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Hands On Georgia County Spotlight
: Baker County
Hands On Georgia is proud to spotlight Baker County for our first county
spotlight!
Georgia's 61st county was named for Colonel John Baker, a Puritan and noted
patriot of the Revolutionary War. Baker County was created from Early County in
1825. Newton, the county seat, was named for Sergeant John Newton of South
Carolina, a soldier in the Revolutionary War.
Historic Baker County was also the site of the last battle of the Creek Indian
War of 1836 that was fought in Baker County at Chickasawhatchee Swamp near Red
Bluff. Indian villages were first recorded in the Baker County area by Spanish
explorer Hernando DeSoto in 1540.
Primarily an agricultural community, Baker County produces peanuts, cotton,
canola, poultry, and beef. In addition to being one of the South Georgia
agriculture hubs, Baker County is home to the Ichauway Plantation, the largest
plantation in the county. Once owned by Coca-Cola magnate Robert Woodruff, the
plantation now houses the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center, one of the
largest outdoor research centers in the world. Scientists study local
vegetation, water systems, and wildlife, including 32 species of endangered
plants and animals found on the plantation.
The Baker County SOWEGA
Master Gardeners coordinated a great project for the
 2007
Hands On Georgia Week. Baker County third grade teachers, Mrs. Janice Tipper
and Mrs. Bonnie Walton, and their students were in the process of planning and
preparing a memorial garden to honor the memory of two young Baker County
students, 9-year-oldKierra Crumbley and 13-year-old Kursty Thomas, who were
killed in a tornado earlier this year.
The garden plans included a small pond surrounded by fall flowers and spring
bulbs, a nearby area filled with native and heritage plants, raised flower beds,
a garden path, a butterfly garden, and a classroom area.
The project was especially meaningful for Kenny Kimbrell, who works with the
Baker County EMS, as he was on duty the night of the tornado. Along with Baker
County Master Gardeners Carla Heard, Kenny and Margaret Kimbrell, and Suzanna
Macintosh, Mr. Kimbrell worked tirelessly helping with the garden.
Buster Haddock with the Baker County Cooperative Extension Service helped out in
the spring by assisting the teachers with the planting of the butterfly garden.
Buster brought some great compost over and the butterfly plot was fertilized
with compost provided by the Southwest Georgia Ichawaynochaway Watershed
Cooperative Poultry Litter Composting Project. The composting operation is a
cooperative between poultry producers in the area who provide litter and cotton
residuals as feed stocks for the compost. The operation is governed by a USDA
grant with the purpose of reducing the amount of raw litter dedicated to row
crop production to further protect our surface and groundwater resources.
Ultimately, the litter and cotton residuals are fully composted removing all
harmful pathogens and noxious weed seed to render a mature, environmentally
friendly soil amendment. And the butterfly garden proved it really works. The
butterfly garden was thriving and filled with butterflies and hummingbirds.
October 4th 2007, was the official Baker County Hands On Georgia Week
day of service. This event provided an opportunity for the SOWEGA Master
Gardeners, community volunteers, teachers, and students to partner and work on
something of lasting importance.
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