County of city: Paulding County
Location of city: Central to county, NW in state
Location of courthouse: W. Memorial Dr. & Main St., Dallas
Elevation: 1,043'
Population: 12,415 (2013)
"Paulding County was one of ten counties that formed Cherokee County. On December 3, 1832 an act of the Georgia General Assembly separated Cherokee County into Union, Murray, Lumpkin, Gilmer, Forsyth, Floyd, Cobb, Cherokee, Cass (now known as Bartow), and Paulding. Van Wert became the county seat. Van Wert was named after Issac Van Wert, another Revolutionary War solider who participated in the capture Major John André.
"Dallas became Paulding Countys new seat in 1851. Dallas is named after George Mifflin Dallas, Vice President of the United States under James Polk. On May 14, 1852, Dallas was founded on land deeded from Garrett H. Spinks and became incorporated in 1854. Paulding County has two other incorporated cities, Hiram and Braswell.
"The first two courthouses of Paulding were built in the county seat of Van Wert. In 1854, Paulding County purchased land to build another courthouse in the county seat of Dallas. In 1892, the new courthouse was constructed. The building has been renovated several times throughout the years. The George T. Bagby Annex building was constructed in 1990. In 2008, the new Watson Government Complex opened and was dedicated to the Watson family. The new site is located at Constitution Boulevard in Dallas. The complex is the location of the courthouse and the administration offices for Paulding County.
" In 1864, Union General William T. Sherman planned to take over Dallas to control the traffic on the county roads that led to larger cities such as Atlanta and Kennesaw. Confederate General Joseph Johnson commanded his troops to stop the Union from the attempted take-over. Because of the Union’s attempt to control part of Paulding County, three battles took place at New Hope Church, Dallas, and Pickett’s Mill. The battles delayed Sherman’s attack on Atlanta. Paulding County’s historic Henderson House served as the Union headquarters. Today, Pickett’s Mill is one of the best preserved Civil War sites in the nation." ~ Paulding County