City of Conyers

Georgia stretched all the way to the Mississippi River, and this Indian Road provided an irresistible magnet for European immigration. State authorities officially opened up what is now Rockdale County to settlers in 1816 and 1821. One of several settlements grew up around Costley's Mill on Big Haynes Creek. This settlement grew to include the first school, a gristmill, a sawmill, a planing mill, and eventually a cotton gin.

Salem Baptist Church, which still performs baptisms in the sparkling waters of the old millpond, was also part of this settlement. A dozen or more mills appeared quickly, including the three-story Kennedy-Baker Mill which used French burrs for grinding corn and wheat, but several were eventually burned down by Indians.

The earliest settlement occurred in the extreme northern edge of the county. The southern end of the county was settled as Scots and Scotch-Irish began moving up along the rivers and streams from what is now Henry County. These early families founded numerous churches including Smyrna Presbyterian in 1827, the oldest Calvinist Campground in the United States.

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