Oconee County history

Oconee County was created by the legislative act of 1875.

To remedy this undemocratic system, the Local Government Act of 1888 established county councils, with members elected by local residents, to take over the legislative and executive duties of the magistrates.

Oconee’s first textile mill, the Courtenay Manufacturing Company, and the mill village of Newry were built in 1894.

In 1962 the Hartwell Dam and Lake project was completed, and Oconee began to flourish as a recreational destination.

Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland an administrative reorganization in 1973 replaced that country’s six administrative counties and two county boroughs with 26 single-tier, or “unitary,” administrative districts.

After 1974 in England and Wales, administrative counties provided police and fire services, education, social welfare services, public transport, traffic regulation, consumer protection, libraries, and some highways and parks.

In 1975 the 34 administrative counties of Scotland were replaced by nine administrative regions, each subdivided into a number of districts.

In 1986 Greater London and six other metropolitan counties lost their administrative functions, which passed to their constituent boroughs.