BlockBefore

Columbia County, Georgia

65 topographic sheets cover 105 settlements here, and 2 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

2 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Georgia within the United States
Columbia County within Georgia

What the record shows

  • 2,396 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 2 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 2 buildings.
  • 1 of the 2 listings was added during the 1970s.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 105 populated places in this county; 105 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

2

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

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Columbia County Courthousebuilding198080001005
Kiokee Baptist Churchbuilding197878000976

The county from the air

21 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 724 frames inside the rectangle that bounds this county; the 21 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, 1951-01-26, scale 1:59000
1951-01-26, scale 1:59000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-01-26, scale 1:59000
1951-01-26, scale 1:59000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-01-26, scale 1:59000
1951-01-26, scale 1:59000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1951-01-26, scale 1:59000
1951-01-26, scale 1:59000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1962-03-07, scale 1:19000
1962-03-07, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1962-03-07, scale 1:19000
1962-03-07, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1962-03-07, scale 1:19000
1962-03-07, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1962-03-07, scale 1:19000
1962-03-07, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1964-04-01, scale 1:50000
1964-04-01, scale 1:50000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1964-04-01, scale 1:50000
1964-04-01, scale 1:50000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1964-04-01, scale 1:50000
1964-04-01, scale 1:50000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1964-09-01, scale 1:30000
1964-09-01, scale 1:30000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-03-11, scale 1:19000
1971-03-11, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-03-11, scale 1:19000
1971-03-11, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-03-11, scale 1:19000
1971-03-11, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1971-03-11, scale 1:19000
1971-03-11, scale 1:19000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1977-02-21, scale 1:80000
1977-02-21, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1977-02-21, scale 1:80000
1977-02-21, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1977-02-21, scale 1:80000
1977-02-21, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1977-02-21, scale 1:80000
1977-02-21, scale 1:80000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.
U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph, 1990-01-26, scale 1:24000
1990-01-26, scale 1:24000. U.S. Geological Survey aerial photograph.

Weather records

18 stations, 5 gages

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

The 1950 census, district by district

13 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.

  • 36-1Militia District 125, Evens - That part north and northeast of State 104
  • 36-2Militia District 125, Evens - That part southwest and south of State 104
  • 36-3Militia District 126, Kiokee
  • 36-4Militia District 128, Harlem: Harlem town
  • 36-5Militia District 128, Harlem - That part outside Harlem town, excluding Camp Gordon (part)
  • 36-6Camp Gordon - That part in Militia District 128, Harlem (Remainder of Camp Gordon comprises parts of Militia District 1285, Grovetown, Columbia County; Militia District 81, Wrens, Jefferson County, Militia District 133, Dearing, McDuffie County, and Militia District 119, and 1760, Richmond County)
  • 36-7Militia District 129, Appling - That part east of State Hwy. 47
  • 36-8Militia District 129, Appling - That part west of State Hwy. 47
  • 36-9Militia District 131, Winfield
  • 36-10Militia District 134, Dunn Chapel
  • 36-11Militia District 135, Hazen
  • 36-12Militia District 1285, Grovetown, excluding Camp Gordon (part)
  • 36-13Camp Gordon - That part in Militia District 1285, Grovetown (Remainder of Camp Gordon, comprises parts of Militia District 128, Harlem, Columbia County, Militia District 81, Wrens, Jefferson County, Militia District 133, Dearing, McDuffie County; and Militia District 119, and 1760, Richmond County)

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

614 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 614 of them, burning about 1,637 acres. 33 started naturally and 85 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning305
Arson/incendiarism85
Missing data/not specified/undetermined62
Misuse of fire by a minor40
Equipment and vehicle use38
Natural33
Recreation and ceremony25
Smoking23
Railroad operations and maintenance3

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

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 March 2015Debris and open burning60 acresGeorgia Forestry CommissionFY2015-COLUMBIA-010
25 February 1996Debris and open burning35 acresGeorgia Forestry Commissionnot named
4 August 2008Natural32 acresGeorgia Forestry Commissionnot named
4 September 2014Natural32 acresGeorgia Forestry CommissionFY2015-COLUMBIA-002
21 November 1999Debris and open burning32 acresGeorgia Forestry Commissionnot named
10 March 1993Misuse of fire by a minor29 acresGeorgia Forestry Commissionnot named
16 January 1999Recreation and ceremony28 acresGeorgia Forestry Commissionnot named
9 November 1999Debris and open burning26 acresGeorgia Forestry Commissionnot named

