Ocilla, Georgia
| Ocilla, Georgia | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Ocilla-Irwin Chamber of Commerce
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 Location of Ocilla, Georgia |
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| Coordinates: 31°35′55″N 83°15′0″W / 31.59861°N 83.25000°WCoordinates: 31°35′55″N 83°15′0″W / 31.59861°N 83.25000°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Georgia |
| County | Irwin |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.6 sq mi (6.7 km2) |
| • Land | 2.6 sq mi (6.7 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 348 ft (106 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 3,414 |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP Code | 31774 |
| Area code(s) | 229 Exchange: 468 |
| FIPS code | 13-57428 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0332555 |
The city of Ocilla is the county seat of Irwin County, Georgia. Its population was 3,414 at the 2010 census. Ocilla is part of the Fitzgerald Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Ocilla was founded in 1880, incorporated as a town in 1897, and finally re-incorporated as a city in 1902. It is not clear whether Ocilla is named for the Seminole Chief Osceola, for an Oswichee Native American tribe, or, as proposed by historian John Goff, it could be an adaptation of the place name Auscilla. A 1981 Fitzgerald Herald-Leader says that "a tribe of Oswichee Indians once lived near the Ocmulgee River on land known in 1818 as Irwin County." There, towns were called Oswitchee and Ocilla, and sometimes Ocichi. The French census shows that a town called Ocichi existed there in 1750. A later census in 1832 gives Oswhichee as the name of another Indian village close to Osochi." It goes on with "The town's name was changed seven times. It was called by the Indians Assile, next Aglie, Axilla, Agulu, Ochile, and lastly Ocilla." This theory is less popular today.
The most popular theory is that Ocilla is named for Chief Osceola, who had a prominent role in the Second Seminole War. Allegedly, he camped in the area known as Western Heights in Ocilla and frequently could be found in the area until his capture and imprisonment at Fort Moultrie, South Carolina. Osceola is probably the reason that the sports teams in Irwin County are now known as the Indians.
In the 1980s and 1990s Marie Watson was known in Ocilla as the "Christmas Lady." Watson would intricately decorate the property around her home on Cherry Street with lights and Christmas decorations and each year "Santa Claus" would visit the property, taking wishes for gifts from children. Watson became famous for her Christmas cheer but eventually stopped due to the hassle of decorating and because of her older age. Today, her tradition is somewhat carried on every year as the City of Ocilla now decorates Cumbee Park, the public park directly in front of Watson's former home, and holds a yearly session with Santa Claus.
On the outskirts of town, Ocilla once hosted the New Veterans Memorial Track (commonly known as the Ocilla Raceway) which was a 3/8 mile layout racing track. It was inaugurated on April 23, 1950. Governor Herman Talmadge was scheduled to attend but was unavailable and the former Governor M.E. Thompson appeared instead. On opening day 2,500 people watched the first program featuring five separate races. James Bennett of Macon, Georgia won the 20-lap featured race and Lucy Stacks of Fitzgerald won the women's race. VFW would eventually take over the track after the original owner, Marion "Buddy" Green, decided that its liabilities were too great.
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