A Brief History of Cartersville
Photo of Red Top Mountain at Dusk, 3/6/08 Allatoona Lake, Cartersville, GA
The area that is Cartersville today began as a small community in the 1830s. A group of pioneer residences, and little else, were all that comprised this small community. But during those early years its potential for growth was apparent to at least one man, David Lewis. Mr. Lewis, who had settled just south of the site in a little community known as Birmingham, had a friend named Farish Carter, a wealthy man who lived north of the area and was traveling through Birmingham one day on his way to Milledgeville. He stopped by to see his friend, Mr. Lewis, and jokingly suggested that Lewis named Birmingham for himself (Carter). Lewis replied that he thought the town would eventually grow further north on the road, where only a few settlers lived at the time. Carter agreed to tell those settlers that their little community should be called Cartersville, and they obliged him.
By 1841 The Western and Atlantic Railroad had reached Cartersville and brought growth with it. Accounts from 1849 show that the town could boast of 150 inhabitants and four or five stores and one hotel. Most of the store buildings were wooden structures facing the downtown square with the depot at its center. Growth continued steadily, especially driven by the heavy traffic passing through the area.
As Federal troops approached Cartersville in 1864, the town was placed under martial law. According to an account from one of the local resident, the city's entire business district, with the exception of one building, was destroyed during occupation. The depot, though damaged, was not destroyed.
Cartersville became the county seat after the Civil War and a new two-story brick courthouse was begun in 1869. The courthouse was used until 1903 when the noise from passing trains became so annoying that a new courthouse was constructed several blocks away.
Local Resident John Henry Wilke recalled Cartersville in the 1870s. He said the town's population had reached 1000 by that time. Cartersville was a trading center for eight or ten surrounding counties and the streets would be crowded with wagons and buggies from all parts of north Georgia. Passengers and large amounts of freight, especially cotton, merchandise and building supplies arrived in Cartersville by train.
By the early 1900s the city and her neighborhoods had grown considerably from the earliest days. Large brick store buildings, were constructed to house the many businesses flourishing in Cartersville. The depot was enlarged in 1902, a testament to the importance of rail transportation.
In the 1940s, the Dixie highway passed through downtown Cartersville and helped to keep the downtown a bustling area.
-Taken from Antonino's Italian Grotto Collector's Menu and adapted from information obtained from the Chamber of Commerce