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Fulton County is named for... Oh, wait... No, it’s not. Maybe.

5 Things To Know: Fulton County 1. In 1853, the Georgia State Legislature created Fulton County from the western half of DeKalb County. 2. Some say Fulton County was NOT named after steamboat inventor Robert Fulton... ... and that it's actually named for early 19th century civil engineer Hamilton Fulton, who convinced officials that railroads, not canal systems, were the future of transportation in Georgia. So who was the county named after? Debate rages on. 3. Hamilton Fulton's vision was correct, thoug
By Mandi Albright
April 18, 2018
Fulton County, Ga., is named for steamboat inventor Robert Fulton -- or it's not. Either way, he doesn’t look too happy about it all, does he? PHOTO: LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
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If, like me, you grew up thinking that Fulton County was named for a certain famous 19th century inventor, well, you'd be wrong.

Or maybe not.

Turns out Georgia's most populous county gets its name from a... civil engineer?

Or maybe not.

So in stock market terms, sell Robert Fulton and buy Hamilton Fulton.

Or -- you guessed it -- maybe not.

LEARN MORE: If you haven't already done so, check out the video above for the details on the naming of Fulton County along with other Fulton fun facts as part of the AJC's "5 Things To Know" series.

WANT MORE LOCAL HISTORY? Don't miss the AJC's Flashback Photos page.

About the Author

Mandi Albright writes the AJC's Deja News feature and is an online presentation specialist with the AJC's Digital Presentation team.

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