Eighth Historic Plaque to be dedicated Tonight

Don’t forget that the eighth historic plaque in the 2016-2017 series of plaques dedicated to downtown buildings is today at 5 p.m.

The plaque will be dedicated at the former location of the Andrews-Hamby Men’s Store, which is now owned by Mr. Chris Irvin and used as downtown luxurious apartments.

According to Community Development Specialist Christian Hamilton, the building was originally constructed around 1916 when the City of Toccoa began expanding its central downtown district.

The Andrews-Hamby Men’s Store was opened in the late 1940s and sold finely crafted menswear, personal items and various other necessities designed to appeal to the refined gentleman.

The historic plaque program highlights ten historic buildings in Toccoa, and the remaining plaques are set to follow each month.

Hamilton explained the purpose of the plaque program.

“The reason we do the historic plaque program is because we believe that the history of downtown Toccoa is an important factor not only for social and cultural enjoyment, but for economic development,” said Hamilton. “At mainstreet Toccoa, we try to make sure we understand the history of the area and we want to bring that out for the people in Toccoa.”

Hamilton said that Main Street Toccoa hopes to eventually have all historic buildings included in the plaque program.

Buildings are considered historic if they are at least 50 years old and the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources provides information on whether or not a building contributes to the historic district.

Once all plaques have been installed, they will be added to Main Street Toccoa’s Historic Walking Tour Guide.

Hamilton described what the dedication will involve.

“The dedications are fairly short, they’re about 15 minutes long,” said Hamilton. “What we do is we gather a lot of community citizens, downtown business owners, city officials, anyone who wants to come- they’re open to the public. We read off a brief history of the building and share memories that people may have in the building.”

For more information on the Historic Plaque Program, contact Christian Hamilton at 706.898.5777.