Plant Atkinson on the Chattahoochee River in Cobb County was dedicated in 1930 and was Georgia Power Company's first modern steam plant. Courtesy of Georgia Power Corporation Archives The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print. All requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource must be submitted to the rights holder.

Established in 1808, Pulaski County is situated in central Georgia and comprises 247 square miles. It was initially created from Laurens County, but its boundaries shifted several times during the century following its establishment. In 1870 the state created Dodge County from a portion of Pulaski; then in 1912 the state took a portion of northwest Pulaski to create Bleckley County. Named for Casimir Pulaski—a Polish officer who died of injuries sustained during the American Revolution (1775-83)—Pulaski County includes several communities.

Quitman County, in southwest Georgia, was established by an act of the state legislature in 1858. It became Georgia’s 128th county and was named for General John A. Quitman within five months of his death. Quitman never lived in Georgia, but as the governor of Mississippi in the mid-1800s, he spoke persuasively in defense of states’ rights and was instrumental in shaping Georgia’s decision to secede from the Union. The legislature acknowledged his popularity and named the new county in his honor.

Civil rights leader Ralph David Abernathy speaks on April 9, 1968, at a press conference held during the week of Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral in Atlanta. Photograph from Corbis The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print. All requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource must be submitted to the rights holder.

Richard B. Russell Jr. of Georgia, for whom this building was renamed in 1972, became a prominent and respected senator during his thirty-eight-year tenure in the U.S. Senate. Completed in 1908, this oldest of the Senate office buildings is designed in the Beaux-Arts style and is constructed with marble, limestone, and granite. Photograph by Larry Lamsa  The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print.