Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Douglasville
    Douglasville
    Douglasville
    Ebook186 pages57 minutes

    Douglasville

    By Lisa Cooper

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Join Author Lisa Cooper as she recounts the history of Douglasville, Georgia in vintage images; some never before seen.


    The formation of Douglasville coincided when New South ideals were reshaping villages into railroad towns across the South during Reconstruction. In 1875, business and political leaders worked from the ground up to provide Douglasville with each component of a New South town, including a railroad, cotton mill, hotel, bank, and a commercial district. Today, the central business district is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and presents a snapshot regarding how the town fathers actualized their vision of industry and enterprise. Douglasville's founders would be pleased if they visited the town they created 138 years ago. It has entered the 21st century as a vibrant city with a thriving historic district, as well as a destination for businesses ranging from Google to the American Red Cross.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateJul 14, 2014
    ISBN9781439646137
    Douglasville
    Author

    Lisa Cooper

    Lisa Cooper, a former classroom teacher turned curriculum designer, writes a weekly column published in the Douglas County Sentinel, where she shares the amazing history of Douglasville with her readers. This book was made possible through the contributions of private collectors, the City of Douglasville, and Douglas County government. Other photographs were provided by the Douglas County Public Library and the Douglas County Museum of History and Art.

    Read more from Lisa Cooper

    Related to Douglasville

    Related ebooks

    Social History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      Freedom Towns

      Nov 23, 2023

      Freedom Towns
      23 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      North Dakota

      Apr 30, 2024

      YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF SURPRISED WHEN traveling along I-94 between Fargo and Valley City. Amid flat, prairie farmland, you will come across a sign saying, “Continental Divide.” Despite what you might expect, that sign is entirely accurate. “The” Con

      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Nevada

      Oct 18, 2022

      Nevada
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      What About The Native Americans?

      Oct 1, 2019

      What About The Native Americans?
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Equality On The Plains

      Oct 1, 2019

      Equality On The Plains
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      South Dakota

      Oct 19, 2021

      South Dakota
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Those Indomitable Downings

      Aug 2, 2022

      Those Indomitable Downings
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Montana

      Jun 27, 2023

      FAMILY, HISTORY AND PROGRESS COLLIDE in the popular TV series “Yellowstone” and its various spinoffs, much of them set and filmed in Montana. If your roots in the state go as deep as the Dutton family’s, read on for how you can find your own genealog

      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Cast in Iron?

      Apr 2, 2020

      Cast in Iron?
      7 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      White Oaks’ Dark Roots

      Aug 9, 2022

      White Oaks’ Dark Roots
      8 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Blueprint for Reconstruction

      Aug 15, 2023

      Blueprint for Reconstruction
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Sins Of The Fathers And Mothers

      Mar 4, 2024

      "Oh let me, let me kill them,” one woman cried, a knife in one hand, a rasping file in the other, as she struggled with the soldier trying to restrain her. “They killed my husband. They burned my house and child. Oh, let me through.” It was November

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Dakotas

      Jun 7, 2022

      The Dakotas
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Great Notes of the Great Plains

      Oct 5, 2021

      For this month, we’ll travel to the Midwest and visit a couple of towns in the plains of western Kansas. I had visited these locations some years ago and am finally putting together some information on them and their banks. We’ll start in Sherman Cou

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Nobles’ Undertaking

      Jul 23, 2019

      Nobles’ Undertaking
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Black Woods

      Aug 10, 2023

      The Black Woods
      10 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Stambaugh's Treaty

      Mar 7, 2023

      Stambaugh's Treaty
      22 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      The Standoff

      Aug 11, 2022

      The Standoff
      19 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Chief Buffalo Goes to Washington

      Dec 4, 2023

      Chief Buffalo Goes to Washington
      16 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Douglasville

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Douglasville - Lisa Cooper

      process.

      INTRODUCTION

      The area where the city of Douglasville sits is the highest point along the Tallapoosa Ridge, which runs east to west across western Georgia. At one time, not only was the area inhabited by members of the Cherokee Nation, but it was also inhabited by tribes making up the northern boundaries for the Lower Creek Nation.

