#CommunityHistory | AM 1180 Radio

September 21, 2026

From Lamplight To Long Distance: How Electricity And Telephones Changed Chattooga County

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Telephone operators at the Summerville Telephone Company on the final day of operator-assisted telephone service in 1960. Direct dialing began the following day. (Photo courtesy of Ben Bridges/Chattooga Photo History)

For people living in Chattooga County today, flipping a light switch or making a telephone call is so ordinary that little thought is given to either one.

But a little more than a century ago, both represented technologies that were beginning to fundamentally change everyday life.

There was a time when darkness meant lighting an oil lamp, when many homes drew their water from wells, and when making a long-distance telephone call in Chattooga County meant traveling into Summerville and going inside a local store.

The arrival of electricity and the telephone didn’t happen everywhere at once. The technologies spread gradually through mills, businesses and towns before becoming commonplace in homes throughout the county.

And when it came to electricity, Trion was among the first places in Chattooga County to enter the electrical age.

September 14, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

From Iron Ore To Coal — Chattooga County’s Mining Past

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Long before manufacturing became a major part of Chattooga County’s economy, people looked to the mountains and ridges surrounding the county for another source of economic development — minerals buried beneath the ground.

September 9, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Historic District Hill Cemetery Project Nears Completion In Walker County

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A decade-long effort to preserve and honor an important piece of African American history in Walker County is nearing completion, with a formal dedication ceremony now scheduled for next month.

August 27, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Rome Rotary Proposes Memorial Honoring Cherokee Nation

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A proposed memorial in Rome would honor the Cherokee Nation and commemorate the forced removal of the Cherokee people from North Georgia.

August 24, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Walker County Receives Historic Preservation Grant For Third Survey Phase

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Walker County is one of six Georgia communities selected to receive federal funding for historic preservation work across the state.

August 16, 2026

by Jimmy Holbrook

Museum of LaFayette Seeks Cherokee Artifacts for New Exhibit

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The Museum of LaFayette is asking area residents to help preserve and share an important part of Northwest Georgia’s history as it develops a new exhibit focusing on the Cherokee people, their lives, removal, and lasting legacy.