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Georgia · Southeast Georgia · #671
Evans County, Georgia
Claxton, Georgia is the fruitcake capital of the world - a claim backed by the Claxton Bakery and the Claxton Fruit Cake Company, which together produce millions of fruitcakes annually that are shipped across the United States and that have made this small southeast Georgia town's name synonymous with the most reliably re-gifted dessert in American holiday tradition.
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Office: Evans County Sheriff’s Office – 201 Freeman Street, Suite 3, Claxton, GA 30417 | (912) 739-1611.
Notes: For an active emergency, call 911.
Roads & Utilities
ROADS & TRANSPORTATION
Roads: US-280 and SR-169 serve Claxton, the county seat and largest city, founded when the Savannah and Western Railroad reached the area in May 1890.
Notes: Evans County was established from Bulloch and Tattnall Counties on August 11, 1914, named for General Clement Anselm Evans, a Georgia lawyer, state senator, Confederate Army officer who served as acting Brigadier Major-General at the time of Lee’s surrender, and later a Methodist minister and author. Claxton’s founding is a genuinely charming story of local persistence: landowner W.R. Hendricks and his parents, Glenn and Nancy Hendricks, overcame railroad officials’ initial reluctance by offering to dig a free well and install a pump so trains could stop for water; Nancy Hendricks then gave free town lots to early settlers who agreed to build there, and the town grew from that arrangement. Claxton was incorporated in 1911 (per one account) or 1894 (per another).
Business & Permits
BUILDING & PERMITS
Office: Evans County Courthouse – Courthouse Square, Claxton, GA (built 1923, Neoclassical Revival, architect J.J. Baldwin; National Register of Historic Places since 1980), substantially renovated in 1980.
Veterans Services
VETERANS SERVICES
Office: Evans County Veterans Services – confirm current contact via evanscountyga.com.
Libraries
LIBRARIES
Evans County Public Library (Claxton) – confirm current address/phone via the county library system.
Parks & Recreation
PARKS & RECREATION
Key Assets: Claxton is genuinely internationally known as the “Fruitcake Capital of the World,” home to both the historic Claxton Bakery (founded 1910, still in operation) and The Georgia Fruitcake Company (founded 1948 by Ira S. Womble after an unlikely path that included a meeting with Henry Ford), together producing millions of pounds of fruitcake annually and shipping worldwide. The annual Claxton Rattlesnake and Wildlife Festival, held the second weekend of March since 1968, is a major regional draw. The Evans County African American Archives, housed at the Evans County Community Center (720 North Church Street, Claxton, in the former Evans County High School, an Equalization School from the 1950s), preserves local Black community history.
Notes: The historic 1890s DeLoach House in Hagan and Hames Hall, a Greek Revival mansion, are also notable local heritage sites, both open for public events.
GIS & Maps
GIS & MAPS
Appraisal/Parcel Search: Evans County Tax Assessor – confirm current contact via evanscountyga.com.
Animal Services
ANIMAL SERVICES
Confirm current dedicated shelter contact via evanscountyga.com; Evans County Sheriff’s Office for animal control arrangements.
Environmental & Waste
ENVIRONMENTAL / WASTE MANAGEMENT
Office: Evans County Solid Waste / Planning & Zoning – confirm current contact via evanscountyga.com.
NOTES: Evans County is the forty-sixth county completed in Georgia’s Round 3 v2 redo, under the A+ sourced standard established for this project. Claxton’s genuine, internationally recognized status as the “Fruitcake Capital of the World” and its long-running Rattlesnake and Wildlife Festival are among the standout local facts covered in this project. All contact information above was sourced via web search as of early August 2026 and should be reconfirmed directly with the relevant office before a visit, deadline-sensitive filing, or emergency-adjacent decision.
About Evans County
Evans County’s fruitcake identity is genuine commercial fact, not mere boosterism. The Claxton Bakery and the Albert’s (formerly Claxton Fruit Cake Company) operations together produce an extraordinary volume of fruitcakes – millions annually – from facilities in Claxton that have been operating for well over a century. The fruitcake’s cultural status as a holiday object of universal affection and specific re-gifting has not dimmed the actual commercial production that makes Claxton’s bakeries significant food manufacturing operations. The annual Rattlesnake Roundup (Claxton hosts one of Georgia’s largest) adds a second heritage identity to the county’s tourism calendar.
Evans County’s agricultural economy – timber, tobacco, vegetables – is typical of southeast Georgia’s coastal plain. The Altamaha River is accessible from the county’s western edge.
All Services
Browse every category and topic available for this county.
Georgia assesses property at 40% of fair market value. Property owners have 45 days from the notice of assessment to appeal. Georgia has no estate or inheritance tax.
Courts & Legal
Courts & Legal
Evans County Probate Court: 2 Freeman Street, Claxton, GA 30417 | (912) 739-1141. The Probate Court handles estate administration and guardianship.
