All About Cartersville, GA

The History of Bartow County

Cartersville was named after a wealthy land owner named Farish Carter. After the Civil War, Cartersville was chosen as the county seat for Bartow County, seeing as the previous county seat – a town named Cassville – was destroyed during the war. During the 1800’s, Cartersville’s economy was largely based on trading, with merchants coming from eight neighboring counties to trade goods such as cotton, merchandise and building materials. Most of the goods traded in Cartersville would arrive by train, seeing as there was a well-established train station in the town during that time. Mining was another economic pillar for the town of Cartersville, seeing as iron, limestone, baryte, manganese, bauxite and ocher were all mined in the area. In the early 1900’s, the American Textile Company was established in Cartersville, giving the town an additional source of income from the textile industry.

History of Our City’s Fire Department

Up until as late as the 1880’s, Cartersville relied only on volunteer firefighters. But although the firefighters were volunteers, it was still considered an honor to be chosen as a firefighter in Cartersville. Firefighting teams were made up of some of the most prominent young men of the community. To be turned down as a volunteer firefighter in Cartersville was considered a disgrace. The city bell was used to alert the fire department of fires in the city. The number of times the bell would ring was an important part of communicating where the fire was. While one ring meant there was a fire in Ward One of the city, two rings signified a fire in Ward Two. If the downtown city area of Cartersville was in danger, the bell rang five times.

What to See in Cartersville

There are various things in Cartersville that make for interesting tourist attractions. Among other things, you’ll find places where you can enjoy the beautiful nature this area has to offer by visiting Red Mountain State Park. Cartersville also has museums that elaborate on the rich history, such as Bartow History Museum and Rose Lawn Museum. But one of the most well-known museums in Cartersville has to be the Tellus Science Museum. Some of the permanent exhibits of this museum includes dinosaur fossil displays, to a transportation history display that spans all the way from the first automobiles to space travel. Another prominent museum in Cartersville is the Booth Western Art Museum. The unique thing about this museum is that the art displayed here centers around the history of American Western culture, displays focusing on cowboys, Native American culture and more! Downtown Cartersville is known for the atmosphere of old school Western Culture, making it a popular tourist attraction. Many of the well-known museums and some quaint theaters are in this area, as well as shops and restaurants. All and all, a trip to Cartersville is sure to be filled with learning about history while enjoying the great outdoors and feeling close to nature.