1946 Map of Hightower Bald

About this map

Tate City and the settlement of Persimmon sit within a high-elevation landscape where the Nantahala National Forest meets the Chattahoochee National Forest. The 1946 topography, examined by the Tennessee Valley Authority, captures the area when local education was still anchored by the Tate City Sch and Pleasant Hill Sch. The Appalachian Trail follows the ridge lines through Bly Gap and past Dicks Creek Gap, tracing the boundary between North Carolina and Georgia. The drainage patterns of the Tallulah River and Persimmon Creek reveal the isolation of these mountain communities, where roads often follow the narrow creek beds like Popcorn Creek and Hannah Branch. Notable landmarks such as King Chapel and family-named features like Montgomery Corner provide essential points of reference for genealogists tracing ancestral roots in Rabun and Towns counties.