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History · Smithville

Smithville dates to 1863, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1973 on, and the census since 1880.

1863founded
0on the National Register
19%homes built before 1940
1old photo or paper
4famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Michael Rivera · CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answers

How Smithville began

When was Smithville founded?

1863

Smithville dates its founding to 1863 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 320 in 18802020 census: 593163 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1857.The full story ↓

What stands out about Smithville’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 867 in 1980; 593 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Smithville’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Smithville’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 viewGeorgia [Effingham County (part) - Newt…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Smithville, census by census

020040060080018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 867

Peaked at 867 in 1980; 593 people lived here in 2020.

14 censuses, 1880–2020.

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

The story

How Smithville came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Smithville.

Read it all →

A post office was established at Smithville in 1871. The community was named after the local Smith family. The Georgia General Assembly incorporated Smithville as a town in 1863.

The Morgan Farm is located near Smithville, and is a late-19th century historic, rural African American farmstead recognized as a Centennial Farm (1995) by the state of Georgia, and listed as on the National Register of Historic Places (1998).

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Smithville, 1857 to 1980

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1857Post officeThe Renwick post office opens
  3. 1863
    FoundingSmithville is established
  4. 1871Post officeThe Renwick post office closes
  5. 1871Post officeThe Smithville post office opens
  6. 1874Born hereWilliam J. Sears is born here
  7. 20th century
  8. 1902Born hereBessie Jones is born here
  9. 1904Born hereTampa Red is born here
  10. 1907Born hereBill McAfee is born here
  11. 1940In the archiveGeorgia [Effingham County (part) - Newton County (part)
  12. 1973On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  13. 1980CensusPopulation peaks at 867
By decade

Smithville, decade by decade

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

1940s1 item
Georgia [Effingham County (part) - Newton County (part)1940Georgia [Effingham County (part) - Newton County (par…
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
Today5 recent
Dismuke Public Safety Building, Smithville Police Department2017Dismuke Public Safety Building, Smithville Police Dep…Diane Smith Memorial Park2017Diane Smith Memorial ParkClosed Smithville Supermarket2017Closed Smithville SupermarketClosed Citgo2017Closed CitgoGAMap-doton-Smithville2005GAMap-doton-Smithville
On the map

Smithville on the map, 1973 to 1981

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

Smithville on the 1973 USGS mapSmithville on the 1981 USGS map1973Smithville West 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 Smithville.

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.

Georgia [Effingham County (part) - Newton County (part)
Retake this viewGeorgia [Effingham County (part) - Newton County (part), 1940

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

4 famous people were born in Smithville

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

See all →
Tampa RedAmerican Chicago blues musician · b. 1904
Bessie JonesAmerican folk musician and gospel singer · b. 1902
William J. SearsAmerican politician · b. 1874
Bill McAfeeAmerican baseball player · b. 1907
Places that used to be

Lost post offices

Smithville’s post office has been open since 1871. Another post office, Renwick, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Renwick
1857–1871
Smithville
1871–today
18501940today

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

Questions about Smithville’s history

What year was Smithville founded?

In 1863, according to Wikidata. Smithville’s post office opened in 1857, and the census of 1880 counted 320 people here.

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 (6), 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) 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.