Editing Monroe, Georgia (section)

==History==
Monroe was founded in 1818 as seat of the newly formed Walton County. It was incorporated as a town in 1821 and as a city in 1896.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=REtEXQNWq6MC&pg=PA240 | title=Historical Gazetteer of the United States | publisher=Routledge | date=May 13, 2013 | access-date=30 November 2013 | author=Hellmann, Paul T. | pages=240| isbn=978-1135948597 }}</ref>

Monroe was a major cotton producer in the state during the 1900s. The two main cotton mills in Monroe used to be the driving economic force in the region. Now the mills no longer produce for the cotton industry, but rather serve as economic engines for the region by housing antique markets, event space, and other unique retail.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Robbie |date=2014-12-31 |title=Vintage Revival set to open at The Cotton Mills |url=https://www.waltontribune.com/news/article_0cbabe1e-905e-11e4-91d3-bb3a3b3a337a.html |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=Walton Tribune |language=en}}</ref>

In July 1946, the area was the site of the [[Moore's Ford lynchings|last mass lynching]] in the United States. A White mob attacked and killed two Black married couples who were driving through the area. The four people were pulled from their car and shot several times.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cohen |first1=Noah |title=Unsolved mass lynching grand jury testimony set for release thanks to N.J. lawyer who took on Trump Justice Department |url=https://www.nj.com/morris/2019/02/unsolved-mass-lynching-grand-jury-testimony-set-for-release-thanks-to-nj-lawyer-who-took-on-trump-justice-department.html |access-date=12 February 2019 |agency=New Jersey Advance |date=11 February 2019}}</ref>

A [[American Civil War|Civil War]] memorial, in the form of a statue of a [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] soldier, stands adjacent to the county courthouse in downtown Monroe.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Clemons |first1=David |title=Clemons: Like old flag, statue's days are numbered |url=https://www.waltontribune.com/image_b9c29968-bcab-11ea-9bea-4f62bee4306a.html |access-date=26 December 2022 |publisher=Walton Tribune}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Swanepoel |first1=Sharon |title=Dueling petitions over Walton County's monuments hit social media |url=https://news.monroelocal.org/dueling-petitions-over-walton-countys-monuments-hit-social-media/ |website=Your Local News |date=30 June 2020 |access-date=26 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Civil War veterans gather in front of the Confederate Monument for this photograph |url=https://vault.georgiaarchives.org/digital/collection/vg2/id/16671/ |website=Georgia Archives |publisher=University of Georgia}}</ref>