History of Banks County

In the early 1700s, what is now Banks County was inhabited by Native American tribes of the Cherokee Nation. With land grants in the region bestowed upon Revolutionary War veterans in the 1760s, white settlers from the east and the Carolinas moved into the area. Northeast Georgia was thrust into a contentious period between the Cherokee and the pioneers.

There were two forts on the eastern side of the Hudson River near Homer— Bush's Station and Norris's Station. Here pioneer families established the first communities in what would become Banks County.

"Men had a Bible in their pocket, a rifle in one hand, and an axe in the other," says Banks County historian Jessie Julia Mize. "The brave women brought a handful of seeds, a few quilts, very little goods and chattels for a cabin, and sparse furniture. Fortunate families drove a milk cow to provide simple food for the eventful journey into Indian territory."

Botanist William Bartram traveled through the area before the arrival of white settlers and wrote not only of the forests teeming with animal life, but of the Cherokee culture as well. Describing them as intelligent and possessing a highly evolved sense of justice, Bartram said they were "ready always to sacrifice every pleasure and gratification, even their blood, and life itself, to defend their territory and defend their rights."

Colonel William W. Wofford and Jacob Hollingsworth, both from North Carolina, were two of the first settlers to arrive in the area. Fort Hollingsworth White House, built in 1793, still stands on Wynn Lake Road near Alto. After their settlement was established, Wofford discovered the land was part of Cherokee territory. He signed a petition sent to the governor asking to have the line redrawn or to take necessary action to protect the settlers and their possessions. This petition laid the groundwork for the "Four Mile Purchase" of 1804. The Cherokee ceded a strip of land four miles wide and 23 miles long— from the Habersham-Banks County line on Baldwin Mountain to the Line Baptist church on Highway 441, and from Currahee Mountain to the headwaters of the South Oconee River. This purchase included the Wofford settlement, now known as the White family homestead. The original barracks house, built in the late 1700s, still stands.

The Georgia General Assembly created Banks County in 1858 from parts of Franklin, Habersham, Jackson, and Hall Counties. The county was named for Dr. Richard Banks, a physician who devoted much of his life to helping members of the Cherokee tribe stricken during an outbreak of smallpox. Homer, designated the county seat in 1859, was named for the ancient Greek epic poet. Today's county boundaries were established in 1870 with the addition of land from Jackson County that would later include parts of the towns of Maysville, Gillsville, and Lula. Railway lines divide the towns into different counties.

The original Banks County Jail in Homer was completed in 1906. It has been refurbished to house county offices and it is also a tourist attraction.

The original two-story antebellum county courthouse in downtown Homer is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Construction took years to complete after the sale of property given to the county by William Turk raised $6600 to start the building. Using slave labor and bricks from clay dug near the Hudson River, the project slowed during the Civil War as funds ran low. The courthouse wasn't completed until 1870. It was in use as the county courthouse until 1988 and today it serves as a museum and office space for the chamber of commerce. A modern courthouse is located nearby.

Built in the early 1860s, the Ragsdale Gristmill was designed to meet all the needs of the farmer— providing millstones for grinding meal and threshing equipment to separate grain from hay. A vertical saw for sawing logs into boards is located beneath the mill house.

This quaint covered bridge, constructed around 1911, is located on Antioch Road off GA Hwy. 51.

Two of Banks County's most revered residents are baseball legend Ty Cobb and the civic-minded Nancy Chambers.

Although Cobb— born in Banks County on December 18, 1886, at 1350 Hwy. 105 (in Narrows) — moved to Royston in Franklin County when he was nine, he was always proud of his birthplace. Cobb spent 24 years playing professional baseball. He was the first inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Highway 105 was named Ty Cobb Parkway by the Georgia Legislature.

Nancy Chambers, often called "Miss Nannie," was born in Banks County and lived her entire life here. The editor of the Banks County News from its founding in 1969 until her death at 82 in 1985, she exemplified the spirit of the county.

The Banks County region has undergone drastic changes since its earliest inhabitants established homes and villages alongside rivers and streams where fish and game were plentiful and the landscape was dotted with lush forests. Today's residents enjoy a community rich in interesting history populated by dedicated and hardworking citizens.