Cedartown, Georgia

Cedartown is a city located in Polk County, Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 9,470. The city is the county seat of Polk County{{GR|6}}.

History

Cherokee and Creek Native Americans first inhabited the area known as Cedar Valley. White settlers moved in and established a trading post along Cedar Creek in the 1830s. The most famous of these settlers was Asa Prior, considered by many to be the father of Cedartown. According to local legend, the water rights to Big Spring were won for the white settlers by a local white boy in a footrace with a Cherokee youth. Some versions of the legend differ, saying that the rights to the spring were won by the Cherokee people from the Creek people in a ball game. Regardless, by the 1830s the Cherokee people had established a village they called "Beaver Dam" on the site of present day Cedartown.

Related Topics:
Cherokee - Creek - Native Americans - Cedar Valley - 1830s - Asa Prior - Big Spring

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In 1838, under the direction of United States President Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act, a fortification was built at the white settlement (then called Big Springs) for the purpose of forced internment of the Cherokee people, who were then forcibly migrated down the Trail of Tears to Indian reservations in Oklahoma. These fortifications did much for the prosperity of the fledgling town of Big Springs, which became Cedar Town when Asa Prior deeded Big Spring and 10 acres (40,000 m²) of adjacent land to the newly chartered city in 1852. Soon afterward, Cedar Town became the county seat of the newly created Polk County.

Related Topics:
1838 - United States President - Andrew Jackson - Indian Removal Act - Internment - Trail of Tears - Indian reservation - Oklahoma - 1852 - Polk County

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In the American Civil War, Cedar Town was abandoned by most of its citizens when Union troops encroached. The city was burnt to the ground by the Union forces of General Hugh Kirkpatrick in 1865, leaving only one mill standing on the outskirts of town.

Related Topics:
American Civil War - Union - Hugh Kirkpatrick - 1865 - Mill

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In 1867, the town was re-chartered by the state of Georgia as Cedartown. An influx of industrial business bolstered the largely cotton-based economy of Cedartown, with fabric mills and iron works appearing in or near what is now the Cedartown Industrial Park on the west side of town. Industrial and passenger railroad service was added to Cedartown in the early 20th century. Main St. became a part of U.S. Highway 27, a major north-south automobile route that connects Cedartown to larger cities like Chattanooga, Tennessee and Columbus, Georgia. U.S. 27 also intersects in town with U.S. Highway 278, which connects Cedartown with Atlanta, Georgia. The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company built a large textile mill operation in Cedartown, and also built a large residential section of town for mill workers, now known as the Mill Village.

Related Topics:
1867 - Georgia - Cotton - Railroad - 20th century - U.S. Highway 27 - Chattanooga, Tennessee - Columbus, Georgia - U.S. Highway 278 - Atlanta, Georgia - Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company - Textile

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In recent times, the Georgia Rails Into Trails project has converted much of the former Silver Comet railroad line into the Silver Comet Trail, a federal and state funded park that connects many cities in Northwest Georgia. Cedartown's Main St. is listed in the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its 1890s architecture.

Related Topics:
Georgia Rails Into Trails - Silver Comet railroad line - Silver Comet Trail - National Register of Historic Places - 1890s - Architecture

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