When White County was formed in 1857, Mt. Yonah was selected as the County-seat. The majority of its residents wished to rename it Sheltonville for William H. Shelton, who sponsored the formation of the new county. Shelton asked that it be named . . . — — Map (db m43702) HM
In 1828 gold was discovered here on Duke`s Creek, White County, by two people. John Witheroods of North Carolina found a 3-ounce nugget and a Negro servant of Major Frank Logan of Louisville, Georgia, also discovered gold on the creek. Early . . . — — Map (db m10033) HM
Mossy Creek Campground was established in 1833 and has continued as a site of yearly religious revival meetings since that time. Rock Springs Campground was established in 1887 and is one of the few remaining camp-meeting sites organized by black . . . — — Map (db m21521) HM
Minutes of the Inferior Court of White County, GA, August Term 1861.
Wednesday, August 7th 1861: "Ordered by the Court that White (County) Marksmen the use of any part of the courthouse that they may choose for the establishment of a military . . . — — Map (db m131679) HM
This property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior October 28, 1970 — — Map (db m229382) HM
White County, created by Act of Dec. 22, 1857, was cut off from Habersham and Lumpkin Counties. Wm. H. Shelton, Repr. from Habersham at the session tried twice to have the county formed but failed. Repr. David T. White of Newton Co. backed the bill . . . — — Map (db m21294) HM
The largest gold nugget discovered east of the Mississippi River was found by John Phillip Thurmond on April 14, 1889 at the Hamby Mines in Northern White County. The nugget weighed 504 pennyweights and four grams, which is about 25.5 ounces. The . . . — — Map (db m131678) HM
At this point, just north of the safest ford in the Chattahoochee River, the first white settlers in this area built their campfires in 1822. A trading post was soon established on the site and Indians traded gold nuggets and gold-dust to the . . . — — Map (db m43704) HM
Nacoochee Indian Mound was the center of the ancient Cherokee town of Gauxule, visited by DeSoto in 1540 in his search for gold, according to legend. On this ceremonial mound, 190 feet long, 150 feet wide and 20 feet high, stood the Town House . . . — — Map (db m10049) HM
This valley has long fascinated travelers, writers and artists. It was farmed for centuries by Indians and white men alike. The valley was devastated by Spanish and American gold hunters and timbermen and has been carefully nurtured by prosperous . . . — — Map (db m43706) HM
The Distinguished Service Cross is the nation's second highest honor for valor
Rondall H. Glaze - 44 036 390, Private, Infantry, Company "A", 275th Infantry Regiment, for extraordinary heroism in action on 17 February 1945, near Lixing, . . . — — Map (db m229381) HM
The African American Heritage Site preserves one of North Georgia’s few surviving slave dwellings and interprets the lives of black people in bondage in Appalachia before the Civil War. Framed by 19th century landscaping and displaying antebellum . . . — — Map (db m173162) HM
Marvin Augustus Franklin was born a few miles from here January 19, 1894 and early in life united with the Nacoochee Methodist Church. He was licensed to preach October 26, 1910 and joined the North Georgia Annual Conference at Elberton, Ga., . . . — — Map (db m26022) HM
Essential to settlers in the 19th and early 20th centuries, many small farm blacksmith shops dotted the landscape in these hills and valleys. Larger industrial foundries and commercial blacksmith shops were located at intersections of commerce, . . . — — Map (db m173157) HM
Around 1910, Emma Hardman requested that a breezeway by constructed to connect the rear of the house to the detached kitchen. She wanted their servants to remain dry while caring food from the kitchen to the house during inclement weather.
