Around the turn of the 20th century, a small crossroads community called Frog Wallow was developing in southeast Burke County. With the construction of the Savannah & Atlanta Railway, the tiny town lay on the new railroad connecting the two large hubs. In 1912, the town was incorporated as Sardis by the Georgia Legislature, named after the Baptist church that had flourished in the town over the past decades.[4][5] The church's name, in turn, is a transfer from Sardis, an ancient city in present-day Turkey.[6]
Sardis saw several decades of growth including a booming lumber industry. Then, in 1962, the owner of the railroad (Central of Georgia) abandoned the section of tracks between Waynesboro and Sylvania, which negatively affected the local economy. The tracks were subsequently removed in 1964.[7] Sardis still retains its old train station and coal tower.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.5 square miles (4.0 km2), of which 0.015 square miles (0.04 km2), or 0.95%, is water.
