Page 13 - Alliance for Dade 2023

Dade County E s t a blis h e d 1837
Established 1837
HISTORY
HIS T OR Y

One of the bloodiest battles Trenton Depot
of the Civil War, the Battle of
Chickamauga, was fought
D ade County is now a thriving destination community of more than September 19-20, 1863, in Dade,
Catoosa, and Walker Counties.
16,000 residents with lively mountain arts and music festivals
The battle was the most significant
throughout the seasons. But it wasn’t always like that here in “The
State of Dade.” Union defeat in the war and had
the second highest number of
Dade County, the state’s casualties following Gettysburg.
ninety-first county, was Historic Courthouse
established in 1837 Citizens of Dade felt alone and forgotten in the northwest corner of the
as Georgia’s most state. So, they supported the secession effort in the late 1850s, leading to
northwestern county, the nickname “The State of Dade.” The story goes that Dade County leaders
bordering Alabama were so frustrated with Georgia’s delay in
and Tennessee. The seceding from the Union in 1861 that the
174-square mile county Covenant College county wanted to secede not only from the
was created from western United States, but from Georgia as well.
Walker County by the
state legislature in 1837 Unlike any other county in the state,
and named for Major Francis Langhorne Dade, a Virginian who died in the for its first 102 years of existence Dade
Second Seminole War. County was rugged, isolated, and totally
disconnected from the rest of the state.
The original population of Dade County was composed of an indigenous In fact, visitors had to leave Georgia and
band of Cherokee, led by Chief Wauhatchie, who were forcibly removed go through Alabama or Tennessee to visit
from the land in 1838 during the Trail of Tears. After the formation of Dade Dade County by road. There was no road
County and the removal of the indigenous peoples, Dade County grew connecting this county in the extreme
slowly, with the first settlers being those who won land in the Georgia northwest corner of Georgia to the rest
land lotteries and those who came to work in coke and coal mines. of the state until 1939, when the state
purchased Cloudland Canyon.
Among those settlers were
Oddfellows Building businessmen from Trenton, Cloudland Canyon
New Jersey who arrived That land purchase in 1939 didn’t
to invest in coal mines. just lead to the creation of one of
Seeking to align the county Georgia’s largest and most scenic
with the industrial strength parks – Cloudland Canyon. It
of New Jersey, those same led to the “rediscovery” of Dade
businessmen changed the County. In 1945, the county passed
name of the county seat from a resolution officially rejoining the
Salem to Trenton. There have Union, more than 80 years after the
been four courthouses in end of the Civil War.
the City of Trenton. The fourth and current courthouse is on the National
Register of Historic Places and replaces the preceding courthouse which Now we welcome you to Discover Dade, too!
was burned in the Chattanooga Campaign of the Civil War. Paintings by: Heidi Fawn Wilson

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