Cherokee County History

Cherokee County GA History

During the first hundred years of Georgia's history, northwest Georgia was generally considered "Indian Country" and was bypassed by settlers going west. Georgia had made a treaty with the Federal Government in 1802 to relinquish its Western Territory for the removal of all Indians within its boundaries, and although other tribes had been removed, little was ever done about the Cherokee Indians. Since this was the heartland of the Cherokee Nation, the handling of this delicate problem had been avoided by the State and Nation. Following the discovery of gold near Dahlonega in 1829, settlers promptly ignored the Indian problems and began to move into the area north of Carrollton and west of the Chattahoochee River--sixty nine hundred square miles--that made up Cherokee County. The entire original county included all of the Indian territory that remained in the State of Georgia in 1831. The official birthday of Cherokee County was December 28, 1831. Examples of Indian influence in the names of various areas of Cherokee County can be easily found. The name of the Etowah River is taken from an Indian settlement called Itawa. Salacoa Creek derives its name from the Indian phrase selu-egwa, which is translated as "big corn." Sutallee and Sixes both apparently come from the word sutali, which means six. Hickory Log, Pine Log and Ball Ground were all named by the Indians and literally translated by the white settlers. The town of Waleska was named for an Indian maiden: Warluskee.

Created primarily as an emergency measure, the original county served the temporary purpose of holding the territory together under Georgia's laws while the survey was being made and while a more permanent arrangement could be worked out for its disposition into counties of normal size. Therefore, at the legislative session on December 3, 1832, the original Cherokee was divided into ten counties: Cherokee, Cass (now Bartow), Cobb, Floyd, Forsyth, Gilmer, Lumpkin, Murray, Paulding, and Union. On December 24, 1832, the same legislature added a small tract of land that had been left over in the lower part of the original Cherokee to Campbell County. Divisions made later increased the number of counties made from the original to twenty-two and parts of two others.

the Georgia Gold Rush greatly affected the formation of Cherokee County. It was because of the Gold Rush the fear of Indians was quickly forgotten and white men began to move into mine the area. The gold belt of Georgia passes through Cherokee County, from northeast to southwest, and is about ten miles wide. It is on this belt that the old gold mines of the county are located. In the summer of 1830, following the height of the Georgia Gold Rush, it was estimated that 3,000 men were digging gold in Indian Territory. When the California Gold Rush of 1849 began, most of these men set out West for its fabulous gold deposits. The gold business in Cherokee County went into a slump but there were already several mines in the county. One group of the important mines of Cherokee County were the Sixes Mines, which was said to have produced half a million's dollar worth of gold before the Civil War. Another of the most productive mines was the Franklin Mine, in the northeast corner of the county.

In the Gold Lottery of 1832, a widow, Mrs. Mary G. Franklin, drew a forty-acre lot in the northeast corner of the county. within a week, she had received over a dozen offers for her holding. With her curiosity piqued, Mrs. Franklin decided she should look at her new holding. When she arrived, she found a score of men at work on the lot, shoveling dirt and panning gold. Mrs. Franklin had the men removed and began working the lot, along with her family. She proved to be a good businesswoman and under her supervision, the mine was so productive, she bought the adjoining lots, built a large beautiful home and gave all her children a good education. Nothing definite can be given about the yield of the Franklin Mine, but around 1893, it was said to be producing $1,000 per day. Estimates of its total production after 1880 can go as high as $1,000,000.00.

Gold was not the only metal sought in Cherokee County. During the 1850's a copper- mining fever swept south from Tennessee and engulfed Cherokee County. As a result, there was a corporation formed by Joseph E. Brown and others to develop what later became the "Copper- Mine Hill." this was said to have been the first shaft sunk for copper in the state of Georgia. There were also attempts to open a large vein of iron that was supposed to exist in the northern part of the county. While those attempts were unsuccessful, Bartow and several other counties to the west found iron in "paying" quantities. Ford's Furnace, just across the line into Bartow County, turned out large quantities of pig iron (crude iron) before the Civil War.

THE TOWNS OF CHEROKEE COUNTY

Cherokee County's population is expected to exceed 130,000 by the year 2000. In 1995, the population was already over 111,000. Here is a brief description of five of the communities that make up one of the fastest growing counties in the state of Georgia:

CANTON

During the first fifty years of the existence of Cherokee County, Canton served as the primary commercial, educational, and social center of the county. Canton was incorporated in 1833 under the name of "Etowah". The legislature approved the name "Canton" the next year, since some the founders of the town had tried to establish a silk industry, as found in Canton, China. One advantage that led to the development of Canton as a market and trading center was the richness of the outlying agricultural districts. Cherokee county was among the top counties of Georgia for per-acre cotton production.

Canton became a very popular summer resort in the 1880's and 1890's among people from the more sweltering regions of the south. For many years, a number of companies operated in the marble finishing business, the largest being the Georgia Marble Finishing Works. The office of the Georgia Marble Finishing Works in Canton is now used as the office of the Cherokee County Water & Sewage Authority. Canton Cotton Mills, later Canton Textile Mills, was one of the largest manufacturers in the south. "Canton Denim" was known for its high quality and was sought by people throughout the country. Today, Canton continues to be a center for manufacturing goods and services. Canton is home to several agribusinesses that sell products all around the south, including Cagle Dairy Farms and Seaboard Farms poultry.

