Chatham County, the 3rd county formed in Georgia, was created from what had been Christ Church Parish and part of St. Phillip’s Parish, dating from 1758. The county was named for one of England’s most celebrated prime ministers, William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham. Comprising the state’s northern most coastal area, at the mouth of the Savannah River, Chatham County includes the site on which General James Oglethorpe landed in 1733 to establish the Georgia Colony.