Murray County

County Formed: December 3, 1832
County Seat: Chatsworth
Incorporated Cities: Chatsworth, Eton
Total Area: 344.4 square miles
Current Population Estimates (2009):¹

• Murray County – 40,621
• Chatsworth – 4,167
• Eton – 484

History:²

Murray County, created in 1832 from part of Cherokee County, was named for Thomas Walton Murray, a Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives.

One version of how Chatsworth got its name, is that a sign fell off of a passing freight car. The sign was placed on a pole by the tracks and the name stuck.

Among the county’s attractions are the Vann House Historic Site at Spring Place. Constructed in 1805 for James Vann, a Cherokee chief, the two-story red brick home was built alongside the Federal Road, a major early path in northwest Georgia.

Points of Interest:

Among the county’s attractions are the Vann House Historic Site at Spring Place. Constructed in 1805 for James Vann, a Cherokee chief, the two-story red brick home was built alongside the Federal Road, a major early path in northwest Georgia.

Fort Mountain State Park, an 1,897 acre park in the Cohutta Mountains, is also a popular destination. This area was presented to Georgia in 1934 by Ivan Allen, Sr. for a state park. It includes possibly the oldest fortifications in North America, believed to have been built in 1530 to defend against DeSoto’s men.

Another major asset is the Chattahoochee National Forest, which occupies a large portion of northeastern Murray County. Within the forest is the Cohutta Wilderness Area, a roadless, mountainous landscape featuring several of Georgia’s premier backpacking trails.

Carter’s Lake, on the Coosawatee River, was formed by the Carter Dam, which is the largest earth-rock dam east of the Mississippi. The 3,200 acre lake attracts fishermen, boaters and campers.

Annual Events:

Annual events include the Red and Gold Leaf Festival, Murray County Spring Festival, Appalachian Wagon Train and Village Blackberry Festival.

The County also hosts the Georgia State and Red Carpet Championship Mule-Draft Horse Frolic Show which crowns a state champion each year and highlights a wagon show, parade and mule pulling.

Additional Resources:

• Official County Website
• GIS / Tax Parcel Information

1. Source: Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau http://www.census.gov/popest.estimates.html; County Estimate Source: Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties for Georgia: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2010 (CO-EST2009-01-13) Release Date: March 2010.  Incorporated Estimate Source: Table 4: Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Georgia: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009 (SUB-EST2009-04-13) Release Date: September 2010. [↩]
2. Georgia Department of Community Affairs [↩]