Georgia Natural Wonder #216 - Nancy Town Creek - Banks County (Part 1). 975

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Georgia Natural Wonder #216 Nancy Town Creek - Banks County (Part 1)

Georgia Waterfalls.com has images of several dozen Georgia Waterfalls I was not aware off. They provide a comprehensive exploration including private property waterfalls. Now I am surfing around and stumbled on these 10 waterfalls I have never seen, all in Banks County. Eight of them are on private property which is a shame and a blessing I guess as they are pretty spectacular and have been preserved in pristine condition. Since we have not been to Banks County, that affords us the opportunity to do a tangent on another Georgia County. The U.S. state of Georgia is divided into 159 counties, more than any other state except for Texas, which has 254 counties. We have covered about 59 as there may be overlap with cities and counties. We still got 100 to go. We haven't even been to Atlanta yet. Roll on Natural Wonders of Georgia with these only found images of the waterfalls of Banks County.


2nd Falls Horizon Nancy Town Creek.

As we dig deeper on Banks County, and garner information from American Whitewater, we find enough to separate the County into two post with enough waterfalls to support both post and provide a two part history tangent on Banks County. So the first Natural Wonder will be Nancy Town Creek. Nancy Town Creek rises east of Baldwin, Georgia and is joined by Wofford Creek and finally spills into the Middle Fork of the Broad River. All the other rivers and tributaries and falls go to the Hudson River and those will be featured in our next post. Ironically the Hudson flows to the Broad eventually, so the separation is moot. But let's first give some background of the vanished village of Nancytown.

Nancytown

On the Northern boundary of what now is Banks County Georgia, the first settlers were Native Americans. The Upper Creeks and the Cherokees had many skirmishes over land and access to lands. One such battle, called Taliwa, was fought near Ballground, Georgia about 1755 when Kingfisher of the Deer Clan was killed in battle. His wife, Nany"hi (we have simplified to Nancy) picked up his weapons and fought tirelessly in his place until the decisive battle was won by the Cherokee. We've told this story many times in our post.



We uncovered this information about Nancy Ward with GNW #206 on the Etowah River. Around 1755, where Long Swamp and the Etowah meet, the Battle of Taliwa was fought. Some 500 Cherokee Indians under the direction of Oconostota defeated a larger band of Creeks. Among the Cherokee warriors, there was at least one heroine, Nancy Ward or “Nan’yehi” - the 18-year-old wife of the Cherokee known as “Kingfisher” When Kingfisher was slain in the battle, she took up his gun and continued the fight.



Reportedly, her courage led the Cherokee in a rout of the enemy. So complete was the defeat that the Creeks retreated permanently south of the Chattahoochee River, and Nancy Ward earned the title of honor: “Beloved Woman.” Nancy later married Bryant Ward, a white man who took up residence among the Cherokees. She became an outspoken supporter of peace with white settlers.



Because of her bravery she was rewarded with eternal protection of her village named Nancytown. She was made into a "Holy Woman". This gave her the power to determine life or death to her captives.



Nancy was a friend always to the Pioneers of North Georgia and Tennessee. Often herding them into her village to protect them. She also supplied food and help to the Revolutionist in 1780. She continued warning Patriot soldiers of attacks, trying to prevent retaliatory raids against her people. She sent cattle to the starving militia. Her efforts did not prevent another invasion of the Cherokee territory by the North Carolina militia. They destroyed more villages and demanded further land cessions. Ward and her family were captured in the battle, but they were eventually released and returned to Chota in Tennessee.



In July 1781, the Beloved Woman Nanyehi negotiated a peace treaty between her people and the Americans. No longer facing a Cherokee threat, Americans sent troops from the western frontier to support George Washington's Continental army against the British General Cornwallis in the American Revolution.



Nancy Ward opened an inn in southeastern Tennessee at Womankiller Ford, on the Ocowee River (present-day Ocoee River). Her son cared for her during her last years. She died in 1822, or possibly 1824, before the Cherokee were removed from their remaining lands in the late 1830s. She and her son Fivekiller are buried at the top of a hill not far from the site of the inn, south of present-day Benton, Tennessee.


