Discover Cedartown: Cherokee History and the Silver Comet Trail

Cedartown can be explored through several distinct themes: Cherokee history, local museums, historic architecture, and the Silver Comet Trail, which runs through the town. If you’re planning a stay, these highlights can help you decide which experiences will shape your trip.

Cherokee History and Historic Sites

At the Cedartown Encampment and Removal Site, two outdoor exhibits explain the former removal encampment. In late spring and early summer of 1838, it was a temporary military site. The exhibits therefore focus on a clearly defined period in the town’s history.

Big Spring was recognized in 2011 as a certified site on the Trail of Tears because Camp Cedar Town, a Cherokee removal encampment, was located there in 1838. Big Spring also had an earlier cultural significance: until the beginning of the 19th century, it was a Cherokee ball-ground and ceremonial dance site. These two periods distinguish an earlier cultural use from the history of the encampment in 1838.

Museums and Local Culture

The Polk County Historical Society Museum is located in the former Southcrest Bank building on West Avenue. It features an exhibit on the Cherokee and a display about local figures, including Sterling Holloway. The museum thus brings together Cherokee history and memories of people from the region.

The Cedartown Welcome Center is located in the depot right on the Silver Comet Trail. It offers brochures, maps, restrooms, vending machines, and a bicycle repair station. The Welcome Center also houses railroad memorabilia from the depot, as well as numerous items related to Sterling Holloway in a museum dedicated to him. Visitor information and local exhibits come together here.

Trail, Architecture, and More

The Silver Comet Trail runs through Cedartown and is suitable for leisurely bike rides and walks. The trail is free, paved, and non-motorized; it can be used by walkers, hikers, cyclists, and wheelchair users. These details about the surface and user groups apply to the entire trail, not just the section in Cedartown. Walking and cycling are two explicitly mentioned ways to enjoy the trail.

Cedartown’s downtown district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its 1890s-style architecture. The West Cinema Theatre was built in 1941 in the Art Deco style and is still in operation. The architecture of the downtown district and the cinema that remains in use offer different points of interest: one is a historically listed streetscape, while the other is a single building that continues to be used.

Big Spring is also the second-largest limestone spring in the South and produces an average of four million gallons of water per day. The ranking places the spring in a regional comparison, while the daily average gives a specific volume of water. These geographic features complement the town’s historic connections.

The Cedartown Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia is intended to tell the story of Coca-Cola, from its humble beginnings in 1886 to the company’s departure from Cedartown’s Main Street in 1977. This planned subject differs from the exhibits on Cherokee history: the focus is on Coca-Cola’s history and its connection to Main Street.

Discover more destinations: Rockmart, Aragon.

For the broader travel overview: Polk County.