- Collection:
- New Georgia Encyclopedia
- Title:
- Decatur
- Creator:
- Drake, Walt
- Contributor to Resource:
- Harris, Linda L.
- Date of Original:
- 2003-07-17
- Subject:
- Decatur (Ga.)
Cities and towns--Georgia - Location:
- United States, Georgia, DeKalb County, 33.77153, -84.22641
- Medium:
- articles
- Type:
- Text
- Format:
- text/html
- Description:
- Encyclopedia article about Decatur, Georgia. The city of Decatur, the DeKalb County seat, was incorporated on December 10, 1823. DeKalb County was formed in 1822 from parts of Henry, Fayette, and Gwinnett counties. Its five commissioners, appointed by the Georgia General Assembly, were charged to select a "public site" for a courthouse and a jail and to purchase one land lot (202.5 acres) to establish a town to serve as the county "site." These commissioners chose a land lot and named the new town in honor of Commodore Stephen Decatur, perhaps the most popular American hero of that time. Stephen Decatur led daring raids in the wars against the Barbary pirates on the coast of Africa and returned home a hero in 1805.
- Metadata URL:
- https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/counties-cities-neighborhoods/decatur/
- Language:
- eng
- Additional Rights Information:
- If you wish to use content from the NGE site for commercial use, publication, or any purpose other than fair use as defined by law, you must request and receive written permission from the NGE. Such requests may be directed to: Permissions/NGE, University of Georgia Press, 330 Research Drive, Athens, GA 30602.
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: "Decatur," New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved [date]: http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org.
- Original Collection:
- Forms part of the New Georgia Encyclopedia.
- Holding Institution:
- New Georgia Encyclopedia (Project)
- Rights:
-