      Trouble began brewing for both tribes in 1802, when the State of Georgia entered into an agreement with the US government. Back then, the boundaries of Georgia went as far west as the Mississippi River. The US government sought control of the land, so it paid the State of Georgia $1.25 million, and in return, the State of Georgia returned control of its western lands back to the federal government. The US government promised to provide federal assistance in removing Native Americans residing in Georgia at a time later to be determined and as soon as it could be reasonably and peaceably done. For the next few years, Native American lands would be signed away via treaty, culminating in the final blow brought by the Trail of Tears.

      By 1821, the two Native American nations had been fighting back and forth for several years. Tired of the constant fighting, the State of Georgia created a no-man’s-land between the two tribes, beginning at Buzzard’s Roost Island on the Chattahoochee River. It ran up through what is now Douglas County, along an old Indian trail heading northwest toward the Tallapoosa ridgeline. At some point, it crossed the Norfolk Southern railway track that exists today one mile east of midtown Douglasville, and then ran parallel with the track westward, past an old skint chestnut tree. Both tribes could enter the no-man’s-land, but only to hunt and fish. The city of Douglasville sits within the no-man’s-land today.

      White settlers began to enter the area as early as 1820 to establish farms and communities. Carroll County was created in 1826, followed by Campbell County in 1828.

      By 1831, Georgia surveyed the land and set out land lots. Enticed by wide-open land as well as the hint of gold, many white settlers flocked to Campbell County in the 1830s, including families with names such as James, Morris, Baggett, Winn, Weddington, Black, McLarty, Swofford, and Vansant, among many others.

      They all traveled by wagon or horseback, crossing the Chattahoochee River and heading north up the trail. Along the way, they looked for a landmark they had heard about that would let them know they were heading the right way—a very tall tree. The story was passed along that the Native Americans who lived in the area had removed the bark off the tree to make it even more identifiable. The community that would spring up near the tree would also give it its name—Skint Chestnut.

      Douglas County was created in 1870 from the section of Campbell County located on the north side of the Chattahoochee River. There was some disagreement regarding the location of the county seat. Some citizens wanted a location closer to the middle of the county, while others had their hearts set on Skint Chestnut. The Skint Chestnut folks continued on with plans while a lawsuit to settle the matter was pending.

      It was only natural for the focal point of the town—the Douglas County Courthouse—to be built at the highest point along the Tallapoosa ridgeline. The first courthouse was built in 1871 as a temporary structure. Prior to this, there are stories that circulate that the first ordinary actually rented space in Young Vansant’s store to conduct business.

      Skint Chestnut became Douglasville when the act to incorporate the city was passed on February 25, 1875. The act called for an election to take place the first Saturday in March 1875 to elect a mayor, a recorder, and five aldermen. The election resulted in J.S. James as mayor, J.C. Pittman as recorder, and A.S. McCarley as marshal.

      The second Douglas County Courthouse, constructed in 1880, was a two-story gray-brick building with eight rooms. There are no pictures of this structure, but eyewitness accounts have been handed down indicating that county offices were located on the ground floor, while the jury and witness rooms were on the second floor.

      The second courthouse had to be demolished in 1884, as the building began to crumble away almost as soon as it was erected. Dated July 29, 1884, a grand jury report states, We have made a thorough examination of the courthouse and find it in bad shape and perhaps in dangerous condition. We found large cracks in the walls and some key stones loose and apparently ready to drop out. We recommend that it be bolted and banded without delay. Improperly baked bricks and poor mortar were determined to be the cause.

      During the 12 years it took to erect a new courthouse, county officials had to deal with a serious lack of funds in continuing to attempt to build a New South town from the ground up. Town fathers worked hard to add specific ingredients to meet the philosophy, including a cotton mill, the railroad, a hotel, banks, and a thriving commercial business district. Town fathers continually advertised the benefits of living and doing business in Douglasville. Newspapers of the day centered on cotton crops, church singings, and political news.

      By July 1917, the men from Douglas County who were being drafted into service for World War I had their names on a list displayed at the Bartlett Building. The men left for service, while their families back home learned about rationing.

      Douglasville experienced the Great Depression as early as 1927 with a major bank failure. Farmers suffered, and since merchants in town depended on the farmers’ business,

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1