CLAXTON: Fruitcake Capital of the World!
One of Georgia’s many unique small towns, Claxton is known throughout the United States and many foreign countries for its fruitcake baking industry.
A town of some 3,000 residents, it is an attractive community with a downtown area that is inviting to shoppers and pedestrians.
Property owners enjoy a low tax rate of 8.75 mills, excellent fire and police departments are maintained, and residents have a wide array of residential and commercial services available from the city.
THE ONLY THING MISSING IS YOU…
Claxton offers all the charm and hospitality that one would expect from a small Southern town. During late Fall, residents welcome the tempting aroma of fresh baked fruitcake wafting through downtown.
Residents and visitors can enjoy many of the town’s amenities, including a stroll through Senior Citizens Memorial Park, or a walk along the town’s streets where a friendly wave can always be
expected.
Claxton epitomizes the spirit of community. Whether newcomer or lifelong resident, residents are proud of the town where citizens pitch in to help one another, and volunteer their services for community projects and organizations.
Unlike many large metropolitan areas, you can enjoy a quality environment in Claxton, Georgia, and have easy access to big cities and attractions–without sharing the disadvantages.
A LITTLE HISTORY ABOUT THE TOWN THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN ‘HENDRICKS’….
What is now known as the city of Claxton was non-existent when workmen completed laying railroad lines westward from Savannah in May 1890. There were only a couple of dwellings scattered aroud the area of what is now Claxton, including the home and lands owned by Glenn and Nancy Hendricks in the vicinity of Cedar Creek near Hagan.
W.R. Hendricks, son of Glenn and Nancy, was given a large tract of land by his parents. This tract, as far as can be determined, began at what is now Duval Street and extended west for one mile – to a point where the John Wesley Tippins land adjoined that of Nancy Hendricks.
W.R.’s ambition was to secure a railroad station at the site that would become Claxton, but he met considerable opposition from S&W officials who maintained that existing stations in the area were sufficient to meet the needs of commerce and passengers. Hagan already had a full station where the S&W trains could stop, and half stations at Bellville and Daisy.
Kate Claxton
Undaunted by setbacks, W.R. Hendricks made a proposition to railroad officials to dig a well and install a pump, free of charge, so that trains could stop here for water. The deal was made and actual construction began in the latter part of June 1890.
The vision of building a town on his land was fully supported by his mother who offered to give a lot to anyone who would erect a building upon it.
After a number of folks accepted her offer, she later revised the plan and proposed to sell one lot and give the adjoining parcel to those who desired to build in Claxton.
With the establishment of a town well underway, efforts were begun to establish a post office at the settlement already widely known as ‘Hendricks’. Postal officials in Washington, D.C., upon receiving an application from George E. Wood, declined to approve a post office for a site as Hendricks, Ga., because another facility in the state was already operating under that name. Two other names were then submitted – Jenny and Claxton – and officials agreed to dub the new post office as Claxton, Ga.
Some history buffs contend that the name came from the popularity of an actress in that era by the name of Kate Claxton, while others believe it was in honor of Philander Priestly Claxton, a noted educator of that time.
Shortly after the Claxton post office opened, D.C. Newton, one of the parthers in a naval stores company, laid out what has since become the original map of Claxton on a sheet of brown wrapping paper. Newton drew in the streets, laid out lots and later added street names. The whereabouts of the original map is not known; however, it is believed that this first map remained in his possession until his death and was passed down to his son who died in the 1990s. Another map, believed to be similar to the original, is in the possession of R.R. ‘Bobby’ Tippins, president of Tippins Bank and Trust Company and descendant of the family that founded the bank in Claxton. The petition to incorporate the town of Claxton was approved by Tattnall Superior Court in April 1894. Claxton and Evans County were a part of Tattnall before the new county was created by act of the Georgia Legislature in August 1914.
CLAXTON GOVERNING OFFICIALS
Mayor, City of Claxton
Terry Branch
912-739-1712
Mayor ProTempore
Larry Anderson
ADMINISTRATION & SERVICES
Police Department
912-739-2121
Claxton Fire Department
912-739-3111
Utilities Department
Claxton City Hall
912-739-1712
MEETINGS
Regular meetings of the city council are conducted at 6:00 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of each month. Meetings are held in the council chambers at Claxton City Hall.