Burke County is one of the largest counties in the eastern United States, with 832 square miles of land.
It produces cotton, corn, soybeans, wheat and peanuts.
Georgia Power Co. operates the Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant on the Savannah River in the eastern part of the county.
Burke County was formed in 1777 as one of the original eight counties in Georgia.
It had originally been called the St. George Parish, but was renamed to honor Edmund Burke, a member of the British Parliament who supported the interests of the American colonies.
Waynesboro, the county seat, was named for Revolutionary War hero "Mad Anthony" Wayne.
In 1765, naturalist John Bartram visited Shell Bluff to study the large oyster shell formation that came to be known as "Ostrea georgiana."
Declaration of Independence signer Lyman Hall was originally buried in Burke County. George Washington was said to have spent the night in Waynesboro on May 17, 1791, and Eli Whitney had three cotton gins there. Union troops passed through on the way to the coast during the Civil War but did not burn the courthouse, according to the Burke County Genealogical Society.
More information about the history of Burke County may be obtained by contacting the Waynesboro/Burke County Museum and Visitors Center at 536 Liberty St., Waynesboro, GA 30830, or the genealogical society's Web site at http://members.aol.com/J2525.
The Georgia Field Trials is one of the oldest hunting dog competitions in the nation. Burke County also is host to the Georgialina Field Trials and the Southeastern Field Trials.
Bream fishermen enjoy the Ogeechee River Redbreast Festival, held each May in Midville.
The Battle of Waynesboro Re-enactment and Living History Festival is held the first Saturday in December.
The Cotton Country Festival celebrates the harvest of Burke County's most important crop.
Waynesboro plays host to a variety of festivals and community events throughout the year, including the Festival of Trees in November and Christmas on Liberty Street and Tour of Homes in December.
IT'S A FACT
Hunting and fishing are important sports in Burke County, which bills itself as "The Bird Dog Capital of the World."
Burke County contact numbers
Board of Education (706) 554-5101
Chamber of Commerce (706) 554-5451
Development Authority (706) 554-2324
Hospital (706) 554-4435
Industrial Development (706) 554-2923
Museum (706) 554-4889
Ambulance Service (706) 554-5498
Board of Registrars (706) 554-7457
Building Inspector (706) 554-8758
County Administrator (706) 554-2324
Emergency Management Agency (706) 554-6666
Forestry Protection Unit (706) 554-2310
Health Department (706) 554-3456
Library (706) 554-3277
Planning Commission (706) 554-8758
Sanitary Landfill (706) 554-4125
Tax Commissioner (706) 554-3223
County Commissioner's Office (706) 554-2324
Human Relations Commission (706) 554-0860
UGA Cooperative Extension Service (706) 554-2119
Burke Transit System (706) 554-1660
Parks and Recreation (706) 554-5210
Davis Park, Sixth Street, Waynesboro, GA 30830
Waynesboro Park, Liberty Street, Waynesboro, GA 30830
Liberty Square Mini Park, Sixth and Liberty Street, Waynesboro,GA 30830
