People make a difference wherever you are, and in Early County you'll meet some of the finest people in any locality. Hometown folks hold a pride about their community that shows in such efforts as their locally funded courthouse renovation, new sidewalks, and street lights. The restoration of the 1930's theatre is another effort to brag on. Five arts performances each year, the local play group, the Arts on the Square Festival, and Music on the Square highlight the importance of fine arts in the community.
Three of Early County's three public schools have been awarded "Georgia Schools of Excellence" by the Georgia Department of Education. A private school is also located in the county.
The local Chamber of Commerce is a major player in the community's well-being. Two hundred forty members strong, the Chamber has eight active committees involved in legislation, education, community improvements and economic development.
A choice of religious preference is available with over thirty churches in the county.
"Early County's history is more than the men and women who have lived here. It is also the story of the fertile soil and the Chattahoochee River, with its branches and creeks, for they, too, have played major roles", begins the first edition of three collections of Blakely's history published by the local Historic Society.
Early County is one of the oldest counties in the state. Created in 1818 from land acquired in a treaty with the Creek Indians, the county was named in honor of Georgia's Governor Peter Early. Blakely, the county seat, was established in 1825 and named in honor of a United States Naval hero, Captain Johnston Blakeley.
The town's court square is home to the last remaining wooden Confederate Flag Pole. Erected in 1861, the pole was made from a white pine grown in the county.