A brief timeline highlighting the growth, development, and important moments in the history of McRae, Georgia.
McRae was established as Station No. 11 on the Macon and Brunswick Railroad, giving the community an early connection to travel and trade.
The county seat of Telfair County was moved from Jacksonville to McRae, marking the town’s growing importance in local government and commerce.
McRae was officially incorporated as a town and named for Daniel M. McRae, an early landowner from a prominent Scottish family.
McRae developed as a local trading center, serving the surrounding agricultural community and the cotton-based economy of the region.
McRae was incorporated as a city, reflecting its continued development and growing role in Telfair County.
During the racial violence of 1919, Berry Washington was taken from the McRae jail and lynched in nearby Milan. This remains a painful part of the area’s historical record.
The McRae Correctional Facility opened with hopes of providing jobs and contributing to the local economy.
McRae’s population increased from 2,682 in 2000 to 5,740 in 2010, due largely to annexation and inclusion of the prison population.
McRae merged with Helena to form McRae-Helena, which now serves as the county seat of Telfair County.