As one of Georgia’s younger counties, Barrow County celebrated its centennial birthday in 2014. Created on July 7, 1914, our community was derived from parts of Gwinnett, Jackson and Walton counties. Barrow County’s namesake comes from long-time chancellor of the University of Georgia, David Crenshaw “Uncle Dave” Barrow.
Barrow County’s various communities have histories dating back to the 1700s. An Indian trail that ran through the land attracted settlers. To protect the settlers from the Cherokee and Creek Indians, the state built a frontier fort in 1792 called Fort Yargo, now a state park.
In 1865, Barrow County was the scene of one of the few Union defeats during Sherman's Atlanta Campaign known as Stoneman's Raid.
During the 1880s, rail was expanded and Barrow County played host to two railroads, the Seaboard Air Line and the Gainesville and Midland. One of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad builders was John H. Winder of North Carolina. The county seat then known as Snodon (and before that, Jug Tavern) had its name changed to Winder by the Georgia General Assembly on December 20, 1893 to honor the railroad builder.
Richard B. Russell, Jr., who served as governor of Georgia from 1931-1933 and as a U.S. Senator from 1933 to 1971, was from Barrow County. His father, Richard Russell, Sr., was Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court from 1922-1938 and swore in his son as governor.
For more Barrow County history:
Barrow County Historical Society / Barrow County Museum
Also see the histories of Barrow County’s six cities here.
770.867.9444
Join the Chamber
Register for Events
