Man is both the victim and the product of his environment. His very existence, his social habits and economic standards, are directly dependent upon his immediate surroundings. He found his protection and well-being in joining with others to face problems of survival. Out of that great need came the communities of today. Our countries all over the world are made by gregarious groups which in turn break up into communities. Each becomes a distinct unity within itself, having its own reason for being and its own character and purpose.
The towns in Habersham County were organized over a period of man years. Some have grown, but others have ceased to exist. The histories which follow are listed in the order in which the towns were incorporated.
In the Georgia State Gazetteer, published 1883-84, the following fact were given concerning Habersham County:
Population - White 7357. Colored 1361
Acres of improved land - 30,022
Value of farms - $498,000
Value of farm products - $174,000


Two additional post offices were established in 1888: Head's Ferry, on Pea Ridge Road, 12 miles SE of Clarkesville; and Alto, also known as Long View Station. With the establishment of rural routes early in the 1900's, many of these post offices were discontinued. Those not included in this list but established and discontinued were Batesville, Hughesborough, Dawson, View, and Amy's Creek (also known as Mauldin's, 7 miles NW of Clarkesville).

The history of Clarkesville goes back "to the time that the mind of man runneth not;" for long prior to the settlement of what is now called Clarkesville, there was a town located here. Perhaps it was because of this Indian village that the town was located on this spot.

The name of the village of Sak-yi, which was later to give its name to the river Soque and which on many old maps is spelled So-kee. This river is unusual in that it rises and has its entire course within the confines of Habersham County. The Indian village Sak-yi was perhaps located in the bottoms lying across the river.

If the legend about the English settlers from Roanoke Island fleeing westward and settling along the Tailulah River is true, the first white men settled in what is now Clarkesville the last part of the 18th century. They were here at least by 1790, living in the village with the Indians.

Clarkesville was officially incorporated and made the county seat of Habersham County on November 26, 1823. It was named for General John Clarke (1776-1832) of North Carolina, son of die Revolutionary hero Elijah Clarke. John Clarke served as Governor of Georgia 1819-1823 (Krakov,p. 46).

Two men, Benjamin Cleveland and Benjamin Chastain, conveyed 32 acres (land lots number 2 and number 19) to the Justices of the Inferior Court, Benjamin Chastain, Benjamin Cleveland, John H. Jones, James Hudgins, and Mercer Fain, who laid out the town and sold lots to its first inhabitants. The copy of the original 1823 plat was made Herbert B. Kimzey in 1971.

It has been pointed out by Joan N. Scars that the town of Clarkesville was carefully planned, the conformation of land being its determining principle.

The main street followed the broad ridge, and the town plan took advantage of the flat plateau. The wide main road on the ridge led up an incline to the center of the public square, which was located (before the "renovation" of recent years) at the highest point of the town. The opposite road followed a steep descent to the Soque River. Its layout followed the "Sparta" plan of having a square with the courthouse in the center, two main streets entering the square at the center of two sides, and other streets entering at the corners of the square, (pp. 111-112.)

Commissioners appointed by the legislature were to hold elections for Justices of the Inferior Courts and to decide on the site of the public building and to purchase land to build a "comfortable courthouse and secure jail."

The History of Clarkesville, Georgia by Mrs. Julia Wales Erwin Wilson, which appears in the appendix, is a valuable record of the early citizens of the county seat of Habersham County. It was probably written by 1914 and was read at a meeting of the Daughters of the American Revolution. It was first printed in the Tri-County Advertiser on February 25, 1943.

Perhaps it should be pointed out that the spellings of Clarkesville are two. At first the spelling was Clarksville, for all of the old laws and a majority of the old maps (prior to 1860) use that spelling (sec Georgia Laws 1853, pages 404, 406, 1855, 173, 174). It is presumed that the name was changed by a legislator who carelessly misspelled it when applying for a new charter about 1860.

Even later, a pamphlet published by the Clarksville Board of Trade in 1908 consistently used the shorter spelling. In this publication, some facts about the town were given. Clarksville is described as "a quaint and delightful place, half-embowered in sheltering groves and embellished with fine old homes, green leisurely lawns, a fine modern courthouse and several large summer hotels, all of them crowded in the touring season."