The . . . — — Map (db m229481) HM
Slaves quarried and hand-chiseled this two-ton stone trough. Cool water preserved perishable foods, such as butter, cream and milk, in clay pots on the shelves of this 19th century refrigerator. Slave labor contributed to the settlement of this area . . . — — Map (db m173154) HM
Corncribs
Most southern farmers constructed at least one corncrib, and James H. Nichols didn't differ from this pattern. The large corncrib appears to have been constructed in the 1870s. Like many of the other farm outbuildings, it sits on . . . — — Map (db m229480) HM
Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, legally freeing slaves in rebellious states and regions controlled by Union forces. According to oral tradition, E.P. Williams stood on a rock wall surrounding his home to read . . . — — Map (db m173153) HM
In 1875, the Union Recorder published a letter about Captain Nichols' estate written by a recent visitor. It read: "Captain Nichol's place at the lower end of the valley is the great attraction for all strange. He has a perfect place, in the . . . — — Map (db m229253) HM
Dr. Lamartine Hardman already owned several farms when he invested in the Nacoochee Valley property. His concept for the north Georgia farm centered around creating an idyllic summer home for his family and using the property for dairying . . . — — Map (db m229537) HM
On Sautee Creek just north of here are remains of a dam constructed as part of a grist mill owned by Edwin P. Williams. During the War Between the States, to arm the Home Guard, Gov. Joseph E. Brown had made a great number of pikes, daggers on long . . . — — Map (db m120350) HM
Quarriers cut millstone blanks from an exposed ledge of gneiss rock adjacent to Mill Rock Branch, a small stream at the upper end of Sautee Valley. They used hardened steel hammers known as mill picks to cut grooves (lands) and ridges to shape the . . . — — Map (db m173155) HM
The Atlanta Constitution ran a story entitled "Nacoochee Gems" on 4 January 1891 about the wonderful Indian artifacts recovered in the valley. It stated that the area was:
...certainly, the favored resort of a very advanced tribe of . . . — — Map (db m229246) HM
Sheep Barn
Constructed in the late 1800s, under the directions of James Nichols, Dr. Hardman later used the structure once located to the left of the bull pen as his sheep barn. Like the horse barn, corncribs, and other structures, the . . . — — Map (db m229482) HM
The Nacoochee slave cabin is one of only a few slave dwellings to survive in Georgia. Built on a stacked stone foundation and framed with hand-hewn timbers and lumber bearing the telltale marks of a sash saw, it saw for more than 150 years on the . . . — — Map (db m173152) HM
Many masters allowed their slaves to work a garden patch near their dwellings for personal consumption, to supplement limited rations, or to sell surplus produce to acquire “luxury” items like fish hooks or farm tools. Slaves cultivated . . . — — Map (db m173156) HM
Spring House
James Nichols built this elaborate Spring House to utilize a natural spring and steam for refrigeration and a source of fresh water. The constant cool temperature of the running water was used to chill and keep foods, such as . . . — — Map (db m229356) HM
Fred Dover constructed a bridge and nearby grist, saw and shingle mill complex here in the late 1800s. The original bridge washed away in the early 1890s and Will Pardue replaced it in 1895 with the present 38-foot structure. Dover sold the . . . — — Map (db m8984) HM
James Nicholas constructed this carriage house at the same time as his residence, about 1870. Its two sets of double doors allowed easy access for the carriages and wagons. The lower level has two rooms of unequal size. Stairs to the second floor . . . — — Map (db m229536) HM
In an ostentatious display of wealth, James Nichols built a "Game" or "gentlemen's" house across the creek from his residence. Here male visitors could smoke, drink and tell tall tales.
Originally, this was a two-room structure, that was later . . . — — Map (db m229535) HM
This handsome horse barn topped with its cupola can be entered on two levels. The lower level is divided into several stalls including some that are told to have held small black bears during Nichol's residence ! The lower level has a thick stone . . . — — Map (db m229352) HM
Architectural historians define the Italianate style as having two or three stories, a low-pitched roof with wide overhanging eaves with decorative brackets underneath. This style has tall, narrow windows, commonly arched or curved, and frequently . . . — — Map (db m229251) HM
The Cherokee once walked through this valley along an ancient trail when traveling from their town of Overhill (Tennessee)to their settlements in the Carolinas and Georgia. Earlier, this north-south trading route existed as one of an extensive . . . — — Map (db m229230) HM
This road is the Old Unicoi Turnpike, first vehicular route to link East Tennessee, Western North Carolina and North Georgia with the head of navigation on the Savannah River system. Beginning on the Tugalo River, to the east of Toccoa, the road led . . . — — Map (db m25328) HM
James Hall Nichols
Born on 17 February 1835, James Hall Nichols built West End in the early 1870s. His father, Richard James Nichols, a Connecticut native, farmed a large plantation in the community of Midway, near Milledgeville, Georgia . . . — — Map (db m229222) HM
Welcome to Hardman Farm Historic Site. Below is a site map showing the location of the farm's 17 buildings, one ruin, and the gazebo. All except the gazebo are located on this property and can be reached by one of our many paths. The gazebo is . . . — — Map (db m229227) HM
Naccochee Indian Mound
The Nacoochee Indian Mound is perhaps the best-known feature of Hardman Farm and one of the most recognizable sites in Georgia. Learn more about the people who built it and those who have cared for it at our Visitor . . . — — Map (db m229225) HM
A Methodist Church has stood on this site since the early 1820’s when one was built by the first white settlers in Nacoochee Valley. Six acres of land to be used for the church and cemetery were deeded to the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1836 by . . . — — Map (db m26021) HM
