Fulton County was created from DeKalb County in 1853, then obtained its strange, elongated shape by absorbing the destitute counties of Milton (to the north) and Campbell (to the south) during the Great Depression. It is named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the steam-driven boat. Atlanta, the county seat and state capital, grew from being the terminal point on an early railroad; it was first named Terminus. Later the name was changed to Marthasville as a compliment to Governor Wilson Lumpkin's daughter.