Appleton's American Travel, 1857, describes Clarkesville as follows:

A pleasant village in Habersham County, it is a favorite residence of the people of the "low County" of Georgia, and the point of rendezvous for the exploration of the landscape of the region—the point from whence to reach Tailulah, Toccoa, Nacoochee, etc. from Charleston or Columbia, or other places in South Carolina, follow the railways to Greenville or to Anderson, South Carolina and proceed by stage, one or two days and. to Clarkesville; or take the Georgia railway from Augusta to Athens, and thence by stage, one or two days travel to Clarkesville, passing the Madison Springs, Mount Currahee and Toccoa. . . . We ought, perhaps, to remind the traveler, that when he leaves the frequented route hereabouts, or anywhere among the southern hills, he must voyage in his own conveyance, wagon, or horseback (the latter being the better stop for the night at any cabin near which the twilight may find him. content himself with such fare as he can get (we won't discourage him by presenting the cane), and pay for it moderately when he resumes his journey in the morning
The Clarkesville Post Office was established in Habersham County with James Branon as Postmaster on April 23, 1829. Other postmasters until 1940 were John S. Dobbins, John R. Stanford, Alexander Erwin, Andrew Smith, Thomas J. Hughes, Thomas M. Bradford, John C. Scott, William T. Crane, Robert E. McMillan, Leonard C. Furr, Cregan J. Reynolds, William B. Morris, Oscar M. Mauldin, Frank L. Asbury, Louis A. Mauldirn Stella Free, Grover C. Oliver, Elizabeth Graves, and Flora G. Hicks ( The Northeast Georgian, March 21, 1946).


Mount Airy was incorporated on March 3, 1874. The General Assembly of Georgia created the town of Mount Airy with Gabriel Sisk, W. A. Mc Connell, and Hodge R. Kimzey as Commissioners to organize the town government. W. A. McConnell was the leading merchant in Mount Airy for many years. Hodge R. Kimzey was the first Postmaster and the first Depotmaster. Other prominent citizens were Dr. M. C. Wilcox, T. A. Capps T. O. Parker.

The land where Mount Airy is now located was formerly owned by the Cherokee Indians. The old Peachtree Trail, from the upper Cherokee towns in what is now Oconee County, South Carolina, to the lower Cherokee towns in what is now Fulton and Gwinett Counties, Georgia, ran through what is now Mount Airy. The lands were taken from the Cherokee Indians by the Treaty of 1818 and settled by white people. For many years the land was used for timber and agriculture. A small village was there as early as 1870.

Around 1880, the Richmond and Danville Railroad followed the ridge from Atlanta through Mount Airy. This area was the highest point on the railroad between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Washington, D.C, and it soon became famous as a summer resort. Many summer homes were built and a large hotel stood where the City Hall is today The hotel had many guests and provided amusement for them String orchestras from Italy played for the dances in the hotel. Later the summer resorts in the mountains, such as Clayton, Highlands and Asheville (North Carolina), caused the summer homes to be left vacant. All of them, as well as the old hotel, have since burned.

Mount Airy lies on the Eastern Continental Divide. The waters falling on the east portion of town run into Nancytown Creek and thence to the Savannah River and the Atlantic Ocean. The waters falling on the west portion of the town run into Camp Creek, to the Chattahoochee River, and into the Gulf of Mexico.

In 1877 the Mount Airy Savings Bank was organized. It was probably the first local bank in the county although the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company maintained a branch bank in Clarkesville some years before this date.

After the railroad was completed in 1880, a large settlement of German-speaking Swiss came to Mount Airy and settled in its rural areas. They farmed and raised grapes for wine-making. Among these settlers were the Smidts, Traubers, Shuberts, Kleechlers, Hochs, Raffles, Stotts, and Steiners.These early settlers obtained a depot above Mount Airy and named their town New Switzerland after their native country.

The Mount Airy Post Office was established on July 11, 1873, with H. R. Kimzey as Postmaster. Other Postmasters (to 1945) were John C. McConnell, William A. McConnell, Frederick J. Boone, Thomas A. Capps, Arthur L. Kimsey, Albert J. Church, Nora E. Church, John N. Cash, John T Peyton, Caroline H. Thompson, Alma C. Loudermilk, Grace Loudermilk, Solomon B. Davidson, and Mrs. M. Wallace Forrester (Northeast Georgian, April 11,1946).


