Before the late 1800s, the Toccoa area was occupied by
the Cherokee Native Americans. The Cherokees called this land
Tagwâ'hï, where we got our name "Toccoa". Tagwâ'hï can be interpreted "Catawba
Place", which may indicate that the Catawba tribe occupied the Toccoa area
at one time. The Catawbas were the enemies of the Cherokees -
the two tribes were constantly fighting until 1743, when peace was made
between them. Among some Cherokee traditions the name "Toccoa" is associated with beautiful.
Over forty years later, the land around Toccoa Falls and the Toccoa
area was sold unintentionally by the Cherokees to Colonel
Wafford. In 1785, Colonel Wafford, an officer in the American
Revolutionary Army, established a colony in the Toccoa area, which
became known as "Waffords settlement." What Wafford didnt
realize was that this area was actually within the bounds of the land
owned by the Cherokees. When his mistake was discovered, the
Cherokees agreed to sell the land to Colonel Wafford for $6,000.
After Colonel Wafford purchased the land, the settlement took the name
of Dry Pond after the former pond located on present day Pond Street.
James Wafford, Colonel Waffords grandson, was half Cherokee and was
born in the present day Clarkesville, Georgia area in 1806. The
younger Wafford was famous in his time for his expertise in the
Cherokee language and for his storytelling. He even assisted with
the translation of the New Testament into the Cherokee language as well
as compiling a Cherokee spelling book.
In 1870, Dry Pond became a railway station for the Air-Line Railroad
between Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C. Shortly after this, Dry Pond
changed its name to Toccoa, borrowing from the old Cherokee word for
the area.
In the late 1800s, competition arose between Toccoa and
Clarkesville. Both cities wanted to assume the county seat,
although Toccoa was the larger settlement. The debate continued
for many years with surprising effort in 1898 it is believed that someone from Toccoa
even blew up the Clarkesville courthouse with dynamite. But in
the end, Clarkesville retained the privilege.
Not wanting to be under the authority of another city, Toccoa
campaigned for the creation of a new county with itself as seat.
Georgias 143rd county was created from Habersham and Franklin counties
on August 18, 1905, taking the name of Stephens County. This new
county was named after Alexander ("Little Alec") Stephens, Senator,
Governor and vice-president of the Confederate States of America.
Stephens County is celebrating its centennial with events throughout
the year leading up to August 18th. Make sure to visit
iToccoa.com often for more information about the centennial events.
Sources:
1.
Internet Sacred Text Archive. "Local Legends of Georgia".
2.
Southeastern Genealogy. "Stephens County History and Information".
3.
Roadside Georgia. "Archives of Stephens County".
4.
About North Georgia. "Travelers Rest Historic Site".
5.
"Bureau of American Ethnology".
6.
Habersham County, Georgia. "History of the City of Clarkesville".
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