Pocahontas of Tennessee

She died in 1822. Now you won't find Nancytown on any current map, but you do find Nancy Town Creek. Nancy Town Creek is a stream located just 4.2 miles from Baldwin, in Banks County, in the state of Georgia, United States, near Nancytown (historical), GA. Fishermen will find a variety of fish including crappie, brook trout, blue catfish, green sunfish, largemouth bass, bream/bluegill and walleye here. Alternate names for this stream include Nancytown Creek and Nancy Towns Creek.

All Trails Nancy Town Creek.

Head out on this 3.9-mile loop trail near Cornelia, Georgia on the edge of the Lake Russell National Forest. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 1 h 34 min to complete.



This is a popular trail for hiking, mountain biking, and trail running, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. Dogs are welcome and may be off-leash in some areas.



Georgia Waterfalls


Upper Nancytown Gorge Falls

Waterfall Info: This is the upper of two scenic waterfalls in a short, narrow gorge along the lower section of Nancytown Creek. The waterfall is not accessible to the public.
Landowner: PRIVATE
Height: 50 Feet
Type: Double Slide (Double-Tier)
County: Banks


Nancytown Gorge Falls

Waterfall Info: This is the lower of two scenic waterfalls in a short, narrow gorge along the lower section of Nancytown Creek. The waterfall is not accessible to the public.
Landowner: PRIVATE
Height: 35 Feet
Type: Free-Fall & Cascade (Double-Tier)
County: Banks

American Whitewater

As with most rivers in Georgia, you can stay on the river through private property. That appears to be the case on this creek because American Whitewater details it.

River Description

Nancy Town is a small but intermittently steep creek. BE VERY CAREFUL. After a small dam on this run you will find a huge double slide followed by an unrunnable waterfall. An alternate access point exists below Lake Russell. This is a serious steep creek with huge waterfalls, big slides, and some sick drops.


This is the spillway/dam that marks the beginning of the run.


Entrance to the first big slide.


This is the lower part of the first rapid, and it's a big one. Probably 60 vertical feet total. You can see the spillway/dam at the very top if you look close. This is the Upper Nancytown Gorge Falls from above. Same image so same fellow's image both websites.


Looks unrunnable, might be with more water though. This is the Lower Nancytown Gorge Falls from above.

Wolford Shoals is last rapid and we have no images of that.

Comments From American Whitewater

I hiked to the falls on this run today from Lake Russell. The map on this page shows the run starting at the spillway from Lake Russell, but until you get to the second dam there is nothing but completely flat creek. After the second dam, a little over a mile downstream from the Lake Russell spillway, its gets really steep for about a quarter of a mile. The first rapid is a huge slide probably 100ft long and dropping around 60ft. At the bottom there is a pool with an entire tree in the landing zone. Just around the corner after that is the next drop, a vertical 35ft falls onto rocks. Looks deadly or at least painful unless more water changes things dramatically. Wouldn't be too hard to portage from what I could tell. After that there is one more smaller drop, about 8ft or so that looks clean and then things mellow out. The first big slide would be runnable with enough water and if the tree at the bottom was removed. However, all of this is on private property and any boating here would surely be considered trespassing if your hiking.

Banks County

OK, that was a good wonder for this far down the list. We have developed a huge tangent on Banks County. Banks County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. Banks County, in northeast Georgia, is the state’s 129th county, comprising 233 square miles.



As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,035, down from 18,395 in 2010. The county seat is Homer. The Old Banks County Courthouse is located in Homer and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A new county courthouse was constructed adjacent to the old one in 1983. The county was created from portions of Franklin and Habersham counties in 1858 and was named for Richard E. Banks (1794-1856), a circuit-riding surgeon who treated white settlers and Indians in the area, developing a good reputation among the Cherokees for treating smallpox.



History Before Banks County

The land that became Banks County was originally held by the Cherokees, forming a border territory between the Cherokee Indian Nation and the newly formed United States of America. The western border of Georgia (from the top of Currahee Mountain to the southernmost branch of the Oconee River) was marked by a strip of felled trees, twenty feet wide, established with the Cherokees by the Treaty of Augusta in 1783. That session of land in 1783 covers all the land now known as Banks County. The northern boundary was the Chattahoochee National Forest.



