Georgia Natural Wonder #223 - Tugaloo State Park - Franklin County. (Part 2). 525

[Top Row Dawg]

Georgia Natural Wonder #223 - Tugaloo State Park - Franklin County (Part 2)

Our second state park in Franklin County is all about Lake Hartwell. While man - made, it does provide some great Natural images.



Tugaloo State Park is a 393 acre state park located on the shore of Lake Hartwell in Franklin County, Georgia.



The park features a swimming beach, boat ramps, and ample fishing opportunities, and is located near S.R. 328 north of Lavonia.

"The serene setting of Tugaloo State Park is your starting point to creating family memories with spectacular sunrise and sunset views from the shores of Lake Hartwell, exceptional recreational opportunities, rich cultural heritage and natural resources of the Appalachian Mountains Foothills."

Situated on a wooded peninsula, Tugaloo’s cottages and most campsites offer spectacular views of 55,590 acre Lake Hartwell in every direction.



Some cottages even have private boat docks for overnight guests.



Tent campers can choose between the developed campground or primitive sites located a short walk from the parking area.



During summer, the lake is a popular destination for swimming, water skiing, sailing and boating.



Both the Sassafras and Muscadine hiking trails wind through oak, walnut, mulberry and cherry trees.



Tugaloo State Park boasts a six-lane mega ramp used for large fishing tournaments and easy lake access.



Fishing is excellent year-round, and large-mouth bass are plentiful.



The name “Tugaloo” comes from an Indian name for the river which once flowed freely prior to the construction of Hartwell Dam.



Boating



Fishing



Largemouth bass, spotted bass, hybrid striped bass, striped bass & crappie.



This stunning park is located on the border of South Carolina on the shores on beautiful Lake Hartwell.



This park provides lake activities, camping, geocaching, and tons of naturalists pursuits, such as hiking on some of the best interpreted and marked trails i have ever been on.



There are also playgrounds and even a mini golf course.



We came for the trail and were not disappointed. It was marked very well and walked you through several areas that were just stunning.



The area was rife with wildlife, and we saw several hawks and other birds while we were traipsing through the hills and shores.



This is just one of those little gems that is out there that people don't always know about - and its worth seeing. Its a little quiet and fresh air for the soul - just what one needs nowadays! Highly recommend.

Camping

Stayed a night for tent camping. We reserved a sight with wonderful water views.


Not really camping if sitting on sofa.

Bath house/restrooms were extremely clean. The park as a whole was clean as well. Very quiet at night. Saw a lot of campers- seemed to be a popular place.



I would come back- the park offers beach access, nature trails and other stuff- so it appears to be a solid family activity place. saw a fox roaming, birds singing and plenty of squirrels= great to see wildlife. Camp site had electrical hookups, fire pits and picnic table.



If you come here you are coming for the water. Come for the day and swim at the white sand beach or rent a cabin With a Dock and bring your boat if you have one.



One of the most popular parks in Georgia but big and plenty of room so you don't feel crowded. Advanced reserve necessary during half the year but winter is good for hiking and boating.



The park itself has fun things to do - fishing, canoeing, hiking, mini golf

Hiking

Muscadine Trail

Head out on this 0.9-mile loop trail near Lavonia, Georgia. Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 23 min to complete. This trail is great for fishing, hiking, and trail running, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring.



You'll need to leave pups at home — dogs aren't allowed on this trail.

All Trails Comments

Loved the neat information post of native creatures and plant life. perfect little trail for light workout.



Great, easy 3/4 mile trail with nice scenery through the woodlands and lakeside views. Connects to a larger 4 mile trail (blue blazes) called the Sassafras.

Sassafras Loop

Experience this 3.6-mile loop trail near Lavonia, Georgia. Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 1 h 25 min to complete. This is a popular trail for hiking and walking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day.


Muddy hike or lake side dining.

The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime.

All Trails Comments

VERY well marked. I couldn't have gotten lost if I tried. Blue blazes are everywhere. A lovely, easy trail, if a bit overgrown. But it is late spring, so that's kind of to be expected, especially along a lake.



Great hike! trail has been rerouted at some points but is well blazed.



Beautiful hike along the lake and through the park. Mostly wooded with some steep inclines. The variety made it that much more enjoyable.



Very nicely marked trails. Some hills, some roots, some trees to go over/under, some pavement, some steps and lots of pretty scenery. Dog friendly. Plenty of sun coming thru in early spring, would likely be mostly shady in summer. Added on part of the Muscadine trail and finished in less than 1.5hr.



Nice heavily wooded trail - very well marked and maintained, with some Nice views of the lake.



