He deeded land to the railroad and surveyed business lots including hotels, mills, and blacksmith shops around town.

He lived in Adairsville in a home built on the foundation of an Indian cabin, on a hill overlooking the town.

After the Civil War ended in 1865, Adairsville rebuilt and became a center of the carpet and textile industries, and of farm and transportation services, including its famous railroad.

Historic buildings still intact in the town include the original train depot, which was involved in the Great Locomotive Chase.

The home was built by Sir Godfrey Barnsley of Derbyshire, England, in the late 1840s for his wife, Julia.

It was brought about by the visions of Andrew Jackson Downing, the architect who designed the grounds of the U.S. Capitol and White House.

Almost lost to time and the elements, the land, including all of the ruins, was bought in 1988 by Prince Hubertus Fugger, who restored the gardens and renovated the grounds into an upscale golf resort.

On January 30, 2013, at approximately 11:30 am, the city was struck by a violent high-end EF3 tornado, leaving one dead, dozens injured, and hundreds of businesses and residences destroyed.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.1 square miles (23.6 km2), all land.