The county is named for statesman William H. Crawford who had served as a U.S. senator, minister to France, and secretary of the treasury.

Knoxville, Georgia was established on the Federal Road, the main stagecoach route from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans, making the town a natural choice for county seat.

Although the chief center of population is now Roberta, a mile to its west, Knoxville (no longer an incorporated city) retains its designation as the county seat.

For years, while passenger train service was an important mode of transportation, Roberta served as a thriving tourist stop on the route to Florida.

The railroad wanted to bring the track from Culloden to Knoxville, which was the most direct and economical route, but Crawford County rebelled.

Crawford Countians didn't want the railroad passing through their county seat, so, the A&F laid the tracks to Musella instead.

Soon, a general store and post office were built there, and Musella quickly became a hub of economic activity in northern Crawford County.

During the county's early days, settlers relied first on agriculture (cotton and oats) then on cattle ranching, timber harvesting, and sand extraction as economic mainstays.

Pemberton was a veteran Confederate States of America lieutenant colonel who served on the first Georgia pharmacy licensing board after the war.

Although Troutman lived most of her life in Knoxville, her remains were moved to the Texas State Cemetery in Austin, where a bronze statue was erected in her honor.

In 1775 naturalist William Bartram, traveling across Georgia, found a previously unknown plant in Crawford County.

Bartram described the area near Sweetwater Creek as a "delightful diversified rural scene," noting that it "promises a happy, fruitful and salubrious region."

Clay from Crawford County and the Rich Hill alkaline glaze used by the early "jug makers" is still prized today.

The Fall Line Freeway runs across a very small portion of the southern part of the county along Georgia State Route 96.