The Orange community, now largely forgotten and being obliterated by urban sprawl, was centered around Orange Mill, which was located about a mile or two from this house. Orange had a post office from 1837-1935.
Thanks to Mike Porter for making me a aware of the existence of Orange.
The iconic “Shingle House”, so named for its shingle siding, is the last remaining structure related to the Franklin-Creighton Gold Mine near Ball Ground. The mine had its origins circa 1832, when Mary G. Franklin obtained 40 acres along the Etowah River in the Gold Lottery of 1832. It became the Franklin, or Franklin-Creighton Mine circa 1883 and was said to be one of the most productive in the area, until1907, long after other area mines were long exhausted. The structure has reportedly served as a commissary, post office, and boarding house.
The community that grew up around the mine was known as Creighton, and the post office was operational from 1887-1918. The property is part of Gold & Grass Farms today.
The little shotgun store at the corner of Yellow Creek and Conns Creek Road is a landmark in Cherokee County. Bill Ringle notes on his blog, Remnants of Southern Architecture: The old store was opened in 1912 by William and Mary Ann (Holcomb) Stancil. On February 24, 1915, their tenth child of eleven was born and named Broughton. A fixture of the store, Broughton was a World War II veteran having served in the U.S. Army fighting in the Pacific against the Japanese in British New Guinea. During his time there, he was cited for courageous conduct in action. Mr. Stancil passed away November 30, 2011, just shy of the 100 year anniversary of the store.
He also identifies the store across the road: The demands of the small store became so great that they had to build a larger store on the eastern side of the road in 1952. The rural location…allowed it to thrive during the “old days”. However, the combination of the rise of the automobile, and the era of the large big-box stores, forced the family to close the doors in 2012.
This structure, clad in local marble, was built to replace the old Cherokee County Courthouse which burned in 1927. The upper floor served as the jail. A. Ten Eyck Brown was the architect. It has been replaced by a newer facility but remains an anchor of historic downtown Canton, serving the community as a local history museum and visitor center.
National Register of Historic Places
This appears to be a modified Plantation Plain. It was recently restored.
Canton Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
A mill has been located on Toonigh Creek since the 1820s and the mill standing today, known as Gresham’s Mill or Sixes Mill, was built in 1878.
Vanishing Georgia: Photographs by Brian Brown 