Macon, Georgia

 

Macon is a city located in central Georgia. The city is situated near the geographic center of Georgia, hence the city's nickname as the Heart of Georgia.

History

Macon lies on the site of the Ocmulgee Old Fields, which were home to Creek Indians and their predecessors for as long as 12,000 years before Europeans arrived. The fields and forests around Macon and what is now the Ocmulgee National Monument were cultivated by the Creeks, who built temple and funeral mounds that still exist today.

After the establishment of Bibb County in 1822, the city was named the county seat in 1823 and officially named Macon, in honor of North Carolina statesman Nathaniel Macon because many of the city's early settlers hailed from North Carolina.

Musical heritage

A long list of Macon natives have been influential to American music. The kazoo was invented in the city during the 1840s. Macon has been the birthplace or hometown to such musicians as The Allman Brothers Band, Randy Crawford, Mark Heard, Lucille Hegamin, Lena Horne, Otis Redding, Little Richard, and Mike Mills and Bill Berry of R.E.M. as well as more recent names like violinist Robert McDuffie, rapper Young Jeezy, and country artist Jason Aldean. Partly as a result of this musical heritage, Macon became the home of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.