South Georgia Spotlight: BLACKSHEAR, Georgia

Pierce County was incorporated in 1857 and named for Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States. Soon after, Blackshear was established as its county seat, named for General Blackshear. The town’s history runs deeper than its name. When the Civil War broke out, Pierce County sent its men to fight on battlefields across Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Tennessee, while back home, roughly 5,000 Union prisoners were brought to Blackshear for imprisonment in a town of only 333 households at the time.

Today, Blackshear carries that history forward in its historic downtown, where well-preserved buildings house local boutiques, antique shops, and eateries that lean into Southern hospitality. Visitors can spend an afternoon browsing shops like Josiah’s Blessings and Trackside Emporium, sample local flavor at Bell Farms Rabbiteye Winery or Clough Pecan Company, or head outdoors to Blackshear City Park, Lakeview Golf Club, or Moccasin Creek Off Road. The Okefenokee Swamp is also just a short drive away.

It’s a small town that hasn’t forgotten where it came from and one that’s still building on it.