Book excerpt: The City of Powder Springs, Georgia, was originally incorporated as Springville in 1838 in the lands of two Cherokee Indian chiefs. The town's name was changed to Powder Springs in 1859, and it has known many roles since then: resort and health spa, Civil War encampment, railroad town, and agricultural center. Past residents include a lively cast of characters including Confederate spies, businessmen, school children, ladies of leisure, ministers, and moonshiners. Celebrating the everyday folk as well as the gentry, the photographs within this volume--depicting families, churches, sports teams, and downtown businesses--reveal a close-knit town of hard-working.