Blackshear, Georgia

The city of Blackshear is the county seat^[4] of Pierce County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 3,506.

Blackshear, Georgia
City
Blackshear City Hall
Location in Pierce County and the state of Georgia
Coordinates: 31°17′56″N 82°14′52″W
Country	United States
State	Georgia
County	Pierce
Government
• Mayor	Keith Brooks
Area [1]
• Total	5.14 sq mi (13.32 km2)
• Land	5.07 sq mi (13.12 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.20 km2)
Elevation	112 ft (34 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,506
• Density	692.06/sq mi (267.20/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	31516
Area code	912
FIPS code	13-08284[2]
GNIS feature ID	0331178[3]
Website	blackshearga.com

Blackshear is part of the Waycross Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Blackshear is located at 31°17′56″N 82°14′52″W (31.298941, -82.247726).^[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.4 square miles (11 km²), of which 4.3 square miles (11 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (2.06%) is water.

History

Blackshear was founded in 1858 to serve as the seat of the newly formed Pierce County.^[6] The city was named after General David Blackshear,^[7] who authorized the construction of roads, bridges and 11 forts for defense. He was a patriot in the American Revolution, fighting in the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge and the Battle of Buford's Bridge. He served as a general during the War of 1812. He also served in the Georgia state legislature as Senator of Laurens County.

During the American Civil War, the city became a temporary prisoner-of-war camp for more than 5,000 Union prisoners.^[8] This site is marked by a historical landmark sign.

The primary crop of this south Georgia community was once tobacco, and it is where the first brick tobacco warehouse in Georgia was built, known as the Brantley Brick.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1860	319		—
1870	490		53.6%
1880	778		58.8%
1890	656		−15.7%
1900	876		33.5%
1910	1,235		41.0%
1920	1,329		7.6%
1930	1,817		36.7%
1940	2,010		10.6%
1950	2,271		13.0%
1960	2,482		9.3%
1970	2,624		5.7%
1980	3,222		22.8%
1990	3,263		1.3%
2000	3,283		0.6%
2010	3,445		4.9%
2020	3,506		1.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]

Blackshear racial composition as of 2020^[10]

Race	Num.	Perc.
White (non-Hispanic)	2,552	72.79%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	696	19.85%
Native American	5	0.14%
Asian	24	0.68%
Other/Mixed	138	3.94%
Hispanic or Latino	91	2.6%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,506 people, 1,355 households, and 898 families residing in the city.

Education

Pierce County School District

The Pierce County School District holds grades pre-school to grade twelve, and consists of three elementary schools, a middle school and a high school.^[11] The district has 216 full-time teachers and over 3,240 students. Four schools in the district are located in Blackshear.^[12]

• Blackshear Elementary School
• Midway Elementary School
• Patterson Elementary School
• Pierce County Middle School
• Pierce County High School

Private Education

• Crossroads Christian Academy^[13]

Notable people

• Stetson Bennett (born 1997), quarterback for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football. Two-time national champion. NFL LA Rams draftee^[14]
• Ella Thomas Foreacre Brantley (1864–1948), President, Georgia Federation of Women's Clubs^[15]
• Nikki DeLoach (born 1979), actress and singer born in Waycross, but was raised in Blackshear^[16]
• KaDee Strickland (born 1975), actress^[17]

See also

• The Blackshear Times (newspaper)