Colorado-based non-profit historic preservation group HistoriCorps has made its way to Habersham County in partnership with the Habersham County Historical Society and the Chattahoochee National Forest to preserve Cornelia’s Chenocetah Fire Lookout Tower.
The volunteer team, led by Project Supervisor Ariel Clark and Crew Leader Erin Crooks, will be in Habersham County for the next week with a new group of volunteers joining the project Monday, Jan. 17.
Making good progress— and challenges ahead
In just two days of work on the Chenocetah Fire Lookout Tower project, Clark says the volunteers are making significant progress in restoring the fire tower. Monday, volunteers went through safety training and project goals, and Tuesday, they focused on the tower’s windows.
“It’s been a good day, a good week,” Clark says. “I’m kind of nervous that I don’t know if I’ll have things to keep everybody busy next week.”
While the team is making excellent progress, there may be some challenges in the near future the group will have to work diligently to fix.
“We can already tell by popping our heads out on that top floor, around the lookout, that some of the wood up there is pretty badly degraded,” Clark says. “That’s why also we’re seeing signs of water inside [the tower].”
Water damage is a big deal when it comes to keeping structures in the best possible condition, and when preserving the tower, that needs to be taken seriously. The preservation group is bringing in a 60-foot lift on Wednesday to get a better look at the wood near the top of the tower and address those issues.
“It’s leading to some larger conversations about conditions they hadn’t really noticed before,” Clark said. “We’re trying to button it up as best as possible while we’re here, and it’ll look really fresh when we’re done, because everything will have a new coat of paint and we’ll seal it up as best we can.”
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A warm welcome
HistoriCorps officials have shared that the welcome they’ve received in Habersham has been “one of the warmest” welcomes they’ve received. Clark says that she’s seen the Habersham community’s excitement towards the restoration of the local landmark.
“I would say one of the hallmarks of historical projects is that wherever we go there is absolutely a ready and welcoming local populace,” Clark said. “Generally these projects have been waiting to get done, and [citizens] have been looking for a solution that works for the city or the municipality, and also within their budgets and from specialists who know how to do historic preservation works.”
She and the rest of the team are happy to be restoring this important piece of history in Habersham County at no cost, and are enjoying seeing the community engage with them.
“It seems like everybody’s been really excited to have us here,” Clark says. “They’re excited to see something happen and to see a change happen to a pretty iconic landmark here at the top of the city.”
For anyone interested in welcoming the HistoriCorps volunteers to the county, the Habersham Historical Society will host a reception for them on Tuesday, Jan. 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Cornelia Community House. The Town of Mt. Airy will also host a reception for the volunteers next week on Monday, Jan. 17 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at their city hall.
The public is welcome to visit the work site from 12-1 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The crew has also professed their love of donuts, and joked that anyone who wants to bring something by the site should bring a box for the team.
