Rockmart, Georgia
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 33° 59.951 W 085° 02.471
16S E 680907 N 3763794
Rockmart developed as a railroad depot town when the Southern Railway built a station in the area
Waymark Code: WMR9J5
Location: Georgia, United States
Date Posted: 05/27/2016
Views: 2
County of city: Polk County
Location of city: east-central in county, NW in state; crossroads of US-278 & GA-101
Location of city hall: 214 Piedmont St. & College St., Rockmart
Elevation: 781 ft (238 m)
Population: 4,168 (2013)
"Back in the days of the Civil War and for some years after, the leading town in East Polk County was little Van Wert which was settled by Welsh miners in 1838. They worked in the slate and rock quarries of the area.
"When the first railway was being built, Van Wert was immediately thought of as the logical place for the Southern Railway depot to be built. However, a wealthy landowner, Colonel Seaborn Jones, offered land and money for a station to be built 1 mile west of Van Wert, in an area that became Rockmart, which was incorporated in 1872." ~ City of Rockmart web
"During Reconstruction, railroads began building lines through the region, leading to the early industrialization of the area. The Cherokee Railroad built a line from Bartow County into Polk County in the 1870s, and the town of Rockmart developed around its depot about one mile north of the town of Van Wert. Incorporated in 1872, Rockmart was originally called Rock Market, indicating the importance of nearby slate deposits to its economy. Many of its buildings are built of slate and brick from local mines and brickyards." ~ New Georgia Encyclopedia