ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Historic Sites of Crawfordville, Georgia
ExploreSouthernHistory.com - Historic Sites of Crawfordville, Georgia
Crawfordville, Geogia
If the main street of Crawfordville looks familiar, that
could be because it was featured in the popular
Reese Witherspoon movie "Sweet Home Alabama."
Liberty Hall in Crawfordville
The home of Confederate
Vice President Alexander
Stephens still stands in
Crawfordville, Georgia.
Taliaferro County Courthouse
The beautiful old red brick
courthouse is a prominent
landmark in Crawfordville. It
was completed in 1902.
Crawfordville, Georgia - Historic Sites & Points of Interest
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Copyright 2012 by Dale Cox
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Memorial to a Dog
The stone cairn visible here
was placed by Confederate
Vice President Alexander H.
Stephens to honor his dog.
Crawfordville Baptist Church
The historic church was built
in 1889 as the meeting place
of a congregation that dates
back to 1802.
Crawfordville is a charming and historic town
located about 60 miles west of Augusta in
East Central Georgia. Just off Interstate 20, it
is the county seat of Taliaferro County and
the former home of Alexander H. Stephens,
the Vice President of the Confederacy.

Platted in 1826 by Hermon Mercer, brother of
noted Baptist minister and Mercer University
founder Jesse Mercer, Crawfordville is
named for William H. Crawford. A Georgia
political leader who served as Secretary of
War under President James Madison and
Secretary of the Treasury under President
James Monroe, Crawford was the only
Georgian prior to Jimmy Carter to run for
President of the United States.

Crawfordville was founded to serve as county
seat of Taliaferro County after that county was
created in 1825. Taliaferro is pronounced
"Tolliver."

The town still closely resembled Mercer's
"Crawfordville Plat," which uniquely was used
as a design for a number of other Georgia
towns of that era. A number of antebellum
structures still stand in the business district.

Taliaferro County is noted as the birthplace of
Alexander H. Stephens, the Vice President of
the Confederate States of America.

Stephens was born outside Crawfordville in
1812. Despite being orphaned at the age of
fourteen, he went on to attend Franklin
College (today's University of Georgia) and
was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1843.
Two years later he purchased his beloved
Liberty Hall plantation at Crawfordville.

The property became part of A.H. Stephens
Historic Park in 1933, when the Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC) developed the
park for recreational purposes and saved the
historic structures of Liberty Hall.

Although he opposed Georgia's secession
from the Union, Stephens was named Vice
President of the Confederacy in February of
1862. He often disagreed with Confederate
President Jefferson Davis, but served to the
best of his ability until the end of the Civil War.

Sent to a Northern prison for five months after
the war concluded, Stephens ultimately
returned home to Crawfordville where he
lived out the rest of his life, spending his time
writing, serving again in the U.S. Congress
and finally being elected to a term as
Governor of Georgia. He is buried at Liberty
Hall.

Please click here to learn more about A.H.
Stephens Historic Park.

The story of Alexander H. Stephens cannot
be told without also telling the stories of
Harry and Eliza Stephens.

Born into slavery, the couple remained
behind to care for the frail and sickly former
vice president after the slaves of his farm
were liberated in 1865. They lived out their
lives at Liberty Hall and were well cared for in
Stephens' will. They are buried in a small
cemetery adjoining the park, but their
descendants have gone on to achieve
success in a variety of fields, including
medicine.
Historic Sites in Georgia
Servants of Liberty Hall
Harry & Eliza Stephens, who
remained behind after they
were freed to care for former
Confederate Vice President
Alexander Stephens are
buried in Crawfordville.
The little cottage home of Harry and Eliza
Stephens has been restored at Liberty Hall
and is included on tours of the property.

Adjacent to the park is the towering
white-frame Crawfordville Baptist Church.
Founded in 1802, the congregation long
predates the town itself. The current
sanctuary was completed in 1889.

Besides Stephens' home, the most
noteworthy structure in Crawfordville is the
beautiful Taliaferro County Courthouse.
Completed in 1902, it stands in the main
business district.

If Crawfordville looks a bit familiar, there is a
good reason for it! The town has been a film
location for thirteen movies, including "Sweet
Home Alabama." The popular movie stars
Reese Witherspoon and features scenes
filmed in downtown Crawfordville as well as
at other locations in the surrounding area.

The 2009 film "Get Low," staring Robert
Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray was
also filmed in Crawfordville, as was Kenny
Rogers' song-inspired movie "Coward of the
County." Other films made in whole or part in
the town include "Pushing Up Daisies,"
"Neon Bible" and "Stars and Bars."

Crawfordville is home to around 534 people
and its appearance is preserved much as it
has looked for decades. This makes it a
prime real world set for the movie industry
and explains how it has become a location
for thirteen different productions.

In addition to A.H. Stephens Historic Park
with its outdoor activities, cabins, camping,
picnic areas and historic attractions, the
community is dotted with historical markers
and the Taliaferro County Historical Society
maintains a museum in the downtown area.

To reach Crawfordville from Atlanta, head
east on I-20 for 93 miles to Exit #148
(Crawfordville/Sparta). From Augusta, head
west on I-20 for roughly 50 miles to Exit #154.

Please click here to visit the official website.