Wofford's Station was built in 1793 in what is now the Northeast corner of Banks County. Wofford's Station was the very first white settlement in the area. All that is left today is a stone reputed to be the foundation for the gatepost. But if you enjoy history and stories it takes very little imagination to look around and see what might have been. Wofford's Station was built to protect white settlers from the Native Americans. There is not any record that any trouble ever occurred between the Indians and whites at or near Wofford's Station.


William Hollingsworth Wofford involved in Revolutionary War South Carolina.

The Station did have problems with it's own government however. Until the removal of the Cherokees to Oklahoma all of what is known as North Georgia belonged to the Cherokee. In 1782 they were encouraged to sign a treaty settling the northern boundary of Georgia and Generals Elijah Clark and Andrew Pickens convinced them it was "in their best interest". The Treaty of Long Swamp , confirmed by the State of Georgia in 1783 described the Northern boundary as running from just southwest of present day Toccoa to the Hog Mountain area of Gwinnett County.


William Hollingswoth Wofford buried at Tallulah Falls.

The President appointed Andrew Elliott to run and mark this line but according to the papers at the State Archive he appointed his brother Joseph Elliott . For reasons unknown, Joseph Elliott never did the survey. During this time Stockades such as Wofford's were built and usually manned by State Militia . Most settlers lived too far apart and too far away for the Militia to help them. Therefore one person was appointed to build a fort that anyone could take refuge in by the Governor. Improvements to the stockade was paid by the State.


Wofford Tract.

The founder of Wofford's Station was Nathaniel Wofford. He was born in Maryland in 1728 and moved to Georgia in 1782. Three weeks after Wofford bought the land in what was then Franklin County the first Adjuntant C.G. Etholm, came and inspected the fort. He described the fort as," four rifles, 3 muskats, and two fusies and situated on the Middle Fork of Broad River near the Curahee Mountain.". After giving instructions for improvements the Adjunct General certified Wofford's Station as being worth 14 pounds or about $36.00.


Nathanial Wofford Find A Grave.

In 1798 Col Benjamin Hawkins finally surveyed the line and the folks in the Wofford Station settlement found themselves outside Georgia in Cherokee land! It is said the Cherokee Chiefs proposed the deviation of 4 miles by 23 miles along the straight line from the Curahee Mountain(Stephens County) to the head waters to the South Oconee River . This was done so that the line would include the Wofford Settlement. This was finished in 1798. This is the origin of "The Line" . Line Baptist Church was so named for this reason.




Looking north and south on US Highway 441 at the Habersham and Banks County line.

On Sep 13, 1798, the residents of Wofford's Settlement sent a petition to Gov. Jackson asking him to allow them to continue living on their land. The petition was signed by 35 residents. Gen. Wofford, at more than 70 years old, rode on horseback to Washington to deliver the petition to President Jefferson. The settlers held that the fault was not theirs but it was the fault of the State of Georgia for selling the land to them.



Finally in 1804 the Treaty of Tellico was signed by the whites and the Cherokees. This treaty gave the State a strip of land 23 miles long and four miles wide, known as the four-four mile purchase. Wofford's settlement was finally a part of Georgia.


Wofford's son was William T. Wofford, a famous Georgia Confederate General in the Civil War.

Forts of Franklin County

Forts were built to protect early settlers that lived in this area. They were fortress type buildings surrounded by high fences usually located about a spring to provide water for people and animals. These Forts were on Rivers in now Banks County. Forts were built to protect the early settlers who lived on the frontier. Indians were likely to be incited by misunderstanding and depredations. Horses and farm animals were frequently stolen, and families had to be protected in a fortress-type log buildings. Surrounded by high wooden fences, usually located about a spring place to provide the necessary water for people and cows.


Frontier Fort Georgia.

