Up until 1851, Polk County was part of Paulding County, but legislative
moves took parts of three counties and made Polk from it. Our county was
named for President James K. Polk by State Legislator William Jaynes.
Polk County has three incorporated cities - Cedartown, Rockmart, and Aragon.
The incorporated anniversary was celebrated on December 20, 1951.
The area that is Cedartown, now a "Main Street City," was first the possession
of the Creek Indians. They engaged in a game of ball with the Cherokee
Indians for land rights. The Creeks lost and the Cherokee moved into a
land rich in resources bounded by the Tennessee line on the north, and
the Chattahoochee River on the south. The Red Man gave up their home in
1832 when the White Man settled in.
Cedartown's name symbolizes the large groves of Cedars and Long Leaf
Pines. Because of the many cedar trees, the Indians used to call this
area "Valley of the Cedars." It was only natural that the white man picked
the name "Cedar Town."
Cedartown's water supply is furnished by the second largest limestone
spring in the south. The "Big Spring" produces an average of four million
gallons of water per day, and supplies about 10,000 people with water.
Located in the heart of the Coosa Valley area of North Georgia, Rockmart
is situated in a triangle formed by Atlanta, Georgia, Birmingham, Alabama,
and Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 1838, Rockmart's parent town, Van Wert,
was incorporated by the people who came to work in the slate and rock
quarries of the area. Van Wert was the first county seat of Polk County,
but was later moved to Cedartown in the early 1850's. Rockmart's name
was derived from the two words Rock Market, for the town was once a scene
of roofing slate business. This area has an abundance of slate, limestone,
iron shale, and clay.
In 1929, Aragon was referred to as an "Industrial Utopia" because of
the employment and recreation offered by one of the original industrial
enterprises of Polk County. The Aragon Mills, Aragon, Georgia, was owned
by A.D. Julliard & Company, Inc. The mill was built and chartered in
1898 and was one of the largest in the state. It is still presently running
under the name of Diamond Mills Inc. Aragon has since become an incorporated
town with a government body consisting of a mayor and four council members.
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