Not very well traveled, and quite rugged in a few spots but overall a good moderate level trail. It can easily be completed in less than two hours

Neat Spots on South Carolina Side of Lake Hartwell


Waterfalls coming right down to lake.


Big ole jumping rock.

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Franklin County (Part 2)

Wasn't real crazy about adding man made lakes as Natural Wonders of Georgia, but I already did Red Top Mountain and there are several more lake front State Parks that will be covered shortly as we count off State Parks as Natural Wonders of Georgia. Now we conclude our tangent on Franklin County.

Historical Markers of Franklin County

Dr. Stewart D. Brown, Sr.




The marker is just to the left of the Stewart Dixon Brown, M.D. Memorial Clinic.

Carroll’s Methodist Church


1st of two markers for this church.


Marker on New Franklin Church Road (GA 327) at the intersection with Jackson Bridge Road.

Carroll's Methodist Church


2nd of two marker's for this church.




Church and cemetery.


Last monument Carroll's Methodist Church.

Ty Cobb




Marker and image of Royston Reds, date unknown.

Tyrus Raymond Cobb







Cromer's Mill Covered Bridge





Double Branches Baptist Church





Franklin County





Hebron Presbyterian Church




Church built 1884. The Education Building at the church.

Historical Franklin Springs



Historical Franklin Springs




The Nash Prayer Chapel is in the background.

Original Site and Portions






Jail and Mill.

The Franklin Springs




The Franklin Springs Springhouse is in the background.

Old Federal Road Historic District



Poplar Springs Baptist Church




The Old Church Building built in 1873. The New Poplar Springs Baptist Church.

Poplar Springs Methodist Camp Ground




Located on Georgia Highway 327.


The arbor in the Camp Ground, where services are held. Cabins at the Camp Ground.

Red Hill School




Red Hill community, 1916. A Red Hill school located north of Carnesville on Georgia Highway 106. This building was two stories tall and made of wood. Some of the students and staff can be seen here.


Photograph of teacherage for Red Hill School where principal resided. This building was located on Ga. Highway 106 near the school.


Photograph of Red Hill School, 1933. One of the first consolidated schools in the county. Basketball was a major activity; note the central location of the gymnasium.

Shoal Creek





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Franklin County Today

Lake Hartwell, at the northern end of the county, and two state parks, Victoria Bryant and Tugaloo, provide recreational opportunities.



Annual county events include the Junior-Senior Fishing Rodeo at Victoria Bryant State Park in May.



The Lavonia Fall Festival in September, and various festivals at Tugaloo State Park throughout the year.



Baseball great Ty Cobb was a native of Royston and donated $100,000 to build a hospital for the town; the Ty Cobb Museum is located in the Joe Adams Building there.



Other noted residents include former Georgia governor Ernest Vandiver and D. W. Brooks, the founder and chairman of Gold Kist. Interstate 85 provides transportation links to the county.



Attractions
   
Lake Hartwell, a man-made lake covering 56,000 acres built for flood control and recreation.


   
Tugaloo State Park which is a 393-acre state park on the lake featuring a beach, campsites, and several nature trails.


   
Victoria Bryant State Park, a 502-acre state park featuring a large 18-hole golf course, a swimming area on the Broad River, campsites, and an archery range.


   
Cromer's Mill Covered Bridge.


1967.
   
Ty Cobb museum in Royston, Georgia.


Larry Munson narrates the video.


Birthplace and Tomb.

Cities
   
Canon

Canon is a city in Franklin and Hart counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 804 at the 2010 census.


Depot Street Canon.

History

Canon was originally called "West Bowersville", and under the latter name was laid out in 1875.


Jesus of Canon.

The Georgia General Assembly incorporated the place as the "Town of Canon" in 1902, with the town corporate limits extending in a one-mile radius from the intersection of Broad and Depot streets.



It wasn’t until 1902 when Canon was chartered that it received the name it has today. For many years it was known as West Bowersville, named after Job Bowers. In 1875, with the help of J.J. Manley, Bowers laid out the streets of West Bowersville. Mr. Bowers was the first postmaster of the post office located on the Bower plantation. This small town had many names, such as “Old Field,” “Newton,” and “Fairview.” Home to around 750 people, the small city has maintained the same number of people since 1907 and is keeping with its small-town atmosphere. It is also home to the Franklin/Hart public Airport with a 3,500 foot lighted runway only 10 miles south of interstate 85.
   
Carnesville

Carnesville is a city in Franklin County, Georgia, United States, and the county seat. The population was 577 at the 2010 census.


Athens Street.

