Attapulgus is a city in Decatur County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 449.The town's name is an Indian word meaning "Dogwood"; due to the abundance of attapulgite, which makes up the clay soil throughout much of the Southeast, the mineral was named after the town.Attapulgus was the birthplace of civil rights leader Hosea Williams.