Kingsland

Kingsland Municipal Water Report Info

Celebrating a Century of Service to Kingsland Residents: In 1788, the King family acquired extensive land west of St. Marys, naming their estate Woodlawn. William King, the notable grandson of John King, later established a homestead on what became known as "King's Land."

On Christmas Day 1893, the first passenger train (Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad, now CSX) crossed through Camden County directly over King's property. Since William King's residence was the only one in the vicinity, the railroad company designated the area "Kings Land."

The arrival of the railroad attracted people from surrounding areas to work and settle around Kings Land, initiating a new era of development. William Henry King surveyed the town on his property and named it in his honor. Local businesses began opening, and he became the first mayor when Kingsland was officially incorporated in 1908 – likely when the town's name transitioned from two words to one.

The inaugural Kingsland newspaper was published on April 5, 1895, by the Southeast Georgian. As construction expanded, streets were established, kerosene streetlights installed in commercial areas, and a jail constructed. That same year, the State Bank of Kingsland opened on Railroad Avenue. Local history records that the first bank robbery occurred in 1928, resulting in the tragic death of the bank's original cashier, Mr. Perry.

Citizens' Bank was established after World War II on Lee Street (Highway 17) and later relocated to King Street (Highway 40). That same year, the nation's first Maine-to-Miami roadway, known in Georgia as the Dixie Highway, was being planned, though it wouldn't pass through Kingsland until 1927. Before its completion, most residents used the St. Marys River ferry to travel between St. Marys and Kingsland.

Prior to widespread automobile use, water transit was essential for Kingsland residents and businesses. Besides the ferry service, larger vessels were available approximately four miles south of town. Railways also played a vital role in travel between St. Marys and Kingsland. Passenger service on the St. Marys-Kingsland Railroad began July 11, 1908, with passenger cars frequently doubling as cargo transport. In 1911, a motor vehicle resembling a delivery wagon was designed and implemented, and by the late 1920s, "The Trolley" – a box-shaped wooden-bodied vehicle built on a Model T chassis – was in operation.