Rockdale County Tax Commissioner

About Rockdale

Rockdale County, Georgia was established on October 18, 1870, during the Reconstruction era, carved out of portions of neighboring Henry and Newton counties, with smaller parts from Walton, Gwinnett, and DeKalb. Its name derives from the Rockdale Baptist Church, founded in the mid-19th century and named for the granite strata beneath the county’s red clay soil. Conyers, the sole incorporated city and county seat, was laid out earlier and incorporated in 1854, becoming the administrative center of the new county.
Long before European settlement, the land that became Rockdale was inhabited and traversed by Indigenous peoples, including mound builders, Creek, and Cherokee. A key boundary between Creek and Cherokee influence, known as the Hightower Trail or Great Indian Road, passed through the area and later served as a route for early settlers. By the early 19th century, white settlers began establishing communities around mills and along creek corridors such as Big Haynes Creek, Honey Creek, and the Yellow River. One surviving example from this era is Dial Mill, a historic gristmill built around 1830 near Conyers, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
During the Civil War, Union forces under General Sherman passed north of Conyers on their march from Lithonia toward Covington. Although residents feared devastation, the town escaped major destruction. In the post-war years, Rockdale grew rapidly—its population, churches, schools, and businesses flourished, while the economy remained largely agricultural into the early 20th century.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, Rockdale transformed from a rural county into a suburban part of the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Between 2010 and 2020, the county’s demographics shifted significantly, reflecting broader regional changes. One historic landmark, the Rockdale County Jail, built in 1897 and used until 1968, now serves as the Old Jail Museum and headquarters of the Rockdale County Historical Society. Today, Rockdale’s legacy blends its Indigenous past, agricultural beginnings, Reconstruction founding, and modern suburban growth.