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

Storms, 1957 to 2025

60 of 386 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 386 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 8 injuries and about $6,600,620 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind215
Hail106
Flash Flood39
Tornado8
Heavy Rain6
Lightning4
Flood4
Funnel Cloud2
Winter Storm2

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

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
May 1999Thunderstorm WindAppling2 hurt, $150,000EOC and damage survey found trees down all across northern Columbia county. A downburst 8 miles wide with a 4 mile focus took down many trees and damaged a few homes. An abandoned mobile home was totaled.
March 2008Tornado (EF1)Winfield2 hurt, $140,000Several mobile homes had moderate damage and one was destroyed. Numerous trees and powerlines were down along path. Two people had minor injuries.
April 2017Thunderstorm WindLeah2 hurtSignificant damage was done to a dock, 20 boats were destroyed, and another|20 to 30 boats suffered extensive damage, at Pointes West Army Resort in the Fort Gordon Recreational Area on Clarks Hill Lake. Several pine trees were also snapped, all facing easterly. 2 persons, who were on the dock at the time, suffered minor injuries as the dock overturned.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindLeah1 hurtDownburst winds from a thunderstorm produced an area of significant damage to trees and property. The event occurred at Mistletoe State Park in northern Columbia County, GA. Nearly 200 trees had limb damage, were uprooted or snapped. There was a mixture of hardwood and softwood trees, however softwood trees made up most of the trees in this area of the park. There were approximately 10 vehicles that suffered significant damage. There were 10 to 15 campers that suffered significant damage with one overturned. The overturned camper was a pop-up camper. The wind being channeled into a couple of the coves may have produced some of the strongest winds with the event. The diameter of the trees damaged ranged from around 6 inches up to 2 feet. The damage stretched from the park ranger residence northward to the end of the point where the campground is located. This distance is approximately one half mile. There was one injury associated with this event. A 5 year old female child inside one of the campers that was struck by a fallen tree suffered a broken arm. About $25,000 in damage was done to the cabins at the park. Damage estimates for the vehicles and campers is unknown.
December 1983Thunderstorm Windnot stated1 hurtno account filed
May 1978Tornado (F1)not stated$2,500,000no account filed
April 2009Tornado (EF2)Pumpkin Center$1,000,000A supercell tornado tracked across Columbia county from northeast of Harlem through Grovetown damaging many homes and taking down numerous trees and powerlines. Several vehicles were crushed and there were about a dozen minor injuries.
May 2005Thunderstorm WindEvans$350,000EM reported numerous trees down on homes, one home split in half, in the Country Place subdivision. Trees were laid out in a typical fan shape microburst pattern.
February 2003Tornado (F2)Appling$310,000A combination of an intense microburst and a tornado produced winds estimated at 120-130mph. A barn and camper trailer. Moderate damage was done to 4 homes with minor damage to 34 other homes. Debris from the barn was found a mile downstream. The microburst width was 1/8-1/4 mile wide with the vortex circulation about 50 yds wide.
August 2012Flash FloodMartinez$280,000Sheriff reported 3 1/2 feet of wather covering Habersham Road in the Watervale subdivision.
April 2022LightningHarlem$200,000Media reported a fire to a home on Wells Dr in Harlem that was caused by a lightning strike. The home sustained major damage. No injuries reported.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindLeah$200,000A severe thunderstorm produced a microburst in the western end of Columbia County early this morning around 12:30 a.m. downing numerous trees and power lines. Quarter size hail was also reported in the affected area. ||Columbia County Roads & Bridges crews have been out since 2am clearing the trees from the roadways. The supervisor advised me at 7:45 a.m. that they were near finished clearing the fallen trees from the roadways.