History

Carnesville was founded in 1805 as the seat of Franklin County. It was incorporated as a town in 1819 and as a city in 1901. The town is named after Judge Thomas P. Carnes, a lawyer and congressman of the Revolutionary War era.



In the 1850 census, the area around Carnesville had a free population of 9,131, and a slave population of 2,382.

Recreation
   
Carnesville is home to the Georgia Karting Komplex, a 1/4 mile clay oval go-kart track.


   
TNS Skating Rink is also found in Carnesville and is open on the weekends.

In the media

In April 2013, Mayor Harris Little expressed concern over the number of American turkey vultures in Carnesville, and how the U.S. Migratory Bird Act prevented locals from killing them.


 
Franklin Springs

Franklin Springs is a city in Franklin County, Georgia, United States. The population was 952 at the 2010 census, up from 762 in 2000. Emmanuel College is located here.



History

Franklin Springs began in the 19th century as a resort spa, with the city incorporating in 1924.



In the 1800’s Franklin Springs, just two miles down the road from Royston, was a popular travel spot with its beneficial mineral, sulphur, and freestone springs. By 1890 Franklin Springs’ resort had two hotels, a skating rink, two pavilions and about 15 private residences on about 87 acres. The reputation of Franklin Springs as a health resort was spreading, and people from Augusta, Savannah, Atlanta, towns in South Carolina and even as far south as New Orleans, were coming to derive benefit from its health-giving waters. Faith in the springs diminished as other health remedies became available.


Springview Hotel.

The Springview Hotel was offered for sale. On March 1, 1918, the property was sold to the Pentecostal Holiness Church. The former resort with natural springs, became the home of Franklin Springs Institute on January 1, 1919. It was later renamed Emmanuel College.



On July 22, 1924, the city was chartered and is also home to the Georgia Conference of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church and Lifesprings Resources located on Highway 29.


Pavilion then and now.

On September 16, 2004 a magnitude 2 tornado moved north across the town of Franklin Springs, damaging or destroying numerous structures along its 3-mile path. The city government building and the fire and police stations incurred significant damage, as did approximately 25 residences. Franklin County Emergency Management reported 10 chicken houses, some housing as many as 30,000 chickens and valued at more than $100,000 each, were destroyed.



This was part of the Hurricane Ivan tornado outbreak.
   
Lavonia

Lavonia is a city in Franklin and Hart Counties, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,156 at the 2010 census, up from 1,827 at the 2000 census.


Main Street.

History

The Cherokee people were indigenous to the area in which Lavonia is located. A sophisticated tribe that typically dwelled in cabins by the 18th century, the Cherokee joined with the British during the American Revolution. When the American colonists prevailed, their land was issued as bounty land to those who had fought in the revolution. As a result, people of European ancestry began to move into the Lavonia area during the 1780s.



The founding of the town of Lavonia came as the result of the expansion of the railroad in northeast Georgia. A railroad line known as the Elberton-Airline Railroad desired another station further to the north. In a move typical for the time, businessmen in the area determined to build a town around the new railroad station. Upon division of the area into town lots and completion of all necessary legal procedures, the town of Lavonia was incorporated in 1880. The community was named after Lavonia Hammond Jones, the wife of a railroad official.



The City of Lavonia began in 1878 with the coming of the Elberton-Air-Line Railroad. The railroad allowed Lavonia to become a thriving cotton market. The first industries to come to Lavonia were agricultural in nature such as the Southern Cotton Oil Company and the Lavonia Cotton Mill. Sewing plants for men’s and women’s attire opened when the economy changed. Alan B. Sibley Mill and a Milliken Textile Plant were among the many in Lavonia.



In September of 1983, the Department of Natural Resources announced that Lavonia had become the 1,000th listing in the National Register of Historic Places. A few of those historic places are the Southern Railroad train depot, the Andrew Carnegie Library, and former Governor Ernest Vandiver’s home. The train depot was acquired by Lavonia’s Chamber of Commerce in 1979.



Library

The Lavonia Carnegie Library is located in the city of Lavonia and named after philanthropist and steel industry tycoon, Andrew Carnegie. Established in 1911, the one-story Renaissance Revival-style building is important as a local landmark and has continued to be used as a library throughout its history. Lavonia is the smallest city in the entire United States with an original Carnegie Library building.



Today Lavonia is home to around 1,830 people and continues to be a thriving industrial city with a strong sense of heritage.


Lavonia Speedway.
   
Royston

Royston is a city in Franklin, Hart, and Madison counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 2,649 at the 2020 census.


Church Street.

