03/04/2026
Newest Project - the historic Berrong-Oakley House in Hiawassee, Georgia
Originally build in 1905 by a wealthy resident, but occupied only sporadically for the past 10 years and vacant for the past 5 years. The City of Hiawassee purchased it and gave responsibility to the Towns County Historical Society to manage the restoration. The house is in basically sound condition but needs a lot of TLC to restore it to its former glory. Unfortunately some vandals broke into it about a year ago and stole all of the interior doors, most of the 9 fireplace mantles, and other miscellaneous fixtures - to sell at a flea market 50 miles south of here. Most of the stolen items have been recovered and are awaiting installation. The Towns County Historical Society is raising the money to hire professionals for HVAC and other skilled work, but MBRA volunteers have already spent more than 200 hours doing other work. We have demolished the kitchen, have replaced the back porch railings, are currently replacing the front porch railings, and will be building a wheelchair ramp to access the front porch. I'll be posting more pictures
