FLOYDCOUNTYGA.ORG
Floyd County Government Online

Historians theorize that in 1540, Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto and his band of six hundred soldiers were the first civilized men to visit the area of Northwest Georgia that is now Floyd County. Searching for gold and pearls, DeSoto camped for about thirty days at Chiaha, the site where the Oostanaula and the Etowah Rivers meet to form the Coosa River.

In the years that followed, the Cherokee Indians occupied the land they called "The Enchanted Land."  Major Ridge, a prominent Cherokee leader, lived a log cabin on the banks of the Oostanaula that was later named Chieftains. Today Major Ridge's house is a museum with exhibits that range from Floyd County's Indian heritage to its current industrial growth.

When gold was discovered in North Georgia in
1830, the Cherokees were moved to Oklahoma and their land given to white settlers by means of the Cherokee Land Lottery. Floyd County was formed
out of that lottery in 1832 and named for General John Floyd, Indian fighter and Congressman.

In 1833, the first courthouse was a small log cabin on the south bank of the Coosa River in Livingston, which was then the county seat. Livingston was a small community about twelve miles away from present-day Rome.

The "Cotton Town" of Rome, the current county seat of Floyd County, was formed in 1834, when two weary travelers stopped to rest beside a spring near the junction where the Etowah and Oostanaula Rivers form the mighty Coosa River. Impressed with the abundance of water, a heavy growth of timber and obviously fertile soil, the men enlisted the aid of three other men in developing plans for the new community.

Floyd County’s second courthouse was a square, two- story brick building located on the side of City Clock Hill and faced out over the downtown section. It was located on what was then known as Court Street or about where Fifth Avenue intersects with East First Street today.

For more information on Floyd County, please visit our Floyd Facts and Links & Resources page.