Dooly County, the 48th county formed in Georgia, was created in 1821. It was one of the original land lot counties and was later divided to make Crisp and parts of Macon, Pulaski, Turner, Wilcox, and Worth counties.

The county was named for Colonel John Dooly, a Revolutionary War hero who helped prosecute Tories in 1779 and was murdered by them the following year. Vienna (pronounced vye«-enna locally), the county seat, was named after the capital of Austria.

Historic sites in the county include the Dooly County Courthouse. It was built in 1891 of granite, slate, and brick and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Dooly Campground, which was built in 1875, is an open-air tabernacle constructed with hand-hewn timbers that still hosts many community activities.

Communities in Dooly County include Byromville, Dooling, Lilly, Pinehurst, Unadilla, and Vienna.

Vienna is the County Seat.