A town with a past ...
City
of Summerville
...a city with a future.
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A town with a past ...
...a city with a future.
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The Chattanooga, Rome, and Columbus Railroad was built to Lyerly, Summerville, and Trion in 1889. The depot was constructed at that time. The railroad was merged into the Central of Georgia system in 1901. Sometime later the first depot burned and a second depot was constructed. This depot burned May 4, 1917. The current depot was then constructed and operated as a depot until the fifties. The Chattooga County Historical Society bought the depot in 1988. It was purchased to preserve as a historic site and serve as headquarters for the Society. The depot was placed on the National Historic Register of Historical Places in 1992. In 1998 the depot was used in the television movie Mama Flora’s Children an adaptation of author Alex Haley’s of Roots fame book about another branch of his family. HBO also utilized the depot in the filming of Warm Springs in 2004. Current plans call for refurbishing the interior to approximate its appearance when in operation. Current projects are replacing the roof and constructing a handicap accessible entrance. The depot is open when steam excursion trains come down from Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum to use the railroad turntable in Dowdy Park. Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway Georgia's Railroad History and Heritate The TAG Line (Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia) history.
Summerville’s railroad engine turntable is a landmark that will hopefully grace Dowdy Park for a century or more to come. The result of considerable vision, perseverance and patience, the turntable represents what people can accomplish not only with determination, but also with the help of the Lord for answers to prayer when the obstacles seemed insurmountable. Originally conceived and developed in 1998 and 1999 by volunteers at Chattanooga’s Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, it was not until May, 2002 that support structure construction began. The winning bid by Simpson Construction of Cleveland, Tennessee was considered to be virtually miraculous because their bid of $300,000 was one half of the bids from the next two lowest bidders and one third of the highest bid. The project could not have been accomplished without Simpson’s low bid, yet it would be difficult to imagine a more competent and agreeable construction partner. Throughout the project, technical support from the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum was invaluable. City officials preferred the Dowdy Park site from the beginning because of the proximity to the downtown area and the hoped-for boost to Summerville’s economic development. However site problems were quickly discovered. An energized fiber optic line buried next to the main line railroad track and a buried high pressure natural gas line next to University Street required the plans to be altered. Then it was discovered that the underlying bedrock was so steeply pinnacled that conventional steel pile driving could not accomplish adequate pile seating in the rock. This seemed at the time to be a problem that could never be overcome at reasonable cost, but a solution was discovered: special steel pile tips for steep rock and a more controlled pile driving technique. Technical issues were sometimes the least of the problems. The project schedule was significantly impacted by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 on the World Trade Center in New York City. When this occurred, all U.S. government departments, including Transportation, were required to re-evaluate their budget priorities. Final funding for the turntable was eventually approved after a four month delay Construction was completed in the early months of 2003 at a total project cost of $688,000 including the turntable and its support structure, rehabilitation of the unloading track next to the depot, construction of the approach track, engineering, testing, project management, walkways, lighting, landscaping, and other features. With its completion it became the first turntable constructed in the Southeastern United States in many decades. Summerville City officials always believed in and supported the project. They were steadfast in their belief of its great benefit to the City. It is our hope that posterity will prove them correct.
Originally, the house was located nearly seven miles from this site in Dirt Town Valley near Tidings, Georgia. As the home of the family of Andrew and Fereby Couey, the house was once surrounded by a profitable 400-acre farm, which produced corn, cotton and livestock. As with many southern homes, the War Between the States brought much hardship and loss as Union soldiers passed through the area and depleted the supplies. Also know as the Couey-Owings-Knowles House, this historic structure was the home of Andrew Couey until his death in 1882 and later in 1904 became the home of Couey’s granddaughter, Flora Couey who married William H. Owings. After the farm was subdivided and sold over the following decades, the house was last owned by Billy Knowles prior to being acquired by the Georgia Department of Transportation. Due to the widening of U.S. Highway 27, the original site of the Couey House was needed. The relocation to Dowdy Park in Summerville was begun in 1995. Though modern additions had been added to the house, only the original log structure was moved and restored. In 1998, the house was given to the City of Summerville for the enjoyment and education of this and future generations.
Once part of the Cherokee Nation, the lands surrounding this spring were acquired by an early pioneer, John Fluker Beavers, in the Cherokee Land Lottery of 1832. When the Georgia Ste Legislature formed Chattooga County out of portions of Walker and Floyd counties in 1838, the spring played an important role in locating the new county seat at this site. General Beavers offered the free use of the spring water for the people and their livestock if the justices would purchase his land and locate the county government here. For many years, the spring served the people and remained an important and scenic gathering spot. In 2001, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs awarded a grant to the city of Summerville to open the spring which had been covered for many years and develop the site into a public park. The Summerville Better Hometown Program, the Chattooga Garden Club, and the Garden Club of Georgia coordinated efforts of the city and the Georgia Department of Corrections to restore the site. Many private citizens and businesses also contributed to the effort. Though the old homes were lost long ago, the spring was again allowed to flow freely and willow trees were returned to the site which Octavia Jones Cleghorn had named after childhood home-Willow Spring.
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120 Georgia Avenue - P.O. Box 180 - Summerville, Georgia 30747 City Hall Phone: 706-859-0900
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Built
in the early 1840’s by Andrew McSelland Couey and his sons, this log house was
one of the earliest pioneer homes in Chattooga County. As the land was cleared,
the house was constructed of huge logs, which were hoisted into place and carved
into half dovetail ends as the house was erected. The house was restored to
this site as it was considered to be a significant representative of the
craftsmanship and lifestyle of early pioneers in this area of north Georgia.
Also, the house was significant of its architecture as an example of the single
pen house type. 
Big Spring, Beavers Spring, Cleghorn Spring,
Willow Spring-all of these names have been used for the natural fresh water
spring which burst forth at this site. Predating our recorded history, this
water is part of the Know dolomite aquifer and is formed as ground water erodes
through the very porous dolomite and limestone foundation of this area.
Measurements have shown the water to flow at a rate of 420 gallons per minute.
Due to the underground paths of such waters, local citizens relate as fact
rather tan legend the story of young Cherokee Indian braves diving into the
spring at this site and swimming underground to surface in a pond 1700 feet
northward.