resources to Explore Sumter County history

 

Sumter county history: website

This is a must see resource for local genealogists and history enthusiasts. Created in 1999 by Alan Anderson and Robert Evans, the website features transcriptions of many historic resources such as birth notices, census records, death certificates and beyond. A favorite highlight is the detailed survey of church and family cemeteries in the county, including over 100 cemeteries with geographic locations and grave information. Please note, this website is maintained by the Sumter Historic Trust, but is no longer being updated. It is a wonderful example of website history.

The Americus Times-Recorder office, 1935. Courtesy of Lee Kinnamon.

The Public History Newspaper Project

The 2019-2022 Public history newspaper project with the Americus Times Recorder was a substantial community service and labor of love for Dr. Evan A. Kutzler, historian and former Associate Professor at Georgia Southwestern State University. Each of the 39 articles provides an in-depth look at a different topic from the history of Americus and the surrounding area. Below are a few titles to provide a sense of the scope of work, and visit the website to find these articles and more.

  • “Influenza in Americus, Part 1-3”

  • “Why did the Callaway House Cross the Street”

  • “Carved in Americus: One Confederate Ring”

  • “Finger Lickin‘ Modernism: Americus’s First KFC, 1968-1980”

  • “An Americus Lynching, Part 1-3”

Blackshear Regional Library System

The Lake Blackshear Regional Library System serves Sumter County, as well as Crisp, Dooly, and Schley counties. The staff of the Lake Blackshear Regional Library System can assist with genealogy or local history questions. In preparation for contacting the libraries, they request you visit their online resources to prepare your questions in advance.  

Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive

This database includes searchable full text of many Georgia newspapers, including the Americus Times-Recorder, 1881-1921 and the Sumter Republican (Americus), 1870-1885. The archive is free and open for public use and includes over two million Georgia newspaper pages between 1763 and 2021. The Georgia Historic Newspapers Archive is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia (DLG), a part of Georgia’s Virtual Library GALILEO and is based at the University of Georgia Libraries.

Americus-Sumter County Movement Remembered Committee

The mission of the Americus-Sumter County Movement Remembered Committee is to establish the Americus-Sumter County Civil Rights and Cultural Center at the Historic Americus Colored Hospital. Its committed purpose is to commemorate the Americus and Southwest Georgia Civil Rights Movement, by identifying, acquiring, and preserving all documentation of the Americus Civil Rights Movement, the Historic Colored Hospital and the African American Family history of Sumter County. The center will serve as a local, national, and international educational resource for civil and human rights. Equally important, the ASCMRC seeks to address and aid in the resolution of conflicts involving past, current, and emerging issues of racial inequality, social, political, and economic justice.

Americus Civil Rights and Culture Center: Find out about the successful grants and ongoing work to create this new resource.

Visit Sumter County


Visit Americus & Sumter County: Find all the information you need to plan your visit!

SAM Shortline Railroad: Explore the area with a historic train ride excursion.

Sumter County is home to two National Park sites: Andersonville National Historic Site and Jimmy Carter National Historical Park.