Carr’s Hill Historic Neighborhood

Intricate gingerbread scrollwork graces the gable of this vernacular cottage in Carr’s Hill.

with Maxine Easom

Saturday, August 28 at 10 am

Saturday, September 11 at 10 am

This scenic prominence of land that begins at the eastern bank of the North Oconee River just below downtown is home to Clarke County’s earliest and most significant history. It is here where wealthy landowner William Carr and his young bride built a home in 1817 and where the first railroad reached Athens in 1841 on land provided by Carr. Carr’s Hill remained the Athens’ railroad terminus for the next forty years, before the construction of a bridge across the river. The well-known painting by George Cooke, “A View from Carr’s Hill,” was painted for his good friends’ daughter, commemorating the scene which would be her last view of home as she boarded the train to leave for Alabama with her new husband. Life on Carr’s Hill was closely tied to the river and the industries which were built there. Textile mills located along the river such as the Athens Factory and Climax Hosiery Mill provided jobs to many of the Hill’s residents whose modest cottages are still in use. Once a humble but thriving neighborhood anchored by the Oconee Street United Methodist Church (1903) and the Oconee Street Elementary School (1908), today’s Carr’s Hill is a cautionary tale. The neighborhood clearly shows negative effects of misguided zoning and lack of vision, but the story’s ending has yet to be written and concerned residents are working for a better future. This tour will last approximately 1½ to 2 hours.

Your Tour Guide:

Maxine Easom is the fourth generation of her family to have grown up on Carr’s Hill. She credits that community’s humble residents with helping to instill the values that she has carried with her throughout life. A well-respected teacher and administrator, she received her bachelor’s degree in music education and went on to earn her doctorate in education from the University of Georgia. She began her career teaching piano, then became an elementary school teacher and eventually a principal at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. She retired recently as principal of Clarke Central High School but continues to be active, serving on the board of the Athens Area Urban Ministry which oversees Our Daily Bread Noon Kitchen. She is a lifelong member of Oconee Street United Methodist Church, where she has served as the music director for over 40 years.