Banks County, Georgia: History
The law to establish Banks County was passed by the Georgia General Assembly on December 11, 1858. It was named for Dr. Richard E. Banks. The legislation called for the creation of Banks County on February 1, 1859, from Franklin and Habersham counties.
Ty Cobb, a Baseball Hall of Famer, was born in Banks County in 1886 in an area of the county known as The Narrows - a small farming community consisting of fewer than 100 people. The area and birthplace are on State Highway 105 in the northern part of the county near the Broad River. The legal organ for the county is The Banks County News, a member of Mainstreet News, Inc. One of the county's oldest church sites is the Hebron Presbyterian Church, established in 1796. Banks County is the home of the Atlanta Dragway, located near Banks Crossing. Banks County is also known for being the home of the former world's largest Easter egg hunt. (The 50th annual egg hunt in 2009 was the last in the series.)