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    Douglasville
    Douglasville
    Douglasville
    Ebook186 pages57 minutes

    Douglasville

    By Lisa Cooper

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    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.

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      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,

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