History of Thomson From thomson-mcduffie.com Thomson, Ga., has borne many names over the years: Frog Pond, Hickory Level, Slashes...It was a small village and didn't really begin to grow until the coming of the railroad. The village was renamed for J. Edgar Thomson in 1837. He was one of the surveyors for the Georgia Railroad who surveyed the right-of-way through the area in 1833. By 1837, the trains were running through Thomson. The original depot was replaced by the present granite structure in 1860. Thomson was incorporated as a village Feb. 15, 1854. The village limits extended 500 yards from the store house near the depot except on the west side where the boundary was the property line between Stockton, Langston and Walter Wilson. After McDuffie County was formed in 1870, Thomson was designated the county seat. In the beginning, the village was managed by a Board of Commissioners, but in 1889 a new charter was granted and a mayor and four councilmen were elected. In 1920, the name was changed to "City of Thomson" and city officers were appointed. One of Thomson's most famous sons was Tom Edward Watson. Known as the Sage of Hickory Hill, he was born in what was then Columbia County but is now McDuffie County on Sept. 5, 1856. He served in the Georgia Legislature and became know as a friend to farmers. He was elected to Congress in 1890 on the Farmers' Alliance ticket. While a member of Congress, he introduced the resolution that led to Rural Free Delivery. Later he became a member of the Populist party and was the party's candidate for Vice President in 1896 and for President in 1904 and 1908. He served a US Senator from 1921 until his death on Sept. 26, 1922. ©2007 Thomson-McDuffie County