Sautee Valley Historic District

Sautee Valley Historic District occupies the open southern half of a narrow mountain valley in White County, Georgia, next to the Nacoochee Valley. Farmhouses, stores, a school, a church and an 1895 queen-post truss covered bridge sit mostly along the valley edges, where hillsides meet the bottom land. Houses date from the 1830s to the 1930s, with most built around 1900. Most are wood-framed vernacular farmhouses with prominent porches, while the ca. 1837 Harshaw-Stovall House, the 1890 Lumsden-Marsh-Crittenden House and the 1896 Sautee Manor are more elaborate. The 1873 Sautee Store and a late 19th-century post office/store show how small roadside shops met everyday needs. The district was recognized for its architecture, its agricultural and commercial history, and its landscape. Settlement followed the terrain: fields on the valley floor, homes on knobs and shelves, and steep hills left wooded. Known and likely archaeological sites, from prehistoric villages and mounds to historic gold mines and a mill, add further importance.