The Spirit of Helen

A Trip Through Time in Georgia’s Alpine Village

Helen, Georgia, located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, has had a long and diverse history.

Originally the area was inhabited by unknown peoples. The well-known Nacoochee Indian Mound and others rise from the floor of Nacoochee Valley. The mound, which today is crowned with a gazebo, was excavated in 1915. At that time, remains dating to 10,000 BC were discovered, and today they are in the Smithsonian.

Later the Cherokee lived in the area and had their town in the valley. The mound held their “town hall”. With the discovery of Gold in the area came the tragic Trail of Tears, which removed the Cherokee from the area.  Gold was mined and panned from the streams, but the major rush moved west to the Dahlonega area, and on to California.

With the departure of the miners, the wealth of timber was discovered and a large mill was set up in what is now Helen, on the banks of the river. A community grew and the town was called Helen for a daughter of a company executive.   When all the timber had been stripped from the land the timber company left. Helen basically became a ghost town.

In 1969 several local residents were sitting in a restaurant, looking over the town and they decided the town needed a new image.    Well-known artist John Kollock was contacted and he came up with the idea of an Alpine Village similar to ones he had seen in Germany.  He drew sketches, the townspeople thought it was a great idea and moved to make it the village he saw in his mind. Every commercial building owner used his monies or borrowed it to pay for remodeling. It was all done locally by the residents

At that time, the town had a population of about 250. Today, it is still a small town with a population of around 550. No government planning, funding, or development was involved. The town ‘picked itself up by its bootstraps.’ A number of years later, the US Government issued a report on Helen called Bootstrapping, and it was sent to other small communities struggling to survive as an example of what can be done.

Local residents got involved with events and promotions, and the town became one of Georgia’s first tourism destinations.
Today Helen hosts over 2.5 million visitors each year

Street dances were held, and soon the street dance became Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest then moved to a tent, then to the Fest Halle, which still houses Oktoberfest and many other events throughout the year. Today Oktoberfest is a huge event beginning weekends in September and continuing daily throughout October.
Events throughout the year include Fasching, Trout Festival, Hot Air Balloon Race, Christmas in Helen, Hog Pen Hill Climb, and many more.

The surrounding area offers many alternatives also Smithgall Woods, Hardman House Historic Site, and Unicoi Park are all State-operated parks with trails, fishing, exploring, special programs, and other opportunities.

The Chattahoochee Forest begins just north of town with all it has to offer: the Appalachian Trail, camping, numerous hiking areas, trout fishing, etc. Tubing, rafting, and water sports are available on the Chattahoochee River, which heads up about 5 miles north of town.