19th century Cordele was incorporated on January 1, 1888, 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 farmhouse to escape
Sherman's March to the Sea. During that time, the farmhouse, which Brown called "Dooly County Place," served as the official capital for only a few days. It was replaced in 1890 by the Suwanee Hotel, located in what became downtown Cordele. The hotel was destroyed by a fire in late 1994 and was rebuilt. Cordele was founded in 1888 by J.E.D. Shipp of
Americus. The town was located at the junction of two major railroads – the Savannah, Americus & Montgomery line, and the
Georgia Southern & Florida. As the railroads brought more people and business to the newly settled territory, Cordele experienced phenomenal growth. Before 1905 Cordele was located in southern
Dooly County, from the county seat in
Vienna.
20th century With Cordele's continued progress, many in the community felt the need for a seat of government to be closer than Vienna. Crisp County was formed in 1905 by taking a portion of southern Dooly County, and Cordele became its county seat. By 1915, Cordele was home to several industries including an ice-making plant, mills for processing cotton products into cloth and oil, a fertilizer factory, and other small manufacturing outfits. By August 1930, Cordele housed the Crisp County Hydroelectric System, the first county-owned electric system. Located on the
Flint River, the
hydroelectric plant continues to operate, and the resulting Lake Blackshear has attracted residents to its waterfront properties. On
April 2, 1936, a tornado struck Cordele, killing 23 people. ==Geography==