Historic Sites in Fannin County

The history of Fannin County

Fannin County was created on January 21, 1854, from parts of Union and Gilmer counties, becoming Georgia's 107th county. It is named for James Walker Fannin Jr., a Georgia native who died in the Texas Revolution in 1836. The mountain land had been part of the Cherokee Nation before Georgia seized it in the 1830s. Morganton served as the first county seat, and its courthouse was built in 1855. The Civil War divided local families, with roughly two-thirds of residents remaining loyal to the Union and one-third supporting the Confederacy, although six Confederate companies were raised from county volunteers. No battles were fought on Fannin soil. The Marietta and North Georgia Railroad arrived in the summer of 1886 and spurred the growth of Blue Ridge, which was incorporated in 1887 and replaced Morganton as county seat in 1895. Between 1925 and 1930 Blue Ridge Dam was built on the Toccoa River, the stream that becomes the Ocoee after it crosses into Tennessee, forming Lake Blue Ridge, now operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Much of the county lies within the Chattahoochee National Forest, including part of the Cohutta Wilderness, and the Appalachian Trail and Benton MacKaye Trail both cross its ridges. The completion of Georgia Highway 515 in the 1980s opened the area to more visitors.

Sources: georgiaencyclopedia.orgtva.com