The town of Tailulah Falls was incorporated October 7, 1885, by the General Assembly of Georgia, with R. L. Moss, T. A. Robinson, J. M. Cartledge, and William Berry as Commissioners, to organize the municipal government. The town lies partly in Habersham Country and partly in Rabun County. The Tailulah Gorge, which was chiseled out of the mountain by the Tailulah River, is a well-known landmark of the area.

The Tailulah Falls Railroad from Cornelia to Rabun Gap was built in 1882, and for many years tourists from south Georgia and Florida were attracted to the cool climate and scenic beauty. However, in 1913 the river was diverted by the Georgia Power Company and many natural beauties were lost. The gorge, which ranges from 600 to 1200 feet in depth, is still considered a major tourist attraction of the .Southeast.

The post office at Tailulah Lodge was established as Tailulah on June 22, 1899. Its name was changed to Lodge on June 29,1900, and to Tailulah Lodge on January 28, 1903. For some reason the postal departments records on this office now in the custody of the National Archives are incomplete to 1931, and they fail to list the name of Postmaster at the time the office was established. Other Postmasters which are listed are M. J. Fletcher Robinson, Georgia W. Taylor, Minnie K. Moody, Joseph A. Stallings, Arvud J. Johnson, Eugenia A. Cox, Hattie H. Dooley, and Mrs. Mary A. Winters.


Lulah City was the original name for Alto when the town was laid out in 1877 by Rice and Mitchell, who owned much of the land in that part of Alto lying in Banks County. The name was formerly Long View but was later changed to Alto. Alto was incorporated December 16, 1895.

The post office of Alto, Habersham County, Georgia, was established as Lulah, Georgia, Banks County, on July 27, 1847, with Ziba F. Gibson as the first Postmaster. The name of the office was changed to Alto on January 6, 1879 and moved to Habersham County on December 31, 1906. Postmasters to 1945 were William A. Shore, Peter T. Shore, William P. Blackburn. James A. Grant, William H. Bowman, and Thomas W Dalton.

The elevation of Alto is 1,395 feet. Alto was the site of the State Tuberculosis Sanitarium for many years. After its relocation to Rome, the buildings were used to house the Georgia Industrial Institute.


Cornelia was first a settlement around 1870. It is situated near the old boundary line between the Cherokee and Creek Indian tribes, the Cherokee land extending to the north and the Creek land to the south. At first it was called Tom Paine's Post Office. When the Southern Railway was built and the curve placed north of the town, the Tailulah Falls Railway (then called the Northeastern Railroad) connected here, and Cornelia was first laid out as a town tailed Rabun Gap Junction. It had also been called Blaine, after the Presidential candidate James Gillespie Blaine who was defeated by Grover Cleveland. When the first charter of the town was secured by an attorney representing the railroad. Pope Barrow, the name was changed to Cornelia in honor of his wife. Its official date of incorporation was October 22, 1887.

Cornelia is built on the rolling slopes of seven hills which collect together to form a group of Georgia's highest mountains, which in turn, as they go farther into North Carolina, become the Blue Ridge Mountains. Cornelia is actually a part of the intrusion of the generally flat, rolling Upper Chattahoochee River Plateau and the beginning of the Georgia Mountain Region. The elevation of the city is 1,580 feet above sea level. Located on hills and dales, there are many springs and streams. The Chattahoochee River is located 8 miles west of the city. Lake Russell, named for the Honorable Richard B. Russell, Jr., former Chief Justice of Georgia and United States Senator, is composed of a long shoreline and is about 1 1/2 miles wide. It lies between Chenocetah Mountain and Currahec Mountain in part of the land contained in the Four Mile Purchase of 1804 from the Cherokee Indians.

The first industry in Cornelia was a tanyard located on the banks of Tanyard Creek on the highway from the mountains to Athens. During the early 19th century, the area became a shopping center when the covered wagons, crossing the mountains en route to Athens, stopped at this tanyard to sell or exchange their goods for leather to be made into various articles.

About 1880, large numbers of German and Swiss emigrants settled here. Although many were cobblers, watchmakers, or weavers, some were farmers and winemakers. Winemaking flourished until the State of Georgia adopted a strict prohibition law and the vineyards were cut down to make room for farming.

