Town file
Donalsonville, Georgia
Donalsonville, Georgia (Seminole County, Georgia) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 326, "Pictures Of Fear" (13 October 2022). In the spring of 1973 four escaped prisoners from Maryland drove into Seminole County in south-west Georgia and killed six members of a farming family.
- Town
- Donalsonville
- County
- Seminole County
- State
- Georgia
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 326
- Approximate location
- 31.040, -84.878
Episode 326 / 13 October 2022 / 178 min / full
Pictures Of Fear
"Going all the way down south today, way down south, to Donalsonville, Georgia; this is in Seminole County, area code 229." about 0:04:31
The case: The Alday family murders (May 14, 1973); Murder of Richard Wayne Miller (May 10, 1973); Murder of Mrs Elder (1973). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2022
- Population
- 2,488 people
- Median age
- 39
- Median household income
- $27,765 a year
- Median home value
- $83,600
- Two-bedroom rent
- about $756 a month
- Cost of living
- 72
- Religious
- 67%
- Property crime
- ▲ a little bit high
- Violent crime
- right at average
- Police officers covering the county
- two officers
History, in brief
- Named after John Ernest 'John E.' Donalson, a prominent businessman who built the town's first lumber mill, the Donalson Lumber Company, and houses for its workers; the lumber company made the town grow. about 0:06:08
- John and Clarence Anglin, two of the inmates who escaped from Alcatraz in 1962, were from the town. about 0:06:33
The reviews read out
5 stars
"A small town in the south-west corner of Georgia, beautiful especially for farming and a wonderful place to raise children; the reviewer has been through tough times but the community keeps their spirits up; there are few jobs and high school seniors compete with adults for them; raising money for college is hard; the schools offer one-on-one attention because there is nobody there."about 0:07:34
5 stars
"My hometown is awesome: a place where you get a smile from a stranger, schools with many extracurricular activities, and the reviewer feels safe and loves the town, but would like to see something fun for young people."about 0:09:24
4 stars
"A small community with a lot of outdoor activities; the one thing missing is more activities for children and young adults, who really have nothing."about 0:10:20
3 stars
"The reviewer used to live in the area and would like to see more business opportunity and more jobs for the citizens."about 0:10:36
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Greenwood, Florida20 miles
- Bristol, Florida43 miles
- Daleville, Alabama52 miles
- Monticello, Florida69 miles
- Barnesville, Georgia145 miles
- Clanton, Alabama161 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.