On a moonlit night on Lake Burton, some say you might hear the pealing of a church bell. It would not be coming from a nearby church. Rather, the mournful tolling is said to be an echo from 100 years distant when that bell was ringing in Burton, the town that lays submerged under the
It was illegal to allow cattle to run loose through Clayton. Dumping chicken coops on streets also was strictly prohibited. These two laws from the 1930s, among many others, provide a glimpse into the life of a country village nine decades ago. During the Depression 30’s, Clayton was a tiny farming town. Poverty was the
Tulip poplars with girths of seven feet. Tens of thousands of clear-cut acres. A sawmill cutting 13 miles of boards every day. These startling facts tell the story of what was once Rabun County’s largest industry: the environmental disaster known as industrial-scale logging. Rabun Logging Started in 1890s Logging on an industrial scale began in
One said he could hear a rattling noise in his head. The other claimed he killed in self-defense. These two men were the only convicted murderers ever hung in Rabun County. Both hangings took place in Clayton more than a century ago. The first was held in the privacy of the jail. The second was
Moonshining is Rabun County’s oldest industry. And at one time it probably was the county’s largest. Rabun County also held the distinction of being the moonshine capital of Georgia. Poverty has been a fact of life in mountainous Rabun County throughout much of its history. The Depression of the 1930s made the problem of rural
At the turn of the twentieth century, Clayton was barely a speck on the map with a recorded population of only 199. And one historical account paints a rather dismal picture of that tiny village. “Before the coming of the railroad, Clayton was a ramshackle town,” according to Rabun County historian Andrew Jackson Ritchie. “There
The roar of the river cascading over Tallulah Gorge’s six waterfalls could be heard from over a mile away. And onlookers were shrouded in mist rising from the turbulent waters. That was before 1913. That was the year when Georgia Railway and Power, the predecessor of today’s Georgia Power, completed its hydroelectric dam at Tallulah
Roads passing through Clayton—Highways 441/23 and 76 and Warwoman Road—are daily reminders of a distant past when the Appalachians in northeastern Georgia were known as the Cherokee Mountains. And in the land that became Rabun County, the major Cherokee trails, which are now our highways and byways, converged at The Dividings in present-day Clayton. Early
A Rabun County slaveholder who voted against Georgia’s secession from the Union…but then didn’t. A rebellion against Georgia’s government by disaffected Confederate soldiers and Union sympathizers. 300 Rabun County men who fought for the Confederacy, including one at Appomattox with Robert E. Lee at the surrender in 1865. These facts would seem to illustrate a
Rabun County turns 200 years old on December 21, 2019. From its beginnings as a remote and sparsely populated frontier in 1819, the county has developed into a growing magnet for mountain tourists…with a thriving downtown in its county seat…and elegant homes dotting the shores of pristine lakes. To find out how this transformation happened,
The Rabun County Historical Society today announced that it has formed a partnership with the Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School through which an extensive collection of Tallulah Falls Railroad (TFRR) artifacts will be displayed on a permanent basis in the Society’s downtown Clayton museum. The railroad, which operated from 1897 to 1961 between Cornelia, Ga. and Franklin,
The topics in the June 2020 edition of the Rabun County Historical Society’s Vintage Rabun newsletter are: Tallulah Falls Railroad Artifacts Will Be Displayed in Society’s Museum Through a Partnership with Rabun-Gap Nacoochee School Creation of Black Rock Mountain State Park Use the link below to download the newsletter in PDF format 2020 June Vintage
The museum of the Rabun County Historical Society, which is expanding its permanent collection, is asking area residents to donate or loan Cherokee artifacts and a moonshining still to the Society’s museum. The Society believes it is important for the public to understand how our Cherokee heritage and moonshining have shaped the county’s history and
The topic of the March 2020 edition of the Rabun County Historical Society’s Vintage Rabun newsletter is: Rabun’s Official Historic Sites Use the link below to download the newsletter in PDF format 2020 March Vintage Rabun (PDF)
The topic of the December 2019 edition of the Rabun County Historical Society’s Vintage Rabun newsletter is: The Origins of Rabun’s Library: Women, The “Judge”, Panel Trucks, The WPA Use the link below to download the newsletter in PDF format 2019 Dec Vintage Rabun (PDF)
The topic of the September 2019 edition of the Rabun County Historical Society’s Vintage Rabun newsletter is: Helen Dortch Longstreet: Fighting Lady Use the link below to download the newsletter in PDF format 2019 Sept Vintage Rabun (PDF)
The topic of the June 2019 edition of the Rabun County Historical Society’s Vintage Rabun newsletter is: Tallulah Falls Railroad: The History and The Legacy Use the link below to download the newsletter in PDF format 2019 June Vintage Rabun (PDF)
The topic of the March 2019 edition of the Rabun County Historical Society’s Vintage Rabun newsletter is: Rabun County Roads: 200 Years in the Making Use the link below to download the newsletter in PDF format 2019 March Vintage Rabun (PDF)
The topic of the December 2018 edition of the Rabun County Historical Society’s Vintage Rabun newsletter is: Rabun’s Origins: A Land Lottery Use the link below to download the newsletter in PDF format 2018 Dec Vintage Rabun (PDF)
The topic of the September 2018 edition of the Rabun County Historical Society’s Vintage Rabun newsletter is: Tallulah Falls’ Grand Era of Tourism Use the link below to download the newsletter in PDF format 2018 Sept Vintage Rabun (PDF)
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81 North Church Street
Clayton, Georgia 30525
(706) 782-5292