Celebrating 150 years: 1920 progress of Polk

Polk County By Rev. Wm. J. DeBardeleben, of Atlanta

Back in the 1920s, Polk County was a bustling place. America was still on a good run after World War I, business of all kinds was booming, and even visitors to our friendly corner of the world were impressed. Here’s another article found by Gregory Gray published in the Cedartown Standard in the early 1920s on both past and then-present Polk County.

Those interested in contributing an article they’ve found from the archives they’d like us to revisit, or who have a suggestion can e-mail them to kmyrick@ polkstandardjournal.net.

Polk County, one of the richest and most beautiful sections of North Georgia, was formerly a part of Paulding with headquarters at Van Wert. Its birth dates back to April 1, 1852, at which time Cedartown was made the county site, with Stephen A. Borders as first Ordinary.

The population of this county, now given at 20,050, is in no danger of suffering a decrease from the simple fact that this section boasts the lowest death rate in the state. High altitude, abundance of substantial food and pure water are some of the reasons given for longevity of the inhabitants. As an evidence of this, Cedartown, 900 feet above the sea level, has a water supply from a natural spring that furnishes a volume of 8,000,000 gallons every 24 hours.

The soil of Polk county is specially adapted to apples, peaches, plums and their fruit. Besides favorable conditions for the growing of cotton, corn, potatoes and other farm products, it is especially suited to dairying, stock raising and poultry. An additional advantage is the fact that no farm in the county is over six miles from the railroad.

Ten thousand bales of cotton are marketed annually through the county seat. Morgan Valley, which is noted for its beautiful scenery, is one of the most fertile spots in the State of Georgia.

The mines of Cedartown produce 4,100 tons per month. Its industries have over 1,000 employees, with an annual pay roll of approximately $1,000,000.

There is located here a branch of the United State Finishing Company, a New England plant, valued at $6,000,000.

The management of this concern is so well pleased with its success in this locality that it is now doubling its capacity, and will soon be turning out a million yards of cloth each month. The parent plant of this branch last year dyed and finished enough yard-wide cloth to go six times around the earth.

In addition to the numerous mines and manufacturing enterprises of Cedartown, there are several others in different parts of the county. The most important of these are the Aragon Cotton Mills, the Southern States Portland Cement Company, Georgia.

Stone & Cement Company, and the Rockmart Brick & Slate Company. More than 1,200 men are given employment by these organizations, the pay roll amounting to more than $1,000,000 per annum.

The brick manufactured in Rockmart, make of crushed shale, are used especially for paving and high-class building projects. The plant has 11 large kilns with a capacity of 30,000 paving bricks or 45,000 building brick per day. This concern has advance orders for more than twelve months ahead. (Editor’s note: it is based on reliable information that one of those bricks today is worth around $60 on the open market.)