Ruins of the Rabun Colony Club Rabun County, GA May 2013

All Text & Images: Copyright (2013)

Elaine and I were in Clayton one afternoon, and happened to strike up a conversation with a couple of women.
During the conversation, I must have mentioned my interest in old ruins, because one of the ladies told us about
some stone ruins near the pottery where she was working.   Naturally, we decided to go up there and have a
look, and discovered these interesting remains from the early 1900s on the grounds of The Hambidge Center.

A group of businessmen came from Atlanta in 1911 with plans to develop a hunting club, know as the Rabun
Colony Club.   The group purchased 450 acres on Betty's Creek; plans for the club included a lake and rustic
lodge.   The lake was created in the bottomlands by an earthen dam across Betty's Creek; it lasted about
ten years before the dam was washed away in a flood.   A three-story lodge was to be built by the Club; the
lodge was never finished, but the rock foundation/first floor walls remain in its unfinished state.   The club
was dissolved in 1919 after the land was sold out of receivership to W. Carroll Latimer of Atlanta.

Southeast corner, exterior

East Wall, SE corner at left

Southeast corner, interior

Southeast corner, mid wall on right

Interior side of mid wall

Exterior side of mid wall

Mid wall, looking west

Detail of mid wall stone work

East wall, interior

View down long south wall

Southwest quadrant, including interior foundations

Interior foundation corner

Southwest quadrant, long south wall on right

Interior foundation, southwest quadrant

Southwest corner, interior

Southwest corner, exterior

Middle section of south wall, exterior

East wall, SE corner

East wall, SE corner

Nearby Springhouse

Interior of the springhouse

Another view of the springhouse

The smaller Magraw Springhouse (ca. 1912), located on another area of the property. This poor old stone structure is leaning about 15 degrees out of level!

Additional Note: I found a paragraph from ELECTRICAL WORLD, Vol. 63, No. 12, March 21, 1914, that reads: "DILLARD, GA - The Rabun Colony Club has awarded a contract for construction of an electric light plant to the Mackle Crawford Construction Co., Grant Building, Atlanta, GA. Work will include construction of a dam.   Ray Harris of Atlanta is president of the club." (The referenced dam was likely the long-ago breached earthen dam on Betty's Creek.)

Rabun Colony Club Index

SE Ruins Index

SE USA Index

All Text & Images: Copyright 2013.