Quitman is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in and the county seat of Brooks County,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The population was 4,064 in 2020. The Quitman Historic District is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Quitman was the home of James Pierpont, author of the song "

Jingle Bells "Jingle Bells" is one of the most commonly sung Christmas songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont. It is an unsettled question where and when Pierpont originally composed the song that would become known as "Jingle Bells". It ...

" (1857), and uncle of American financier

J.P. Morgan JP may refer to: Arts and media * ''JP'' (album), 2001, by American singer Jesse Powell * ''Jp'' (magazine), an American Jeep magazine * '' Jönköpings-Posten'', a Swedish newspaper * Judas Priest, an English heavy metal band * ''Jurassic Pa ...

. Pierpont was an organist for the First Presbyterian Church. James' daughter, Lillie, was Quitman's first librarian in 1880. A local Quitman ordinance prohibits chickens from crossing the road. It is called "

Camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas in East Asia, eastern and South Asia, southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are ...

City", as the tree grows in profusion around the area.

History

Quitman was designated the county seat of the newly formed Brooks County in 1858. It was incorporated as a town in 1859 and as a city in 1904. As the county seat, it was the center of trading in the county, which was devoted to cotton plantations before and after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The community was named for

John A. Quitman John Anthony Quitman (September 1, 1798 – July 17, 1858) was an American lawyer, politician, and soldier. As President of the Mississippi Senate, he served one month as Acting Governor of Mississippi (from December 3, 1835, to January 7, 1836) a ...

, a hero of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

Geography

Quitman is located in southern Georgia at . U.S. Routes 84 and

221 __NOTOC__ Year 221 ( CCXXI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gratus and Vitellius (or, less frequently, year 974 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 221 ...

pass through the center of the city. US 84 leads west 121 miles to

Dothan, Alabama Dothan is a city in and the county seat of Houston County, Alabama, Houston County in the U.S. state of Alabama. A slight portion of the city extends into Dale County, Alabama, Dale and Henry County, Alabama, Henry counties. It had a population ...

, while US 221 leads south to

Greenville, Florida Greenville is a town in Madison County, Florida, United States. The population was 746 at the 2020 census, down from 843 at the 2010 census. History Greenville was first settled in 1850. It was originally known as "''Sandy Ford''", and during ...

, and to

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

. US 84 and US 221 together lead east to

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

and to

Valdosta Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the principal city of the Valdosta metropolitan statistical area, which in 2023 had a metropolitan population of 151,118, according to the US Census B ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Quitman has a total area of , of which , or .50%, is water.

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

System, Quitman has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. As of 2023, Quitman is in

USDA hardiness zone A hardiness zone is a geographic area defined as having a certain average annual minimum temperature, a factor relevant to the survival of many plants. In some systems other statistics are included in the calculations. The original and most widely ...

9a.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 4,064 people, 1,476 households, and 836 families residing in the city.

Industry

The prevalent industries in Quitman are

farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and automotive.

Education

Schools for Quitman are Quitman Elementary School, Brooks County Middle School, and

Brooks County High School Brooks County High School is a high school serving Quitman, Georgia, United States. It has won several Georgia Interscholastic Association state football championships. It also has a very famous football team and tradition, as well as the head ...

Media

Radio station

WGOV-FM WGOV-FM (96.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a Mainstream Urban format. Licensed to Valdosta, Georgia Valdosta is a city in and the county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, Lowndes County in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgi ...

96.7 is licensed to broadcast from Quitman. The ''Quitman Free Press,'' a weekly newspaper, is the official legal publication for Brooks County. It has been in operation since 1876.

Notable people

Nellie Weldon Cocroft Ellen "Nellie" Weldon Cocroft (November 4, 1885 – June 27, 1986) was an American musical composer. Early life Ellen Estelle Weldon was born on November 4, 1885, in Quitman, Georgia, the daughter of Richard Weldon and Virginia (Massey) Weldon ...

- ragtime composer, born in Quitman * Edna Cain Daniel, writer, journalist, long-time publisher of the Quitman ''Free Press'' *

Dana A. Dorsey Dana Albert "D. A." Dorsey (1872 – February 29, 1940) was a businessman, banker, and philanthropist who became one of the first African–American millionaires in Florida and the Southern United States, American South. Childhood and educ ...

- Banker, realtor, business executive, and philanthropist. Child of freed slaves. *

Henry L. Reaves Henry Lee Reaves (August 7, 1919 – April 2, 2007) was an American farmer, cattleman, and politician. He was a member of the Georgia House of Representatives from 1963 to 2001. Early life Reaves was born August 7, 1919, in Kissimmee, Florida ...

- politician, farmer, and cattleman *

James Lord Pierpont James Lord Pierpont (April 25, 1822 – August 5, 1893)Lewis, DaveJames Pierpont Biography, AllMusic, retrieved December 16, 2011 was an American composer, songwriter, arranger, organist, and Confederate States of America, Confederate States so ...

- songwriter of

, church organist, taught at the Quitman Academy. Uncle of

References

External links

{{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Brooks County, Georgia County seats in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in the Valdosta metropolitan area