About Doraville, GA
The early 1800s brought settlers to the interior of the state of Georgia as land became available through treaties with the Indians. Doraville is the result of this movement of early settlers into the area from the Carolinas, Virginia and other parts of Georgia.
An area along Peachtree Ridge near the headwaters of Nancy Creek provided the water and timber to start an agricultural settlement. Early transportation routes were available by way of existing Indian trails.
From its inception until the 1940s, Doraville was a small agricultural community that served the interests of a larger surrounding farming area. External forces and events of the 1930s and 1940s were to determine a larger role in history for Doraville.
Religion in the form of organized churches arrived in the 1820s and 1830s. The Civil War disrupted the area in the 1860s.
Immediately after the Civil War the railroad was built through the town from Atlanta to Greenville, S.C., and points north and south. World War I brought Camp Gordon to neighboring Chamblee. While all of these events contributed to the development of this area, the impact was minimal.
Two events in the late 1930s and early 1940s changed the nature of Doraville forever. Dekalb County built a major water supply system into the area and Plantation Pipeline built a pumping system and storage facility in Doraville just before the beginning of World War II. During the war, the pipeline was valuable in delivering oil products across the country without the threat of German submarines sinking tankers. The pipeline went from Baton Rouge, La., through Doraville to Greensboro, N.C. Today's tank farms grew from the pipeline development.
At the end of World War II, Doraville was on the main rail line, and had the new water system available. General Motors selected Doraville as the site for its new assembly plant. The growth of Doraville exploded in the late 1940s and the 1950s as a result of these developments. |