||One of the affected residents on Old Lincolnton Road in Appling advised me this morning that her family had been awakened by the loud boom of thunder and then saw the rain blowing sideways, followed by the large hail pounding on her home. Thats when a70-foot tall pine tree was blown over onto her home. ||All of the downed trees are laying in the same direction, indicating the microburst and not a tornado. However, the howling fierceness of the wind in a microburst is very much like a tornadojust in a straight line.||Below is a list of locations of reports of trees down, power lines down, and property damage:||Trees Down:||1. 104/Waters Edge Ln. |2. Crawford Place Dr/Ray Owens Rd.|3. Ridge Rd/104.|4. Cobbham Rd/Ray Owens Rd.|5. Ray Owens/Tom Bartles Rd.|6. Full Moon Dr/Keg Creek.|7. 3262 Ray Owens Rd.|8. Eubanks Rd/(104/Ray Owens).|9. Cobbham/Gales intersection. |10. Old Lincolnton Road/Tommy Shaw Drive.|11. 6400 block of Ridge Road.|12. Keg Creek/Full Moon Drive.|13. 6514 Washington Road.|14. Ridge Road/Bohler Drive.||Power Lines Down:||1. 3262 Ray Owens Rd.|2. Full Moon Dr/Keg Creek.|3. Ridge Rd/Ray Owens received @ 4am.|4. Eubanks Rd(104/Ray Owens).|5. Keg Creek/Full Moon.|6. 6514 Washington Road.||Property Damage:||1. 6633 Eubanks Dr.|2. Eubanks Dr./Suan Dr.|3. 4219 Old Lincolnton Road.
April 2011Thunderstorm WindGrovetown$180,000Numerous trees and powerlines down across the county with several homes sustaining severe damage.
June 2013Flash FloodMartinez$120,000Columbia county dispatch reported 3 feet of water on Saddletree Lane. Water was up to several mail boxes and also washed out portions of Stevens Creek road.
August 2009Flash FloodMartinez$120,000EM reported flooding of streams over roads and into homes trapping some vehicles and causing some damage to homes.
June 2001Flash FloodAppling$98,000Emergency manager reported flooding on Ray Owens road and other areas of central Columbia county.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindEvans$80,000Emergency Manager reported trees and powerlines down in the Evans and Martinez areas. Several trees fell on homes producing minor to moderate damage.
April 1997Thunderstorm WindEvans$73,000no account filed
February 2012Thunderstorm WindGrovetown$50,000EM reported numerous trees and powerlines down across the southeast portions of the county. A couple of trees fell on vehicles.
May 2005Thunderstorm WindEvans$50,000EM reported docks moved 70 feet and damaged along with minor damage to several boats. Eight to ten trees were down and a roof was damaged.
June 2013FloodSnead$48,000Emergency Manager reported heavy rains during the afternoon resulted in flooding in the Evans area where 2 to 6 inches of rain fell. One to three feet of water flooded the Mitchell Park area and the Windmill Subdivision.
July 2013Flash FloodEvans$44,000EM reported 3 homes flooded on Biltmore Drive and Colonial Road. Several people had to be rescued. A sinkhole also resulted from the flooding on Biltmore drive.
July 2013Flash FloodEvans$40,000EM reported 5 driveways washed out on Shallowford Place off of Columbia Road.
July 2013LightningMartinez$40,000EM reported lightning struck a home and did moderate damage.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindAppling$32,000COOP reported trees down in Appling, one was on a home that did moderate damage to it.
April 2011HailEvans$30,000Public reported golfball size hail in Evans.
July 2010LightningMartinez$30,000Lightning struck a home in the 4100 block of Quail Springs Circle.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindMartinez$25,000County paper reported many trees and powerlines down. Trees were down on Old Evans and Old Petersburg roads, one fell on a home. Cable and powerlines were down on Dent, Mears, and Padrick Streets.
April 1957Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
April 1957Tornado (F2)not stated$25,000no account filed
July 2013Flash FloodEvans$24,000Emergency Manager reported Jones, Fox, and Forest Creeks out of their banks with several roads flooded and closed. Water was also up to the foundations of a couple of homes.
July 2012HailGrovetown$20,000A SKYWARN spotter reported golfball size hail on Columbia Road just north of I-20.
October 2011Thunderstorm WindEvans$20,000Tree down on truck in the Spring Lakes Subdivision.
April 2011HailGrovetown$20,000Public reported half dollar size hail in Grovetown.
