Fleming, Georgia

Not to be confused with Flemington, Georgia.

Fleming, Georgia
Unincorporated community
Mount Olivet United Methodist Church in Fleming
Mount Olivet United Methodist Church in Fleming
Fleming is located in Georgia
Fleming
Fleming
Fleming is located in the United States
Fleming
Fleming
Coordinates: 31°52′51″N 81°25′35″W / 31.88083°N 81.42639°W / 31.88083; -81.42639
CountryUnited States
StateGeorgia
CountyLiberty
Elevation
20 ft (6 m)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
31309
Area code912
GNIS feature ID326291[1]

Fleming is an unincorporated community in Liberty County, Georgia, United States. The community is 10.2 miles (16.4 km) east-northeast of Hinesville. A post office at Fleming was established in 1869[2]: 53  and remained in operation until March 9, 2013; it still has its ZIP code, 31309.[3][4] As of the United States Census 2010, the population of the 31309 ZIP Code Tabulation Area was 1,210.[5]

History

Fleming was established after the Civil War as a railroad depot. It was convenient for officials of the nearby freedmen's bureau, which was a few miles away. The community is named after William Fleming, a resident who owned a plantation adjacent to the original townsite.[2]: 52 

By 1886, it was a center for farming and naval stores. Along with a railroad depot and a post office, it also had a general store and a wheelwright.[2]

Mount Olivet Methodist Church was established in Fleming in 1843 by John Stacy and Hannah McCall Adams.[2] Another church, the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, was established in 1913. Within 5 years, the name of the church was changed to the Fleming Baptist Church.[2]: 74 

Fleming's population was 130 residents in 1887.[6] The population had grown to 212 by 1925.[7] In 1953, Fleming had a population of 400, with only one telephone.[8]

There was a soil and water field station, the Tidewater Experiment Station,[9] (or the Southern Tidewater Experiment Station)[10] in Fleming in the 1950s and 1960s.[11]

A passenger train and a freight train collided in Fleming on January 17, 1953.[12] Two people died and 85 others were injured. The Interstate Commerce Commission stated that the crash's cause was "excessive speed".[13]

In 2002, local postal worker Sallie Gaglia was murdered in the Fleming Post Office during a robbery of $1,175 in money orders. Local man Meier Jason Brown was arrested and later sentenced to death for the crime. He is currently imprisoned at United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute.[14][15][16]

The Fleming Post Office was robbed in 2010.[17] Services were suspended shortly afterwards due to constant vandalism, low traffic, less than two hours of work being needed per day, and average daily sales being below $50.[18] Postal services were relocated to nearby Richmond Hill, in Bryan County.[18] The Post Office officially ended operations on March 9, 2013; the community it still has its ZIP code, 31309.[4]

Climate

Fleming had the highest recorded monthly rainfall in the state of Georgia at one time, with 28.6 inches of rain falling on the month of August in 1898.[19][20]

During the Hurricane Frances tornado outbreak on September 6, 2004, an F1 tornado was reported northwest of Fleming. The damage was limited to trees.[21]

Education

The Liberty County School District operates public schools that serve Fleming.

References

  1. ^ "Fleming". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ a b c d e Groover, Robert Long (1987). Sweet Land of Liberty: A History of Liberty County, Georgia. Roswell, GA: WH Wolfe Associates. OCLC 17197578.
  3. ^ United States Postal Service. "USPS - Look Up a ZIP Code". Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Postmaster Finder - Post Offices by ZIP Code". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  5. ^ "2010: DEC Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  6. ^ Cram, George Franklin (1887). Cram's Universal Atlas: Geographical, Astronomical and Historical, Containing a Complete Series of Maps of Modern Geography, Illustrated by Numerous Views and Charts ; the Whole Supplemented with Valuable Statistics, Diagrams, and a Complete Gazetteer of the United States. G.F. Cram. p. 358.
  7. ^ Premier Atlas of the World: Containing Maps of All Countries of the World, with the Most Recent Boundary Decisions, and Maps of All the States, Territories, and Possessions of the United States with Population Figures from the Latest Official Census Reports, Also Data of Interest Concerning International and Domestic Political Questions. Rand McNally & Company. 1925. p. 178.
  8. ^ "Seven Hurt in Georgia ACL Wreck". The Orlando Sentinel. Associated Press. January 18, 1953. p. 13. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  9. ^ Cope, Channing (August 25, 1950). "A Problem of Drainage". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 22. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  10. ^ "31-State Soil and Water Meet Set at Rock Eagle". The Atlanta Constitution. September 26, 1955. p. 22. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  11. ^ "State Gets Million in Farm Bill". The Atlanta Constitution. May 21, 1960. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  12. ^ "ACL Passenger Crashes Into Freight, 7 Injured". The Tampa Tribune. Associated Press. January 18, 1953. p. 8. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  13. ^ "ICC Sets Train's Speed at 96 MPH In Jan. 17 Collision at Fleming". The Atlanta Constitution. Associated Press. May 7, 1953. p. 10. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  14. ^ Rankin, Bill (July 25, 2019). "Three sentenced to death in Georgia await federal executions". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  15. ^ Teigen, Nicole (December 6, 2002). "Arrest Made in Postal Worker Murder". WTOC-TV. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  16. ^ "Federal ruling could place Fleming postal worker's killer on execution schedule". Coastal Courier. July 25, 2019. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  17. ^ Page, Seraine (December 29, 2010). "Fleming, Riceboro post offices robbed". Coastal Courier. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  18. ^ a b Hipps, Danielle (July 30, 2011). "New postal closures wont affect Liberty Co". Coastal Courier. Archived from the original on August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  19. ^ von Herrman, C. F. (May 12, 1914). "STATE'S CLIMATIC CONDITIONS ARE THE ENVY OF SOUTHLAND". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 9. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  20. ^ "IDEAL WEATHER IS STATE BOAST". The Atlanta Constitution. October 23, 1912. p. 3. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  21. ^ "Tornadoes on September 6, 2004". TornadoHistoryProject.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2021.