Bleckley County, Georgia

18 topographic sheets and 8 fire insurance atlases across 1 place.

Research this county

From the record

3 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Georgia within the United States

Bleckley County within Georgia

What the record shows

1 place in this county was surveyed for fire insurance: Cochran, between 1885 and 1943.
8 fire insurance atlases survive for the county. Topographic coverage is national; fire insurance survey reached only incorporated places with something worth insuring.
144 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
3 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 3 buildings.
The Geographic Names Information System records 15 populated places in this county; 15 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Photographs

2 photographs, 2017

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

Vintage barns near Cary, Georgia
Highsmith, Carol M, 2017. Library of Congress

Rustic barn near Cary, Georgia
Highsmith, Carol M, 2017. Library of Congress

Places on the National Register

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Property	Type	Listed	Reference
Bleckley County Courthouse	building	1980	80000975
Cochran Municipal Building and School	building	2003	03000704
Hillcrest	building	1983	83000184

The county from the air

14 shown

Flown by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1937 and 1989, the Aerial Photo Single Frames collection is the definitive mid-century view of the land: fields, roads and rivers as the camera saw them. The Survey holds 440 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 14 frames below were taken over the county itself, chosen across the decades of flights (at most four a year from that rectangle), so one flight cannot crowd out the rest. The full set is free to browse and download at EarthExplorer under the dataset Aerial Photo Single Frames.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-04-17, scale 1:59000 — 1951-04-17, scale 1:59000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-05-08, scale 1:60000 — 1951-05-08, scale 1:60000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1969-03-29, scale 1:23330 — 1969-03-29, scale 1:23330. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1973-03-01, scale 1:19000 — 1973-03-01, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1974-02-01, scale 1:20500 — 1974-02-01, scale 1:20500. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

Weather records

4 stations

The thermometers that kept this county's weather, as the federal records hold them. The extremes below are measured values from those records, not estimates.

COCHRAN 3 NE 2001 to 2002, hottest 38.3 C, coldest -21.7 C
COCHRAN 9.0 NNW 2008 to 2018
COCHRAN 4.9 S 2008 to 2009
CHESTER 4.9 NW 2013 to 2018

The 1950 census, district by district

12 districts

Who lived here in 1950, one enumeration district at a time, as the Census Bureau described each district. Each row opens its official National Archives result, with Population Schedules and ED Maps available there.

12-1Militia District 348, Salem
12-2Militia District 336, Cochran city - That part north and west of Beech and north and east of Second
12-3Cochran city - That part south and west of Second
12-4Cochran city - That part south and east of Beech and north and east of Second
12-5Militia District 386, Cochran - That part east of State Hwy. 87 and south of State Hwy. 26, outside Cochran city
12-6Militia District 386, Cochran - That part west of State Hwy. 87 and north of State Hwy. 26, outside Cochran city
12-7Militia District 387, Trippville
12-8Militia District 388, Walkers
12-9Militia District 1462, Cary
12-10Militia District 1503, Frazier
12-11Militia District 1573, Mannings
12-12Militia District 1811, Davidson

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

1,222 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 1,222 of them, burning about 4,379 acres. 40 started naturally and 28 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause	Fires
Debris and open burning	908
Equipment and vehicle use	91
Smoking	55
Natural	40
Misuse of fire by a minor	28
Arson/incendiarism	28
Recreation and ceremony	26
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	25
Railroad operations and maintenance	21

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
28 February 2004	Debris and open burning	84 acres	Georgia Forestry Commission	not named
25 June 2006	Equipment and vehicle use	81 acres	Georgia Forestry Commission	not named
7 November 2016	Debris and open burning	74 acres	Georgia Forestry Commission	FY2017-BLECKLEY-019
25 May 2012	Debris and open burning	68 acres	Georgia Forestry Commission	FY2012-BLECKLEY-055
8 June 1993	Equipment and vehicle use	58 acres	Georgia Forestry Commission	not named
18 March 2019	Debris and open burning	48 acres	Georgia Forestry Commission	FY2019BLECKLEY008
18 July 2009	Debris and open burning	38 acres	Georgia Forestry Commission	not named
11 June 2008	Natural	38 acres	Georgia Forestry Commission	not named

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1958 to 2025

60 of 128 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 128 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 28 injuries and about $2,285,600 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event	Reports
Thunderstorm Wind	80
Hail	23
Tornado	19
Flash Flood	3
Lightning	2
Winter Storm	1

