Oconee Historical Society

10/13/2026

Good morning history enthusiasts. Please join us on Thursday October 15th, 6pm, Oconee County Library, at Wire Park, Watkinsville. Our program is "Grave Concerns" presented by Charity and Steven Wang. They have decades of experience with cemetery preservation. Topics will include Georgia Laws concerning cemeteries, tools of the trade, unique headstones and markings of 18th and 19th century graves, how to conduct gravestone cleaning, recording, and repair, how to protect a grave or cemetery. I've sneaked a peek at the slide presentation. It's a good one!

10/07/2026

Hands on History Nov 6-7. "Preservation in action" Stories from Georgia about people and what they made with their hands, and why it matters that we preserve it. Making Place will run from Nov 2-12 at The Athens Cotton Press. An exhibition of craftsmanship, including The Pottery of David Drake. There will be music, food trucks, workshops throughout the Making Place exhibition days.

10/06/2026

Please join us on Thursday October 15th, 6pm, , Wire Park, Watkinsville. Our program is "Grave Concerns" presented by Charity and Steven Wang. They have decades of experience with cemetery preservation. Topics will include Georgia Laws concerning cemeteries, tools of the trade, unique headstones and markings of 18th and 19th century graves, how to conduct gravestone cleaning, recording, and repair, how to protect a grave or cemetery.
All are welcome.

09/17/2026

Please join us tonight, Thursday September 17th at 6pm at the Oconee County Library in Wire Park. We will be meeting in the Creative Room, the room with glass walls, which is across from the main entrance door.
Our speaker will be Annette Scotland who has lived in Oconee County most of her life.
Annette will give a talk about Browns Chapel Baptist Church, established ca. 1898, and the cemetery they are restoring. She will also tell us about two women from the past who were significant to the life of the Browns Chapel Baptist Church and community.

09/03/2026

Please join us on Thursday September 17th at 6pm at the Oconee County Library in Wire Park. We will be meeting in the Creative Room, the room with glass walls, which is across from the main entrance door.

Our speaker will be Annette Scotland who has lived in Oconee County most of her life.

Annette will give a talk about Browns Chapel Baptist Church, established ca. 1898, and the cemetery they are restoring. She will talk about the old building, once a school, on property across from the church and the Brown Town Community along Cemetery Road and High Shoals Road in Bishop in the early 1900's.

08/30/2026

Join The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation in Rome Georgia.
Tour historic homes and sites, September 25-27.

08/25/2026

September 1 is the deadline to nominate a Place in Peril to The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
https://www.georgiatrust.org/our-programs/places-in-peril/
An award winning property in downtown Madison.

07/09/2026

Norcross Expedition in August. Historic homes on tour.

Norcross Expedition Sneak Peek! Built around 1890, this home is among Norcross’s earliest residences. Although original deed records were lost in a Lawrenceville courthouse fire in the early 1900s, the builder and first owner is known: early settler A.A. Martin. He constructed this one-story house on North Peachtree Street during the town’s expansion beyond downtown. The home retains its original yellow pine siding, brick foundation set on red Georgia clay, and horsehair plaster walls, still visible in several rooms. It features five original fireplaces and preserved oak flooring, while the subfloors reveal an unusual detail—corncobs packed into knot holes. Reflecting early Craftsman-style influences, the house includes square wood columns and double-hung sash windows.

Tour more than 20 remarkable historic properties, many that are rarely open to the public during our Norcross Expedition on August 15. More information and tickets - please visit: https://www.georgiatrust.org/tours-events/expeditions/

📅 August 15, 2026
📍 Historic Norcross

07/03/2026

George Washington travelled to the Deep South, and visited Savannah in 1791, the first time he had been south of Virginia. Check out this video, a great history lesson in less than 15 minutes.

In 1791, George Washington made his first and only trip to the Deep...

07/01/2026

Friday July 3rd, Thomas Farm Preserve. Stop by our Oconee History Table from 3:30-6:30. Giveaways, including O Little Town of Watkinsville, by Dr. Roy Ward, recipient of a Spirit of 76 honor by City of Watkinsville