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Blakely is located in Early County, in extreme Southwest GA., and has a population of over 5,700. Early
County is one of the oldest counties in Georgia. Established in 1818, it was named for Peter Early (1773-1817),
former Governor of GA. The original county covered an area of 3,770 square miles. Counties carved from the
original Early County include Baker, Calhoun, Decatur, Dougherty, Grady, Miller, and Seminole, as well as
parts of Clay, Colquitt, Mitchell, and Thomas. Today, Early County covers an area of just over 524 square miles.
Blakely was formed in 1825. Blakely, the county seat, was named for Captain Johnson Blakely of North Carolina,
who was lost at sea on the U.S.S. Wasp during the War of 1812. The city of Blakely is nicknamed "The Peanut
Capitol of the World" , because of the large quantity of peanuts cultivated here. Early County has traditionally
had the largest acreage of peanuts of any county in Georgia. There is a monument on the courthouse square saluting the lowly peanut.
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