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FITZGERALD, Ga. (WALB) - On December 2, 1896, the city of Fitzgerald, Georgia was officially incorporated.

The city’s origins trace back to Philander H. Fitzgerald, a lawyer, veteran and publisher from Indianapolis. In 1895, Fitzgerald sold the idea of a warm-weather colony to Union veterans. About 2,700 people fled from the harsh winters of the Midwest to South Georgia, where they joined about 600 Southern veterans to found the Colony City.

By December 1895, 5,000 colonists had arrived. Schools opened the following fall, and on Dec. 2, 1896, Fitzgerald was officially incorporated and elected officials took charge.

Honoring the city’s roots, officials named major city streets after leaders of both the Union and Confederate armies.

The city of Fitzgerald has remained committed to that original goal of honoring veterans of both sides of the Civil War. Officials said that laying the war to rest and living together as one means no statues honoring individual men in either army can be found in Fitzgerald.

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