About 1796 after Elbert County was created in 1790, a report of the conditions of Forts was made to his excellency. George Mathews, Esq'r. Governor and Commander in Chief for Georgia. It was made by W. W. Wofford and a sketch was made locating the Forts inspected in Franklin County. The Forts lying along the Hudson River were: Col. Jones Fort; Black's Fort; and Wilkins Fort. Along "Neall's" (Nails) Creek above Col. Little's were shown Trimble's Fort. Bush's Fort and Norris' Fort. On the Middle-Fork of Broad River above Leatherwood Creek were shown Hollingsworth's Fort and Wofford's Fort. Walton's and Ward's forts were shown on the Tugalo River and Col. Benjamin Cleveland's was located at the confluence of "Choggee" Creek and Tugalo River. Still other Forts were located on the Tugalo River above the point where it was joined by the Seneca River.


Early Map Franklin County.

In the lower half of Banks County other early settlers came into Franklin County after the Revolutionary War when many soldiers received Bounty Land Grants. When grants wee surveyed, the choice tracts included some river frontage or flowing streams through the land. Some settlers took up headright grants also. At first the land was cleared and crude cabins were built. As the land flourished better homes were constructed, church buildings were erected and schools, masonic buildings and voting precinct houses built.

Colonel Jones Fort

1759-1852
Colonel Jones was a North Carolina Partisan Ranger in the Continental Army. Jones was wounded at Pacolett River, North Carolina July 14, 1780.


35 Georgians at Pacolett River

Nealls(Nails) Creek Fort

The Neal's are a very interesting bunch! Joseph D. Neal shows up a lot in the Stiplins War of 1812 document. This set of Neal's are descended from the Neal's that fought in the Battle of Kettle Creek (GNW #128) in Wilkes County, GA. They were known as Nail's back then. Not sure why they changed it to Neal except for the way it might have sounded.



I think it was originally Neal and then went to Nail and then back to Neal. Anyway this was a very important battle in Revolutionary war history. Reuben Nail also fought, he is believed to be Joseph Nail, Jr.'s brother.



The Nails owned a trading post on Old Federal Road, now GA Hwy 51, near a creek which was later (and still is) known as Nails' Creek (Banks County, GA, originally Franklin County, GA). Joseph Nail Jr. was murdered by Cormack Higgins after a dispute. He killed Joseph Nail for his bag of gold. The murder was revenged by Joseph's brothers as the constable was moving his prisoner. They hung Cormack from the nearest tree. "Beside the Broad River, Fayette County Georgia" Eventually the brothers were both tried for murdering Cormack Higgins but were found not guilty in avenging their brothers death. This occurred in 1800 in Franklin County, GA, now Banks County.


Colonial Hanging.

A great quote from the Neal side of the family is from Mable Neal, she said "Your Great-Grandmother Devers was captured by the Indians when she was a young married woman and taken to Ball Ground, GA. They kept her blindfolded all the time and the Chief told her if she would talk he would make her his wife but she would not talk....to him. A group of white men rode into camp and jerked her up on a horse, and a young white boy about 16 years old. They took her back home."


Feisty Great Grandmother.

Joseph Neal Jr's grandson Stephen Upson Smith Son was shot and killed by his own son in law in Texas over an argument involving a moonshine still.

Fort Hollingsworth–White House

The Fort Hollingsworth–White House is a well-preserved example of an early frontier fort built near Alto, Georgia in the late 18th century. The fort was built around 1793 by Jacob Hollingsworth on newly opened lands resulting from treaties with the Cherokee Nation, and was meant to protect the settlers in the area. The fort was adapted as a farm residence, principally by the White family, and has passed through generations of owners. It is now operated as a non-profit open-air museum.



Fort Hollingsworth was first shown on a map of the Defensive Plan for the Western Frontier, for Franklin County in 1793.

Colonial era

Georgia's boundaries in the 1700s can best be described as the wild frontier. Between 1782 and 1797 various treaties were made with the Indians to define Georgia's boundaries. Forts were built to protect the settlers who lived on the frontier from local indigenous Indians who were likely to be incited by misunderstandings. Horses and farm animals were often stolen and families had to be protected in fortress-type buildings surrounded by wooden fences.



