[4] In 1822, the Georgia state legislature established "Swainsborough" as the seat of Emanuel County.

The town was named in recognition of Stephen Swain, the state senator who introduced the bill for the county's creation in 1812.

[5] Early in its corporate life, much like other rural Georgia towns, Swainsboro depended on railroads for transportation.

However, in the 1930s, many of the town's streets and sidewalks were paved, and Swainsboro found itself at the intersection of two major national highways, U.S. 1 and U.S. 80, thus earning its city motto: "Crossroads of the Great South".

U.S. 1 was the principal highway from Maine to Key West, and U.S. 80, at that time, ran from Tybee Island, Georgia, to San Diego.