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
January 1958	Tornado (F2)	not stated	16 hurt, $250,000	no account filed
March 1972	Tornado (F2)	not stated	12 hurt, $250,000	no account filed
December 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$500,000	The Bleckley county 911 center reported that a couple of cell phone towers were blown down.
March 2007	Tornado (EF0)	Cary	$250,000	A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City concluded that an EF0 tornado touched down in extreme northern Bleckley county about two miles north-northeast of Cary, very near the Twiggs county line, and tracked east-northeast just south of the Twiggs county line to about 0.5 mile west of Brown Hill. The overall path length of the tornado was 1.0 mile with a maximum path width of 1/4 mile. The tornado touched down on Emergency Road 266 where several outbuildings and a number of trees were blown down. Three homes sustained moderate roof damage and a couple of homes had their patio covers destroyed. The back porch of a business along Interstate-16 in extreme northeast Bleckley was also destroyed.
November 1992	Tornado (F1)	not stated	$250,000	no account filed
May 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$125,000	The Bleckley County Emergency Management Director and Macon television stations reported extensive wind damage in the southern part of Bleckley county. Several dozen trees trees and many power lines were down, especially in the vicinity of Mac Thompson Road and Chicken Road. Structural damage was also observed. Some 20 to 25 homes sustained minor damage from downed trees. One mobile home sustained significant damage when a tree fell on the structure. A horse barn near the intersection of Mac Thomsron Road and Chicken Road collapsed during the strong winds. A horse inside was initially rescued from the fallen structure, but later died from injuries.
March 2005	Flash Flood	Countywide	$100,000	The Bleckley County Emergency Management Director reported that extensive flooding was occurring in many areas of the county. U.S. Highway 129 was closed east of Cochran because of flooding. Several small dams in the county had been breached. Rainfall of four to six inches was common throughout the county, with local amounts up to eight inches.
May 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Cary	$80,000	The public reported a 15-mile long path of damage across northeast Bleckley county, beginning near Cary and terminating near Rebie, along which numerous trees were blown down, a 20-foot high empty water tank was blown over, a barn was destroyed, and a house suffered minor damage. While much of the damage was caused by strong straight-line thunderstorm winds, a survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, concluded that a severe microburst or gustnado, moving in a southeastward direction, affected a small area approximately 60 yards wide and 200 yards long beginning approximately two miles northwest of Goldsboro along Georgia Highway 278,. Numerous trees were blown down along Georgia Highway 278, all felled to the north, while other trees, blown down approximately one mile south of this location, were felled to the south. Residents reported seeing a funnel cloud in the Cary area.
May 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Countywide	$75,000	The public reported that a number of trees and power lines were blown down across the county. The old water tower on Dublin Highway in Cochran was blown down and another residence on Duskin Drive in Cochran suffered damage when a tree fell on the house.
July 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$50,000	The public reported that 3 barns were severely damaged.
January 2017	Tornado (EF1)	Five Points	$30,000	A National Weather Service survey team found that an EF1 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 95 MPH and a maximum path width of 100yards occurred in eastern Bleckley County northeast of Cochran. The tornado began just west of Churchwell Road where it downed several trees and a fence as well as lifting much of the roof off of a small barn. The tornado continued northeast downing more trees on Butts Road then increased in strength as it snapped 20 to 30 large trees and power poles in a small subdivision on Emergency Road 445A off of Highway 26. The tornado weakened but still damaged an abandoned fire station on Emergency Road 450R at Highway 26 before ending around Cary Salem Road. [01/21/17: Tornado #14, County #1/1, EF1, Bleckley, 2017:015].
May 1989	Tornado (F1)	not stated	$25,000	no account filed
June 1974	Tornado (F1)	not stated	$25,000	no account filed
January 1972	Tornado (F1)	not stated	$25,000	no account filed
January 1971	Tornado (F2)	not stated	$25,000	no account filed
June 1961	Tornado (F2)	not stated	$25,000	no account filed
January 2017	Tornado (EF1)	Coley	$20,000	A National Weather Service survey team found that an EF1 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 95 MPH and a maximum path width of 100 yards began along Highway 23 just south of Antioch Road where a few trees were snapped or uprooted. Numerous other trees were snapped or uprooted as the tornado travelled northeast Lucas road to around the intersection of Tom Porter Road and Daisy Adams Road where it ended. [01/21/17: Tornado #3, County #1/1, EF1, Bleckley, 2017:027].
April 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$20,000	The Bleckley County Emergency Management Director reported that at least 30 medium size pine trees were either blown down or snapped in half in the Cochran area. Several center pivot irrigation units were turned over. A witness in Cochran noted the strong straight-line winds when his full-size Ford pickup truck was blown around. Several other trees and power lines were also down on Magnolia Road in northwest Bleckley county and in northeast Bleckley county on Cary Road.
July 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Countywide	$15,000	The Bleckley county 911 center reported trees down countywide.
January 2017	Tornado (EF0)	Cary	$10,000	A National Weather Service survey team found that a brief EF0 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 80 MPH and a maximum path width of 50 yards began along Dillard Cary Road and travelled around a half mile northeast snapping or uprooting several trees before ending along Willis Howell Road. [01/21/17: Tornado #4, County #1/1, EF0, Bleckley, 2017:028].
May 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran Arpt	$10,000	The Bleckley County Emergency Manager reported that several trees were blown down east of Cochran. A shed was blown over as well, and a minor damage was sustained to a roof.
July 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$10,000	The Bleckley County 911 Center reported that several trees and power lines were blown down in the far southwest corner of the county, south of Cochran near the Dodge and Pulaski county lines. One barn also suffered significant damage.
April 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Magnolia	$7,000	The Bleckley County Emergency Management Director reported that several trees and power lines were down across the county. One road was closed as a major power transmission line was down across the road.
