During the last days of the Confederacy, Georgia's war governor Joseph E. Brown used his rural farmhouse to escape the wrath of Sherman's March to the Sea.

During that time, the farmhouse, which Brown called "Dooly County Place," served as the official capital for only a few days.

The town was located at the junction of two major railroads – the Savannah, Americus & Montgomery line, and the Georgia Southern & Florida.

As the railroads brought more people and business to the newly settled territory, Cordele experienced phenomenal growth.

By 1915, Cordele was home to several industries including an ice-making plant, mills for processing cotton products into cloth and oil, a fertilizer factory, and other small manufacturing outfits.

Located on the Flint River, the hydroelectric plant continues to operate, and the resulting Lake Blackshear has attracted residents to its waterfront properties.

State Route 300 leads from the south side of the city 37 miles (60 km) southwest to Albany.

To the west of Cordele town centre and located on Route 280 is the large Georgia Veterans State Park, which lies on the eastern edge of Lake Blackshear.

There are also interesting displays of preserved military aircraft and helicopters and army tanks and other fighting vehicles.

These displays are open to public viewing during daylight hours [31] Cordele was featured in the eighteenth episode of the Small Town News Podcast, an improv comedy podcast that takes listeners on a fun and silly virtual trip to a small town in America each week, in which the hosts improvise scenes inspired by local newspaper stories.