Captain Joseph W. Dobson obtained land grants #1084 and #1085 for approximately
640 acres which covered a great portion of what today is the town of Highlands. The
date was May 28, 1844. Hugh and Mary Ann Gibson accepted caretaker positions at
Capt. Dobson's request. Their job was to tend and protect his livestock that roamed
the Highlands Plateau. The Gibson's lived in a log cabin built for them by Capt.
Dobson the location of which would be just north of Main Street and due east of Fifth
Street today.

In February 1875, Samuel Truman Kelsey and Clinton Carter Hutchinson arrived at
the Blue Ridge Plateau with the intent of founding a town. They decided to name their
new town Highlands. Several stories exist as to why specifically these two gentlemen
chose the present site of Highlands for their project. Most local historians generally
agree to the following scenario.

Mr. Kelsey, being a horticulturist, was naturally drawn to the plateau because of its
natural beauty and unique white pine, hemlock, rhododendron and laurel forests. The
area was also covered with an abundance of streams and springs. Being a scientist, he
may have also recognized that the plateau had survived the glacial age with its native
plant life intact making it a natural outdoor laboratory for research on a world scale.
Although Mr. Kelsey may have had personal interests in the area, he did intend to
enter into a commercial venture with Mr. Hutchinson.

As the story goes, they drew lines from Chicago, Illinois to Savannah, Georgia, then
from New York, New York, to New Orleans, Louisiana. At the intersection of those
two lines is the town of Highlands, making it an ideal location for a vacation resort in
the mountains.

The area soon became known for its clean mountain air and water, the benefits of
which could be promoted for good health. Soon Highlands would be known as an
area where one could relax and recoup in good health from the stresses and rigors of
daily life in the late 1800s and early 1900s. (A fact that many executives from Atlanta
can attest to even today.)

Exactly which point was the key factor for the development of Highlands is not known.
One fact remains clear - local residents and thousands of visitors can both appreciate
the foresight and vision that Mr. Kelsey and Mr. Hutchinson had back in 1875.

Time Line

1590 DeSoto with 200 men explore the area
1666 First Colonists in Nantahala area
1819 Macon County acquired from Indians
1827 Barak Norton builds log cabin in Whiteside Cove
1844 Capt. Dobson acquires land grants in Highlands
1850 Census: 5613 whites 121 Indians 549 slaves 207 free
1855 Post office in Horse Cove
1860 Highlands area population approximately 500
1864 Kirks Raiders - Civil War marauders roam the area
1875 Kelsey & Hutchinson arrive to develop health resort
1875 Log Law House built on the site of "Helen's Barn."
1876 First white child born in Highlands - Charles McKinney
1877 Kelsey & Hutchinson begin promoting Highlands
1878 Non-denominational church - Log Law House
1879 Town of Highlands incorporates
1881 First newspaper "Blue Ridge Enterprise" 1883 pop. 300
1883 S.W. Hill elected first mayor
1883 Moccasin War fought on main Street
1887 Highlands records a 36-inch snowfall
1894 Church of Incarnation built (Episcopal)
1895 Telephone line from Seneca, SC
1896 First quartz mine - Bull Pen Road
1900 Capt. S.P. Ravenel, Jr. builds toll road Cashiers/Shortoff
1906 Dillard Road Built
1907 Methodist Church construction begins
1908 Highlands Improvement Society acquires Satulah Summit
1911 Charlie Wright rescues Gus Bety from Whitesides cliffs
1920 Walhalla Road build
1927 Highlands School graduates first class (2)
1927 Municipal dam / power project - Cullasaja River / Lake Sequoyah
1927 Highlands Biological Station founded
1927 Franklin Road construction begins
1928 Highlands Country Club - Bobby Jones plays first round
1934 Civilian Conservation Corp. Camp on Horse Cove Road
1937 W.P.A. Auditorium built - Highlands Playhouse
1941 Highlands Community Theatre formed
1945 Church in the Wildwood in Horse Cove
1950 New Highlands School built (present location)
1950 Our Lady of the Mountain Catholic Church built
1951 Highlands Community Hospital opens
1952 Highlands firefighters purchase first equipment
1954 Town Hall built
1958 Highlander Newspaper published
1963 Wildcat Cliffs Country Club opened
1964 Highlands School enrollment 100+
1973 Highlands Falls Country Club opens
1975 Centennial Celebration - Summer season
1980 Scaly Mountain ski slope opens
1982 First Pro-Am Golf Tournament - Highlands Country Club
1982 Historic Lee's Inn burns to the ground
1985 Woodruff Building opens at Rec. Park
1986 Cullasaja Country Club begins construction
1987 Foxfire filmed in the Buck Creek area
1989 19 structures nominated National Register of Historic Places