November 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$6,000	The Bleckley County 911 Center reported numerous trees and power lines down across the county.
May 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Goldsboro	$5,000	The Bleckley County 911 center reported trees blown down across the eastern end of the county including on Salem Church Road near Mullis White Road and along Highway 112 in the far northeast corner of the county.
May 2014	Flash Flood	Cochran	$5,000	The Bleckley County emergency manager reported widespread street flooding in the Cochran area due to heavy rain of 3 inches in less than 3 hours. Overflowing drainage branches and small streams caused flood waters to enter a garage of a home off of Ann Street. Highwater surrounded the concrete foundation and entered a crawl space of a home off Phillips Lane.
May 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Magnolia	$5,000	The Bleckley County 911 Center, along with the public and amateur radio operators, reported that several trees were down across the county. At least nine trees were down north of Cochran on Red Dog Farm Road and Long Street Road. Other trees were down within the city of Cochran as well as on Ann Street, Annette Street, and Georgia Highway 26 West. A railroad crossing arm on a Cochran street was broken in two as a result of the strong wind gusts.
August 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Coley	$5,000	The Bleckley County 911 Center reported that many trees were down in the western part of the county. Several power outages were observed in the Cochran area.
July 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Coley	$5,000	The Bleckley County 911 Center reported that seventeen trees were down within the county. In addition, five power lines were down, all on one road.
December 2005	Hail	Mobley Crossing	$5,000	The Georgia Forestry Commission reported golf ball sized hail across the southwest and south central part of the county from Mobley Crossing, to Cochran, to near Frazier.
July 2003	Lightning	Cary	$5,000	The local newspaper of Cochran reported that lightning struck and set on fire a barn on Cary Road. The barn was a complete loss.
June 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Cary	$5,000	Several large tree limbs and a few power lines were downed in the Cary along Georgia Highway 112.
March 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$5,000	no account filed
August 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$4,000	The Bleckley County 911 Center reported 4 power lines and several trees down.
August 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Five Points	$4,000	The Bleckley County 911 Center, Emergency Management Director, and the Cochran police department all reported wind damage from thunderstorms. At least four trees were down in the northern part of the county on Long Street Road near Five Points. A power pole was down three miles west of Cochran, and a power line was down in Cochran.
June 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$3,500	Numerous trees were knocked down countywide by thunderstorm winds. Power outages resulted when tree limbs fell on power lines.
March 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Magnolia	$3,000	The Bleckley County 911 Center reported that over a dozen trees were blown down along Georgia Highway 112 southwest of Cary.
February 2003	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$3,000	The Bleckley county 911 center reported that several trees and one power line were down.
June 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$3,000	An amateur radio operator reported 12 to 15 trees down on Macon highway, U.S. Highway 23/129. One tree was a pecan and the others were pines.
June 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$3,000	Structural damage to a home and barn resulted from thunderstorm winds. A car was also blown off the blocks it was resting on.
April 1967	Tornado (F1)	not stated	$2,500	no account filed
March 1961	Tornado (F1)	not stated	$2,500	no account filed
August 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$2,000	Em reports a couple trees down on the east side of cochran including along dyke st and frank cook rd.
August 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Baileys Park	$2,000	The Bleckley County Emergency Manager reported a tree blown down onto a power line in the 600 block of Highway 257.
July 2016	Thunderstorm Wind	Brown Hill	$2,000	The broadcast media reported trees blown down along Highway 112 north of Cary.
June 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Goldsboro	$2,000	The Bleckley County 911 Center reported several trees and power lines down.
February 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$2,000	The Bleckley County 911 Center reported that several trees were blown down in the Cochran area.
June 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$2,000	The Bleckley county 911 center reported that a couple of power poles and a few trees were blown down.
May 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Cary	$1,500	The Bleckley County 911 Center reported that several trees were blown down.
January 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Five Points	$1,000	Tree down along hwy 278 near the intersection at hwy 26 East.
January 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Five Points	$1,000	Tree down across Butts Rd near the intersection at HWY 26 East.
January 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Brown Hill	$1,000	Tree downed along hwy 278 just south of Mobley White Road.
August 2024	Thunderstorm Wind	Five Points	$1,000	EM reports tree down along butts rd near between cliff barlow rd and pace rd.
June 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$1,000	A storm spotter reported that six trees were down on Porter Road northwest of Cochran and one tree was down on U.S. Highway 129/Georgia Highway 26 southwest of Cochran.
July 2008	Hail	Cochran	$1,000	The public observed quarter to half dollar-sized hail in the far southern part of the county, south of Cochran, near the Dodge and Pulaski county lines. At least one vehicle was damaged as a result.
April 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Cochran	$1,000	The Bleckley County Emergency Management Director reported that a few small trees were down across mainly the southern portion of the county.
August 2004	Thunderstorm Wind	Coley	$1,000	The Bleckley County 911 Center reported that several trees were down on Vernon Road at U.S. Highway 23/Georgia Highway 87 in the town of Royal.
July 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Countywide	$1,000	The Bleckley county 911 center reported that a few trees were down throughout the county.
July 2002	Thunderstorm Wind	Countywide	$1,000	The Bleckley county 911 center reported that a few trees were blown down throughout the county.
June 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Cary	$1,000	Bleckely county 911 reported trees blown down.

