Created in 2006 by the Misty Mountain Quilters at Sharp Memorial Methodist Church in Young Harris and designed by students of Towns County Elementary, this quilt tells the story of Towns County through a series of symbolic blocks. Each section represents an important part of the county’s history and development.

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Center Block – The Landscape of Towns County

The centerpiece represents the natural features that define the county. Images of Lake Chatuge, wildlife, camping, and Brasstown Bald (“The Top of Georgia”) highlight the area’s mountains, forests, and recreation that continue to attract visitors and residents.

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Corner Quilt Patterns – Traditional Heritage

The corner blocks feature traditional quilt patterns, reflecting the craft traditions of Appalachian families. One of these is a seven-pointed star, symbolizing the seven clans of the Cherokee Nation, acknowledging the Cherokee people who lived in this region before European settlement.

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The Yellow Brick Road – The Unicoi Turnpike

Running through the quilt is a yellow pathway representing the Unicoi Turnpike, an early toll road and trade route that connected northeast Georgia with eastern Tennessee. This historic road carried travelers, settlers, goods, and ideas through the mountains and serves in the quilt as the thread that connects the county’s history. As represented by the wagon, many pioneers in this area used the turnpike to migrate into the area. 

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Gold Rush and Early Settlement

One block depicts gold nuggets, representing the discovery of gold near Dahlonega in 1828. The gold rush brought thousands of settlers into the region and greatly influenced the early settlement of north Georgia. As they moved in, they built or moved into the Cherokee houses, constructed of logs. 

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Cherokee Removal – The Trail of Tears

Another block shows ghost-like figures moving along a path, representing the Trail of Tears, when the Cherokee were forcibly removed from their homeland in the 1830s and relocated west of the Mississippi.

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Early Churches and Community Life

A church block represents the establishment of early mountain churches, which served as centers of community life and education. Churches were among the earliest organized institutions in the region. The first church in Towns County was Macedonia Baptist, formed in 1839. 

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Creation of Towns County

One block symbolizes the formation of Towns County in 1856, created primarily from portions of Union County with a small section from Rabun County.

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The Civil War Era

One block of the quilt represents the difficult years of the Civil War (1861–1865), a time that brought hardship and uncertainty to the mountain communities of north Georgia. Unlike many areas of the South, most families in this region did not own large plantations or enslaved laborers. Even so, men were drafted into the Confederate army, leaving farms and families behind. With many men away at war, women, children, and the elderly were responsible for tending farms, raising food, and maintaining households. Some residents opposed the war or refused to serve and crossed into nearby Tennessee, which came under Union control during the conflict. Others remained in the mountains but tried to avoid involvement.

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Education and Mountain Schools

Two blocks represent institutions that shaped education in the area:

• Young Harris College was founded through Methodist efforts to improve education in the mountains.

• Hiawassee Academy, an early local Baptist educational institution that prepared many students for further study and leadership.

Both of these institutions were formed to fight the illiteracy generation that followed the Civil War. 

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The Logging Industry

Another block represents the logging era of the late 1800s and early 1900s, when northern lumber companies clear-cut large areas of forest. Timber from the region was processed and shipped across the country, bringing jobs but also major environmental change.

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The Towns County Herald

The Legal Organ for the county, it was formed in 1928 and is still being published today, making it the longest-running newspaper in the county. 

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Moonshining and Mountain Life

A moonshine still block reflects the region’s history of moonshining and prohibition-era distilling, an activity that became widely known and supported many mountain families. 

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Appalachian Trail 

Another section symbolizes the Appalachian Trail and the role outdoor recreation plays in the modern economy. Hiawassee is recognized as an Appalachian Trail Friendly Town, and hikers contribute to the area’s tourism.

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Electricity and TVA

A block with power lines represents the arrival of the TVA in the 1940s, largely due to the development of Lake Chatuge. Rural electrification dramatically changed daily life in the mountains; however, many people in the more rural areas of the county didn’t see electricity until the 1950s.

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Local Healthcare

A building block represents the establishment of Towns County Hospital, originally named the Lee M. Happ Jr. Memorial Hospital, which provided the county with its first local medical facility.

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Bald Mountain Fire Tower

A tower block represents the stone observation tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) on Bald Mountain, part of the federal programs that provided jobs and conservation work during the Great Depression.

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Modern Tourism and Growth

Near the end of the historical timeline are figures representing modern visitors and residents who come to the mountains for recreation, scenery, and community life, and the growth we experience through technology today. 

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What the Quilt Represents

Together, these blocks create a visual timeline of Towns County’s story, from Cherokee heritage and early settlement to education, industry, recreation, and modern life. The quilt preserves these memories in fabric and stitching, reflecting both the history of the county and the tradition of quilting that has long been part of Appalachian culture.