This courthouse replaced an 1869 courthouse [still standing] and was designed by Georgia’s most prolific courthouse architect, J. W. Golucke.
National Register of Historic Places
World’s First Coca-Cola Mural , 1894, Cartersville
In the early 20th century, Coca-Cola wall paintings, or murals, were ubiquitous in small towns all over America. But through research and authentication by the Coca-Cola Company, it has been determined that the very first such advertisement was created here in Cartersville, on the side of Young Brothers Pharmacy, in 1894. It was painted by syrup salesman James Couden.The Coca-Cola Company regularly refreshed the sign with new paint until the late 1970s, and in the 1980s, Dean Cox, who had purchased the pharmacy from one of the Young brothers’ daughters in 1970, became curious about the historical sign. In 1989, he hired Alison Free and Aggie Ferguson to restore it to its original condition. 25 layers of paint were removed to reveal the mural visible today. Coca-Cola fans and collectors from all over the world have been making pilgrimages to Cartersville to see it ever since.
Cartersville Downtown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Filed under --BARTOW COUNTY GA--, Cartersville GA
Western and Atlantic Railroad Depot, 1854, Cartersville
One of just a handful of surviving Western and Atlantic Railroad depots, the Cartersville depot now serves as the town’s Welcome Center. That it has survived at all is a bit of a miracle, considering it was in the direct path of Sherman’s forces as they headed into Atlanta. On 20 May 1864, Confederate forces occupied the depot in an effort to protect it, knocking out sections of the wall for use as gun ports. Due to other concerns, Sherman, let the depot stand, but there were light skirmishes between the Confederate and Union forces at the site. About six months later, when Sherman returned to Cartersville, a Union soldier cut the telegraph line from the depot, isolating Cartersville from the outside world, and the March to the Sea was underway.
Cartersville Downtown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Filed under --BARTOW COUNTY GA--, Cartersville GA
Grand Theatre, 1924, Cartersville
Cartersville Downtown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Filed under --BARTOW COUNTY GA--, Cartersville GA
4 Way Lunch, 1931, Cartersville
Fred Garrison began selling made-to-order hamburgers on the corner of Main Street and Gilmer Street in downtown Cartersville in 1931. The business was so successful, in large part due to the boost in traffic from tourists passing through on the Dixie Highway, that Garrison built the no-frills lunch counter you see today. Fred’s son Ernest took over in 1972 and operated it for the rest of his life. It survived a fire in 1993 and remains as popular now as it was in 1931.
You can visit Monday-Saturday from 6AM-3PM, but you have to bring cash, and don’t try calling ahead to place an order. The 4 Way prides itself on the fact that they’ve never had a telephone.
Cartersville Downtown Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Filed under --BARTOW COUNTY GA--, Cartersville GA
Stilesboro Academy, 1859, Bartow County
Stilesboro was incorporated in 1866 and retained that distinction until 1995. It was named for Savannah attorney William Henry Stiles, who served in Congress and the Georgia House of Representatives.
A high school was established here in the late 1850s and the community raised funds and completed the present structure in 1859. It was the center of the community and during the Civil War was used for sewing Confederate uniforms. Though it is likely apocryphal, a legend persists that in May 1864 Sherman spared the Academy due to an interior inscription: Deo ac Patriae [God and Country]. [I say it’s likely apocryphal because there’s a story like this for nearly every surviving antebellum building in the South].
The Stilesboro Improvement Club, a woman’s benevolent society, lobbied to save the old Academy when a new school was built nearby, and has owned the building since the school closed in 1939-1940. Formed in 1910, the club, at the suggestion of Miss Campie Hawkins, began holding an annual chrysanthemum show in 1912. The Stilesboro Chrysanthemum Show continues to be a popular event, 108 years later. It has taken place every year, except during the Great Influenza (1918) and World War II (1942).
The Etowah Valley Historical Society notes that research on the history of the Academy is incomplete.
Filed under --BARTOW COUNTY GA--, Stilesboro GA
Militia District #851 Courthouse, 1890s, Euharlee
Euharlee was a part of Militia District #851, and this historic courthouse was the de facto center of justice in the rural community. It was nicely restored after years of neglect.
Filed under --BARTOW COUNTY GA--, Euharlee GA
Calaboose, 1890s, Euharlee
The calaboose is located adjacent to the district courthouse.
Filed under --BARTOW COUNTY GA--, Euharlee GA
