Towns County lies nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains of northeast Georgia. Home to about 12,500 people, the county is rich in heritage, yet little of its people’s stories have been archived and preserved.
“Towns County is the least digitally preserved and represented county in the entire state of Georgia,” said Dr. Leah Panther, associate professor of literacy education at Mercer University, who recently led a research project in the county.
“So, for scholars throughout the nation and the world that are looking to represent what it means to be Appalachian, North Georgia, in particular Towns County, is not a part of the conversation even as they very much are a part of Appalachian culture.”
Dr. Panther and a team of collaborators set out to change that this summer through Swappin’ Stories, a community-based research project to preserve the history and languages of Towns County.
Residents were invited to bring their documents and artifacts — many passed down through generations — to a local church to be preserved in a publicly accessible digital archive hosted by Kennesaw State University.
The result was more than 400 digitally preserved artifacts, including a $274 check from the White House that was written to a local business owner during a visit from President Jimmy Carter.
The research team also recorded oral histories, and physical items were donated to the Towns County Historical Society. Among the donated items was a brick that disproved a long-held belief in Towns County.
“There was an ethos within the community that there had never been enslaved persons within the county,” Dr. Panther said. “However, somebody came and donated a brick that they claimed was made by enslaved people within Towns County.
“To corroborate that source, we went into genealogical and Census records from 1860 to prove that there were enslaved families. We went to the original land where that family had a stagecoach stop, and we were able to find documentation that corroborated the stories that the brick likely did come from that particular stagecoach location where there were families with enslaved persons living there.
“So, we were able to basically reveal this, at that point, untold story of Black history within Towns County.”
In addition, Dr. Panther worked with Kerri Abernathy, Towns County Middle School English language arts teacher, to redesign the seventh-grade curriculum through the lens of Appalachian language and local history.
“For example, now when students learn the English language arts Georgia Standards of Excellence standard for learning Greek and Latin root words, the students are now also learning several Cherokee words to help them understand the meaning behind the names of places like Etowah and Hiawassee, the city that they live in, or how Brasstown Bald got its name,” Dr. Panther said.
“Now they have that link between not only the Greek and Latin roots that are required by the state, but they go one step further. They know their own community’s language and history as well.”
Funded by the Spencer Foundation, Swappin’ Stories was part of Dr. Panther’s larger initiative with the Linguistic Justice Collaborative to identify and sustain the unique languages, literacy practices and histories in Georgia.
Dr. Panther was searching for a community partner in southern Appalachia when she met Lindsey Walker, a former Towns County teacher and current doctoral candidate at Texas Woman’s University, at a national education conference. She was interested in preserving the history of her hometown, and together they laid the groundwork for Swappin’ Stories.
Two Mercer graduate research assistants — Kim Eccles, director of the Swilley Graduate and Professional Library, and Caitlin Hochuli, a doctoral student — helped with the project.
“The people were all so nice, informative and generous with their time and their information,” said Eccles, who is earning her Ph.D. in higher education leadership. “They were very proud and excited that someone was interested in them, particularly for documenting their existence and the stories of their lives.”
Tyler Osborn, president of the Towns County Historical Society, grew up in the county, where his family has lived since 1836.
“I would hear bits and pieces of stories, just like my grandfather and my father would tell me, but through projects like this, I learn more,” he said.
The Swappin’ Stories project is not only preserving Towns County history but also helping share it, he said.
“We’re slowly reaching the younger generation to teach them about their history, where they come from,” Osborn said. “If we don’t understand our roots, we don’t have anything to ground us. It’s important for kids to know where they come from and why they’re here.”
This wasn’t the first time Mercer was involved in the education of Towns County children.
Recognizing the need for literacy in the post-Civil War era, in the early 1900s, the Georgia Baptist Convention established numerous “mountain schools” across North Georgia, one of the most prominent being Hiawassee Academy, Dr. Panther said.
Under the direction of Mercer, Hiawassee Academy was renowned for its academic excellence. In 1928, the school was sold to Towns County, which then established its first public high school.
“It was a full circle moment having Mercer back involved in Towns County, helping us preserve our history for the education of the future,” Osborn said.
