Founded in 1866 by Judge W. F. Carter, Henry C. Vardy, and Thomas Parkinson, Cartersville was a thriving community for many years. At its height, the town boasted two main thoroughfares, Main Street and College Avenue. Local businesses included stores, a blacksmith shop, corn mill, flour mill, and cotton gin. A post office opened in 1867, and the town also included homes, a school, and two churches. The name of the town was changed to Carter in 1888. By the early 1900s the town began to decline, and little now remains of the community.