Macon

Macon Macon ma ´k?n, ma ´kon [key], city (1990 pop. 106,612), seat of Bibb co., central Ga., at the head of navigation on the Ocmulgee River; inc. 1823. It is the industrial, processing, and shipping center for a farm area that produces cotton, peanuts, soybeans, poultry, and dairy products. Chemicals and wood and metal products are among its manufactures. Fort Hawkins was established on the east side of the river in 1806 and renamed Newtown in 1821. Macon (for Nathaniel Macon) was laid out on the west side in 1823; Newtown was annexed in 1829. Wesleyan College and Mercer Univ. are there. Also in Macon are the birthplace of Sidney Lanier , several antebellum mansions, a restored grand-opera house (1884), restored Fort Hawkins (1806), a museum of arts and sciences, and a planetarium. Nearby are Robins Air Force Base and Ocmulgee National Monument. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. See more Encyclopedia artic les on: U.S. Political Geography