Incorporation Valdosta was incorporated on December 7, 1860, when it was designated by the state legislature as the new county seat, formerly at nearby
Troupville. The railroad was built to Valdosta that year, rather than Troupville, stimulating development in the new county seat. Many citizens of Troupville had already relocated to Valdosta when the
Atlantic and Gulf Railroad was built away. The engine known as Satilla No. 3 pulled the first train into Valdosta on the Atlantic and Gulf Railroad on either July 4, 1860, or July 20, 1860.
Civil War to Reconstruction The
American Civil War began the year after the establishment of Valdosta. During the war, many of its male residents served in the
Confederate States Army. Three years after the beginning of the war, women rioted in the city after the refusal of
Confederate dollars as legal tender. During the
Reconstruction era, more than 100
freedmen, families of farmers, craftsmen, and laborers, emigrated from Lowndes County to
Arthington, Liberia, in 1871 and 1872, looking for a better life. Since before the war, the
American Colonization Society had supported the relocation of free blacks to Liberia, an American colony in West Africa established for this purpose. The first group from Lowndes County left in 1871, and were led by Jefferson Bracewell; the second group was led in 1872 by Aaron Miller. and Confederate Monument |left One notable event during Reconstruction was at a political meeting in front of the courthouse. A
carpetbagger named J. W. Clift was running for United States Congress and was looking for support from former slaves. During Clift's speech he verbally attacked whites of Valdosta. In response five men planted explosives at the courthouse, planning on setting them off at Clift's next political rally. When other whites arrived at the courthouse unaware of the explosives the five men decided to stop the explosives but some still managed to go off. The explosion was small and no injuries occurred. The five men were arrested and were going to go on trial, but
federal soldiers took them to
Savannah for trial, which was seen by residents as an overreach of authority and an endangerment for self-government. In 1899, the
cotton mill town of
Remerton was established from the center of Valdosta.
First half of the 20th century A new courthouse was planned in 1900 to replace the smaller courthouse. Construction began in 1904 for around $75,000. The old courthouse was torn down in March 1904. The new courthouse was completed in 1904, and on April 14, 1905, the first session of court took place in the new courthouse. In November 1902, the Harris Nickel-Plate Circus' prize elephant, Gypsy, went on a rampage and killed her trainer James O'Rourke. After terrorizing the town for a couple of hours, she ran off to Cherry Creek, north of Valdosta. Gypsy was chased by Police Chief Calvin Dampier and a posse. Gypsy was
shot and killed and buried on site. James O'Rourke was buried in Sunset Hill Cemetery in Valdosta. On July 28, 1907, Valdosta voted to become a
dry city; a record $10,000 worth of whiskey was sold on the last day. The city had been wet since its founding. In 1910, cotton was still important to the economy, and
Fortune magazine ranked Valdosta as the richest city in America by per capita income. Soon after that, the
boll weevil invaded the South, moving east through the states and killing much of the cotton crop in this area in 1917. Agriculture in this area turned to
tobacco and
pine timber. In January 1913, the South Georgia State Normal College opened in Valdosta on the edge of town. Over the course of the following century, it evolved into
Valdosta State University. On May 16, 1918, a white planter named Hampton Smith was shot and killed at his house near
Morven, Georgia, by a black farm worker named Sidney Johnson who was routinely mistreated by Smith. Johnson also shot Smith's wife but she later recovered. Johnson hid for several days in Valdosta without discovery.
Lynch mobs formed in Valdosta ransacking Lowndes and Brooks counties for a week looking for Johnson and his alleged accomplices. These mobs lynched at least 13 African Americans, among them
Mary Turner and her unborn eight-month-old baby who was cut from her body and murdered. Mary Turner's husband
Hazel Turner was also lynched the day before.
Second half of the 20th century in 1943 On June 26, 1941,
Moody Army Airfield opened northeast of town as part of the United States' preparation for the country's potential involvement in
World War II. The local economy received an important boost in the mid-20th century when
Interstate 75 was routed and built through the area. Many vacationers on their way to
Florida found Valdosta a convenient "last stop" on their way to
Walt Disney World and the
Orlando area. The Interstate's route to the west of the city has contributed to its commercial district shifting from the historic downtown area to near the Interstate. roller coaster and giraffes at
Wild Adventures Valdosta State College was
integrated in September 1963. During the
Vietnam War, future president
George W. Bush entered the
National Guard, receiving flight training at Valdosta's
Moody Air Force Base in November 1968. In 1994, Kent and Dawn Buescher opened Liberty Farms Animal Park with a playground, entertainment venue and a collection of animals. An amusement park was added, and in 1996 Liberty Farms Animal Park was renamed
Wild Adventures. Wild Adventures expanded with Splash Island Water Park in 2002. The Buescher family purchased a botanical garden and theme park called
Cypress Gardens in 2004. Due to damage from three hurricanes and a financial struggle in repairing Cypress Gardens, the Buescher family were forced to sell
Wild Adventures to
Herschend Family Entertainment in 2007. According to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics'
Monthly Labor Review, the first
automated teller machine (ATM) was installed at a
C&S Bank in Valdosta in 1971. That ATM was preceded by one installed in
Rockville Centre, New York, in 1969. ==Geography==