The lands of the first settlers of Franklin County, whose lands were granted by the State of Georgia between 1783 and 1788, lay north of the Indian Boundary fixed by the Treaty of Hopewell of 1785. These lands were granted under the impression that they lay south of the agreed boundary line. When this line was surveyed it was found that these lands lay north of the boundary line in the Cherokee Nation. The Indians demanded their immediate removal.



Col. William H. Wofford and Jacob Hollingsworth moved from North Carolina to Franklin County, Georgia in 1792. The area where they settled was known as Wofford's Settlement. When the line was surveyed by Benjamin Hawkins in 1798, Col. Wofford learned that their settlement was considered to be in Indian territory. He along with other settlers in the area petitioned Georgia Governor James Jackson to have the line re-drawn, or to take such action to protect them and their possessions from Indian raids.



Some sources claim that Col. Wofford mounted his horse and rode to Washington to talk with the authorities about his land holdings in Georgia. Settlers wrote a letter to Governor Josiah Tattnall, requesting a tract of land five miles wide between the Tugaloo and Apalachee Rivers, and asked the Governor to support their petition. The result was the "Four Mile Purchase" of 1804. The Indians ceded a strip of land four miles wide (from the Habersham – Banks County line on Baldwin Mountain, to Line Baptist Church on old Hwy. 441) and 23 miles long (extending from Currahee Mountain to the head waters of the South Oconee River) which included the Wofford Settlement. A line of felled trees some twenty-feet wide originally marked the line, which became a "no man's land." The United States agreed to pay the Cherokees $5,000 and $1,000 per annum for the property rights.



When the boundary lines were redrawn as part of the Treaty of Tellico, Fort Hollingsworth was in Franklin County, then in Habersham County and finally in Banks County (1858). By about 1796, conflicts with local Indian tribes were no longer a concern and the string of frontier forts were no longer necessary. The forts soon became log farmhouses. The Woffords and Hollingsworths traveled together to new frontiers in the West using passports to travel through Indian territory. Genealogy records show, as the years passed, that many of their descendants packed up their belongings and moved farther west. Fort Hollingsworth was left on vacant lands.



In Habersham County Inferior Court, setting as a land court, May term 1855, William B. Wofford, son of Nathaniel Wofford, grandson of Col. William H. Wofford, petitioned the court for a head rights warrant for vacant lands. He received the grant from the state on Oct. 2, 1855. He sold Fort Hollingsworth to Robert McMillan on April 18, 1857. McMillan soon after sold the property to John Lane.

John Lane obtains Fort Hollingsworth

John Lane owned the property for a little over a month when the Civil War started. He then went to war, serving in Company D of the 43rd Regiment of Georgia (CSA). He also served in the Volunteer Infantry in the Army of Tennessee (CSA), otherwise known as the "Middle River Volunteers."



Lane would not return from his service in the Confederate States Army. He was killed in Tennessee while he was returning from getting water from a spring in a friendly fire incident. His men mistook him for the enemy and shot him.

The White House

Joshua White and Katharine Lane White (John's sister) obtained the fort and made it their home. They built the addition to the two story single pen that had been the fort and made it look like any other farmhouse of the mid 1800s. The addition was linked to the original structure by a covered walkway, known as a dogtrot. In 1903 the fort was passed to the children of Joshua and Katharine Lane White. Lafayette (Fate) and Emma Payne White raised their family there. In 1936 Beacher White, grandson of Josh and Katy White, acquired the property. In 1980 it passed to Beacher and Mellie Segars White's children.



Fort Hollingsworth–White House looks very much today as it did in the 1860s. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Fort Hollingsworth–White House is operated by the non-profit organization, Friends of the Fort.



A recent addition to the property was the acquisition (and ongoing restoration) of some outbuildings from the Chandler-David family property near Five Points on the Old Carnesville Road in Banks County. These buildings include a smoke house, a wash house, and a corn crib, all dating from around 1835–1840.

Col Benjamin Cleveland's Fort

Benjamin Cleveland was from North Carolina, but this fort in Banks County was named after him. Cleveland Georgia was also named after him as per earlier post on White County.


