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History · Lexington

Lexington dates to 1800, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 28 buildings. Below: 10 old photos and papers, maps from 1921 on, and the census since 1810.

1800founded
1on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
10old photos & papers
7famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Lexington’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Lexington began

When was Lexington founded?

1800

Lexington dates its founding to 1800 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1810.

First census: 222 in 18102020 census: 203226 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1800.The full story ↓

What stands out about Lexington’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Boom and bustPeaked at 635 in 1900; 203 people lived here in 2020.A historic districtThe Lexington Historic District takes in 28 historic buildings.Old housesHalf of Lexington’s homes were built before 1954.Deep rootsEstablished in 1800: 226 years of Lexington.
★ What stands out · People over time

Lexington, census by census

01002003004005006007001850190019502000Peak: 635

Peaked at 635 in 1900; 203 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1810–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lexington’s Wikipedia page.

On the National Register

1 listing protects 28 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
28
each building in a district counts
first listed
1977
Lexington Historic District
Lexington Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Victorian1
Greek Revival1
Plantation Plain Style1
Richardsonian Romanesque1
Classical Revival1
Lexington Historic DistrictVictorian

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Lexington came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lexington.

Read it all →

Lexington was founded in 1800. That same year, the seat of Oglethorpe County was transferred to Lexington from Philomath. Lexington was incorporated as a town in 1806, and is named for Lexington, Massachusetts.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Lexington, 1790 to 1971

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1790Born hereGeorge Rockingham Gilmer is born here
  3. 19th century
  4. 1800
    FoundingLexington is established
  5. 1800Post officeThe Lexington post office opens
  6. 1812Born hereDavid Jackson Bailey is born here
  7. 1812Born hereJohn Henry Lumpkin is born here
  8. 1823Born hereWilliam Harrell Felton is born here
  9. 20th century
  10. 1900CensusPopulation peaks at 635
  11. 1933In the archiveGENERAL VIEW - Oglethorpe County Courthouse, Town Square
  12. 1971On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Lexington, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s6 items
GENERAL VIEW - Oglethorpe County Courthouse, Town Square1933GENERAL VIEW - Oglethorpe County Courthouse, Town Squ…HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY L.D. ANDREW - PHOTOGRAPHER MAY 16, 1936 VIEW OF OLD BELL - Cox-Steward-Knox Place, P…1936HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY L.D. ANDREW - PHOT…Historic American Buildings Survey L.D. Andrew - Photographer May, 16, 1936 FRONT CORNER ELEVATION - Saims-Bacon House,…1936Historic American Buildings Survey L.D. Andrew - Phot…Historic American Buildings Survey L.D. Andrew - Photographer. May 16, 1936. DETAIL OF MEDALLION (WEST ROOM) - Judge Pl…1936Historic American Buildings Survey L.D. Andrew - Phot…Historic American Buildings Survey L.D. Andrew - Photographer. May 16, 1936. FRONT CORNER ELEVATION (FROM SOUTHWEST) - …1936Historic American Buildings Survey L.D. Andrew - Phot…Historic American Buildings Survey L.D. Andrew - Photographer. May 16. 1936. DETAIL OF MANTEL (WEST ROOM) - Judge Platt…1936Historic American Buildings Survey L.D. Andrew - Phot…
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Date unknown4 to date
Historic American Buildings Survey Branan Sanders, Photographer March 1934 NORTH VIEW - Gilmer HouseDate?Historic American Buildings Survey Branan Sanders, Ph…Historic American Buildings Survey Branan Sanders, Photographer March 1934 NORTHWEST VIEW - Gilmer HouseDate?Historic American Buildings Survey Branan Sanders, Ph…Historic American Buildings Survey Branan Sanders, Photographer March 1934 SOUTHEAST VIEW - Gilmer HouseDate?Historic American Buildings Survey Branan Sanders, Ph…Historic American Buildings Survey L.D. Andrews- Photographer May 16, 1936 FRONT VIEW OF CARRIAGE HOUSE + Dove Cote - C…Date?Historic American Buildings Survey L.D. Andrews- Phot…
Today2 recent
LexingtonGeorgiaMainStreetFall20082008LexingtonGeorgiaMainStreetFall2008GAMap-doton-Lexington2005GAMap-doton-Lexington
On the map

Lexington on the map, 1971 to 1980

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lexington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Lexington on the 1971 USGS mapLexington on the 1980 USGS map1971Lexington sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lexington.

Every building

Lexington, building by building, 1921

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Lexington fire insurance map, 1921, sheet 11921Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

GENERAL VIEW - Oglethorpe County Courthouse, Town Square
Retake this viewGENERAL VIEW - Oglethorpe County Courthouse, Town Square, 1933

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Lexington’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

7 famous people were born in Lexington

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
George Rockingham GilmerAmerican politician · b. 1790
William Harrell FeltonAmerican politician · b. 1823
D
David Jackson BaileyConfederate Army officer · b. 1812
John Henry LumpkinAmerican politician · b. 1812
S
Shirley L. BoltonAmerican artist · b. 1945
Bob McWhorterLawyer, academic, politician, college athlete · b. 1891
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Lexington’s post office has been open since 1800.

Gone or out of use
Presbyterian Theological Seminaryschool
1cemetery inside Lexington
Lexington

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Lexington’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo4 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewGENERAL VIEW - Oglethorpe County Courth…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Lexington’s history

What year was Lexington founded?

In 1800, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Lexington’s post office opened in 1800, and the census of 1810 counted 222 people here.

What is on the National Register in Lexington?

One place: the Lexington Historic District (listed 1977).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.