BALL GROUND

The name for the town of Ball Ground, in northern Cherokee County, comes from a Cherokee Indian ball playing site located somewhere in the vicinity. It was not the exact site of the town, however. Indian ball grounds were usually located on a level area of 100 yards long and often along a running stream. Ball Ground did not come into existence as a town until the railroad passed through it in 1882. The community until that point was almost entirely agricultural. When the railroad line was surveyed to run through Ball Ground, officials decided to put up a depot and develop a town to go along with it. Within two years, Ball Ground had a population of 250 and a large number of new buildings, including three churches and a high school. Ball Ground was considered to be one of the best business points on the railroad. In addition to providing a market for nearby farms, it had several industries such as saw milling and woodworking. However, its best-known industry for many years was marble working. Today, Ball Ground has approximately 1000 residents, but with its proximity to both Cherokee and Pickens Counties, it continues to grow and thrive

WOODSTOCK

In the extreme southern part of the county, Woodstock is about twelve miles south of Canton. It was this part of the county that was settled first, since it was easily accessible and not as mountainous as the northern most parts of the county. The famous Little River Academy was located in Woodstock and was one of the earliest "good schools" in the region. Little River Academy educated a large number of students before the Civil War. When the railroad came through Woodstock on its way to Canton, the town became more well founded and flourished. Woodstock has, in the past, been the scene of considerable activity in mineral developments. Located in the gold belt of Georgia, the old Kellogg mine and several other less notable mines were located in and around Woodstock. Today, Woodstock is home of one of the largest residential developments in the state, Towne Lake. Woodstock's train depot is now in the center of the downtown business district. Groundbreaking for a new City Hall was in October 1996. Proximity to Cobb and Fulton Counties has propelled Woodstock's growth even further.

HOLLY SPRINGS

Holly Springs is located five miles south of Canton. The town was located on the route of the L & N Railroad and developed mainly due to the surrounding agricultural region. Industry also played a large part in the town's development. One of the largest lumber companies was located in Holly Springs, producing several million feet of lumber per year. Holly Springs was almost the exact center of the gold belt of Georgia. Holly Springs was also home of one of the two United States marble quarries where green or "verdi antique" marble was procurable. Holly Springs today has over 2,000 residents. The former railroad depot is still in excellent condition and used as City Hall.

WALESKA

Waleska takes its name from Warluskee, daughter of an Indian chieftain who lived approximately 150 years ago. When this maiden was removed to the west with her people, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis W. Reinhardt named their settlement in her honor. Waleska was charted by the legislature in 1889. Agriculture and lumbering were two of the industries carried on in Waleska; however, the chief industry since the mid-1880's has been the education of students at Reinhardt College. Waleska has grown along with Reinhardt College in the past decades. Recently, Reinhardt College began offering a Bachelor's Degree program in the McCamish School of Business. Waleska is anticipating the opening of a new, larger, more modern elementary school in 1997. Waleska is also home to Lake Arrowhead. A private community, Lake Arrowhead not only offers golf and tennis facilities but also boasts the largest private man-made lake in the south--over 500 acres--and provides boating and fishing fun.

THE CHANGING FACE OF CHEROKEE COUNTY GOVERNMENT

The City of Canton is the county seat, or the center of government business, for Cherokee County. The governing body of Cherokee County is the Board of Commissioners. The Board oversees every aspect of the county's growth and development, both tangible and intangible. The Board of Commissioners sets budget, oversees the hiring of new government employees, including non-elected officials, and makes decisions concerning the building of new neighborhoods, shopping centers, and commercial developments. The Commissioners make their home in the Cherokee County Justice Center, located in Canton. The Justice Center is also where all Superior, State, Juvenile, and Magistrate Courts are held. Also, a southern annex of the Justice Center was opened in Woodstock to service the needs of the growing southern half of the county.

There have been five other courthouses prior to the current Justice Center. The early courts records mentioned the first as being "near the house of John Lay," in Canton. This was most likely a barn or stable, not very comfortable accommodations. In 1840, a new courthouse was erected on the site where the square in Canton is now located. This building was burned in 1865, by General Sherman's raiders. The clerk of the superior court, John B. Garrison, succeeded in saving the records and papers of the courthouse only by hiding them in his own home upon hearing of Union soldiers approaching. For the next nine years, courts of the county met in the old Presbyterian church. In 1871, the legislature approved $10,000 worth of bonds to be sold for construction of a new courthouse. When it was finished in 1874, another $5,000 worth of bonds had been sold and the courthouse was considered to be a very expensive building. It stood on the site of the previous courthouse, in the middle of what was then a town square. This building was destroyed by fire in 1928. The fourth courthouse was completed in 1929. It was constructed of white Georgia marble and was considered to be very modern. The present Justice Center was opened in September, 1994.