Cleveland at Kings Mountain and statute North Carolina.

Banks County

The law to establish Banks County was passed by the Georgia General Assembly on December 11, 1858. The legislation called for the creation of Banks County on February 1, 1859, from Franklin and Habersham counties. 



The county seat is Homer.  Its first courthouse was built in 1863, reportedly with $6,600 in Confederate currency; it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Saved from destruction by a campaign to restore the old building initiated by a Banks County High School student, it now serves as a museum and community meeting hall, after a new courthouse was built in 1987.



Homer, which replaced New Lebanon as the county seat, was incorporated in 1859, and is reported to have been named after Homer Jackson, an early settler. I can't find a dang thing on Homer Jackson but I find this amusing story from the Homer official web site ...

Where did Homer get its name? Rumor has it that the town was named after a Greek poet, Homer. That is not what has been passed down. An amusing story has been told which says that a group of men were gathered together to formally name the town. After much discussion, deliberation, and various suggestions one man said, "Just name it Homer and let's go home." An early resident of the community, Homer Jackson, may have become the namesake. No one really knows if this is true, but this is one of the stories that has been passed down over the years.


Homer's.

Ty Cobb, a Baseball Hall of Famer, was born in Banks County in 1886 in an area of the county known as The Narrows - a small farming community consisting of fewer than 100 people. The area and birthplace are on State Highway 105 in the northern part of the county near the Broad River.


The Babe and Ty. Cobb doing what he was most famous for.

The news paper for the county is The Banks County News. One of the county's oldest church sites is the Hebron Presbyterian Church, established in 1796. The grounds of the church cemetery, includes the graves of 22 veterans of the Revolutionary War and 59 Civil War veterans.



Banks County is the home of the Atlanta Dragway, located near Banks Crossing.



Banks County is also known for being the home of the former world's largest Easter egg hunt.



The 50th annual egg hunt in 2009 was the last in the series.



National Register of Historic Places listings in Banks County, Georgia

Old Banks County Courthouse

The Old Banks County Courthouse is in Homer, Georgia. Construction started in 1860 but was interrupted because of the American Civil War. Construction was paid for with $6,600 in Confederate money.



Construction was finished in 1875. (The Georgia Courthouse Manual dates it as completed in 1863.) The building is a two-story brick courthouse with a stone foundation in the Greek Revival style. It is similar to many courthouses in Virginia, which is a result of the builders being from Virginia. It has Tuscan columns that are on top of one-story brick piers. The interior originally had a cross plan.



The courtroom and judge's chambers are on the second floor, which are accessed by outside double stairways.



A new courthouse replaced this one in 1987. There were plans to demolish the building, but the citizens voted by more than a 2:1 margin to save it. It was restored in 1987–1989 with funding through a hotel/motel tax.



Banks County Jail



Located in downtown Homer behind and across the street from the Banks County Historic Courthouse. Constructed in 1906 and restored in 1983.



The structure was used as the county jail until 1972.



The jail is a two-story structure with the jailer's quarters located on the lower level. Two steel cells and a holding cell are located in upper story. A trap-door gallows is also located in the second story.



In 1982, the jail was placed on the National Register of Historic Places



Brooks Family Farm

For nearly 140 years, the white farmhouse on the Brooks Family Farm in Lula stood on stone pillars pulled from a nearby creek as the world around it changed. Inside, photos of the home’s former residents, generation after generation, hang on its walls. Now, the farmhouse and land are cemented in history as it was recently placed on the the National Register of Historic Places. J.H. Brooks was a confederate soldier, farmer and traveling preacher. The Brooks had 12 children, all born inside the home.



The property was originally owned by Mary Jane Ritch Brooks’ father. Brooks purchased the land from his father-in-law and built his home on it. The Brooks built the present-day home and several surviving outbuildings in 1873. They lived on and operated the farm until 1940. The home is an I-house, popular with farmers in the late 19th century for its balance and symmetry. The I-house was a symbol of economic attainment. In its heyday, the farm was a hub for the community. A general store, a blacksmith shop, an apple mill, a cotton gin, a saw mill and a post office were on the farmland.



