In 1885 James Meredith, who had been working for W.W. Dekle, and his family moved from the nearby community of Chastain into a wooded area in northeast Thomas County.

Together with his son-in-law, Frank Nelson, and other member of his family, they cleared some acreage, built a log cabin and planted their crops.The family reportedly had 490 acres all together.

A few years later both Meredith and Nelson had died but Nelson´s widow, Mrs. Doan Nelson, continued to live on the land.

There are conflicting stories about land owner ship and law suits over it, but suffice it to say that a lumberman and timber buyer, Bill Miller of Quitman in Brooks County, arrived on the scene a few years later, about 1897, when the "Railroad Fever" was at its peak in Thomas County.

Whether or not Miller had advance knowledge of where the railroad was actually going, he was enterprising and acquired the Meredith-Nelson property of 497 acres.

He had visions of building a large railroad town on his property and set out to make his dream come true.

He staked off lots near where he believed the railroad depot was to be built and sold them for as high as $35.00 each.

Buyers started building houses and places of business as work on the railroad continued.

The railroad ? Tifton, Thomasville and Gulf Railway-was finished about 1900.

"There was great excitement and rejoicing as well as fear and trembling when the first train came through," one historian has recorded.Even in 1900 many Thomas County persons had never seen a train.

The railroad promoted excursion trips to Thomasville and Tifton on the train.

As the settlement grew, the question of what to call the new town arose.Some wanted to call it Millerville, others wanted to call it Meredith, some Murphy.

But a story was circulated that the president of the Thomasville, Tifton and Gulf line should be honored since he had promised to build a sugar refining mill in the town if it was named after him.

After much haggling, the community leaders decided to honor the railroad president and named the town "Cooledge."

The railroad official´s name was actually Coolidge and when he heard that he had been honored by the town, he told them he appreciated it but would like for them to spell it right, which is how the town became officially Coolidge.

But he never did build an industry in Coolidge as they buildup had led citizens to believe.

With the trains running regularly through town, folks decided they better settle down to building the community.They asked the legislature for a charter and this was granted in 1901-so Coolidge is half as old as Thomas County.

After the charter was granted, respect and gratitude for his enthusiastic efforts was shown to Bill Miller.They chose him as the first mayor.Other city officials were:Council Members:W.E. Barnes, George W. Kennedy, Dr. W.H. Crow, John Ziegler, Dr. H. Jones, and F.J. Jordan.

William Barrow as first policeman and Jim Evans first town clerk.

When the town was organized it was on the old Thomasville-Moultrie Road, then called the Irwinville Road.The present U.S. Highway 319 follows approximately the same road between the two cities.

Business boomed in Coolidge.Carmen Lumber Company set up a sawmill just south of town in 1898.Later Charlie Singletary operated another mill in about the same location.

Miller started a turpentine business and built a store, the first in Coolidge.

Coupe Parker moved from Old Murphy to the new town and started a general store.Steson Lumber Company set up a sawmill camp north of town and made tram roads into the countryside.Present Bee Line Road was originally one of those tram roads connecting the railroad.Later there was established a brick kiln east of town and the first cotton gin in Coolidge was established by Peter Murphy.

The first post office was in the store of George Kennedy.Other businesses were started by the Zieglers, the Nankins and others.

The railroad boosted the lumber business, the cotton business and also the wool business since many sheep were grown in the area at the turn of the century.

Despite promises, the railroad had trouble making profits even in those days in Thomas County.The Thomasville, Tifton and Gulf sold out to the A.B.A. which later sold out to the A.B.C. about 1927.

But business remained slow, so the railroad officials started sending out agricultural agents to help the farmers learn how to grow other crops suitable for rail transportation.

Cabbage became the first successful crop in the Coolidge area as cotton faded out and about five hundred train carloads were shipped annually from the Coolidge Station.

Today the Coolidge area is a prosperous farming center with as wide diversity of crops as is grown anywhere in Thomas County, but trucks has taken over the railroad business and the great bonanza offered by the railroads has never come to pass.

Today the city has a population of 557 according to the 2004 Census. In 1950, the population was 764.