Back to the 1800’s!

Pioneer Days at Travelers Rest is always fun. I have come to know the people involved and love being apart of this “look back” at history! (Check out the video at the end of the State’s website. )

Travelers Rest is located about six miles east of Toccoa, Georgia, near the Tugaloo River, on Riverdale Road just north of Highway 123. In 1785,Â Major Jesse Walton built his structure on Cherokee land close to the Cherokee town of Tugaloo. The land was granted to Major Walton after the Revolutionary War ended. Walton, who was also political leader, was killed by Indians near the Inn in 1789.

The Walton family then sold the land to James Rutherford Wyly, who built the main part of the house between 1816 and 1825.

Wyly opened the house as an inn for travelers on the newly constructed Unicoi Turnpike. Devereaux Jarrett bought the house on August 21, 1838 and it became the headquarters of his 14,000-acre plantation. Jarrett added to the original structure and opened it to the public. Due to the growing population of the country and the increased traffic through the area, the structure served not only as an inn but also as a trading post, and post office.

Travelers Rest contains many of the original furniture and furnishings, especially from the time the Jarrett’s lived in the inn. It is open on the weekends and is an interesting and fun place to visit.

I’m always amazed by the beauty of simpleâ€”like a simple doll made out of dried corn husk.

Or a beautiful hand-stitched quilt.

Then there is story time where you can pull up a chair and listen to the descendants of those who once worked at Travelers Rest talk about the history of the old inn.