Dodge

Formed October 26, 1870 (134^th county)

Dodge County (19,929), Eastman (5,655)

The Neo-Classical Revival 1906 traditional courthouse of Dodge County is noticeable in the city.  Edward Columbus Hosford is the architect of the tan brick structure.  It is located in a city square (Courthouse Circle) at Foster and 6^th streets.  Georgia State Highway 117 is Foster Street.  The building features columns and veteran memorials are in front.  There was an 1870 courthouse built when the county was created on October 26, as the 134^th county, also in Eastman the only county seat.  The county was taken from parts of Montgomery, Pulaski, and Telfair counties.  Congressman William Earl Dodge is the source name for the county.  Eastman was named for settler William Pitt Eastman.  The county center is in Eastman 1.5 miles South-Southeast of the city center. 

Dodge County government consists of a sheriff, an administrator, a coroner, a clerk, and a tax commissioner (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Fifteen Superior Court Judges serve Dodge, Bleckley, Baldwin, Ben Hill, Candler, Crisp, Dooly, Emanuel, Greene, Hancock, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Laurens, Montgomery, Morgan, Pulaski, Putnam, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Twiggs, Washington, Wheeler, Wilcox, and Wilkinson counties and Four County Judges, court clerk, and county attorney serve Dodge County (judicial.) The county is in south central Georgia just southeast of Macon, Georgia and west of Savannah, Georgia.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Laurens, Wheeler, Telfair, Wilcox, Pulaski, and Bleckley counties. 

The area of the county is 501 square miles.  It is 26 of 159 in size in the state.  It ranks 90 out of 159 in population in the state.  It has a density of 39.8 persons per square mile making it 106 out of 159 in the state.  Dodge County has 40.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 23 enters from the north, Bleckley County, and going east, Wheeler County.  United States Highway 280 cuts the southern tip east to west from Telfair County to Wilcox County.  United States Highway 341 comes from Pulaski County, northwest, and joins United States Highway 23 to go into Wheeler County.  The county looks like a diamond with a hook added to the southeast corner.  Eastman is in the northwest quarter of the county.  Eastman is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 28.4% of the county population.  The Ocmulgee River forms the southwest border of the county.