Industries which prospered later were timber and lumber products, and J. P. Shore(s) built the first sawmill. In 1890 grist mills were owned by P. R. Kinsey, T. J. Warren, and A. P. Wofford. J. C. Edwards and W. M. Stott operated hotels. J. M. Biggers and P. G. Payne were shoemakers, and Joe Poe was the town's blacksmith. General stores were King and Sellers and W M. Stott's. J. C. Edwards was Justice of the Peace, and W S. Echols was Bailiff. W N. Harden was Depotmaster and a lawyer.

Colonel John P. Fort, along with other Georgians, began the cultivation of apples and peaches. Col. Fort helped promote these crops by entering samples of the fruit in the Washington State Fair in 1905. The superb flavors were noted, and First Prize with highest honors was given, thereby gaining national recognition.

A monument to the Big Red Apple stands on the railway station grounds in Cornelia. The replica of the north Georgia apple is seven feet in height and twenty-two feet in circumference. It weights 5,200 lbs. and is painted in natural colors. The apple is constructed of steel and concrete and was molded in Winchester, Virginia, in 1925 and was shipped here by train. It is erected on a concrete pedestal of 8 feet in height and 6 feet square at the base. Cornelia has been advertised as the "Home of the Big Red Apple."

Cornelia abounds in historical lore. Near the city is the Wofford Trail upon which many a stage coach robbery occurred. The last railroad hold-up in Georgia took place at Cagle's Crossing, a few miles south of Cornelia. The whole of Habersham County was intensely loyal to the Confederacy and was known as the "breadbasket of the Confederacy," for thousands of bushels of wheat and corn were supplied to the troops from this area alone. After the fall of Atlanta, a detachment of Sherman's Cavalry was sent to raid the county; but the Confederate Home Guard, made up of men too old for military duty, left the mountain on which Cornelia is situated and met the Yankee raiders at a narrow pass about four miles east of the town. By making considerable noise and stirring up clouds of smoke, they scared off the enemy and saved the area from complete devastation. Today this skirmish is remembered as "The Battle of the Narrows."

Among the first schools was the Kimsey Institute, located on land given by T. J. Kimsey. The First Baptist Church was organized there, and for many years it was used for both school and church. Willie Grant and J. T Wise were two of the early teachers. Cornelia Normal Institute was chartered on May 27, 1901. It was supported by many progressive citizens, including D. C. York, J. T. King, J. A. Walker, W D. Burch, L. J. Ragsdale, J. T. Peyton, L. L. Lyon, J. W Peyton, J. J. Kimsey, I. T Sellers, J. C. McConnell, I. W McConneIl, A. J. Brown, R. C. Moss, T. S. Wells, John S. Crawford, George Erwin, and J. C. Edwards.

The Cornelia Post Office was established as Blaine in Habersham County with Oliver C. Wyly as Postmaster, on June 30, 1882. The office name was changed to Cornelia on May 11, 1885. Other Postmasters have been Tom Payne, Isaac T. Sellers, Joe T. King, L. E Maxwell, William B. Ellard, Harry B. Maxwell, Arthur Burrell, James H. Foster, Sherrill T Lassiter, Otho B. Harden, Jr., and T. B. Little (Northeast Georgian, March 28, 1946).

Demorest was incorporated November 13, 1889, and laid out by J. A. Reynolds in 1890 at the site of a sawmill camp operated by Henry Rossingnall. A group of northern and Midwestern prohibitionists came to Georgia to organize a new town, which they named Demorest in honor of Jennings Demorest, who ran for President as a prohibitionist candidate. One thousand acres were laid out in city lots, streets, parks, and alleys with the stipulation that, if any alcoholic beverages were ever sold or given away or if any gambling was permitted on the lot, that the title to the lot would be taken away from the owner and placed in the company selling the lot. In January. 1892, the Demorest Times reported the following population statistics:

June 1889	0
January 1890	50
June 1890	210
January 1891	450
January 1892	525

(Quoted in Demorest in the Piedmont by Isabel Chrisler.)
In 1891 the Bank of Demorest was organized with Arthur Hampton as President and A. A. Campbell as Cashier. In 1897 what is now Piedmont College was organized. Its seal, "Light to the Mountains" shows that the purpose for which it was organized was to bring educational advantages to the people of this mountainous area. It was first called J. S. Green Institute in honor of the man who was the most generous financial supporter of the school. Later the name was changed to Piedmont College.

