Crawford County was the 55th county formed in Georgia, created December 9, 1822.  Crawford was created out of Houston County and Creek Indian lands.  Later part of Macon and Talbot counties were added.  Crawford County was named for William H. Crawford, who was the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury when the county was created.

In Knoxville, there are several buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Old Crawford County Courthouse established in 1831 and the old Crawford County Jail established in 1882.

The county seat, knoxville, received a charter in 1825, but is no longer a functioning municipality.  It was one of 187 inactive municipalities to lose their charters in 1995 as a result of a 1993 Act of the General Assembly.