Floyd County
It is thought that in 1540, Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto soldiers were the first civilized men to visit the area Georgia that is now Floyd County. DeSoto camped for about a month at Chiaha, the site where the Oostanaula and the Etowah Rivers meet to form the Coosa River, and searched for gold and pearls.
In later years, the Cherokee Indians lived on the land they called "The Enchanted Land." A Cherokee leader named Major Ridge built a log cabin on the banks of the Oostanaula and called it Chieftains. Today Major Ridge's house is a museum.
After gold was discovered in 1830, the Cherokee Indians were moved to Oklahoma. Their land was given to white settlers by means of the Cherokee Land Lottery. Floyd County was formed out of that lottery in 1832 and named for General John Floyd, Congressman and Indian fighter.
Livingston was the first county seat and contained the first courthouse which was built in 1833. It was actually a small log cabin on the bank of the Coosa River. Livingston was about 12 miles away from Rome as we know it today.
Rome became the county seat of Floyd County in 1834, when two travelers stopped to rest beside a spring near the junction where the Etowah and Oostanaula Rivers form the Coosa River. The men were impressed with the rivers, timber and fertile soil and began developing plans for the new community. Situated among seven hills at the convergence of three rivers, Rome is a place like no other.