far removed from the county seat, Hawkinsville, it was deemed expedient to create a new county and place the county seat at this point. During that period of economic expansion, stimulated by the railroad, Ira Roe Foster, former Quartermaster General of Georgia, operated a saw mill in Dodge County. In 1869, Foster built a residence in what would become the city of Eastman. Foster was one of many who came to the area to participate in the sawmill boom. During the boom, it was estimated that, on average, there was one mill every two miles along the railroad. Unlike earlier eras, when timber was transported downstream in large river rafts, saw mills shipped their timber by rail. In his book The New South Comes to Wiregrass Georgia 1860-1910 author Mark V. Wetherington states: "Ira R. Foster shipped lumber to Brunswick, where it was loaded onto timber schooners and transported to international markets like Liverpool, Rio de Janeiro, and Havana." When the city of Eastman was incorporated in 1872, Foster served as its first mayor. New counties Dodge County on October 26, 1870. Jeff Davis County on August 18, 1905. Bleckley County in 1912. County seat changes Telfair County's seat changed from Jacksonville, Georgia to McRae, Georgia in 1871. Appling County's seat changed from Holmesville, Georgia to Baxley, Georgia in 1873. Wayne County's seat changed from Waynesville, Georgia to Jesup, Georgia at the junction of Macon and Brunswick and Atlantic and Gulf railroads in early 1873. City name changes Dykesboro was renamed Cochran, Georgia for the former company president Arthur Emmett Cochran in 1869. Listing of stations Company presidents Arthur Emmett Cochran (1856-1865) George Hall Hazlehurst (1865-1873) George Hall Hazlehurst was appointed agent of the state of Georgia to control the property of the Macon and Brunswick Railroad after it had been seized by the state in July 1873. See also References 1856 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Defunct Georgia (U.S. state) railroads 5 ft gauge railways in the United States Predecessors of the Southern Railway (U.S.)