In the fall of 1907, Dr. Richard A. Forrest founded the
Golden Valley Institute at Golden, North Carolina, to provide
educational opportunities for young people in the South who had been
educationally deprived. The institute offered general and biblical
studies to prepare dedicated persons for Christian ministries and
service.
Realizing the need to be nearer a railroad for easier access, on
January 1, 1911, Dr. Forrest purchased the Haddock Inn and 100 acres of
land including the beautiful Toccoa Falls, near Toccoa, Georgia. On
October 19, 1911, the institute moved from Golden Valley to Toccoa.
Reorganized and enlarged, Toccoa Falls Institute, which had existed in
embryo in Golden Valley, became a reality. Since many early students of
Toccoa Falls Institute had not had the opportunity for a secondary
education, general and vocational high school courses were offered
along with biblical and theological training.
Under the direction of Dr. Forrest, the school kept pace with the
advancement of educational standards in the United States. In 1928, the
State of Georgia fully accredited the Toccoa Falls High School. This
established a cooperative relationship with the county educational
system that continued until the academy closed in 1976.
In 1937, a four-year Bible college program was initiated by adding to
the biblical and theological studies a number of courses in the field
of general education. The Legislature of the State of Georgia chartered
the college division in 1939 and authorized the institute to grant the
degree of Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Education. In 1957, the college
was accredited by the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges and on
December 13, 1983, by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools.
During the history of the institution, there have been five presidents:
Dr. Richard A. Forrest, Founder; Dr. Julian A. Bandy; Dr. Kenn W.
Opperman; Dr. Paul L. Alford; and Dr. Donald O. Young. In October 1975,
in order to keep abreast of the current usage of terms, the Board of
Trustees changed the name from Toccoa Falls Institute to Toccoa Falls
College.
Dr. Forrest often referred to the school as a tree of Gods planting.
The tree has expanded and has borne much fruit. It has also been
severely tested on several occasions. In 1913, Haddock Inn, which
housed all the school facilities, burned to the ground. In 1950, fire
destroyed LeTourneau Hall, the womens dormitory. In 1958, the music
building burned.
The severest trial of all came on November 6, 1977, when the dam
holding back the lake above the falls burst and 40 acres of water
surged across the lower campus leaving in its wake 39 dead, 60 injured,
and millions of dollars in property damage. When the news of the
tragedy spread, thousands of people responded. Local, state, and
federal agencies, churches, colleges, businesses, and private
individuals gave personal, material, and financial aid. With their help
the college has recovered. God has been faithful. Though tried by fire
and water, His tree continues to flourish.
The college has always maintained a fellowship with evangelical
Christian organizations. Dr. Forrest was associated with the Christian
and Missionary Alliance for over half a century. He pastored the First
Presbyterian Church in Toccoa for 25 years and upon his retirement
became pastor-emeritus. An evangelist of national reputation, he
preached regularly in churches of many different denominations and
personally desired that the ministry of Toccoa Falls College be as
broad as the wide fellowship of Christian believers. His heartwarming
biography is told in the book, Achieving the Impossible--With God, by
Lorene Moothart. The larger story of Toccoa Falls is found in A Tree
God Planted by Troy Damron.
Source:
Toccoa Falls College. Historical Sketch.
