Stapleton, GA

Stapleton is a city in Jefferson County, Georgia, a small place on the county's east-central road map. The community began under the name Spread; the Georgia General Assembly incorporated it as the Town of Spread in 1903. Stapleton is the later name, drawn from Colonel James Stapleton. The 2020 census counted 402 residents. State Route 296 crosses State Route 102 through the center, with Wrens nearby, Avera four miles west, and Louisville, the Jefferson County seat, about 16 miles south.

Today, city hall keeps the civic scale close to the ground. Stapleton's council meets there monthly, and the city lists separate mayor, council, clerk, police chief, and fire chief roles. Jefferson County counts Stapleton among its six municipalities, alongside Louisville, Wrens, Wadley, Bartow, and Avera. The town's name changes tell the deeper story: Spread describes the early settlement label, while Stapleton ties the city to the person whose name it kept. With the two state routes crossing at the center, Stapleton is a small county-road city whose history is written into its sign, its municipal roster, and its place on the Jefferson County map.