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    Valdosta
    Valdosta
    Valdosta
    Ebook197 pages1 hour

    Valdosta

    By Michael O. Holt

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    About this ebook

    Valdosta, located in Lowndes County in the wiregrass region of southern Georgia, was founded in 1860, when the county seat was moved 4 miles east from Troupville to meet the railroad that would connect the region with Savannah. The town was named for the residence of former governor George Troup, who named his home after the Valle d’Aosta region of northern Italy. The town took some time to begin substantial growth, but after the Sea Island cotton market boomed in the late 1800s, the town entered a period of expansion that has rarely slowed. Currently, Valdosta is home to several major highways, a state university, a nationally known amusement park, and an Air Force base.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439640692
    Valdosta
    Author

    Michael O. Holt

    Images of America: Valdosta features photographs chosen primarily from the Lowndes County Historical Society and the Valdosta State University Archives that represent how the city has evolved since its founding. They have been selected and assembled by Michael O. Holt, assistant archivist at Valdosta State University. Holt is a lifelong resident of South Georgia and has had a deep personal and professional interest in the history of the area for a number of years.

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      Book preview

      Valdosta - Michael O. Holt

      him.

      INTRODUCTION

      Valdosta is located in Lowndes County in the Wiregrass region of South Georgia, approximately 16 miles from the Georgia-Florida border. Americans originally settled the region in 1821, and Lowndes County was created out of Irwin County in 1825. Valdosta was not Lowndes’s first county seat. The county’s first seat was its first town, Franklinville, which was settled in 1827. Five years later, the county seat was moved to Lowndesville, situated at the confluence of the Little and Withlacoochee Rivers. The town was renamed Troupville in 1837 after the popular Georgia senator and former governor George Troup. Over the next several years, Troupville enjoyed a relatively prosperous existence and grew into a town of about 500 residents by the late 1850s.

      In 1859, word arrived that a new railroad line from Savannah, the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad, was to run through Lowndes County, four miles to the east of Troupville. Though the decision was far from unanimous, the citizens of the town decided to move the county seat once again to meet the railroad. Troupville was uprooted as its citizens formed a new settlement along the railroad. On July 4, 1860, the first train rolled into the new town, which was incorporated on December 7 of the same year. The citizens named their new town Valdosta after George Troup’s estate, Val d’Osta, which took its name from the Valle d’Aosta region in northern Italy.

      Before Valdosta could truly be established, the Civil War broke out, and the town was literally put on hold. Though it was billed as a safe retreat from the ravages of war, in truth resources were quite scarce, and almost no shops were in business by the end of the war. Residents hoarded valuable supplies like sewing needles to patch worn clothes they could no longer replace. A number of Valdosta citizens fought and died for the Confederacy, including the town’s first mayor, Reuben Roberds, and James Patterson, who had a major street named in his honor.

      After the war, Valdosta struggled to grow during Reconstruction. Through the 1860s and early 1870s, the town made an earnest effort to adjust to the changing times. The Valdosta Institute was established as the city’s first official school in 1865 to educate the youth of the community. The town’s first newspaper, the South Georgia Times, was established in 1868 specifically to aid residents in making the necessary adjustments to help the region flourish. Most of the acreage went back to the farming of Sea Island cotton, which soon got the town moving again.

      In the late 1870s and early 1880s, Valdosta became a major inland market for Sea Island cotton, becoming the largest inland market in the world by 1900. As a result of the cotton boom, two related industries—cottonseed oil and fertilizer—also prospered in Valdosta. During this time, the city took on a much more elegant appearance as large Victorian homes, ornate storefronts, and popular hotels the Stuart and the Florence appeared. The Methodist and Baptist churches both built elaborate meetinghouses in the 1890s that are still prominent downtown landmarks. By the end of the 1800s, Valdostans were so proud of their community that they hosted two successive state fairs in 1899 and 1900 to dress up and show off the town.

      Valdosta continued to grow in the early years of the 20th century. A street railway was constructed in 1899 but truly flourished in the 1900s and 1910s. The luxurious Patterson and Valdes Hotels were built in the first 15 years of the new century. A new domed courthouse came into existence in 1904, and a post office and federal building opened its doors in 1910. An extremely important event in Valdosta’s history occurred in 1913, when South Georgia State Normal College, which developed into Valdosta State University, welcomed its first students. The city school system also started in this era as the town continued to relish the boom years of the cotton trade.

      The boom was cut short in the late 1910s, when boll weevil infestation decimated the cotton trade. The 1920s and 1930s brought tough economic times to the region, but Valdosta continued to grow. The rich tradition of high school football in the region also began to flourish during these years. Though the town eventually recovered, true prosperity did not return to the region until the outbreak of World War II. It was during this time that Moody Field was established. This Air Force base has grown substantially in recent years and is one of the primary economic engines in the region.

      The long period of slow growth and hard times in Valdosta meant that a lot of basic upkeep on the city’s homes and buildings was neglected. As a result, a number of the town’s historic structures fell to the wrecking ball in the 1950s and 1960s to make way for future development. A major factor in economic growth during this era was the opening of Interstate 75, which ran slightly west of the old Valdosta downtown. The region’s sports reputation continued to grow during this era; the Valdosta High School Wildcats were selected as national football champions in 1969 and 1971.

      During the 1960s and 1970s, the downtown region declined greatly as the city spread outward. The decline continued until the construction of the James Beck Overpass resulted in the demolition of the old Atlantic Coast Line Railroad passenger depot in 1982. The following year, the city received special status and funding to preserve its historic downtown, which has brought new life to the region.

      Currently, Valdosta has a population of nearly 45,000 people. In recent years, a number of businesses have moved into long vacant downtown buildings. In addition, the town has begun to hold First Friday

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