Atco is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

on the northwestern side of

Cartersville Cartersville is a city in Bartow County, Georgia, Bartow County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States; it is located within the northwest edge of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city ha ...

in southern

Bartow County Bartow County is located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,901, up from 100,157 in 2010. The county seat is Cartersville. Traditionally considered part of northwest Georgia, B ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, United States. There are numerous baseball and soccer complexes in the area, primarily along Sugar Valley and Cassville Roads, making it a popular destination for subdivisions. The community derived its name from the American Textile Company, which built a mill in the community.

Geography

Atco is located at (34.1806523, -84.8199389). The community is at an elevation of and is located inside Cartersville's city limits.Official Map
City of Cartersville. 30 June 2015. Retrieved 3 April 2017.

Pettit Creek Pettit Creek is a stream in Bartow County, Georgia. Pettit was the name of a local Cherokee landowner. See also *List of rivers of Georgia (U.S. state) List of rivers of Georgia (U.S. state). By drainage basin This list is arranged by drainag ...

flows to the east of Atco, while Nancy Creek is located on the west side of the community.

History

In 1903, Edward McClain of the American Textile Company bought 600 acres of land north of

to construct a textile plant to manufacture

horse collar A horse collar is a part of a horse harness that is used to distribute the load around a horse's neck and shoulders when pulling a wagon or plough. The collar often supports and pads a pair of curved metal or wooden pieces, called hames, to whi ...

s. The plant was completed in 1904. In addition to building the plant, the American Textile Company also constructed about 40 homes for its workers.Russell, Lisa
Lost Towns of North Georgia
Arcadia Publishing. (2016). . It was from the American Textile Company where Atco got its name.ATCO-Goodyear Mill and Mill Village Historic District
NPS.gov. 7 September 2005. Retrieved 2 April 2017. A post office called Atco was established in 1907, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1965. With the horse collar business declining due to the automobile, the ATCO Mill produced many other products before it was bought by Goodyear in 1929. Under Goodyear's control, the mill proceeded to manufacture tire fabric products. Goodyear also expanded the village, building hundreds of homes as well as a school, as well as renaming the streets to their current names. In 1934, the mill’s employees participated in the strikes that were common in the local textile industry. After being annexed by Cartersville in 1957, Goodyear began selling off its homes. In 1963, Atco's school was closed, while in 2003, Goodyear closed the Atco Mill, laying off the remaining 319 employees.ATCO
evhsonline.org. Retrieved 2 April 2017. Much of the plant was razed in 2009 and 2010. In 2005, the Atco Mill was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Notable people

Lee Roy Abernathy Lee Roy Abernathy (1913–1993) was a Southern gospel music musician, songwriter, and performer. Biography Abernathy was born on August 13, 1913, in the Atco community of Cartersville, Bartow County, Georgia. He married Louise Ammons, and th ...

, gospel musician *

Joe Frank Harris Joe Frank Harris (born February 16, 1936) is an American businessman and Democratic politician who served as the 78th Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia from 1983 to 1991. Early life and career Harris was born in the Atco Mill Village o ...

, Governor of Georgia. *

Rudy York Preston Rudolph York (August 17, 1913 – February 5, 1970) was an American professional baseball player, coach, scout, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher and a first baseman between and , most notably as a member of the ...

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player and manager.

References

External links

ATCO Georgia, The Village
Unincorporated communities in Bartow County, Georgia Unincorporated communities in Georgia (U.S. state) {{BartowCountyGA-geo-stub