Other Demorest businesses have included Demorest Manufacturing Company (wood and iron products); Demorest Machine Works (wooden shingles), with E. D. Hendrickson as proprietor; Demorest Engraving Works, later Starn bought Novelty Works; Demorest Bath Tub Works; Demorest Hoop Works, founded by Mr. Norton; Demorest Frame Saw Works, operated by McClure and Dayol; Furniture and Millworks for Builders, founded by Mr. Wiglet; Edward Flor Saddle Tree and Collar Factor; and
Demorest Variety Works, established by Adams and Hampton.
The first five mayors of Demorest were George D. Stone, A. A. Stafford, W H. Van Hise, C. C. Bangs, and W F. Crisler {Demorest in the Piedmont by Chrisler).
The Demorest Post Office was established in Habersham County with Frank J. Sibley as Postmaster on June 13, 1889.
Other Postmasters (to 1940) were Griffith W. D. Patterson, Melton C. Wilcox, James S. Adams, Albert A. Safford, George W Pease, William H. McMillan, Mell  M. McFarland, John R. Barrett, and John M. Gillespie (Northeast Georgian, April, 1946).

Baldwin was incorporated as a town by the Georgia General Assembly by an act approved December 17, 1896, with H. V Manger, Mayor. Councilmen were C. H. Manger, Edwin R. Arrott, Ed Baker, W D. Lewis, and J. H. Mclntyre. The town lies partly in Habersham and partly in Banks Counties. Baldwin was named for Joseph A. Baldwin, an official of the Atlanta-Charlotte Airline Railroad. It had previously been called Stonepile, and its limits extended three-fourths mile in every direction from a stone pile which had been there when the land was taken from the Indians. Its significance was never determined, and it has long since disappeared.

The Habersham Post Office was established as Bert on February 28, 1900. Its name was changed to Habersham on April 11, 1906. Names of Postmasters to 1946 are John O. Crowley, Charlie West, William O. Martin, Samuel E. Roberts, Hugh T. Weaver, Jones H. Stribling, James A. Henry, Thomas E. Stribling, and L. A. Mauldin {Northeast Georgian, Vol. XXXVIII, 1946).
The Hollywood Post Office was established July 27, 1900, with Walter I. Middleton as Postmaster Other Postmasters to 1946 are Frank Y. Ivester, Judge C. Shirley, Robert H. Cathay, Aubrey E. West, and Harry Dover.
The Harvest Post Office was established April 14, 1904, with Joseph Church as Postmaster. Other Postmasters were Arthur W Church, Miss Lora J. Ayers, Miss Hannah Pearl Ayers, and Miss Ella Bell Ayers {Northeast Georgian, Vol. XXXVIII, 1946).
Tailulah Park, a lost city of Habersham County, was incorporated in 1916.
Dawson was an United States Post Office on the old Clarkesville-Athens limestone road about three miles north of where Cornelia is now located. It is said that a Confederate Post Office was located there during the War Between the States.
Head's Ferry was the name of a Post Office and settlement in View District around 100 years ago. It derived its name from a ferry which crossed the Chattahoochee River at that point. The ferry was discontinued when King's Bridge (sometimes called Crow Bridge) was built. J. A. Crow was Postmaster. D. House ran a general store, J. M. Martin and Milton Woodall operated shingle mills, and J. P. Wood ran a flour store.

Hughesborough was an old Post Office in Mud Creek Militia District not far from Mud Creek Baptist Church. It was discontinued many years ago. Steep Hollow is the old name for the area around the church. Mud Creek Camp Grounds was chartered by the General Assembly of Georgia in 1858, with William Grant, James N. Crow, Littleton M. Stephens, John J. Harber, and Young J. Shirley as its incorporators.
New Switzerland was once the largest town in the east section of the county. Stottsville and Silk, two towns that once existed, are now forgotten.

Source:  Joseph Habersham Historical Collections.
Hollywood, a post-hamlet of Habersham county, is a station on the Tallulah Falls railroad, about five miles northeast of Clarkesville.
(Source: Georgia Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions, and Persons, VOL II, by Candler & Evans, Publ. 1906. Transcribed by Kim Mohler)