Historic Sites in Habersham County

The history of Habersham County

Habersham County was created in 1818 from lands ceded by the Cherokee and was enlarged in 1829 with additional former Cherokee territory; later divisions reduced its original 713 square miles to 278. It is named for Joseph Habersham, a Revolutionary War officer who later served as U.S. postmaster general. Clarkesville was incorporated and designated the county seat in 1823. The discovery of gold in the region brought a rush of settlers and hastened the removal of the Cherokee, who were forced from Georgia in 1838. Early enterprises included leather tanning, iron mining and mineral processing. During the Civil War nearly 1,000 Habersham men served in Confederate forces, the Habersham Iron Works produced weapons for the Confederacy, and on October 12, 1864, Confederates prevailed in a clash at the Narrows that spared the area from Union raiders. Between 1870 and 1900 railroads arrived, and apple orchards, vineyards and wineries took hold. After rail service reached Tallulah Gorge in 1882, tourism boomed, and Piedmont College, now Piedmont University, was founded in Demorest during the same era. The county's museums include a railroad depot museum and a museum devoted to baseball great Johnny Mize. The present courthouse, the county's fourth, was built in 1963.

Sources: georgiaencyclopedia.orgen.wikipedia.org