Lilburn is located in the western part of Gwinnett County, Georgia. The main section of traffic runs through Lawrenceville Highway where there is also a railroad runs through the old town area. In 1890  the Seaboard Airline Railway founded the city of Lilburn.  The area was previously known as McDaniel, Georgia and was renamed Lilburn, after the General Superintendent of the railroad, Lilburn Trigg Myers.  On July 27, 1910 the city was named Lilburn, Georgia.  In the 1920s a  devastating fire and hard economic times ended the prosperity and the City of Lilburn ceased to exist.  A revival of the original historic area has emerged with shopping and restaurants in the Old Town district which has been described as a Slice of History. 

History 

Present day Lilburn was occupied by a tribe of Native American Indians prior to 1817. They lived in the southern part of what is now known as Gwinnett County and were known as the Lower Creeks. They used the area mostly for hunting.

The Center Academy was created in 1839 for the education of children living in the area. The exact site is not known, but was apparently located on what is now Lawrenceville Highway within the present day city limits of Lilburn.

No major battles were fought in Lilburn during the Civil War, however there was a military engagement or skirmish fought at the Yellow River near Five Forks Trickum Road. The Union soldiers came across resistance at this location and engaged the Confederates. That was the only Civil War activity in the present day Lilburn area.

The Georgia Carolina and Northern Railroad began buying property and right of ways for tracks to be laid from Baltimore, Maryland to Atlanta, GA in 1887. They began to purchase property around 1890 for the present day Lilburn area. The Georgia Carolina and Northern Railroad was taken over by the Seaboard Airline Railway during the construction phase. On April 24, 1892 the first train with passengers came through.

The depression of 1929 took a very heavy toll on the area and the town gradually died. The government organized in 1910 ceased to exist. Automobiles then gave an alternative to the railroad and the town gradually moved along Highway 29 creating an old and new Lilburn. Old Lilburn had very few businesses that continued to operate, most of the activity was on the Highway. In 1976 the new city hall was built in the Old Town area. This helped create the growth that we have today.