Mines and quarries

2 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 2 workings inside this county. None of them still produces: all are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity	Workings
Sand and Gravel, Construction	1
Iron	1

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where	Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
	Lumpkin Mill	Iron	Past Producer
	Unnamed Sand Deposit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Occurrence	Alluvium

Every populated place in the county

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on. The 1 place that was also surveyed for fire insurance comes first, with the number of atlases and photographs held for them.

Cochran

Cochran census division · 31014 · Cochran quadrangle

10 sheets, 1956 to 1988

Fire insurance: 8 atlases
Ainslie

Cochran census division · 31014 · On Shellstone Creek · Westlake quadrangle

10 sheets, 1956 to 1988

No longer a settlement
Baileys Park

Cochran census division · 31014 · On Brushy Creek · Empire quadrangle

10 sheets, 1956 to 1988
Brown Hill

Northeast Bleckley census division · 31017 · Danville West quadrangle

10 sheets, 1956 to 1988
Cary

Cochran census division · 31017 · Danville West quadrangle

10 sheets, 1956 to 1988
Coley

Cochran census division · 31014 · On Coley Creek · Westlake quadrangle

10 sheets, 1956 to 1988
Five Points

Cochran census division · 31014 · Cochran quadrangle

10 sheets, 1956 to 1988
Frazier

Cochran census division · 31014 · Empire quadrangle

10 sheets, 1956 to 1988
Goldsboro

Northeast Bleckley census division · 31065 · Chester quadrangle

8 sheets, 1957 to 1988
McGriff

Cochran census division · 31014 · On Evergreen Creek · Westlake quadrangle

10 sheets, 1956 to 1988

No longer a settlement
Paulk

Cochran census division · 31014 · Westlake quadrangle

10 sheets, 1956 to 1988
Porter

Cochran census division · 31014 · On Coley Creek · Westlake quadrangle

10 sheets, 1956 to 1988
Powell

Northeast Bleckley census division · 31012 · Chester quadrangle

8 sheets, 1957 to 1988
Rebie

Northeast Bleckley census division · 31012 · Chester quadrangle

8 sheets, 1957 to 1988
Royal

Cochran census division · 31014 · On Bollinger Creek · Westlake quadrangle

10 sheets, 1956 to 1988

The vanished settlements of Bleckley County: the places named above that are no longer on the map.

Recorded here

Cochran, Georgia

10 topographic sheets and 8 fire insurance atlases, 1885 to 1943

Provenance

Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.