The Tour
Emmanuel University began in 1919 as the Franklin Springs Institute, founded by Pentecostal Holiness minister George Floyd Taylor on 87 acres bought around a cluster of free-flowing mineral springs, complete with two aging hotels, a skating rink, and summer cottages. It grew into Emmanuel College and, in 2023, Emmanuel University, home to the NCAA Division II Lions. This walk moves from the springs the school was built on to its historic academic core and its modern campus.
Emmanuel University Campus Tour is a self-guided walking tour of Franklin Springs, built around its campus side.
The walk covers 5 stops over about 0.5 miles and roughly 45 minutes, entirely at your own pace. Each stop's story unlocks on your phone the moment you arrive — GPS-triggered, hands-free, no guide and no tour group to keep up with.
What you'll see
Emmanuel's story begins with water. The town of Franklin Springs grew up around a group of free-flowing mineral springs, and by the early 1900s they supported a small health resort. In 1918 Pentecostal Holiness leaders bought the whole property, hotels, skating rink and cottages included, and opened a school there on New Year's Day 1919. This walk visits the spot where the springs drew visitors a century ago.
The standout stop is the Taylor Building, and its history is unusual. After World War II the school's president bought military surplus buildings in Charleston, had them taken apart, trucked them to Georgia, and reassembled them as this hall. For years it held classrooms, the chapel, the library and the dining hall all at once. The walk continues past the Shaw-Leslie Library and the Nash Center, a small brick prayer chapel, and the Shaw Athletic Center, a modern building with a basketball arena, pool and even a bowling alley.
The route is about half a mile and takes 45 minutes or so at an easy pace. U.S. 29 divides the campus, so use the pedestrian bridge. Spring and fall weekdays are pleasant times to go. The Georgia Roam app tells each stop's story as you arrive.
Georgia
