In 2019, Helen celebrates 50 years as a Bavarian-Alpine town. How did Helen, Georgia come to be the Bavarian styled town it is today?

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Alpine Helen, a small town nestled in the Northeast Georgia mountains, celebrates its 50^th year as a Bavarian town in 2019. The small Alpine town, now the 3^rd most visited town in the state of Georgia (only outranked by Atlanta and Savannah), withholds a history that most who visit and even some who live in the area may not know. Why is 2019 such a big year for Helen, Georgia? How did Alpine Helen come to be and why do so many people travel from around the world to visit our tiny town? Let’s take a quick walk through time.

Before the arrival of European settlers in the early 1800s, what would eventually become Helen and now most of North Georgia, was home to the Cherokee Indians. There were many years that the Cherokee and the new settlers were able to work together; in 1813, the Cherokee agreed for the construction of the Unicoi Turnpike, a wagon road, to pass through their territory. The Unicoi Turnpike extended all the way from the Savannah River headwaters, north into Tennessee. Today, Highway 75 and Highway 17 follow the path where the old Unicoi Turnpike used to be. However, not so many years later, the Cherokee were forcibly displaced from their homeland by President Andrew Jackson (Historically known as the Trail of Tears) and a new era began.

In 1828, gold was discovered in Dukes Creek within the Nacoochee-Helen Valley. Although many believe the first Gold Rush was in California, it was preceded by the rush which was bound by Dahlonega to the west and the Nacoochee-Sautee Valley to the east. These foothills were mined for over a century and included the discovery of thousands of pounds of gold, therefore, bringing with it major growth, development, and tourism to the area. Though, like all good things, word of gold being discovered in California had spread, and many prospectors had left the area in search of new treasures and new beginnings. The area that would eventually become Helen was relatively untouched by the Civil War, and mining continued. By the late 1800’s folks had began to leave the area, and most of the existing mines were cleaned out and abandoned leaving the area once again desolate and in despair.

Then, the logging industry began. In the early 1900’s sawmills rose up and the railroad came to town, again bringing life and development back into the area. With the Byrd-Matthews Corporation, a timber company leading the new boom of business in 1910, the area operated as a dedicated logging town for several decades, keeping the area the center of commerce for Georgia throughout this time. In 1913 the Valley was named “Helen”, after the daughter of a railroad surveyor, and partner of the Byrd-Matthews Corporation. Soon after a railroad connector linked the new town of Helen with Gainesville to the south. The industry thrived until the Great Depression, at which point most of the timber had been cut and the company as well as most of the residents move on to more promising lands elsewhere. By the 1950s and the 1960s, the town was again desolate and bleak. The streets were filled with empty structures and only nine businesses remained in the area.

In 1968, a group of local businessmen, including Jimmy Wilkins, Pete Hodkinson, and Bob Fowler, desperate to save their beloved town, sat down for lunch to discuss how to bring traffic back to their small little town that once was thriving. There was considerable traffic that moved through the area traveling to the mountains and waterfalls beyond, but what could be done to bring commerce and tourists back to the area? Hodkinson contacted a church acquaintance and Clarkesville artist by the name of John Kollock, who had deep family roots to the area. Kollock, while serving in the U.S. Army, had been stationed in Germany and had fallen in love with the Bavarian villages that were found in the Alps in Germany. When asked to help redesign the small town called Helen he knew immediately what type of sketches he would draw. In January of 1969, business owners and local carpenters began turning ideas into something real and by the end of that year, a transformation had taken place in Helen, Georgia. Recreating the town with a Bavarian Alpine Village theme, complete with gingerbread trim, cobblestone alleyways, old-world towers, and even street names changed to replicate common streets found in Germany, Helen became the best little German town in America. In 1970, Pete Hodkinson started Oktoberfest in Helen to celebrate the German harvest and beer festivals. By 1972, the recreation of Helen had significantly boosted tourism and by 1976, even the Federal government was sending in experts to study Helen’s rapid growth and rebirth. In 1974, Pete took it one step further and came up with the idea for the Helen-to-the-Atlantic Balloon Race and the Helendorf has been the host and headquarters for this annual event ever since.

Helen truly is the best little German town in America so there’s no surprise that millions of people come to visit and enjoy the unique experience that this Bavarian themed town has to offer. From the incredible authentic German cuisine, to the historic Chattahoochee River, and no matter the season, there is always something happening in Alpine Helen, Georgia.

Helen will continue its 50th year celebration throughout the year. Festivities will include events such as the Annual Hot Air Balloon Race, Winefest, the Fourth of July Fireworks, the Downtown Street Dance, the famous Oktoberfest, Alpenfest which kicks off each Thanksgiving and runs through December, and many other special events.

More information coming soon, be sure to subscribe and follow for updates, and to get information about upcoming local events, local businesses, places to visit, and more. Visit negalifestyle.com to plan your next adventure today.