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History · Lilly

Lilly’s post office opened in 1903, and 1 of its places is on the National Register

Most of Lilly was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1993. 1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 29 buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1972 on, and the census since 1910.

1903first post office
1on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Lilly began

When was Lilly founded?

1903

The Lilly post office opened in 1903, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Fuqua (1889), opened inside today’s city and later closed.

First census: 221 in 19102020 census: 129123 years
Founding year: the first Lilly post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Lilly’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 258 in 1920; 129 people lived here in 2020.A historic districtThe Lilly Historic District takes in 29 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lilly’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lilly’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFlorida [Sarasota County (part) - Washi…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Lilly, census by census

0100200192019401960198020002020Peak: 258

Peaked at 258 in 1920; 129 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

On the National Register

1 listing protects 29 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
29
each building in a district counts
first listed
1998
Lilly Historic District
Lilly Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival1
Victorian1
Queen Anne1
Colonial Revival1
Bungalow/Craftsman1
Lilly Historic DistrictGreek Revival

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

The story so far

Lilly, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Lilly yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Lilly is a city in Dooly County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Lilly had a population of 129. Lilly was originally named "Midway", as it was the halfway point between Cordele and Montezuma. The name was changed upon the discovery that there already was another Midway in the state. The name "Lilly" is a reference to patriarchs of the town.

Its first post office opened in 1903. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 213 to 129 (-39%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Lilly, 1889 to 1972

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1889Post officeThe Fuqua post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1902Post officeThe Fuqua post office closes
  5. 1903Post officeThe Lilly post office opens
  6. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 258
  7. 1940In the archiveFlorida [Sarasota County (part) - Washington County] -- Georgia [Appling County - Effingh…
  8. 1972On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Lilly, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s1 item
Florida [Sarasota County (part) - Washington County] -- Georgia [Appling County - Effingham County (part)]1940Florida [Sarasota County (part) - Washington County] …
1950s–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
Today10 recent
Post Office in2018Post Office inRR Crossing 638355S2014RR Crossing 638355SLilly city limit, GA90SB2014Lilly city limit, GA90SBLilly city limit, GA90NB2014Lilly city limit, GA90NBLilly Welcome sign, GA90NB2014Lilly Welcome sign, GA90NBLilly Water Tower2014Lilly Water TowerLilly Fire Station2014Lilly Fire StationLilly City cemetery2014Lilly City cemeteryLilly Baptist Church2014Lilly Baptist ChurchGAMap-doton-Lilly2005GAMap-doton-Lilly
On the map

Lilly on the map in 1972

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lilly.

Lilly on the 1972 USGS map1972Byromville 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 Lilly.

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.

Florida [Sarasota County (part) - Washington County] -- Georgia [Appling County - Effingham County (part)]
Retake this viewFlorida [Sarasota County (part) - Washington County] -- Georgia [Appling County - Effingham County (part)], 1940

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Lilly

Nobody well known was born in Lilly itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Rosalynn CarterFirst Lady of the United States from 1977 to 19… · b. 1927
Sonny PerdueAmerican politician · b. 1946
Courtney HodgesUnited States general · b. 1887
Roger KingdomAmerican hurdler · b. 1962
Vincent ShermanAmerican film director · b. 1906
R
Ron SimmonsAmerican football player and professional wrest… · b. 1958
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Lilly’s post office has been open since 1903. Another post office, Fuqua, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Fuqua
1889–1902
Lilly
1903–today
18801950today

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

Questions about Lilly’s history

What year was Lilly founded?

The Lilly post office opened in 1903, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Lilly?

One place: the Lilly Historic District (listed 1998).

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