Charles Dunwoody, builder of the Roswell Railroad, built the tracks south for good reason: to link up with the Georgia Railroad, a track between Atlanta and Augusta. As stated in my "Charles Dunwoody" post, it was a vital line in bringing raw materials to Roswell's Mills and returning manufactured goods to market. Several enterprising men built dairy farms at the intersection of the lines, a not uncommon practice for getting milk to market quickly. As the population grew, a petition for a post offfice was submitted for the new town of Roswell Junction. The Postal Service felt that confusion would ensue due to two towns having similar names in such a small area. The service randomly selected one of the petioneer's names for the Post Office: Chamblee. Mr. Chamblee was a black railroad worker and nothing else is really known about him.
Chamblee's gently rolling hills were perfectly suited to dairy farming. Of course the area was more of a pature than a town. In 1917, Camp Gordon was located in Chamblee as a training center for U.S. Soldiers because of the open land, proximity to Atlanta, and railroad lines. Many restaurants, stores, theatres, hotels, and a bowling alley were built for the troops. After the war, the camp shut down and Chamblee returned to it's dual role as dairyland and railroad junction now with an actual commercial town.
In 1941, Camp Gordon re-opened as a Naval Flight Training Center which it was for the duration of World War II, now known as Peachtree-Dekalb Airport. A veterans hospital was also opened during the war. During the war, a road was built for transportation of troops. Renamed Peachtree-Industrial after the war, the town welcomed industries such as GM, Frito-Lay, Kodak, and GE
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