Downtown Sylvester Farmers Market, Inc.

In 1893, Sylvester was known as Isabella Station. Isabella Station was the economic engine of Worth County because of its proximity to the Brunswick and Albany Railroad in Southwest Georgia. In 1894, the citizens voted to change the city name to Sylvester in honor of a prominent local family and was incorporated as a town December 21, 1898. The railroad has always been central to the history of Sylvester. First with the operation of the Brunswick and Albany Railroad, beginning in 1861, which ran the 171 miles between the two cities. Rail lines through Sylvester have gone through numerous ownerships over the years. In May, 1922 South Georgia businessman J. N. Pidcock organized the Georgia Ashburn Sylvester and Camilla Railroad. This shortline was known informally by locals as the “GAS Line.” A 1930 GAS steam engine is on display today in Sylvester. In the 1960s and 1970s, Southern Railway acquired numerous shortlines and named the combined subsidiary Georgia Northern. Today, the rail is still important to moving products from our local companies to market.