Duluth started out as a patch of forest land inhabited by the Cherokee. After the creation of Gwinnett County, the land was opened to white settlers and Evan Howell migrated from North Carolina. Upon taking up residence in what would become Duluth, Howell farmed, sold goods, and managed a ferry that took people from one side of the Chattahoochee to the other.

Fifty years after Evan Howell first moved to Duluth, a railway was constructed and Evan's grandson (also named Evan) was invited to make a speech and to name the new town. Duluth was chosen in honor of Duluth, Minnesota, a town struggling for funding to construct a railway of its own. Although Georgia's Duluth received the first of the two city's railways, Duluth, Minnesota is now the more well-known of the namesakes.

Another noteworthy date in Duluth's history is 1880, when John Knox was elected as the first mayor of the flourishing town. In 1886, the first Baptist church of Duluth was constructed, which would become city hall nearly 100 years later in 1982. The city's first public school was constructed in the 1870s, with many more built in subsequent years to handle Duluth's increasing population.

Today, Duluth's railway is still an important part of its history. Residents and guests of the city enjoy visiting the Southeastern Railway Museum, which is home to preserved and operational historic railway equipment. Visitors of the museum can see firsthand what it was like to ride on the only means of rapid transportation in the early 20th century. These cars include upscale staterooms for affluent riders, as well as second-class cabins.