The Greear Family Approaching 100 Years in Helen, GA
David Greear has great pictures of the John Greear Family that came in 1927 as a civil engineer & surveyor to work with the Lumber Co. They operated a lodge, supported the Appalachian Trail Club, did work for the City and descendants are still involved today.
Time & Location
Nov 07, 2024, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Helen, 25 Chattahoochee Strasse, Helen, GA 30545, USA
About the event
Exhibit Reception and 5pm Storytelling and Slide Show.
The Greear Family Exhibit runs through Jan 2025
The Greear Family Approaching 100 Years in Helen, GA
John Fields Greear Sr came to Helen in 1927.
John was a civil engineer and surveyor for the Morse Brothers Lumber and Land Company.
Morse Brothers operated the huge sawmill in Helen, GA. John Greear and his wife Caroline (Carrie) Cox
had six children. When the lumber company ceased operations in Helen, the Greear family
struggled to make a working farm from the 100-plus acres that John Greear had acquired.
Even in early 1930s, way before Alpine Helen, tourism was a part of Helen’s economy,
John and Caroline operated Greear’s Lodge, offering rooms to rent, including meals,
way before the term “bed and breakfast” was ever coined.
Caroline Greear was a supporter of the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club and some of the first
meetings of the club were held at Greear’s Lodge.
John Greear was involved with designing and building a spring feed reservoir, filter and
pipe system to provide water to the City of Helen. He also served as the City of Helen clerk and treasurer.
LOCATION
HAHC lower History Room
Free parking in the back of the art center is limited but additional free parking for vehicles bearing White County plates is available at the City Municipal parking lot located down from the arts center on Chattahoochee St.