The Neoclassical Revival Stephens County Courthouse in Toccoa was built in 1907-08.
The first time I saw Toccoa, I didn't actually see it. I came in the early dark of a winter evening and left in the dark.
I wasn't a bandit. I was a basketball player, and my college was playing Toccoa Falls College. This was in the late 1950s, and we played them on their court twice that I remember, traveling through the mountains from Chattanooga in a fleet of cars. There was no easy way to get there in those days.
The next time I came to Toccoa was in the late 80s, as a photographer making pictures for the college's promotional and student recruitment publications. I came again in 2016, again as a photographer, making pictures and gathering material for my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia.
And finally, we camped there in our RV on two different occasions in 2021 as I was working on the second edition of the Backroads book.
The Greek Revival Toccoa Presbyterian Church was built in 1925-26.
Perspective corrected with the PTLens plug-in.
All the above says more about me, of course, than it does about Toccoa, a pleasant, small city of about 9,000 in the mountains of far northeast Georgia, about 90 miles from Atlanta. It's in a beautiful, scenic, area, with the Tallulah Gorge only a few miles away and the waterfall right there on the edge of town.
Toccoa Falls. Nineteen feet higher than Niagara. But not as much water. Usually.
Everything is peaceful these days, but it wasn't always. Taking in the serene beauty of the setting, it's hard to grasp that this was once a scene of terror. In the early morning hours of November 6, 1976, five days of constant rain caused a rupture of the earthen dam that held a 40-acre lake above the falls, sending a wall of water surging through the campus, destroying much of the married students’ housing, killing 39 people, and injuring 60 more. Prayers, expressions of sympathy, and contributions to rebuild the campus poured in from all around the globe. Today, few signs of the physical damage remain and it's quite safe (and a worthwhile trip) to visit the falls. Admission is free. Call 706-886-7299 for hours.
About the photos: The courthouse was photographed with a Canon EOS 6D and Canon EF 28-105mm lens; the Presbyterian Church with a Fuji X-H1 and Fujicron XC 16-50mm lens, and the waterfall was photographed with an Olympus E-M5 and Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm lens.
Signed copies of my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia
are available. The price is $22.95 plus $4.50 shipping. My PayPal
address is djphoto@vol.com (which is also my email). Or you can mail me a check to 8943
Wesley Place, Knoxville, TN 37922. Include your address and tell me how
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Check out the pictures at my online gallery: https://davejenkins.pixels.com/ Looking is free, and you might find something you like.
Photography and text copyright 2024 David B.Jenkins.
I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.
Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.
Tags: photography travel Stephens County, Georgia Toccoa, Georgia Toccoa Falls Toccoa Falls College Tallulah Gorge Canon EOS 6D Canon EF 28-105mm lens Fuji X-H1 Fujicron XC 16-50mm lens Olympus E-M5 Panasonic Lumix G Vario 14-140mm lens
When I think of this town, the word “flood” always is the first thing that comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually think of it that way unless someone brings it up. To me, it's just a nice small town in a beautiful area.
ReplyDelete