Marriage & Vital Records
Marriage licenses, divorce records, and birth & death certificates are handled by the following office(s):
CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT (Records, Marriage Licenses)
1 Freeman St., Claxton, GA 30417
(912) 739-3868
Genealogy
County-level record sources
Probate Court of Evans County (probate/estate case files – see Probate section above).
Statesboro Regional Public Libraries system serves Evans County among 5 counties.
Local societies
No dedicated Evans County genealogical society was confirmed in available directories.
Probate & Estate
Losing someone and having to deal with courts and paperwork at the same time is hard. This section won’t make that easier, but it should tell you what to expect, what it costs, and where to go – so at least you’re not walking in blind.
Where to go
Probate Court of Evans County P.O. Box 711, Claxton, GA 30417 (912) 739-4080 Claxton is known as the “Fruitcake Capital of the World.”
Step 1: figure out which path applies
Georgia is NOT a Uniform Probate Code state and doesn’t use a simple dollar-threshold “small estate affidavit” like many states. Instead it offers several distinct shortcuts, each suited to a different situation:
Banking Affidavit – for intestate estates with less than $15,000 in bank deposits and no other assets requiring administration. No court filing needed at all.
No Administration Necessary (Standard Form 9) – available when all heirs agree on how to divide the property and there are no debts (or all creditors consent). Can transfer real estate without full administration, but requires unanimous heir agreement – any disagreement forces the estate into formal probate.
Year’s Support (Standard Form 10, O.C.G.A. Chapter 53-3) – a distinctively Georgia protection: the surviving spouse and minor children can petition for property sufficient to maintain their standard of living for 12 months from the date of death. This takes priority over virtually all creditor claims and even most specific bequests in the will. Must be filed within 24 months of death. No bond, no inventory filing, no creditor claims period required – the fastest and simplest path when it applies.
Formal Administration – Petition to Probate Will (Common Form or Solemn Form) or Petition for Letters of Administration, when none of the above shortcuts fit.
COMMON FORM VS. SOLEMN FORM (a distinctively Georgia choice)
Common Form: the executor files the will with supporting evidence and the court admits it without notifying all heirs – faster and cheaper, but leaves a 4-year window during which interested parties can challenge the will.
Solemn Form (Standard Form 5): requires notice to all heirs; once granted, it’s final and binding much sooner, closing off future challenges.
If formal administration is needed
File the appropriate petition with the Evans County Probate Court – Petition to Probate Will (Common or Solemn Form) if there’s a will, or Petition for Letters of Administration if not.
The court issues a citation, published in the county’s legal organ once a week for four weeks (O.C.G.A. § 53-5-2), giving interested parties a chance to object.
After the publication period, attend the hearing for appointment as personal representative.
Once appointed, the court issues Letters Testamentary (with a will) or Letters of Administration (without one).
Send certified copies of the death certificate and Letters to all banks, brokerages, insurers, and retirement custodians; request date-of-death valuations and begin marshaling assets.
Obtain an EIN via IRS Form SS-4 and open an estate checking account.
Prepare an inventory of assets with date-of-death fair market values; the court may require this under O.C.G.A. § 53-7-30.
Pay debts and expenses in Georgia’s priority order (see below), then distribute remaining assets per the will or intestacy law.
What it costs
No Georgia state estate tax or inheritance tax.
Court filing fees typically range $100–$300 depending on the county.
Certified copies of Letters typically cost around $10 each.
Indigent petitioners may file an Affidavit of Indigency to request a fee waiver.
E-filing is available and encouraged statewide through platforms like PeachCourt or Odyssey eFileGA.
DEBT PRIORITY ORDER IF THE ESTATE CAN’T PAY EVERYTHING (O.C.G.A. §§ 53-3-1, 53-7-40)
Year’s Support for surviving spouse and minor children under 18.
Funeral expenses.
Costs of probate administration.
Expenses of the decedent’s last illness.
Taxes.
Probate filings, estate administration, and guardianship matters are handled by the following office(s):
Public Safety & Arrests
Arrest records, inmate search, and law enforcement services are handled by the following office(s):
SHERIFF
1 Freeman St., Claxton, GA 30417
(912) 739-2821
Elections & Voting
Voter registration, polling locations, and elections information are handled by the following office(s):
ELECTIONS / VOTER REGISTRATION
1 Freeman St., Claxton, GA 30417
(912) 739-1141
Health & Human Services
Offices & Contacts
Health services, social services, and assistance programs are handled by the following office(s):
GA Dept of Public Health — Southeast
(912) 739-3787
GA DFCS — Evans
(912) 739-3845
GA Medicaid
(800) 869-1150
East Georgia Regional Medical Center (Statesboro)
eastgeorgiaregional.com
Public Health Information
PUBLIC HEALTH
Office: Evans County Health Department – confirm current contact via evanscountyga.com.
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Editorial Trust
5 official sources cited
Reviewed by CountyOffices Editorial Team
Last verified June 2026
County Facts
County Seat: Claxton
Population: 11,000
Area: 185 sq mi
Established: 1914
Tier: 4
Inmate Services
Care Packages
Send care packages to inmates in Evans County facilities via Amazon.
