. Towns House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 7, 1973.
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  The Weeks-Kimbrough House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 27, 1979.
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  Zion Episcopal Church was founded in the 1830s. Inside the church, above the plain wooden pews, are galleries meant for slave parishioners. The church is still in use today and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 8, 1974.