HARALSON COUNTY COMMUNITY
Sewell Mill Textile Museum
Sewell Mill Events Facility was established in September 2009 to serve as the first multipurpose community and professional center for the residents of Haralson County. The Mill is a catalyst and support system for social gatherings, community functions, and artisan endeavors. Built in 1918, this historical building gives honor and remembrance to our region’s glorious past as “The Clothing Center of The South”. To honor the Textile history of Haralson County, a museum of the Textile Industry in Bremen has been created inside Sewell Mill.
770-537-1772
126 Hamilton Street, Bremen, GA 30110
Bremen's History
The town of Wolf Pen became Kramer, named after a German immigrant and local vineyard owner, and was incorporated on September 5, 1883. The name was changed to Bremen at Kramer’s request to honor the seaport city of Bremen, Germany. Bremen is located just off of Interstate-20 and is home to several unique and convenient places to shop, eat and lodge. Other areas of interest include recreation and sporting facilities. www.bremenga.gov
Bremen Depot Park
Bremen’s economy was given a significant boost when the Chattanooga, Rome and Columbus Railroad was built, crossing the Georgia Pacific at Bremen. This and other favorite circumstances have helped Bremen to grow from a simple railroad junction settled by German immigrants to the largest town in Haralson County, Georgia.
Watch the more than 40 trains that pass through Bremen each day from the comfort of the new Bremen Depot Park. The park shelter was fashioned after the original design of the Train Depot that was located in Bremen for many years. There is a scanner installed in the Depot that lets you listen in on train radio traffic and know what is coming down the tracks. It's sort of like the police scanner but more fun! Plenty of parking and restrooms. The park is open daily.
770-537-2331 (Ann McCain)
121 Atlantic Ave., Bremen, GA 30110
Buchanan's History
The City of Buchanan serves as the county seat of Haralson County. With its shops and restaurants encircling the National Register Listed, 1892 restored courthouse, Buchanan is the perfect place to spend a day or a lifetime. The county seat was selected and named Pierceville in honor of a former U.S. president but was renamed Buchanan after President James Buchanan when it was found that another Georgia town already held the name Pierceville. www.buchananga.com
Historic Haralson County Courthouse
The Courthouse, built in 1892, is currently part of the National Registry of Historic Buildings and serves as a public library with meeting facilities and an office for the county’s Historical Society on the Buchanan square. Their hours are Monday through Thursday, 11 am to 6 pm, Saturdays 10 am to 2 pm., or by appointment. Admission is always free.
770-646-3369
145 Courthouse Square, Buchanan, GA 30113
Little Creek One Room School House
The last remaining “one room” school house in Haralson County was relocated to Buchanan and is currently being restored. The Little Creek one room school house was built around 1870 in the Little Creek Community of Haralson County, Georgia. It was one of 23 one room –one teacher schools in existence in 1871. It is the only remaining one room school house in Haralson County and one of a few in the state of Georgia. There were 1016 people in one room schools in the county in 1871. Little Creek ceased to be used as a school in 1932. The school house was donated to the Haralson County Historical Society in 2006 and relocated to Van Wert Street. Self guided tour is available.
770-646-3369
155 Van Wert Street, Buchanan, GA 30113
Budapest Cemetery
Budapest Cemetery is located east of Tallapoosa, Georgia on Budapest Cemetery Rd. off Hwy 78. The cemetery, containing about 20 graves, has a large arch gateway entrance and a split rail fence along the roadway.
A local Boy Scout chose this cemetery as his Eagle Scout project in 2008 and the old cemetery was beautifully restored. The entrance was erected in honor of the Hungarian people that came to the area to help start the grape vineyards.
In 1888, three wine making communities were founded here on some 2000 acres. A local land developer, Ralph L. Spencer, invited some 200 Hungarian wine-making families to settle this region. Homes, streets, shops, a school, a Catholic church, a cemetery and other municipal facilities were built. The wine industry flourished in this climate. In 1908 the passage of the Prohibition Act in Georgia spelled their doom. The residents were forced back to the Pennsylvania mines. The rectory still stands on a hill, a fine tribute to the master masons who erected it. The pioneer Hungarians who became a part of the Georgia soil lie in the little fenced cemetery over the hill, many graves still marked with names which sound foreign to these parts.
The cemetery is being maintained by the Haralson County Historical Society, members of the Greater Haralson Chamber of Commerce and members of the Atlanta Hungarian Group.
770-646-3369
222 Budapest Cemetery Road, Waco, GA 30182
Tallapoosa Historic Walking Trail
Tallapoosa, the Creek Indian word meaning “golden river”, was incorporated in 1860 on land once inhabited by the Creek Indians. In the early years, land was cultivated and gold was panned, then in 1882 the railroad came to Tallapoosa and the industrial boom started. People from many northern states, as well as Europe came to visit and to live and enjoy the medicinal water of the Lithia Springs. The population quickly grew to nearly 3000 with the industrial boom. Tallapoosa boasted the first free public school in Georgia and the largest wooden hotel east of the Mississippi River.
The Lithia Springs Hotel was located on Boulevard at Decatur Street. It was completed in 1892 and was dismantled in 1942 because of deterioration. The copper roof was used by the U.S. Navy and many homes in Tallapoosa were constructed out of the heart pine lumber. The furniture was also distributed among local residents.
You will find a large replica of the hotel as well as artifacts at the West Georgia
Museum of Tallapoosa.
Download the Walking Trail Brochure for more information about the historic homes in Tallapoosa.
Tallapoosa's History
The City of Tallapoosa is a small town with history, scenery and charm. The city’s timeless setting is home to museums, shops and historic addresses of interest and lore. In the early part of the 1830’s the old Indian council village of Charles Town became a mining settlement known as “Possum Snout”, named by the gold miners who panned the waters of the Tallapoosa for the precious metal. Possum Snout, Haralson County’s oldest town, was a booming mining town renowned for its gold mines. By 1832, the town had its first post office established, and in December of 1860 the settlement of Possum Snout incorporated, changing the name of the town to “Tallapoosa”, a Creek Indian word for Golden River. For more information, please visit: www.tallapoosaga.gov
Waco's History
The City of Waco was once named Dean. It was a center for the shipment of cotton and lumber and boasted a population of 150. Water power from Turkey Creek operated the mills which included cotton gins, wool corders, grist, and saw mills. The town name was changed to “Wacosville” in 1883 and changed again to “Waco” when it was chartered in 1885. Waco is full of small town charm and home to the Thomas B. Murphy campus of West Georgia Technical College and the Greater Haralson Chamber of Commerce. www.wacoga.net
