Our Town Dalton: Dalton and the Surrounding Area's Rich History

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The Battle of Resaca unites history buffs with civil war re-enactors. Dr. Robert McKeon is an avid historian and took part in this year's re-enactment. "This is not unique but it's rare because it's actually on the ground where the battle took place."

Although Resaca is in Gordon County, it's considered one of the greater Dalton area's Civil War sites. Erik Gallman, the executive director of the Crown Gardens and Archives, explains "Dalton and the surrounding area actually has a greater concentration of intact civil war sites than any other place in the nation."

The Whitfield-Murray Historical Society's Crown Gardens and Archives showcases this with a flag, drum and rifle from the 39th regiment.

The history at Crown Gardens only starts there. "It's named after the Crown Cotton Mill. This building is actually the office building for the cotton mill."

This original vault is filled with employee payroll records, company ledgers, even stock certificates from the old mill. A huge part of Dalton's story: "There were houses for the workers, a store where they could purchase the necessary goods, a church and a school. So you had a whole community within itself," adds Gallman.

Visitors to Crown Gardens and Archives also find newspapers from 1871, city directories dating back to 1909 and stacks of books on family histories. Plus, what wares drove the economy of Dalton long before the carpet industry. "Sanders manufacturing, among other things, created a pea huller." Gallman adds, "Then you had Manly Steel Works, which created the rolling prison wagons."

Outside you can see the original water supply for the city and the remains of the spring house.