Toccoa in Stephens County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Toccoa Falls College Apple Orchard Memorial
Photographed by Delaney Shaw, May 10, 2026
1. Toccoa Falls College Apple Orchard Memorial Marker
On Sunday, November 6, 1977, after days of torrential rains, the earthen dam above Toccoa Falls College collapsed and sent a 30-foot wall of water through the lower campus. In its wake, 39 members of our college family died as they were swept away in the onslaught of rushing water, wreckage, and debris from the floodwaters.
The collective grief experienced by the TFC family was enormous. Yet there was a quiet calm that was unmistakable for those who lived through those harrowing hours, it is an experience that marked their lives. For many, it was a time when the Lord made himself especially real to them—a time of life changing spiritual development and commitment.
As the renewed vision and calling for Toccoa Falls College has developed, many things have changed. At the time of the flood, the area where you now stand was home to a large mobile home park on campus for married students. It was located here along Toccoa Creek and became known as Trailerville. Students who lived here in those trailers lost their homes, their physical belongings, and many lost members of their families here in this valley.
Valley Farm,
this page online
There are 40 trees planted in this apple orchard. These trees represent the 40 years that have passed since the flood impacted Toccoa Falls College. In a very real and tangible way, our memorial apple orchard is a living reminder that honors those whose lives were lost so many years ago. These trees provide continuing evidence of God's faithfulness to Toccoa Falls College as each year new fruit is harvested from trees where once there was only devastation.
Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Disasters • Education • Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical date for this entry is November 6, 1977.
Location. 34° 35.524′ N, 83° 21.13′ W. Marker is in Toccoa, Georgia, in Stephens County. It is on Guy Wilson Drive
Photographed by Delaney Shaw, May 10, 2026
2. Toccoa Falls College Apple Orchard Memorial
Regionally, this marker and memorial is in the Mountains. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Thomas H. White Photo Lab (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Elementary School (about 800 feet away); Toccoa Falls College World War II Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); Ralls Dormitory & Broom Factory (approx. 0.2 miles away); LeTourneau Hall (approx. 0.3 miles away); Woerner World Missions Center (approx. 0.3 miles
Photographed by Delaney Shaw, May 10, 2026
3. Toccoa Falls College Apple Orchard Memorial
Regarding Toccoa Falls College Apple Orchard Memorial. Toccoa Falls College is now the University of Toccoa Falls.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 30, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 10, 2026, by Delaney Shaw of Seneca, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 18 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 10, 2026, by Delaney Shaw of Seneca, South Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