A poured-concrete potato cellar, a corn crib and the original summer kitchen are still standing. The chimney is all that remains of the general store. A mill stone from the apple mill has been recovered and rests against a large black walnut tree planted by Mary Jane Ritch Brooks. Near the home’s front door, J.H. Brooks planted a grape vine and used the fruit to make wine for the local churches communions. The carved path of the old buggy trail runs past the vines and up to the home’s front door. The previous location of the still-standing, though dilapidated home of Mary Jane Ritch Brook’s parents which was moved board by board, stone by stone to a neighboring family member’s property.

William Chambers House









Fort Hollingsworth–White House

(See Above)

Gillsville Historic District

The Gillsville Historic District is a 54 acres historic district in Gillsville, Georgia which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.



The listing included 25 contributing buildings and a contributing structure.



It is a linear historic district along Georgia Route 52 and the railroad, in the small town of Gillsville, running across the border of western Banks County and eastern Hall County.



It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Hebron Church, Cemetery, and Academy

Hebron Church, Cemetery, and Academy is a site in Commerce, Georgia. It was founded in 1796 in what is now Banks County, Georgia. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Hebron Church, Cemetery and Academy.



Hebron was formed by Scotch-Irish settlers and Revolutionary veterans who received land grants from the Georgia State Legislature. Hebron is one of the oldest congregations in Banks County. The church was organized by Rev. John Newton, who served as the first pastor.



The church building at Hebron is a large, white, frame structure. There is an entrance porch that is closed on three sides. On each side of the porch is a large door. The reason for this double entrance dates back to the days when the men and women separated at the church door and did not sit together as they do now.

Some of the notable items regarding Hebron Church include:

    above ground burial vaults from the early days of the cemetery.



    a school (Academy) located on the church grounds
    a number of Revolutionary War Veterans interred in the cemetery.
    nineteen young men from the church were killed during the American Civil War



Notable members of the congregation or Academy attendees

James Ramsey, Sr., a charter member of Hebron, settled on the Hudson River half a mile from Hebron and built the mill that long bore his name. This mill was one of the first industrial centers in this whole section of the state. There furniture, caskets, wagons, buggies and farming implements were made. It was for a long time one of the most thriving trading posts for miles around. At that time, Augusta, Georgia was the only town of any consequence where commerce could be carried on. James Ramsey is believed to be one of the Colonels who marched in the procession at George Washington's funeral.



Examples of Southern Appalachian culture

Mrs John Carlan, a daughter of Mrs. Martha Williams Bellamy and a niece of Mrs. James H. Glasure gathered long smooth runners of the wild Japanese running honeysuckle that grew near her home. After carefully selecting the runners of uniform size she "skinned" each honeysuckle runner and soaked them in water until they were very soft and pliable. Taking these long soft runners, she skillfully wove by hand two round baskets six inches in diameter, two inches in height, finished with a beautiful scallop and a row of double weave. On the outside bottom of each basket she fastened a handle of wood that measured one inch wide, three-fourths inch thick and sixty inches long. Then she lined the bottom of the baskets with a piece of the best cloth she had. She gave these two beautiful baskets to the church to be used in the "taking up" of the collection. The deacons passing from row to row would lift the baskets over the heads of the people, then lower the baskets to a height where each could put money into the basket. This custom continued until about 1918 when the handles were removed. Those old woven baskets have now been replaced with modern collection plates.



Hebron had the distinction of having one minister, the Rev. Groves H. Cartledge, serve as pastor for 47 years (1852–1899). He was noted for his learning, doctrinal views, eloquence and power. The Methodist Church of Liberty at Fort Lamar invited him to preach on the subject of "Baptism". His zeal for sound doctrine led him to speak for four hours.



It was in the summertime and the weather was hot. After he had spoken for about three hours he became conscious of the fact that his gutta-percha buttons were melting, and that he was about to be divested of part of his wearing apparel. Determined to finish, however, he gathered his trousers together with one hand, confining his gesticulations to the other, and in that attitude finished his sermon.