July 2013Thunderstorm WindWinfield$18,000EM reported power lines and poles down along the lake shore in Winfield Hill area of northwest Columbia County. Several trees were also down.
November 2014Thunderstorm WindMartinez$16,000Columbia County EM reported tree on vehicle on Hampstead Place.
October 2011Thunderstorm WindMartinez$15,000Trees and large limbs down along Old Petersburg Rd. reported by the Augusta Chronicle.
August 2013FloodEvans$14,000EM reported 2 to 4 inches of rain fell in a couple of hours causing flooding in low lying areas in the Crawford Creek Subdivision in Evans.
April 2011Thunderstorm WindEvans$14,000HAM radio reported many trees and powerlines down in Evans.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindEvans$12,000WAGT TV reported Blanchard Road near Paxton Way was impassable due to trees and powerlines down.
November 2014Thunderstorm WindAppling$12,000Sheriff reported multiple trees down across the county.
July 2013Flash FloodMartinez$12,000EM reported streams out of their banks flooding neighborhoods in the Martinez area.
August 2016Flash FloodGrovetown$10,000Columbia County, GA Dispatch reported Robinson Avenue in Grovetown was washed out due to heavy rainfall.
March 2011Thunderstorm WindGrovetown$10,000EM reported a semi trailer overtured from wind gusts associated with a thunderstorm. The semi was in the rest area along I-20.
September 2008Flash FloodPhinizy$10,000DOT reported secondary dirt roads washed out from flash flooding that will have to be re-excavated.
December 1997Flash FloodMartinez$10,000Flash flooding along several creeks flooded several highways. G.R. Tucker road was washed out.
April 1997HailGrovetown$10,000no account filed
June 2011Thunderstorm WindPollards Corner$8,000Public reported trees down in the Martinez and Evans areas and over towards Grovetown.
April 2013Thunderstorm WindHarlem$7,000SKYWARN HAM and Emergency Manager reported trees and Powerlines in Harlem and areas to the east.
November 2014Thunderstorm WindMartinez$6,000Columbia EM reported damaged railroad crossing arms at the intersection of Old Evans Road and Martinez Blvd.
August 2014Thunderstorm WindAppling$6,000Sheriff reported multiple trees down in Appling and on I-20.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindHarlem$6,000SKYWARN spotters reported trees down on Bell street, Trippe street, and Hecks streat.
September 2020Flash FloodMartinez$5,000Reed Creek flooded due to heavy rain. This caused The Pass, between Boulder Trail and Bakers Ferry Trail to become flooded. Furys Ferry Rd near Reed Creek Park was also flooded.
February 2012HailHarlem$5,000Emergency Manager reported 1 inch hail in Harlem and Grovetown.
January 2010Thunderstorm WindEvans$5,000SKYWARN spotter reported powerlines down along Old Wheeler Road near the county line.
September 2007Thunderstorm WindAppling$5,000Saturday night on Ray Owens Rd., Appling, a microburst uprooted an old oak tree, the tops of trees were clipped off, limbs everywhere. Tin roof off a trailor, tin off a shed found across a field, and debre everywhere.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindAppling$5,000Numerous trees and power lines were downed by thunderstorm winds.
November 2014Thunderstorm WindMartinez$4,000Columbia County EM reported trees down on CSX railroad tracks at the intersection of Hightower Drive and Robers Road.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindWinfield$4,000Sheriff dispatch reported trees down just west of Appling.
November 2010Thunderstorm WindPollards Corner$4,000Sheriff reported trees and powerlines down on Petersburg rd.

Mines and quarries

5 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 5 workings inside this county. 2 still produce and 3 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Stone, Crushed/Broken2
Brick Clay1
Clay1
Magnesite, Chromium1

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

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Campania MineClayProducer
Campania PitBrick ClayOccurrence
The Dixie Mountain Serpentine DepMagnesite, ChromiumPast ProducerSurface
Dogwood QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Grovetown QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer

Every populated place in the county

105

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

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.