Bartow

Bartow is located in Jefferson County, midway between Macon and Augusta. Initially the town was known as "Spier's Turnout," but was changed to honor the first Confederate officer to die in battle, Colonel Francis S. Bartow of Savannah, Georgia, who was killed at the Battle of Manassas, Virginia on July 21, 1861. Bartow is a little Middle Georgia town with a rich history that began at the close of the Revolutionary War. Bartow is listed on the National Register of historic places. Virtually every structure within the town limits is included in the historic district. It is the birthplace of Ray Evans, who pioneered the Jeep and the Bantam Car, and home of the Bartow Community Center, a multi-purpose assembly hall used for dinners or meetings.