Blakely was incorporated October 24, 1870. Blakely, the county seat of Early County, was named for Captain Johnson Blakely of North Carolina, who was lost at sea on the U.S.S. Wasp in the War of 1812.

The Early County courthouse in Blakely was built around 1905 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The City of Blakely is nicknamed “The Peanut Capital of the World” because of the number of peanut products that are produced here.