Northeast Georgia on our Spring Time Road Trip

…continuing with our brief exploration of North Georgia and Southwestern North Carolina.  This little road trip took place in April and we were accompanied by Laurie’s sister Bonnie and Bonnie’s husband Bill.

Our next stop was in Hiawassee Georgia, just south of the state line with North Carolina.  I always look for historic sites and this classic structure is the Old Towns County Jail.  It was completed in 1936 by Depression era workers employed by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration at the cost of $4,353.  I love the fellow’s first name who is credited for heading up the project.  It was Ordinary J.F. Johnson.

This jail was originally furnished with the 1901 cells that were moved here from the previous facility.  The jailer and his family also lived in the structure.  Later this building served as Hiawassee’s City Hall and Fire Department.  Now it is occupied by the local Historical Society and it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This is something that you don’t come across very often.  It is an antique horse drawn road grader from the early 1900s.

Hiawassee, with a growing population of almost 1,000 residents, is the county seat of Towns County.  The county, which at about 12,000 residents, is also growing in population.  It was named after George W. Towns, a former Governor of Georgia.  Hiawassee itself has an advantageous location as it’s situated beside Lake Chatuge, a Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir that was created in 1942.

I don’t have any information about these cabins along the road in Hiawassee…but I liked their appearance.  I favor the home on the left but the log cabin is quite interesting as well.

There is some disagreement as to the origin of Hiawassee’s name.  Wikipedia states that its name was “derived from the Cherokee…or perhaps Creek…word Ayuhwasi, which means ‘meadow’.  The Cherokee’s own history describes the area as being originally occupied by snake idol worshippers and/or a people called the Itza.  The Itza Maya in Mexico were known as “the Children of the Serpent”.  In the Itza language, 'Hiwasee' literally means “Children of the Pit Viper”.   

Town’s County was previously occupied by Native Americans but they were driven out by European American forces “in a night of massacre in 1776”.  Hiawassee itself was settled ca. 1820.

As many of you are aware, I love finding and photographing old train depots, old railway equipment and related structures.  Laurie spotted this fine looking depot in Hiawassee.  I did a u-turn and pulled into this State Farm Insurance office to take a couple of photos.  When I looked for any information about this ‘old depot’, I eventually discovered that it is a very attractive ‘replica’ depot.  Nice…but still a ‘bummer’.

Note: When the Cherokees were forced from their homes and villages, they were forced into ‘removal forts’ before they began their forced march west on “The Trail of Tears”.  One of those ‘removal forts’ was located where the town of Hiawassee is now located.

Time for a little shopping!  The Creekside General Store on US Hwy 76 just outside of Hiawassee was well rated by TripAdvisor participants and it was on our route to Clayton Georgia, our next planned stop.  Plus it was Bonnie and Laurie’s first chance to shop on this particular day!

Reviews stated that the staff were both friendly and helpful.  Plus this was a great place to shop for items from the surrounding area…souvenirs that aren’t cheap and gaudy.  We agree!  The store features ornaments, postcards, t-shirts, local pottery, handmade candles, wall plaques, dog treats, costume jewelry and much more.

Creekside General Store is at 2955 US Hwy 76 East in Hiawassee Georgia.  Phone: 706-986-9448.  The store’s website can be found at http://www.creeksidegeneralstore.com/.

When we arrived in Clayton Georgia, my first stop was to take a photo of this historic church.  Despite my efforts at research, I couldn’t locate any specific information as to its history.  Clayton’s First Methodist Church at 71 South Main Street was built in 1923 from stone quarried locally.   

Clayton Georgia, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is the county seat for Rabun County.  At first the settlement, founded in 1821, was called Claytonsville.  Currently, with about 2,000 residents, the town’s population is stable while the county is showing steady growth.  Originally, the area that has become Clayton was called the “Dividings” as it was at the intersection of 3 important Cherokee people trails.  Two of those old trails are now included in key portions of US Hwy 76 and US Hwy 23/441.

As I was taking these photos along the main street of Clayton, Bill and our wives were already visiting local merchants to see what might catch their eye and lighten our wallets. .  That ivy covered 2-story brick building in the second photo it the White Birch Inn, a boutique bed and breakfast that opened in 2013.  Built in the 1920s, it is a beautiful building and from their website photos the interior is rather spectacular.  Room rates from April until after Christmas start at $230 a night and go up to $400 depending on the time of the week.  This Bed and Breakfast has 6 suites and rooms.  Website: Homepage | The White Birch Inn | Clayton, Georgia.

Weather Notes:

         ·         In 1936, Clayton Recorded 30 inches of snowfall, the highest annual total for anywhere in Georgia.  The town’s elevation is at 1,929 feet above sea level.

         ·         In 2018, Rabun County set an annual record for rainfall that totaled almost 116.5 inches.

Movie History:

         ·         In 1936, Walt Disney Studios filmed part of “Old Yeller” in Clayton.

         ·         The movie “Grizzly” was filmed in town in late 1975 into early 1976.  This independent motion picture cost only $750,000 to make and it grossed $39,000,000 at the box office.

         ·         The movie “Blastfighter” was filmed in and around Clayton in 1984.

         ·         So, who is this fellow and what does he have to do with movies?  Billy Redden is from Clayton Georgia and he is best known for his role as a backwoods mountain boy in the 1972 film “Deliverance”.  He played Lonnie, a banjo-playing teenager in north Georgia who played the well-known “Dueling Banjos” in the movie with Ronnie Cox.

John Boorman selected Redden for the role due to his skinny frame, large head and almond-shaped eyes.  Boorman had been looking for an albino to cast in this role…  I was interested to learn the Redden couldn’t play the banjo and that he wore a special shirt which allowed a real banjo player to hide behind him in the scene and who actually played the banjo.

Redden was interviewed in 2012 regarding his role in “Deliverance”.  To quote: “I’d like to have all the money I thought I’d make from this movie.  I wouldn’t be working at Walmart right now.  And I’m struggling to make ends meet.”  Redden did have minor roles in 3 other films, the most notable of which was Tim Robbins’ “Big Fish”.

 

Back to reality!  The next image is Laurie and my ‘reality’ for the next several months…

This is our new view out of the front windows of our home… This is a real ‘bummer’…pun intended!  The good news is that if the toilets in our home were to malfunction, we now have an alternate right across the street.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Next time we’ll go shopping and stop for lunch.  Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave