The northern Georgia reaches were once home to the Cherokee Nation, who, as early as 1731, lived among the fertile lands and were linked to other native inhabitants by a meager trading path. The first European settlers and traders, arriving in 1797, introduced agriculture to the area, as families established homes and farms along the Georgia Road. Forestry thrived, necessitating mills and factories, while the poultry industry and high-quality cotton attracted waves of new settlers. The county's scenic splendor has drawn people away from urban centers, appealing to new residents and visitors with a relaxed and rural beauty. Today, Forsyth County proudly boasts of its recognized status as the nation's fastest growing county. Originally the home of significant amounts of gold, particularly through the Dahlonega Gold Belt and the Hall County Gold Belt, Forsyth County prospered as settlers quickly commanded the area. The costs may have outweighed the gains at times, however, and hardships befell the county through racial tension, economic trials, and extreme population fluctuations. Nevertheless, the county has persevered, and its people have shown both strength of character and spirit. Including new and unpublished data, this book explores the important advances in education, economy, and historic preservation in Forsyth County, as well as the tragic events related to the expulsion of the African-American population in 1912 and the Brotherhood Marches in 1987.
Forsyth County enjoyed a routine agrarian lifestyle for most of the nineteenth century, witnessing little change to its landscape after the initial clearing of the lands once owned by Cherokee Indians. After the hardships of the Depression years, farming techniques and living conditions improved, the population grew, and Forsyth County began to claim a new identity. This evolution, from a sleepy farming community into a center of business and culture in North Georgia, is the subject of an engaging and often sentimental journey through Forsyth County over the past one hundred years. Older residents of the county will recall how farming families were propelled from hopeless poverty to reasonable living conditions with the advent of soil stewardship, and how financial gains were also made as the focus of local agriculture shifted from crops to chickens. Residents who once dreamed of new trucks, tractors, and automobiles could now own them, schools grew from small wooden structures to brick edifices with multiple classrooms, the old wooden bridges were replaced by iron bridges and later concrete spans, and erosion and flood control ended the destruction and inconvenience caused by swollen streams during the rainy season. The twentieth century brought a new quality of life to Forsyth County, and photographs depicting celebrations, parades, and other local events illuminate the community pride that continues to grow with each passing decade.
Forsyth County enjoyed a routine agrarian lifestyle for most of the nineteenth century, witnessing little change to its landscape after the initial clearing of the lands once owned by Cherokee Indians. After the hardships of the Depression years, farming techniques and living conditions improved, the population grew, and Forsyth County began to claim a new identity. This evolution, from a sleepy farming community into a center of business and culture in North Georgia, is the subject of an engaging and often sentimental journey through Forsyth County over the past one hundred years. Older residents of the county will recall how farming families were propelled from hopeless poverty to reasonable living conditions with the advent of soil stewardship, and how financial gains were also made as the focus of local agriculture shifted from crops to chickens. Residents who once dreamed of new trucks, tractors, and automobiles could now own them, schools grew from small wooden structures to brick edifices with multiple classrooms, the old wooden bridges were replaced by iron bridges and later concrete spans, and erosion and flood control ended the destruction and inconvenience caused by swollen streams during the rainy season. The twentieth century brought a new quality of life to Forsyth County, and photographs depicting celebrations, parades, and other local events illuminate the community pride that continues to grow with each passing decade.
The northern Georgia reaches were once home to the Cherokee Nation, who, as early as 1731, lived among the fertile lands and were linked to other native inhabitants by a meager trading path. The first European settlers and traders, arriving in 1797, introduced agriculture to the area, as families established homes and farms along the Georgia Road. Forestry thrived, necessitating mills and factories, while the poultry industry and high-quality cotton attracted waves of new settlers. The county's scenic splendor has drawn people away from urban centers, appealing to new residents and visitors with a relaxed and rural beauty. Today, Forsyth County proudly boasts of its recognized status as the nation's fastest growing county. Originally the home of significant amounts of gold, particularly through the Dahlonega Gold Belt and the Hall County Gold Belt, Forsyth County prospered as settlers quickly commanded the area. The costs may have outweighed the gains at times, however, and hardships befell the county through racial tension, economic trials, and extreme population fluctuations. Nevertheless, the county has persevered, and its people have shown both strength of character and spirit. Including new and unpublished data, this book explores the important advances in education, economy, and historic preservation in Forsyth County, as well as the tragic events related to the expulsion of the African-American population in 1912 and the Brotherhood Marches in 1987.
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