Named after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States, Monroe County was once much larger than it is now. The county was established in 1821 on a portion of land purchased from the Creek Indians as part of the Indians Springs Treaty Parts of the original Monroe County have been pared off in the creation of Pike, Upton, Bibb, Butts and Spalding counties.
Before the treaty, white settles formed a small colony in what is now the town of Culloden, named for the Scottish trader who opened the trading post. After the treaty, a lottery system was used to allocate the lots to eager settlers. The land was covered with pine, oak and chestnut trees, and the rich topsoil was perfect for cultivation.
The town of Forsyth was incorporated in 1823 and named in honor of John Forsyth, a U.s. diplomat who later served as the governor of Georgia from 1827-1829. In less than five years after incorporation, Forsyth had grown to contain 70 houses and stores, an academy, a Baptist church and courthouse.
At first, the farms were self-sufficient, raising crops and livestock for personal use or local trading, but the invention of the cotton gin and the invention of the cotton gin and the arrival of railroads encouraged farmers to raise the more lucrative cotton. The 26-mile rail line between Macon and Forsyth was completed in 1838.
The railroad was a boon for the area. The population in Monroe County grew to approximately 17,000 people by 1850. Education was important to the residents, and they established several private schools and the world's second college for woman (the first was Wesleyan College in Macon). Founded in 1847, the Monroe Female College was later named Bessie Tift College after a generous alumna. Bessie Tift was the wife of Henry Tift, a prosperous business man and founder of Tifton. In 1986 Tift College Merged with Macon's Mercer University and Forsyth campus was closed.
During the Civil War, Monroe County became a center of medical care for sick and wounded Confederate soldiers. After the battles in Atlanta, Stone Mountain and Jonesboro, the number of wounded soldiers being treated in Forsyth grew to nearly 20,000. Every building was used for shelter, including the courthouse, Monroe Female College, store and Private homes.
Although Monroe County was spared much of the violence of the war, a small battle did take place in Culloden. Ironical, it took place after the war was over. Word had not yet reached all areas of the south that Gen. Robert E. Lee had surrendered to Gen. U. S. Grant on April 9, 1865. Ten days after the surrender, a small unit of Georgia militiamen fought a brief skirmish with a Union Force Marching on Macon.
The Civil War devastated Monroe County's economy. Freed slaves and returning soldiers couldn't find work because the plantation owners had no money to pay wages. Consequently, the sharecropping system evolved and by the 1890s cotton was profitable again.
The new prosperity was short lived, however, because decades of cotton farming had depleted the soil. When the boll weevil hit Georgia in 1915, the cotton industry in Monroe County was finished. Without adequate opportunities for employment, the population dropped to almost half its previous numbers in the decade between 1920 and 1930.
The farmers who stayed in Monroe County turned to beef, dairy and chicken production, and new jobs were created when textile mills were built in Juliette and Forsyth. In addition to the textile mill, Juliette also had the world's largest water-powered grist mill. Twenty pairs of rock discs, each 48 inches in diameter, ground corn into grits and meal until the mill finally ceased operations in 1957.
AND NOW…
Monroe County is one of the fastest-growing countries in the Midstate with a population gain of about 10 percent since the 2000 census. One reason for its attractiveness is convenience. Residents can enjoy a tranquil rural life and still have access to Interstate 75 for an easy one-hour drive to Atlanta and its international airport or a 20-minute commute to Macon's shopping centers and entertainment venues. In addition to convenience, affordable housing prices add to the appeal.
Tourists have also discovered Monroe County's attractions. The town of Juliette has become a popular side trip for motorists after the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes” was filmed there in 1991. Visitors enjoy sampling the authentic Southern dish in the Whistle Stop Café and shopping for antiques and gifts, Juliette's old grist mill is the home to the first antique motorcycle museum in Georgia. The old Mill Motorcycle Museum, showcasing 22 vintage cycles, opened in April 2007. In October, Juliette hosts the Green Tomatoes Festival with live music, and arts and crafts show, southern-style foods and showings of the movie that made it famous.
And every March, when the bright yellow flowers of the forsythia burst into color around Forsyth's historic courthouse and square, the town celebrates with an exhibit, entertainment, games and food. Nearby Culloden hosts a blues festival in September.
Monroe County's rural atmosphere is a plus for nature lovers. Lake Juliette, Located near Plant Scherer, offers swimming, fishing and picnic sites. The Rum Creek Wildlife Management Area allows hunting, fishing, hiking and bird watching. One of the earliest settlements in the county, High Falls State Park has a scenic waterfall on the Towaliga River as well as cabins, campsites, shops and swimming.
The small community of Bolingbroke is famous as an antique lovers' destination. The town is also home to The Red Tomato restaurant and old-timey soda fountain at Twila Faye's.
Forsyth is experiencing a renaissance with the opening of restaurants, shops, and the restoration of Rose Theater, home of the Backlot Players, a community theater group. Grits Café in downtown Forsyth, highly rated in the book “Along I-75” and featured in Southern Living magazine, has drawn visitors form as far away a Canada. Tour groups enjoy leaning about how art glass is made at ATG Studio. Artists there produce exquisite stained glass windows. The Central Georgia Convention Complex opened in 2006 to accommodate conferences for up to 400 people and the Royal Palm Café & Inn opened in downtown Forsyth in May of 2007.
In December of 2007, the Chamber of Commerce, the Development Authority of Monroe County and Forsyth's Better Hometown Program plan to move into the historic City Hall building on West Adams Street. The building is being renovated by Forsyth's Downtown Development Authority.
The local economy will get another boost when the Georgia Department of corrections (DOC) relocated to the campus of the old Tift College Renovation of the dormitory and other classroom buildings will begin in 2007, with a goal of housing DOC officers in training by 2008. When the relocation is complete, the DOC will be the county's largest employer with a annual payroll of $24 million and 450 employees.
Hydraulics International, Inc., a California-based company, has announced plans to open a new production facility in early 2008. The new 24,000-square-foot building will manufacture hydraulic components used in the aerospace industry. Existing major employers in Monroe County include Plant Schemer and the Georgia Public Safety Schemer and the Georgia Public Safety Training Center.
