Ocilla, the county seat of Irwin County, was incorporated as a town November 24, 1897. Ocilla is a version of an old Native American name, “Osceola”. Ocilla is the county’s only incorporated municipality. During the Civil War, Irwinville to the northeast of Ocilla, was the county seat. This is where Union soldiers captured Jefferson Davis (president of the Confederacy) and today is the site of the Jefferson Davis Memorial Park.

The Sweet Potato Festival, held each October, is hosted by the town of Ocilla.