Named For Cordelia Hawkins, the daughter of Colonel Samuel Hawkins, president of the Savannah, Americus and Montgomery (SAM) Railroads Nickname "The Watermelon Capital of the World" County Seat of Crisp County Known For Its I-75 exit (#101) marked with a Titan missile Most People Don't Know That in November 1864, Cordele served as the temporary capital of Georgia when Georgia's Civil War Governor Joseph E. Brown used his rural farmhouse to escape Sherman's" March to the Sea" (See Macon) Notable Natural Feature Lake Blackshear Famous Sons and Daughters Southern gothic writer Harry Crews Closest River Flint Physiographic Province Coastal Plain Popular Restaurants Daphne's Top Annual Events Watermelon Days Festival Don't Miss Cordele Farmers Market;  a ride on the SAM Shortline Railroad Nearby Georgia Veterans State Park