Postcards from Northeast Georgia

Elbert County's seat has worn the title 'Granite Capital of the World' for generations. Its granite-trimmed courthouse square and historic commercial district make downtown a pleasure to wander.

Granite is part of everyday life here, from historic storefronts to the stone seats of the Granite Bowl.

• Elberton Granite Museum and Exhibit (free admission)
• Elberton Commercial Historic District
• The 1894 Elbert County Courthouse

A railroad town at the crossing of State Routes 17 and 172, Bowman grew up along the narrow-gauge line between Elberton and Toccoa. Its public square is a National Register historic district.

The historic well house on the square surrounds the town well, dug in 1879 when Bowman's first stores went up.

• Bowman Commercial Historic District
• The historic well house on the square
• About 28 miles from Athens

Named for Nancy Hart, Hartwell is the lake town that gave Lake Hartwell its name. Its 12-block downtown is full of restored buildings from 1879 to 1925.

Known for half a century as Georgia's 'Best Town by a Dam Site,' a nod to nearby Hartwell Dam.

• Hartwell Lakeside Park, 147 acres on Lake Hartwell
• Hartwell Commercial Historic District
• Accredited Georgia Main Street city since 1997

Royston straddles Franklin, Hart, and Madison counties and dates to 1879. It is the hometown of Baseball Hall of Famer Ty Cobb.

The Ty Cobb Museum, open since 1998, also houses the Franklin County Sports Hall of Fame.

• Ty Cobb Museum
• Royston Wellness and Community Park, 44 acres
• Victoria Bryant State Park, about three miles away

Incorporated in 1883 and named for local postal official Job Bowers, Bowersville sits where State Routes 17 and 51 meet, a few miles west of Lake Hartwell.

Its Main Street historic district has been on the National Register since 1985.

• Bowersville Historic District
• About 9 miles west of Hartwell
• Quick access to I-85 at Lavonia via SR 17

Settled as Heard's Fort in 1773, Washington is reputedly the first place in the United States named for George Washington. Its courthouse square is lined with 1890s brick storefronts.

Home of the Mary Willis Library, Georgia's first free public library.

• Mary Willis Library
• Washington-Wilkes Historical Museum
• Callaway Historic Site, about five miles from town

Tignall began as a crossroads settlement and grew into such a busy little town that locals nicknamed it 'Little Atlanta.' It was incorporated in 1907.

Early-1900s brick buildings still line Hulin Avenue through the heart of town.

• Historic Hulin Avenue
• Incorporated in 1907
• One of three incorporated towns in Wilkes County

Founded in 1873 on the railroad between Atlanta and Charlotte, Toccoa grew into the 'Furniture, Thread, and Steel City.' Today Currahee Mountain still rises just outside town.

Toccoa Falls, a 186-foot waterfall, is one of the tallest free-falling falls east of the Mississippi.

• Toccoa Falls, on the University of Toccoa Falls campus
• The city-owned Historic Ritz Theatre, opened in 1939
• Currahee Mountain and Camp Toccoa history

Founded in 1882 and named for the island paradise of Arthurian legend, Avalon was once a self-contained village with its own railway station, post office, school, and church.

Few towns anywhere can say they were named for a legendary island paradise.

• Founded in 1882 by Richard Dempsey Yow
• Incorporated in 1909
• Historic buildings along Old Highway 17

Madison County's seat since 1812 is named for General Allen Daniel, who helped create the county. The ornate 1901 courthouse anchors the town square.

Birthplace of Dr. Crawford W. Long, the first physician to use ether as a surgical anesthetic.

• The 1901 Madison County Courthouse
• Crawford W. Long childhood home (National Register)
• Close to Watson Mill Bridge State Park

Incorporated in 1893, Comer has a Main Street historic district on the National Register and a row of handsome brick storefronts downtown.

Watson Mill Bridge State Park, home to Georgia's longest covered bridge, has a Comer address.

• Comer Historic District
• Watson Mill Bridge State Park
• The Comer Christmas Parade

First incorporated in 1899 as the Town of Five Forks, Colbert took its current name in 1909. It is a classic turn-of-the-century Piedmont railroad town.

Its 46-acre historic district has been on the National Register since 1984.

• Colbert Historic District
• The historic Colbert School (National Register)
• The historic depot and caboose

Jackson County's seat, incorporated in 1806 and named for Thomas Jefferson, has a downtown historic district centered on its 1879 courthouse.

Dr. Crawford W. Long first used ether for surgical anesthesia here on March 30, 1842.

• Crawford W. Long Museum
• The 1879 Jackson County Courthouse
• Jefferson Historic District

First known as Harmony Grove, Commerce took its current name in 1904 as a thriving cotton market town. Its downtown commercial district is on the National Register.

Olive Ann Burns based her novel Cold Sassy Tree loosely on growing up in Commerce.

• Commerce Commercial Historic District
• Governor L. G. Hardman House (National Register)
• Near the site of Groaning Rock, Jackson County's first settlement

Spread across Barrow, Gwinnett, Hall, and Jackson counties, Braselton grew from the Braselton family's 1876 land purchase and a general store whose motto was 'Dealers in Everything.'

The Mulberry RiverWalk leads to the spot where four counties meet.

• Mulberry RiverWalk, 4.4 miles round trip
• Braselton Historic District
• Thompson Mills Forest, Georgia's official state arboretum

Incorporated in 1891 and named for local merchant Russell A. Hosch, Hoschton sits along State Route 53 in western Jackson County, just south of Braselton.

The restored Hoschton Depot has been on the National Register since 2000.

• Historic Hoschton Depot
• Hillcrest-Allen Clinic and Hospital (National Register)
• Next door to Braselton

Between Athens and Commerce on U.S. 441, Nicholson has long been a farming community. According to the city, it was first called Cooper and was renamed for a railroad president.

A small town with deep agricultural roots, where poultry has long been part of the local economy.

• Incorporated in 1907
• On U.S. 441 between Athens and Commerce
• A crossroads between Athens and Commerce