History

A post office called Royston has been in operation since 1878. The community was named after a local merchant.W. A. Royston. He began buying land in what is now Royston in 1855. The real impetus for the hamlet's development did not come until the 1870s with the plans for the construction of the Elberton Air Line Railroad. He had the town laid out with its present gridiron plan. From 1875 to his death in 1891, Royston sold thirty lots in his new town.



The Georgia General Assembly first incorporated Royston in 1879.



You'll find a small-town atmosphere that's friendly, and inviting. Explore our local shops, enjoy amazing baked goods and make sure to stop at the local restaurants while you’re here.

Town
   
Martin

Martin is a town in Stephens and Franklin County counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 381 at the 2010 census, up from 311 in 2000.


Main Street.

History

Martin was incorporated in 1891. Its first settler, Henry C. Black, was the Air Line Railroad agent at its station (set up in 1877) at the junction of Red Hollow Road and the railroad. Henry Black built houses and established stores around the junction, which attracted other settlers. The Red Hollow Road was an important conduit for farm products from the mountain areas to Augusta and Savannah. The town was named for John Martin, a Rhode Island man who became governor of Georgia in 1782.

John Martin Grave site Details

Inscription reads ....

A soldier in the Revolution. Aged 105 years. He served in the Cherokee War of 1755, was wounded in the head by a tomahawk. He served through the whole of the Revolutionary War with honor. A tribute of respect by the ladies of Augusta.

Nothing about being Governor of Georgia.



There is a Revolutionary cannon at the foot of his grave that John Martin was supposed to have brought back with him from the war.

Census-designated place
   
Gumlog

Gumlog is an unincorporated lakeside community and census-designated place in Franklin County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,146 at the 2010 census.


It consists of extensive residential neighborhoods along the shores of Lake Hartwell on the Savannah River.

Historical notes First court in Franklin County

In 1785, the Yazoo land fraud caused the state of Georgia to surrender its claim on what is now Alabama and Mississippi. South Carolina took advantage of the situation to move the boundary with Georgia from the main branch of the Keowee River to the Tugaloo branch, absorbing some Franklin County territory. Like other Georgia counties at the time, Franklin County had to decide which land claims were legitimate and which were fraudulent. The first county court was held at the home of Warren Philpot on Gumlog Creek. George Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was the court's chief justice. The assistant justices were Jesse Walton, Benjamin Cleveland, Larkin Cleveland, and John Gorham.


Land of Spirits.

“Well, it is said that Gumlog received its name from the gum tree logs that were cut and used as benches during the first sessions of the Franklin County Superior Court which was presided over by George Walton on the banks of a nearby creek.”


Sunset over Lake Hartwell and Gumlog.

Notable people

D. W. Brooks, the founder and chairman of Gold Kist.



Orville Vernon Burton, scholar.


Clemson Man.

"Spud" Chandler; Spurgeon Ferdinand Chandler, pitcher for New York Yankees, 1937–1947, American League MVP 1943.


Georgia Bulldog.

Ty Cobb, 1st member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.



Crash Davis, American professional baseball player whose name inspired that of the main character of the 1988 movie Bull Durham.


   
Dee Dowis, Air Force Academy quarterback, Heisman Trophy finalist, Air Force career rushing yard record holder.



Sebastian Greco, actor on The Detour.


Daniella Pineda and Sebastian Greco in The Detour (2016).

Clete Donald Johnson, Jr., member of the U.S. House of Representatives and United States Trade Representative.


   
Tony Jones, professional football player in the NFL.


Western Carolina.
   
Terry Kay, author.



Bill Kennedy, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians (1948), St. Louis Browns (1948–1951), Chicago White Sox (1952), Boston Red Sox (1953) and Cincinnati Redlegs (1956–1957).



Phillip M. Landrum U.S. Congressman was from Martin.



Helen Dortch Longstreet, known as the "Fighting Lady", the second wife of Confederate General James Longstreet, and a champion of causes such as preservation of the environment and civil rights.



Kyle Myers, YouTuber and host of FPSRussia channel, co-host of Painkiller Already podcast.



William Oscar Payne, professor of history and athletic director at the University of Georgia.



Pup Phillips, All-American center for Georgia Tech football, member of 1917 national championship team.


Golden Tornado football player and center "Pup" Phillips, circa 1917.

John M. Sandidge, congressman from Louisiana.



Samuel Joelah Tribble, member of the 62nd U.S. Congress.


   
Ernest Vandiver - Former Georgia Governor 1959–1963).



Gary Walker, professional football player in the NFL.


Auburn Tiger.

One more time with the GNW Gals wearing Ben Franklin County dresses.