Hebron Academy

During 1819 the first Sabbath School (later Hebron Academy) at Hebron, and perhaps the first one in upper Georgia, was organized and put into operation by licentiate John Harrison, of Jackson County, Georgia. The plan of the school was drawn up by Mr. Harrison. It became the model for many other churches.



The white people were formed into classes and the negro slaves were taught to read with the consent of their masters. Records say that many slaves were taught to read, and were instructed in the "Shorter Catechism" and the Bible. This sabbath school flourished for a number of years, until the abolition movement became so great that the state legislature in self-defense passed a law forbidding the teaching of negro slaves to read. This cut them off from the sabbath School.



The school continued for the white students. James H. Glasure, served as Superintendent of the sabbath school for more than twenty years. He was also an elder of the Hebron Church.

Homer Historic District (Homer, Georgia)





Kesler Covered Bridge

The Kesler Covered Bridge, near Homer, Georgia, was built in 1925. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.



It is located 10 miles north of Homer on County Line Rd. over the Middle Fork of the Broad River. It was a single-span 69 feet long truss bridge.



It was unusual for having a Kingpost truss on one side and a Queenpost truss on the other. It was a work of construction foreman Robert Verner and workers Eugene Vaughn, J. A. Kesler, Grady Crump and Daye Crump. It is named for the Kesler family.

Maysville Historic District (Maysville, Georgia)

The Maysville Historic District in Maysville, Georgia is a 170 acres historic district which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.



It runs along E. Main, W. Main and Homer Streets, and included 194 contributing buildings and one contributing site.


The Atkins-Sims House in Maysville Circa 1855. Built by Abraham Atkins, it is reported to be the oldest brick home north of Athens in the state of Georgia. It was part of a large estate owned by Sherman Jackson Sims. Tragically he died of Typhoid in 1862 while serving in the Confederate Army, leaving his widow Amanda to run the estate and raise 8 children.

The Maysville Historic District includes Greek Revival, Late Victorian, and Eclectic architecture.


Hale House.


Abandoned Church Maysville.

The Maysville Historic District spans Banks and Jackson counties.

Mount Pleasant Historic District (Homer, Georgia)



Beautiful old church (Mount Pleasant Church) and very old graveyard. Veterans from the revolutionary war, 1812 war, and civil war are here.



Info on Historic Marker...In 1780 a group of people, Garrisons and Wilmonts, met on the top of the hill behind the church, built a platform between two trees, and held a religious meeting. This small gathering, and the statement that it was pleasant to worship on the mountain, led to the building of the first Mt. Pleasant Church, a log structure. The present one, built in 1883, is on land given by John Wilmont. A large wooden arbor with small cabins around, used until 1885, was erected on the church grounds for annual camp meetings. Many outstanding people have gone out from this church - teachers, doctors, preachers, merchants, bankers, nurses.





Nails Creek Historic District



Victorian: Romanesque; Victorian: Gothic; Other architectural type; georgian-plan.



Single dwelling; Religious structure; Specialty store; Agricultural outbuildings; Cemetery. 21 buildings.



New Salem Covered Bridge

The New Salem Covered Bridge, near Commerce, Georgia, is a multiple kingpost truss covered bridge built in 1915. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.



It spans a branch of Grove Creek, and is located 6 miles north of Commerce on SR S992. By 1974 it had been bypassed by a modern concrete bridge, so it is no longer used. It is a 47 feet long single span bridge.

Turk Family Farm


Architectural type; Gabled Ell Cottage.



Turk Family Farm is located on Carson Segars Road, three miles north of Maysville, in Banks County in northeast Georgia. The 13.61-acre property includes a main house, several historic outbuildings, a well, and a pond.



Built c.1898 by Joseph Columbus Turk, the main house is a  one-story, gabled ell cottage. The house has a  standing seam metal roof (replaced in  1998), is  sided with asbestos shingles (sided in  1950), and rests on a brick pier foundation.



Single dwelling; Department store; Storage; Animal facility; Agricultural outbuildings. Contributing buildings: 7.

That is enough for today's Georgia Natural Wonder, good place to break off Banks County. We conclude today's post with Bank GNW Gals.