Ford was an agricultural community supporting a grist milling operation and post office. It was located about five miles southwest of Kingston near the south side of the Etowah River.
According to the book, “Georgia Place-Names” by Kenneth Krakow, the community of Ford was named for Joseph Ford, an early settler. Presumed to be the J. M. Ford listed in the 1880 Mill Statistics data for Bartow County, Ford operated a grist mill on the Etowah River which produced in that year alone 762,000 pounds of cornmeal, flour and feed. It had a post office which operated between 1888 and 1907. Roland M. Arnold, a local farmer, served as postmaster. Sadly he met his untimely death on October 16, 1899 while crossing the river upon his return from Kingston where he had journeyed to both deliver and pick up mail. The road to Kingston crossed or “forded” the Etowah River at a point called Island Ford, the name given to the large island in the river less than a mile north of Ford. The building that housed the post office was located across from Arnold’s home and stood until the 1930’s. The Arnold home itself stood until the mid 1960’s. To locate Ford today, take Euharlee Road northwest of Euharlee to Moore Road. Turn right and proceed to the intersection of Field’s Road and Island Ford Road.

Source: Georgia Place-Names by Kenneth Krakow; United States and Worldwide Postal History by Jim Forte; The History of Euharlee by The Euharlee History Committee; The Culture History of Grist Milling in Northwest Georgia, A Dissertation by Donald Gregory Jeane.