It began as a forest, dense with virgin pines, with an occasional meadow permitting the radiance of the sun through. Settlers built farms here and there, but the land was still a quiet place. That all changed as the mighty railroads came.

This place where the railroads met was named CORDELE. Founded in 1888 by J.E.D. Shipp, of Americus, the City of Cordele was incorporated on December 22, 1888 by a legislative act. As the railroads pushed their way into the newly settled land, the impact was tremendous. The railroads were such a large part of the city that it was called "The Hub City" by many of the people in that region. The city's official name was also influence by railroad power. Cordele was named after Miss Cordelia Hawkins, eldest daughter of Colonel Samuel H. Hawkins who was president of the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery Railroad. An outward expansion from the junction of the two railroads came with the arrival of the Georgia Southern and Florida Railroad.
As the railroads brought more people and business to the newly settled territory, Cordele was experiencing phenomenal growth. Before 1905 Cordele was located in southern Dooly County nine miles from the county seat in Vienna. With Cordele's continued progress, many in the community felt the need for a seat of government to be closer in proximity than Vienna. Crisp County was formed in 1905 by taking a portion of southern Dooly County. The newly formed county was named for Charles F. Crisp, Georgia lawyer, judge and congressman. Judge Crisp also served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1891 to 1893.
In November 1864 the area that is now Cordele served as the temporary capital of Georgia. During the last days of the Confederacy, Georgia's war governor Joseph E. Brown used his rural farm house to escape the wrath of Sherman's "March to the Sea." During that time the farm house which Brown called "Dooly County Place" served as the official capital for only a few days.
After the war, "Dooly County Place" was sold for $3,500. With the coming of the railroads, Cordele sprang to life from the old farm house. The farm house was replaced in 1890 by the Suwanee Hotel, which is still located in downtown Cordele. The construction of the hotel was a sign that a new generation was ready to embark on a historical path of its own.
That path turned into a "yellow brick road" in 1923 when a group of concerned citizens made it the number one priority to harness the waters of the Flint River for the purpose of erecting a hydroelectric plant. With hard work and unrelenting determination, the goal had been reached by August 1930.
With the flick of a switch the Crisp County Hydroelectric System was operational. The system was the first county owned electric system in the United States and paved the way for other such systems. What was unforseen in the early stages of development, however, could prove to be its greatest benefit. That benefit was the creation of Lake Blackshear, which attracts thousands of people to the area.

As the years pass in Crisp County, the knowledge of the county's history is passed from person to person. This knowledge and an intuitive insight to the future have served the people of Crisp County well.

History of the Watermelon | History of the Missile