Areas of Downtown Clarkesville and Cornelia have been added to the National Register of Historic Places, a nationwide effort to encourage the preservation of history in communities.
According to the State Historic Preservation Committee, properties listed on the National Register are nominated and evaluated by the committee and must be at least 50 years old, and retain the area’s historic integrity in location, design, setting, material workmanship, feeling, and association.
As of January 3 of this year, the day Cornelia was added to the registry, Georgia had 2,197 locations listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Those listings include 89,999 different buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects.
Historic districts are eligible for certain economic development programs administered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs which houses the state’s Historic Preservation Division.
Preserving pieces of the past for the future
Cornelia’s historic district runs along the railroad tracks. The designation embraces the city’s love for its rich history, as well as businesses that reflect the city’s past.
“The built environment of this cross-rail town established around the railroad tracks conveys the impact of rail and later the automobile on its physical development,” the GDCA writes in a recent press release announcing Cornelia’s designation. “The district has served as a commercial center for Habersham County and the
surrounding rural families.”
Clarkesville’s downtown square was added to the register in October of 2021, recognizing Clarkesville’s history and resiliency after rebuilding the area following the 2014 fire that destroyed much of the square.
“As the center of Habersham County’s government, people from rural areas traveled to Clarkesville to conduct both civic and commercial business,” the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (GDCA) writes. “Retail stores, restaurants, financial institutions, professional services, and the theatre have provided for Habersham County residents and visitors.”
According to the National Park Service which oversees the National Register of Historic Places, there were more than 96,000 properties listed in the registry nationwide at the end of 2020. Those listings represented 1.8 million contributing resources – buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects.
Almost every county in the United States has at least one place listed in the National Register
