Oglethorpe County was created in 1793. Georgia's 19th county is named for the state's founder, General James E. Oglethorpe.

The county has four municipalities. Lexington, the county seat, is named in honor of the Revolutionary War battle. The largest city is Crawford, named for William H. Crawford, former Governor, U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Treasury and Minister to France. The other cities are Arnoldsville and Maxeys.

The site known as Cherokee Corner was once an angle in the boundary between Creek and Cherokee lands. At one time, the site was important to surveying in the region.

Two Georgia governors, who also served in the U.S. Congress, hailed from Oglethorpe County: George Matthews, who served under General Washington during the Revolutionary War; and George Rockingham Gilmer, for whom the North Georgia county is named. Gilmer served in the Creek Indian Wars.

Other important sites are the home of Governor Gilmer and Watson Mill Bridge State Park, which is shared with Madison County. The bridge, which is located on the South Fork Broad River, is the largest in Georgia, and was in the past the site of a grist mill and power generation plant.

Bartram Buffalo Lick, located in Philomath, is an iron-bearing clay pit of about 1.5 acres. This site was often visited by buffalo, deer and cattle, although it has no saline properties. It was a meeting place for the area's Indians.